recurring UTIs

[IvonaDestroi]

Cranberry all the way!

I've had a few of those things and cranberry always helps the most.

Don't bother with the fake ocean spray types of cranberry juices, if you look at the ingredients, there's hardly any actual juice in those at all. Get something that says it actually contains large amounts of real juice in it. I always forego bottled juice and just squish up some cranberries myself, or eat them whole.

Another thing that really helps in terms of cranberry is concentrated cranberry pills that you can get at any health foods store.

I guess if antibiotics are not working properly then all you can do is keep yourself and your shorts as clean as possible, and try some of these hollistic approaches. but I can see how a combination of sweat and things rubbing together might create an attractive home for those horrible little bacteriums!

[alpinerabbit]

Please do not use antibiotics as prevention. You are paving the way for a nice, antibiotic-resistant infectoin.

The irritation idea struck me - are you leaning too much on your urethra, rubbing it against the saddle or fabric?

(Definitely can't catch it from a spin bike seat, but possibly from an infested pad...)

[tctrek]

+1 on Vitamin C and/or Cranberry juice. If it takes hold I use Azo's for a few days in addition to the Vitamin C.

[OakLeaf]

I wouldn't really worry too much about the chamois - the bacteria are there all the time, it's imbalances and vulnerabilities in your immune system and the particular tissues that allow an infection to develop - but the best way to sanitize a chamois is to dry your shorts outdoors in the sun.


ETA: to echo what Indysteel and Alpinerabbit said, are you getting tested each time you have symptoms of a UTI? If all you have is frequent urination (and I DO know how awful that can be all by itself), perhaps you're drinking too much water without replacing electrolytes? taking another medication that causes spastic bladder? simply responding to stress?

Have you been evaluated for interstitial cystitis?

[indysteel]

I've had a nightmare of UTIs since August. I think had one almost every month for about six months. I did finally go on a preventative dose of antibiotics. The persistent feeling of either having an UTI or feeling like I was about to get a UTI was absolutely draining. I tried cranberry tablets, Vitamin C, copious amounts of water, peeing after sex, peeing before sex. Nothing worked.

When I finally visited a urologist, he explained that the bladder is a very sensitive organ. A low dose of antibiotics, taken nightly, can give the bladder a chance to fully heal. He was right on that count. I started that therapy in February and haven't had one since. The downside, however, is that the first antibiotic he prescribed--Macrodantin--caused some bad side effects. They don't occur in all people, but for those that can't tolerate the drug--the side effects can be quite serious. I'm tolerating the second drug--Proloprim--a lot better. It's not quite as effective, so I'm also taking 1000 mg of Vitamin C each night, too. Plus, yeast infections are more common.

I was only supposed to be on the antibiotic for four months. From there, I'm not sure what we'll do if they recur. While the drugs have worked, I feel very uneasy about taking them.

[ZenSojourner]

I'm not trying to be a buttinsky, but I would note that the dose of Vitamin C you're taking - 1000mg per day - is half what my doc had me taking when I had this problem.

I was taking 2000mg every day, in ONE dose all at the same time, for at least a month. Taking it longer than that wouldn't hurt.

Just food for thought, I am not a doctor nor do I play one on the internet.

[msincredible]

Another fan of cranberry juice here, and I prefer the 100% unsweetened cranberry juice. Maybe you could even dilute some into your water for your ride.