Recipes for avoiding UTI's

[Mona~on~wheels]

Since UTI's are a consistently a major topic, I wonder if the SCI nurses/Mods
would see value in permanently stickying this thread so that everyone could
post their own successful strategies for avoiding UTI's.

I intermittent cath so here is mine:

Besides drinking water/cranberry juice and making sure cath area is prepped with betadine, I supplement with:

2 Uroquid Acid (50/50) x2 daily (morning and bedtime)
2 Green Source multivitamins x2 daily (morning and bedtime)
2 CVS Brand Max Cranberry x2 daily (morning and bedtime)
1 1000 mg time release Vitamin C (morning)

Uroquid acid can be up'd to 4x a day when people feel one coming on.

Thank God I have been near UTI free for two whole years.

Hey NoDecafPlz,

I also just started taking Uroquid acid twice a day,
per discussion on this board. I haven't taken it long
enough to suggest. But the tubing looks clearer than
before. Will let y'all know when more time has passed.

Great idea to stick it for everyone to read.

Mona

[dnvrdave]

I've had SP tube for 18 years. We change it every 4 weeks. I get a mild UTI about once in 3 years. The UTI usually just makes the urine smell bad (no other symptoms), and I take antibiotics to get rid of it.

The only active strategy I have is to drink a lot of water (about 3 quarts a day). I've noticed that alcohol does cause UTI's so I avoid that. More for general health, I also avoid caffeine and processed sugar. I sometimes drink juices, but usually just water.

It might also help that I don't take ditropan or any prescription drugs (except in special cases).

[SCI-Nurse]

All I know is that whateer works for you to stay healthy, works for you. While some of the suggestions are not things that have been reearched or are what we would consider "bewt Practice", who am I to knock anyone who has stayed UTI free?
CKF

[Schmeky]

I have found the method used by Bob Clark to very effective. For the first time in 4 years, I have stopped taking anything orally for my bladder.

Do a search on Bob's posts and you'll find it covered in detail.

[Lizbv]

Old quad with SP cath. (30 years post) Wait till signs point to UTI, Gunk, Smell, Color, etc. Go into kill bug mode, take 6g Vit C, 2 3x a day, and push huge water. (Beer doesn't count now, sorry.) Repeat untill a differance or symtoms get worse and call doc. 95%+ things start to clear, after 5ish days of mega doseing Vit C, back off by 1/2 for another 3-4, still pushing water. All still well, drop to 1g at night, still fluch for 4-5 more days. Stop if all seems good. Change SP if anywere close to time to prevent survivors. 3 years since my last antibiotic. (And posting this likely just screwed me.)

Just one quads experiance....

Nurses:


Vit C is water soluble correct? how is this explained? thanks

[bob clark]

I have found the method used by Bob Clark to very effective. For the first time in 4 years, I have stopped taking anything orally for my bladder.

Do a search on Bob's posts and you'll find it covered in detail.

Hi Schmeky,

I'm glad it's working out for you.

But it should be said that my "procedure" is not a recipe per se, but a procedure or technique. Based on the theme of keeping bacteria out of the bladder in the first place and not "treating" it once it's accomplished a foothold or a multiplying colony in there.

It's not for the "faint of heart" and not condoned or recommended by the Nurses here at CC.

To make it easy on people so they don't have to wrestle through my other posts, here's the latest one I wrote about preventing UTIs and of course my older "Bob's Anti-UTI. doc."

Take from these writings what you will.

http://sci.rutgers.edu/forum/showthread.php?t=88969#8

http://bcee1.home.comcast.net/Bobs_Anti_UTI.doc

Bob.

[Schmeky]

It's not for the "faint of heart" and not condoned or recommended by the Nurses here at CC.

That's not a problem. I visited my Urologist at Regional Urology in Shreveport, LA. This is a huge complex with labs and a research and development department. This facility is staffed by 18 urologists.

When I explained "Bob's" technique, my Uro said he didn't see a problem with it and indicated that if it continues to work, then I should continue to use it.

[Lazlo]

Bob, that's a meticulous technique but it must take forever! I agree with you though, keeping bacteria out of the bladder in the first place is the most important part of avoiding UTI.

Theoretically, if your hands are sterile, and the lube is sterile (single use packets), and the catheter is sterile (also single use), then the only way bacteria can get in is by pushing it in from the entrance of the urethra, right? So I take extra care to clean it with an antibacterial wipe first, even getting inside the urethra a bit with it, then I lay the wet wipe underneath my penis. I clean my hands with another wet wipe, open the lube and cath packets carefully and set them on the wet wipe. I clean my hands with purell, pull the catheter out of the package, apply the lube making sure to hold it as far up the catheter as possible, and insert. When I'm done I clean things up with another wet wipe and that's that.

Now I don't have a long track record yet but this procedure works pretty well for me and only takes a couple minutes.

[NoDecafPlz]

So do the powers see value in Stickying this thread?

[smokey]

I use a new catheter each time, sterile lube and also anti-bacterial "WetOnes" from Playtex to clean off my hands and like Bob Clark emphasizes.....particularly the meatus of the penis. I sometimes find a little bit of dry mucous there. Plus, the "Wet Ones" are easy to tuck in a bag under your seat with the lube, catheters, tissues etc. when you're out and about. I get them at BJ's Wholesale for about $1.30/40-count cannister. You can get the generic stuff cheaper as long as it has the active ingredient, benzethonium chloride.

http://www.playtexproductsinc.com/we...ibacterial.asp