Recipes for avoiding UTI's

[Quad74]

Before posting, my first post, here I did a search of this large thread and am amazed nobody has posted who has a urostomy!

I've been a quad for 38 years and have had the urostomy for 37 years. Over the first 33 or so years I rarely got a UTI. Starting a few years back I began getting a UTI every six months. This usually ended up with me in the hospital on IV anitbiotics for about a week.

Right now i'm battling my 4th UTI this year. Recently, as soon as I start feeling a UTI come on (I usually get strong belly spasms) I drastically increase the water I drink and start drinking V8 & cranberry juice. So far I've avoided the hospital this year.

I'm not fond of cranberry juice so I ordered some cranberry concentrate tablets. These are 500 mg and I plan to take one daily as a supplement. Does taking them daily reduce their effectiveness when a UTI swims in?

About drainage bags. I gave up using a leg bag over 10 years ago. Now I use 2000 cc drainage bags. I change it weekly and it is rinsed with water/vinegar daily. Have people here found it better to not disconnect & rinse? What ratio of water/vinegar do most use?

[gjnl]

Originally Posted by Quad74

Right now i'm battling my 4th UTI this year. Recently, as soon as I start feeling a UTI come on (I usually get strong belly spasms) I drastically increase the water I drink and start drinking V8 & cranberry juice. So far I've avoided the hospital this year. That is good to hear! If you find yourself headed to the hospital to receive IV antibiotics, you might want to ask your urologist or infectious disease doctor if you can be treated at home with single use elastomeric IV pumps and a PICC (peripherally inserted central catheter) line. I have used these at home for 7-14 days, 3 times a day administration of Ceftazidime. It is so much better than being cooped up in a hosptial. A picture of the pump device appears below.

I'm not fond of cranberry juice so I ordered some cranberry concentrate tablets. These are 500 mg and I plan to take one daily as a supplement. Does taking them daily reduce their effectiveness when a UTI swims in? I take two 300 mg cranberry extract concentrate gel capsules twice a day for a total of 1200 mg. I have read here of others who take less than you do and more than I do.

There is a compound in cranberries that, in layman's terms keeps the bacteria from sticking to the walls of the bladder. With that in mind, keeping this compound in the bladder on an ongoing basis seems like a good way to help avoid infection. It used to be believed that cranberry juice and other acidic juices kept the urine acid and acid urine bacteria could not grow in acidic urine. That is not the case. Actually acidic juices cause the urine to be alkaline.

About drainage bags. I gave up using a leg bag over 10 years ago. Now I use 2000 cc drainage bags. I change it weekly and it is rinsed with water/vinegar daily. Have people here found it better to not disconnect & rinse? What ratio of water/vinegar do most use?If you are not disconnecting the bag for any other reason than to rinse it, there is a case to be made that keeping a closed system is best. Don't disconnect the bag for any reason until you are ready to change to a new bag. That is a closed system. If you do disconnect the bag daily other than to rinse it and don't maintain a closed system, then swishing the bag with a 10% solution of unscented household bleach and water is the best practice (1500cc of water 150cc of bleach). Rinse the bag thoroughly with hot water after the bleach solution. Vinegar and water or vinegar alone is not recommended.

Welcome to the Care Cure Community. Glad you found us.

You may have read references to Vetericyn used for a bladder instillation to help avoid bladder colonization and urinary tract infection. Vetericyn is a proprietary formulation of oxychlorine compounds based upon the Microcyn® Technology platform. Vetericyn’s base ingredient, oxychlorine, is similar to that produced by healthy cells in the body. The ingredients in Vetericyn are Electrolyzed Water (H2OSodium Chloride (NaCISodium Hypochlorite (NaOCI& Hypochlorous Acid (HOCI)(0.003%).
Vetericyn was originally developed for wound treatment. It is not an antibiotic. It may more properly be characterized as an antiseptic.

Here are some threads for you to read and study:
http://sci.rutgers.edu/forum/showthread.php?t=133414
http://sci.rutgers.edu/forum/showthread.php?t=149966
http://sci.rutgers.edu/forum/showthread.php?t=143797
http://sci.rutgers.edu/forum/showthread.php?t=167480

http://vetericyn.com/technology/faq.php

All the best,
GJ

[Quad74]

Thanks for your reply gj. Yes I've used the single-use magic pumping balls and picc-line before. This was after a 3-4 day hospital stay then completing at home.

Yes I recently read about cranberry's effect on bacterial adhesion in the urinary tact. With bacteria's adaptability I figured I'd ask if there was any sign of the little bleepards growing cranberry resistant velcro feet.

I skimmed over articles I've seen on Vetericyn/Micrcyn because they seem to be bladder-centric. While I still have a bladder it is totally discontected from my ureters/kidneys. My UTIs are direct stoma-ureters-kidneys.

Thanks again. Nice site!

[NoDecafPlz]

Additional info for UTI prevention.

Originally Posted by thehipcrip

The liquid and the tablet versions of Cystex aren't the same. As KLD explained, the liquid, which also contains D-Mannose and Vitamin C, is a prophylactic primarily against e. coli infections.

The tablet version contains a pain reliever and methenamine (the same medication sold in prescription strength as Hiprex®, Mandelamine®, and Urex®), and is intended for use when you're already symptomatic to, per the manufacturer "prevent the infection from getting worse and easing the burning while you wait for your doctor's appointment." The analgesic is not pyridium, so Cystex tablets provide pain relief without turning your urine reddish-orange.

From the Manufacturer
Cystex is a non-prescription medication available at your drug store. It works two ways. For one, Cystex contains methenamine. This inhibits the growth of bacteria in the urinary tract, and is specially useful for chronic suppressive treatment. Cystex also contains sodium salicylate, which safely and effectively relieves pain, inflammation and fever.
If you suffer from a burning sensation while urinating, or you need to urinate frequently, you may have a urinary tract infection (UTI). UTIÕs can be painful, but, when treated properly, are rarely a serious health threat.

A 100 pack is available at Amazon for under $12 - amazing!

[Brianne]

Hi there,
I'm in Canada...is there a way to get uroqid on line as we can't get it in Canada...also would I need a prescription?
Thanks

[Van Quad]

Is not the same as Mandelamine. Back to the future.

Originally Posted by NoDecafPlz

Additional info for UTI prevention.



From the Manufacturer
Cystex is a non-prescription medication available at your drug store. It works two ways. For one, Cystex contains methenamine. This inhibits the growth of bacteria in the urinary tract, and is specially useful for chronic suppressive treatment. Cystex also contains sodium salicylate, which safely and effectively relieves pain, inflammation and fever.
If you suffer from a burning sensation while urinating, or you need to urinate frequently, you may have a urinary tract infection (UTI). UTIÕs can be painful, but, when treated properly, are rarely a serious health threat.

A 100 pack is available at Amazon for under $12 - amazing!

[Brianne]

Thanks for the info

[RJC]

What does everyone on here do or not do to try to maintain good bladder health? Do you take any pills such as cranmax pills? Or any other kind of pill or supplement? Is there certain foods that you try to eat on a regular basis? Or are there certain foods and drinks you try to avoid consuming? I'm looking for some new things to add to my own personal regiment to try to maintain bladder health so I was curious if there was anything out there that I wasn't already aware of.

[gjnl]

I have taken cranberry pills, vitamin C, avoided caffeine and carbonated beverages, and I still do these things. But, I think the single best thing I have done for bladder health is instill Vetericyn every day. Here is my standard introduction to Vetericyn, threads about Vetericyn on Care Cure Community and a Q&A about Vetericyn from a website:

To make it easy for me to introduce you to Vetericyn, I will take the liberty of quoting from this website (quotes below will appear in gray print):
http://vetericyn.com/technology/faq.php

Vetericyn is a proprietary formulation of oxychlorine compounds based upon the Microcyn® Technology platform. Vetericyn’s base ingredient, oxychlorine, is similar to that produced by healthy cells in the body. The ingredients in Vetericyn are Electrolyzed Water (H2OSodium Chloride (NaCISodium Hypochlorite (NaOCI& Hypochlorous Acid (HOCI)(0.003%).
Vetericyn was originally developed for wound treatment. It is not an antibiotic. It may more properly be characterized as an antiseptic. Vetericyn has a safety profile comparable to saline (safety data available in a separate report), it is non-toxic and non-irritating while safe to use around eyes, nose and mouth. It contains no steroids or antibiotics and can be easily applied with no mixing or dilution required. Rinsing after use is not required. It is used in animals and humans. Vetericyn is the name of the product used for animals (tends to be less expensive than the product marketed for humans). The same product is used in humans and is called Puracyn in the United States and Dermacyn in many foreign countries.

Many members of the Care Cure Community are using Vetericyn instilled in the bladder and retained there for a period of time and then drained. It is being used by those of us who manage our bladders with intermittent catheterization, supra pubic catheterization, and surgically altered bladders.

My personal testimonial is that I managed my bladder for about 15 years with intermittent catheterization. Toward the end of that period, I suffered from recurrent UTIs. While getting these UTIs under control, I consulted with a specialist about techniques to manage my neurogenic bladder. I decided to have a supra pubic catheter placed about 20 months ago, once the infections were under control. It was then that I read about Vetericyn on this website. I began using it and have not had an infection in 20 months. Once a day (at bedtime), I instill 20cc of Vetericyn, mixed with 10cc of sterile saline into my bladder. I plug/clamp the catheter for about 24-30 minutes and then drain the bladder. I don't have a bacteria colonized bladder, and my urine is clear, light, and odorless.

Here are several threads for you to read and study. A couple of them are long and involved, but I think well worth your time and effort to struggle through them. When you are finished, you are sure to have questions. There are several of us here who will answer with our knowledge from our own experiences.

http://sci.rutgers.edu/forum/showthread.php?t=133414
http://sci.rutgers.edu/forum/showthread.php?t=149966
http://sci.rutgers.edu/forum/showthread.php?t=143797
http://sci.rutgers.edu/forum/showthread.php?t=167480

http://vetericyn.com/technology/faq.php

In addition, I have an annual visit with my urologist, a yearly renal ultra sound and cystoscopy every 3 years. I have a suprapubic catheter, so having routine urodynamics studies isn't critical, but if you manage your bladder with intermittent catheterization or an external catheter (males) then having yearly urodynamic studies is a good idea.

All the best,
GJ

[Millard]

Like GJ, I only use Vetericyn VF. I use 20 ml, 3 times per week and has kept me uti free for the last 28 months.

I hope this helps.