UTI's & the fine line

infinity · 06-09-2007, 09:34 PM

I have a indwelling foley which is changed quite often due to my bladder's tendency to form stones and this leads to frequent UTI's - I get one about every 6 weeks. I am rarely symptomatic as far as fever/feeling rotten/chills ect and the only real indication is the look/smell of my urine. I usually wait until I do feel an indication of the UTI before going on antibiotics [I really dont want to become resistant].. but lately i've been reading a lot about sepsis and im really afraid of pushing it. how common is sepsis? i know it's deadly, but how deadly? am i doing the wrong thing by waiting the UTIs out?

Also bladder related: I've read so many postsabout people having surgery to get stones removed. Are kidney/gall stones more common in SCIs? If so, why? This is another issue that worries me, since I tend to get bladder stones [although they look more like flakes to me; but that's what my urologist calls them].

Any info would be great.. sometimes I over think things and make myself all freaked out over nothing.. but this seems like a "something"..

rfbdorf · 06-10-2007, 01:59 AM

Hi, infinity
I suggest you read Bladder Management for Adults with Spinal Cord Injury: A Clinical Practice Guideline for Health-Care Professionals. It's well worth while. PVA have a number of other excellent publications free for the download, here. Among other things - smelly/cloudy urine does not necessarily indicate a UTI (in the absence of other symptoms), but rather that your bladder is colonised with bacteria.
My wife has a Foley; it is changed every 3 weeks, and the urine is generally cloudy with sediment, and often smelly. No UTI for the last year and a half, though.
- Richard

SCI-Nurse · 06-10-2007, 09:57 PM

Infinity-
You may not have an "infection", but a colonization is not unlikely. Your catheter is a foreign body and allows the bacteris to enter your bladder. The best thing that you can do is DRINK lots of water and also monitor the way that your urine looks. If you read the PVA Guide, you will see that they recomend that the foley is removed. I agree with them from a medical perspective, but have been in the rehab business long enough to know that there are other reasons besides medical that you may want/prefer/need a foley.
One of the cmplications from SCI is the increase incidence in gall stones. It comes with all the signs that ab's get- nausea, vomiting, certain foods causing gas, etc.
Bladder stones are another complication from SCI. The incidence is also increased when you have a foley in. Drinking fluids helps to decrease the incidence. Read the PVA Publication- it will help to answer more questions than you even know you have.
CKF

infinity · 06-11-2007, 06:11 PM

Thanks for the info and the link.

As far as my foley; I'm a functioning C6 quad just a week shy of 1 year. I really hope that I can eventually move away from the foley =]

SCI-Nurse · 06-11-2007, 07:58 PM

You should also print this out and share it with your physician. Although it was written in 1999, it still reflects state-of-the-art practice in this area:

Prevention and Management of Urinary Tract Infections in Paralyzed Persons

(KLD)

06-09-2007, 09:34 PM	#1
infinity Senior Member Join Date: Jan 2007 Location: NJ Posts: 354	UTI's & the fine line I have a indwelling foley which is changed quite often due to my bladder's tendency to form stones and this leads to frequent UTI's - I get one about every 6 weeks. I am rarely symptomatic as far as fever/feeling rotten/chills ect and the only real indication is the look/smell of my urine. I usually wait until I do feel an indication of the UTI before going on antibiotics [I really dont want to become resistant].. but lately i've been reading a lot about sepsis and im really afraid of pushing it. how common is sepsis? i know it's deadly, but how deadly? am i doing the wrong thing by waiting the UTIs out? Also bladder related: I've read so many postsabout people having surgery to get stones removed. Are kidney/gall stones more common in SCIs? If so, why? This is another issue that worries me, since I tend to get bladder stones [although they look more like flakes to me; but that's what my urologist calls them]. Any info would be great.. sometimes I over think things and make myself all freaked out over nothing.. but this seems like a "something"..

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06-10-2007, 01:59 AM	#2
rfbdorf Senior Member Join Date: Sep 2005 Location: Oregon Posts: 2,715	Hi, infinity I suggest you read Bladder Management for Adults with Spinal Cord Injury: A Clinical Practice Guideline for Health-Care Professionals. It's well worth while. PVA have a number of other excellent publications free for the download, here. Among other things - smelly/cloudy urine does not necessarily indicate a UTI (in the absence of other symptoms), but rather that your bladder is colonised with bacteria. My wife has a Foley; it is changed every 3 weeks, and the urine is generally cloudy with sediment, and often smelly. No UTI for the last year and a half, though. - Richard

06-10-2007, 09:57 PM	#3
SCI-Nurse Moderator Join Date: Jul 2001 Location: USA Posts: 41,349	Infinity- You may not have an "infection", but a colonization is not unlikely. Your catheter is a foreign body and allows the bacteris to enter your bladder. The best thing that you can do is DRINK lots of water and also monitor the way that your urine looks. If you read the PVA Guide, you will see that they recomend that the foley is removed. I agree with them from a medical perspective, but have been in the rehab business long enough to know that there are other reasons besides medical that you may want/prefer/need a foley. One of the cmplications from SCI is the increase incidence in gall stones. It comes with all the signs that ab's get- nausea, vomiting, certain foods causing gas, etc. Bladder stones are another complication from SCI. The incidence is also increased when you have a foley in. Drinking fluids helps to decrease the incidence. Read the PVA Publication- it will help to answer more questions than you even know you have. CKF

06-11-2007, 06:11 PM	#4
infinity Senior Member Join Date: Jan 2007 Location: NJ Posts: 354	Thanks for the info and the link. As far as my foley; I'm a functioning C6 quad just a week shy of 1 year. I really hope that I can eventually move away from the foley =]

06-11-2007, 07:58 PM	#5
SCI-Nurse Moderator Join Date: Jul 2001 Location: USA Posts: 41,349	You should also print this out and share it with your physician. Although it was written in 1999, it still reflects state-of-the-art practice in this area: Prevention and Management of Urinary Tract Infections in Paralyzed Persons (KLD)