We have tried every prescription doctors recommended like Methanamine Hipp and Myrbetriq, any supplement I could research , like D-mannose and cranberry tablets. Has anyone out there had any luck keeping these under control? I was thinking I would try a bidet next to see if that would help. It seems like every UTI makes here dementia worse. I wonder if getting delirium from UTIs over and over can cause dementia.
A few responses talk about scent. Don't put scent anywhere near the vagina anus or urinary openings. Let things air out.
But most importantly, there is a direct route from the anus and related areas to the female urinary tract and vagina and that needs to be stopped. After every bowel movement she needs to be cleaned thoroughly with warm water rinses and a gentle towel.
Also, anything with fake sugar can irritate and cause symptoms of a UTI in younger people too. People go for years with urgency, then they can't urinate when they get there, or they have leaks and a lot of it is fake sugar. They'll tell you one is better than the other but all of them have the same effect. Caffeine, caramel color in sodas, soda waters, sometimes even spicy things can irritate the urethra and make it feel like you need to go frequently and urgently. Try removing those things out of the diet if the bacteria culture comes up negative.
I didn't know about the dementia symptoms until after I started taking care of my mom and doing research but I can say for sure that people don't suddenly become senile over a short period of time. That can be from the UTI for sure, unless it's super sudden, which is more likely some sort of stroke.
For every woman reading this, the US doesn't use bidets as a matter of course and I think this is a major problem. Anyone who does laundry in the US knows there are often stains left behind and this means that there is fecal matter remaining on your skin. Feces are stickier than most people think about. If a bird pooped and it landed on your arm would you use a paper towel to wipe it off and that's it? No, you'd need water and that's the same for human feces as well. Sweat, which is natural, will carry that feces to your other openings. It travels. I won't even mention thong underwear because they need to be considered decorative only, and used very briefly, if ever.
Repeated UTIs can affect the kidneys. I was threatened with this, but I don’t know how it affects re-infection.
It may be that your mother is re-infecting herself. The antibiotics fix what is in the bladder, but perhaps she still has bugs around the area. If I had that problem now, and couldn’t wash or shower thoroughly, I would wipe the areas with a disinfectant (and I’d check with the chemist about a disinfectant that would be OK for the skin). Try everything, is my advice!
My daughter suggested I drink Alkaline water. She pays for it to be delivered to my house in 1/2 gallon bottles. (I think she didn't trust me to buy it, but if she purchased it, she hopes I will feel guilty if I don't drink it :-). So far, that and Cranberry pills have helped me. I have some D-mannose, but haven't tried it.
I do find that since my bladder is tipped, I often don't void all the way. So, drinking a lot of the Alkaline may help keep my urine diluted. I don't mean gallons, just being aware that I need to drink often.
I have to wear some light pads which I change often. Too, my sewing/computer room is next to a bathroom, when I get up, I just go to the bathroom before doing anything else.
I hope you find something for her.
Is she wiping the back (anus area) separately?....
or is she wiping from back to front?
There's a possibility she could be infecting herself ...getting the feces on her urinary area.
Yes, frequent URIs can cause dementia like symptoms.
I had UTI’s for years. Took all kinds of antibiotics, became resistant to some, got sepsis, was miserable. I got a new urologist who believed in prevention and keeping a healthy bladder & urethra. I have not had a UTI since and, believe me, I am much happier.
it can be done.
UTI definitely causes dementia like symptoms, confusion, angry outbursts - behavior not normal for the patient. If your mom still has UTI after a round of antibiotics, those pills are not clearing it up. Just relieving it for a brief period. And antibiotics that don't fix the problem have to be stronger to kill surviving bacterias.
Get your poor mom Off the antibiotics! They will do more harm than good.
Instead, get her taking D-Mannose....a health supplement, in capsule form....also feed her food with fresh garlic, and, if she can swallow another capsule every day, you can make up your own capsule filled with oregano oil, but be very, very careful with this oil as it's Potent. It will kill every pathogen, fungus, bacteria, virus, any parasite....but, avoid getting this potent oil on your skin or hers, or in the eyes, anywhere but inside the capsule, which will be delivered via water to the stomach.
These things will clear up her repeating UTI's....but, she'll need to keep taking the D-Mannose supplements, ok.
May God be with you and your precious mother....Happy Mother's Day! 💖💖💖
She has again become less active and the UTIs are back. We keep sterile specimen cups on hand and her doctor made a standing order for urine cultures at the lab, so when her symptoms are pretty much unmistakable, weakness and urge without ability to void, we collect a sample and take it to the lab so she doesn't have to physically travel 45 minutes to get there. There is a particularly tenacious bacteria, a Pseudomonas, which is only sensitive to a few antibiotics , most of which she is allergic to. That's the one she gets most often, of course. So we have also added D-Mannose 500 mg 2x daily, and the Dr considered adding Hiprex daily or every other but the pharmacist said her kidney function is too low to tolerate that drug.
We have gotten quite an education on UTIs in the elderly. The first lesson was that symptoms are not the same as in a younger person. Second, hydration is essential, and if the pt doesn't like water, give diluted juice or add a small amount of flavor, and push those fluids! No caffeine, it dehydrates! Make sure the lab does cultures so they know what bacteria they are dealing with and what Rx will kill it. It takes a few days longer for the Dx but you are not giving useless antibiotics in the meantime. I personally think a bidet would be useful (though MIL is very fastidious and knows which way to wipe), but installing one in her tiny bathroom could be problematic, so I gave her an small, empty dishwashing liquid squeeze bottle that she fills and uses after a bowel movement. Just be sure to keep an eye on it to make sure she's not keeping water in it all the time, as it will grow algae, or something with a cloudy appearance.
Sorry this post is so long, but there is a lot of info to share, and I think it probably takes a combination, and to find just the right mix for a particular patient. Good luck!
It has been mentioned on the forum that maybe the type of incontinence supplies being used is the problem. The materials used, the fragrance. Me, I can't use Kotex products. I switched to cotton briefs years ago. Years ago my daughter was getting UTIs. We cut out bubble baths, started using cotton undies. Found out it was the colored toilet paper I was using. Note: u haven't seen colored toilet paper for years. Should not be using any powder ot feminine sprays either.
Its hard as we get older but you have to completely void. I wondered why the aides would leave my MIL on the toilet a little longer. Maybe its so they void completely. Keep as clean as possible. I always used Huggies wipes on Mom. Big and thick. Lots of water intake.