Preventing Urinary Tract Infection

I have recurrent UTI. I think I started having UTI when I was a teenager. My mom has it, my sister has it. In a research, they say that there are certain blood types that are prone to UTI. Maybe that’s a good explanation why my mother, sister and I have it.

I was confined in the hospital for 4 days last July because of this UTI. It reached to the point that it caused me kidney stones. The over the counter antibiotics are not taking effect anymore. My bacteria are so immune to the strongest possible antibio for me so the last option was the vaccine antibiotics (forgot what it’s called).

After a day with dextrose, my urine cleared up and my shivering lessened. I still have a fever (which reached to 40°) so the doctor kept me in the hospital. The medicine that they’re giving me (which is supposed to be for the kidney stones) were not digested by my body so it was directly flushed out from my system whole. I begged the doctor to release me thinking that they can’t do anything more about my situation. This reinforced my “loath” going to the doctor. Some doctors just give you the cure. Since I believe…

Prevention is better than cure.

The best thing I can do is to take care of my body specifically my kidneys. I researched and read about how to prevent UTIs.

• Drink plenty of water. I should consume 1-2 liters of water a day. They say Cranberry juice may also have infection-fighting properties. Cranberry teas are used by some to lose weight, because this can make you urinate a lot. You can also try Cranberry supplements readily available in the market. Sometimes I drink Prunes juice, whichever is available.

• Urinate when the urge arises. Avoid retaining your urine for a long time. Better yet, eliminate every time you see a toilet.

• Wipe/wash from front to back. This helps prevent bacteria in the anal region from spreading to the vagina and into the urethra.

• Empty your bladder before and after intercourse. You can also get a prescribed antibiotic to be taken immediately after sex. To be sure, you have your urine test first (the culture test which takes 3-5 days before you get the result) to know what antibiotics are for you.

• Avoid potentially irritating feminine products like hygiene sprays and douches esp scented ones. You can use natural vinegar, 1 tablespoon of vinegar to about 5 cups of water to clean your genital area. This I haven’t done personally, but it helps balance your pH.

• Avoid long tub baths. Take showers instead.

• Take Vitamin C regularly. Vitamin C helps decrease the number of harmful bacteria that may be present in your urinary tract system.

• Make sure that your genital area is always dry. Bacteria breed fast on wet/damp places. If others change their napkins every 6-8 hours, I change mine every 4 hours.

• Wear white cotton panties. Cotton panties are soft and air cool, synthetic ones can cause irritation.
  

Tagged as: bacteria, UTI