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urinary tract infection Tag

01 Jul

Mark’s bladder problems began when he was only four.  By the time he was a young adult, an anatomical cause had been identified and surgically corrected, resulting in a new lifestyle of daily self-catherisation.  This is when the constant UTIs began.  For the next 14 years, Mark suffered intermittent and back-to-back UTIs, some testing positive, others not.  He was treated with combinations of short-course and low-dose antibiotics, but his infection returned within days of completing each course.  In his late 30s, Mark’s infection spread and he knew more of the same short-course, low-dose antibiotic treatments would never release him from the ongoing cycle of pain and suffering.  He knew it was time to search for a doctor who was prepared to treat his embedded UTI differently.  Read more about Mark’s incredible journey.

 
09:08 / Stories
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01 May

When Jean started having 'women's issues' after menopause, she had no idea a UTI would send her health into such decline.  Repeat negative UTI tests misled her doctors into thinking there was no infection and she was prescribed antidepressants to deal with her growing state of panic.  In a determined effort to find better answers, she was relieved to be diagnosed with a chronic UTI and was immediately started on treatment.  She soon discovered a combination of a urinary antiseptic and Chinese herbal medicine was her answer.  Jean is convinced chronic UTI is a multi-faceted condition that requires an approach to heal the body, mind and soul.   Read more about how Jean healed her chronic UTI and reclaimed her life.

 
09:14 / Stories
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01 Mar

While on summer holidays, a simple UTI was the start of a horrid year of illness, pain and anxiety for British woman, Clare.  Short-courses of antibiotics quickly cleared her UTI symptoms, but they returned each time.  Repeat dipsticks and culture tests confused her doctors because they were unable to confirm an infection was present.  Being a nurse practitioner and understanding her symptoms and her own body, she knew an infection was what she was dealing with.  Clare was referred through the healthcare system, had the usual tests and was offered many of the standard treatments for managing her symptoms.  Before embarking on this route, she found a specialist with the expert knowledge to diagnose her condition and treat the infection that had become embedded in her bladder.  This is Clare's story.

09:22 / Stories
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02 Feb

To be diagnosed with a chronic UTI in Australia is no mean feat.  Chronic UTI is a largely unrecognised and misunderstood condition.  It is common for people with these chronic infections (who are predominantly women) to be referred through the medical system—sometimes for years and even decades.  They see numerous specialists and have multiple tests, often walking away with a urinary syndrome diagnosis.  Ongoing symptoms and pain management is usually the best that can be offered.  For these people, the future can be bleak.  This month we talk to five Australian women who have long-suffering UTI histories of between one and 35 years.  Through their perseverance, each of these women found their way off the medical merry-go-round and were finally diagnosed and properly treated for a chronic UTI.  Read more to find out how they reclaimed their lives and found their way back to health.

 
09:42 / Interviews / Stories
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07 Jan

Alison was in her mid-20s when she was struck with her first UTI.  A standard three-day antibiotic treatment cleared her symptoms, but they returned soon after ... and were much more serious.  Unbeknown to her, Alison's bladder infection had ascended to her kidneys and had become life-threatening.  With little forewarning, she was hospitalised numerous times with sudden acute attacks of pyelonephritis and sepsis.   Each stint in hospital meant weeks of recovery time at home.  Alison's mum knew it was not normal for a young, active woman to have become so suddenly vulnerable and seriously ill.  Through a GP friend, she learnt about a UTI specialist in London and booked an appointment for her daughter immediately.  Alison and her mother are both sharing their compelling story.

 
08:13 / Stories
3 Likes
13 Dec

The festive season is usually a time for love, happiness, fun, family, friends and food.  When it comes to someone with a chronic UTI, it can also be the season for unwelcome UTI flare-ups.  Flares occur when bacteria embedded in the bladder wall become active (planktonic) and start to multiply in the urine, resulting in increased symptoms.  Flare-ups can be triggered by a variety of things—the most commonly reported being stress (good and bad), sex, vigorous exercise, internal gynaecological procedures, bowel movements, drinking alcohol and consuming certain foods that individuals are sensitive to.  Christmastime should be added to the list because it seems to be an extremely common time to experience flares, no matter where you live in the world. To help minimise the risk of a flare-up ruining your holidays, we asked people with chronic UTI to share their best prevention tips.  This is what they told us.

 
14:29 / Information
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01 Nov

A simple bout of cystitis changed Michelle's life.  She went from being a happy, productive member of society, to someone who suffered relentless UTI symptoms that prevented her from working, socialising with friends and family and having a normal sexual relationship with her partner.  If that wasn't enough, she had become a burden to the healthcare system as well.  She was quickly written-off by her specialists as being a depressed, menopausal woman with interstitial cystitis.  Her diagnosis was terribly wrong and she knew it.  Michelle kept digging and found a specialist who understands chronic, embedded urinary infections.  After being properly diagnosed and treated for her hidden infection, she experienced relief within weeks.  And after 11 months of continued treatment, she is completely symptom-free.  You can read more about Michelle's chronic UTI story here.

 
07:52 / Stories
5 Likes
01 Oct

After suffering from recurrent UTIs for 60 years, getting through each day had become unbearable for Wendy.  Her recurrent UTIs had become so unmanageable, she was living in constant pain with urinary symptoms that had her visiting the toilet up to 50 times a day.  Along with countless short-course and prophylactic antibiotics, she was offered treatments such as urethral stretches to help manage her symptoms.  Wendy was eventually diagnosed with interstitial cystitis/painful bladder syndrome (IC/PBS) and told she would have to learn to live with her painful symptoms.  By now, she was battling an ongoing cycle of vaginal thrush and living on pain killers to get through each day.  By chance, she stumbled across a UTI specialist who was experienced in treating chronic infections.  Within months of starting treatment, she was surprised to find herself symptom-free and once again participating in a life she thought she had lost.  Wendy's swift recovery allowed her to return to her beloved lawn bowling competition and she is now competing at a County level.   Find out more about Wendy's inspiring story here.

 
09:56 / Stories
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01 Sep

Craig had experienced a urinary tract infection (UTI) before.  When he next noticed the tell-tale symptoms of bladder and urethral stinging and frequency, he was confident things would be sorted when he saw his doctor.  Craig was wrong.   Despite having clear UTI symptoms, his tests came back negative.  Still suffering, he was referred to a sexual health clinic where blood and urine tests gave him a clean bill of health.  Feeling desperate for relief, Craig introduced some home remedies while waiting for an appointment with a men's health specialist.  In the meantime, he managed to see a doctor specialising in chronic and recurrent UTI and other urinary disorders, and was diagnosed with a UTI.  After being properly treated, Craig's recovery was rapid.  However, when he next experienced familiar UTI symptoms and another negative UTI test, his doctor opted to treat him for a urinary infection still and his symptoms resolved almost immediately.   Knowing how greatly others suffer from chronic UTIs, Craig feels fortunate he was able to break the cycle early before his infection became engrained.  He knows his outcome could have been completely different had his doctor continued to rely on UTI tests that were unable to identify his infection.  You can read more about Craig's experience here.

 
09:12 / Stories
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