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[Amazing grace]

I agree with the other ladies you definitely can't go on like this, I too have been there didn't leave my house at all for 6 months, you should definitely talk to your gp about the anxiety, you actually don't need to see a gp for a referral to the mental health team you can self refer, fill in a form online, they do a phone assessment first then decide which service you need, I did the self referral and was offered CBT, I also took ADs of gp, I was feeling suicidal which was what prompted me to seek help, reach out there is help available no one needs to live feeling this way search NHS talking therapies, you can self refer off there site, they also have a help line you can call, don't suffer alone, there is help available.

[Taz2]

Its horrible to be worried about using antibiotics and I don't want to add to your anxiety but I took a course of antibiotics for a UTI and things still didn't feel quite right but I ignored it rather than getting more antibiotics.  I felt very tired and not too much appetite together with urgency but no pain. Three weeks later I developed an upper UTI together with Rigors (overwhelming bacteria) and ended up on strong antibiotics for four months. It taught me that some things do need antibiotics to clear them and these infections can be 'silent' before they suddenly become worse.

Do you have a particular reason to think you might get C.Diff?

Taz 

[Marchlove]

That rings a bell Kathleen and I know I’m not good with chicken. Too many synthetic hormones in them!
 Big hugs jessieblue xx

[jessieblue]

Taz, I am so sorry that happened to you.  It sounds terrifying. 

My mind just keeps telling me I will get c diff.  I am having a lot of obsessive intrusive thoughts and this is one of them.  It also seems like I get everything going and that my immune system doesn't work properly.  I feel very vulnerable.

I will definitely bear it in mind.  I wonder why we cannot heal UTIs like we do colds or tummy bugs?  It seems like a flaw in the design. xx

[Taz2]

Thank you jessieblue. I think you are definitely right with the design fault idea. Even when we follow all the advice such as drinking enough water, wiping from front to back, emptying the bladder before and after sex etc we still end up with them. I do hope you feel calmer soon and manage to get some help for the crippling anxiety.

Taz x

[Marchlove]

We don’t all end up with them Taz2 if we take the appropriate action.
Did all that hygiene stuff and yes it works to an extent …..
But the fundamental reasons for them occurring is the way forward out of the mayhem.
Our vagina needs estrogen, somehow or other, good bacteria and less stress.
Yes, even stress can cause uti’s by creating an imbalance in the gut.
So, the anxiety issue needs urgent attention as much as the physical recommendations.
Try not to think of the worse scenario jessieblue and take action for you. xx

[Taz2]

Sorry I didn't mean we all end up with them just that some of us despite taking precautions still do. Vaginal health is very important. I use hrt plus vagifem. I feel that it is also not made clear that as we get older there is often no pain on urinating when we have a UTI.

Taz x

[CLKD]

Tnx Taz

As for the chicken issue, that's information from the US which is why we must never import chlorinated chickens from across The Pond!  It is unlikely that chickens imported from mainland Europe or from the UK meat breeding system would have any effects.  Less ABs and no hormones.  Also, there is a product (can't think of a sensible word right now  ) that has been proven in recent years that chicken broth is actually good for the gut.  Jewish women have used chicken soup as a calmer/healer for Centuries without knowing the 'active ingredient'.

I suggest that you make a list of how you have felt over the last 3 days/nights jessie - ring and ask for a chat with your Nurse Practitioner and suggest that you get a face2face with her.  Also I didn't know that patients can self refer for mental health support, so do find out - MIND charity may be the way to go for your area: when a friend died in 2015 they were really really supportive.

When I had depression and anxiety I was too tired to ask for help so you need to find someone to advocate for you.  This may be via MIND.

[Moonflower]

Hi jessieblue,

I had c-diff over maybe 15 years ago and I was really scared to ever take antibiotics again so I do understand your anxiety.  I must've caught it from the hospital after having had treatment to remove pre-cancerous cells from my cervix.  The consultant dropped the suction tube on the floor and then carried on using it!  I developed an infection and was given antibiotics and a few days later I developed c-diff.  I'd say if you haven't had c-diff before, it's probably unlikely you'll get c-diff from antibiotics alone.  Most likely you'd need to come in contact with a spore although I know some people do have the bacteria in their tums naturally (about 1 in 30).

I carried on believing that the c-diff bacteria was inside me forever and could re-populate my tummy if I ever took antibiotics again.  However, I did get pneumonia 6 yrs ago and had no choice but to take antibiotics.  I was petrified but I definitely needed them and the good news is, I didn't get c-diff which was a great relief.  However, I did take saccharomyces boulardi whilst I was on the antibiotics.  it is a friendly yeast which cannot be killed by antibiotics.  I found it really helped me when I had c-diff. I will always take SB if I ever take antibiotics as wiping out the good bacteria is never a good thing and it takes a long time to get your tummy balanced again.  Healthy gut bacteria equals healthy immune system.   

I think having horrible illnesses in the past always make you worry about your health so I do understand.  I hope you get things sorted.  It would be good if a doctor could find out exactly what infection you have so that he could give you a narrow spectrum antibiotic so that it targets the infection without having to wipe out all your bacteria, good and bad. 

Good luck!

[Marchlove]

Good information Moonflower, thank you x

[CLKD]

Past experiences certainly play a part in how we move on in Life.  Having been phobic since the age of 3, fear dominate everything I do, where I go, who I see ...........

A friend caught C.diff in Hospital and suffered 3 times after over 2 years after being discharged.  That, as well as MRSA, were big problems throughout the late 1990s in Hospitals.

Fear is a determining factor in my Life  .  Most days though, I'm fine.

Jessie - you aren't alone >wave< 

[Kathleen]

Hello again ladies.

I thought I'd just expand on the subject of chickens!

The study was carried out by doctors at an American hospital and they found that a bacteria that was common in chickens was found in the urine of women experiencing frequent UTIs.  It seems that the bacteria are present in our poo but can live on the surface of our skin and then migrate to our bladders. The women who stopped eating chicken obviously stopped harbouring the bacteria and this resolved their problem. However as the research continued it became clear that some ladies were still having infections despite the change of diet. On further investigation it transpired that although these women had stopped eating chicken they were still preparing and cooking it for other people. The researchers wondered if the bacteria was moving from their hands to their digestive system and onto their bladders. When these  women refrained from preparing chicken they also found relief from their UTIs.

As I have said I don't have any experience to report and I only came across this study  while I was researching something else. I thought at the time that if I was struggling with UTI's I would want to hear information like this.

The bottom line (pun intended lol) is that unwelcome bacteria from food can migrate to the bladder and cause a UTI.

Wishing you well ladies.

K.

[jessieblue]

Thank you all so much for your replies. 

Moonflower, I am so sorry you had c diff.  How awful for you.  It is one of my worst fears and I know with a phobia of vomiting and diarrheoa I could not cope.  Can you tell me if the s boulardi makes you feel unwell at all?  How did you know you had c diff and were your symptoms really bad?  I worry because I take ompeprazole too and that reduces immunity.

I took a sample to the doctors today.  They are sending it off and said just leukocytes showing.  My symptoms are still there, mainly urgency and pressure.  I spoke with a nurse practitioner and I broke down telling her about my anxiety and how I am not coping.  She said she was sorry...... that was it.  She said we will try to wait for the result before medicating.

This  morning I called 111 mental health team.  After waiting for ages and finally getting through to a mental health professional, a very nice lady who read my number out and said if we got cut off she would call me back.  I told her I got cut off last time.  We got cut off and she hasn't called back.  I give up.

I honestly feel so desperate.  I cannot tell you.  I have tried everywhere for help.  I have had private therapies with no improvement and my doctors are a waste of time.  But then what can anyone do honestly?  I actually looked for suicide helplines, but what can they do either. My husband went to work, my sister has ignored my message.  I am all alone with this.

Can't live like this.  The fear is too intense.

[Kathleen]

Hello again jessieblue

I am so sorry that you feel this way, my heart goes out to you.

I suggest that you ring The Samaritans as their volunteers are well trained and they will always ring back if you are cut off.

Regarding CDiff I think some hospitals now  treat confirmed cases with Faecal Microbiota Transplantation (FMT). It sounds weird but it has a 100% cure rate and I think it has become standard practice in some hospitals.
I became interested in the subject a few years ago when FMT was being trialled for Crohns and Ulcerative Colitis patients. Unfortunately it didn't work for these groups but it was spectacularly successful for people with C Diff.

Perhaps ask your doctor about new C Diff treatments to reassure you that it can be dealt with and talk to The Samaritans about your fears.

Take care and sending hugs.

K.

[jessieblue]

Thank you Kathleen. xx