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Author Topic: Help! Looking for some advice  (Read 1714 times)

greenECLECtus28

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Help! Looking for some advice
« on: January 07, 2019, 09:31:46 PM »

Hi

As a few of you know I've been through the mill over the last 2 years with a UTI that eventually had to be treated in hospital along with an infected leg and I was on antibiotics for the UTI  ciprofloaxin for 6 months until August and Vagifem starting out with the usual two week dose and then twice a week and I have been taking that plus a cranberry tablet daily, and then in September there I broke my arm! Which I am still recovering from Plus have been put on Omeprazole as I've been getting gut issues a feeling of a lump in my throat and really bad wind which the doc thinks is stress related!

 now I have been running a slight cold for the last couple of days and have been coughing a bit with sore chest/throat for the last 24 hours but apart from that didn't have any other symptoms. Then this evening around 7.pm tonight was thinking I feel a bit shivery and have aches and pains in my legs etc so took my temp and it's around 37.8 in one ear and about 38 in the other 😀 these are similar to the symptoms I had when I had the UTI previously so I'm completely paranoid/depressed it might be coming back after approx 6 months clear I had an appointment last week for a follow up ultrasound which I'm waiting to hear the results from but the original tests I had at the time didn't show anything unusual I do have Spina Bifida and when young up until around puberty had a lot of issues with UTI's which is common with people with my condition.

I think I'm terrified I'm back to square one with all this UTI stuff again 😥 it just seems that I get back on track and something else happens I was hoping 2019 might be better or maybe I'm just going to have to accept that this is going to happen every so often. I'm going to get my dad to go up to the docs to get a sample bottle for them to check I'm going to ask them to do a dip test right away  but I think I will ask them to send it off as well just to be sure. I do have a course of antibiotics at home both Ciprofloaxin and Nitrofurantoin but would take the Ciprofloaxin.

Do you think I should wait until they do the dip test and send it off and see if the temp settles over the next day or so which would indicate it was the cold or should I just take the antibiotics anyway to be on the safe side in case it is the UTI recurrence obviously I don't want to take antibiotics unnecessarily as I don't want to develop a resistance. I will take some paracetamol tonight to see if that lowers temp and then see if it creeps up again without them as it did before when I had the UTI

I think I'm just terrified I'll end up in hospital again.

Sorry it's such a long post!

Cheers
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Joaniepat

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Re: Help! Looking for some advice
« Reply #1 on: January 07, 2019, 10:02:19 PM »

I'm sorry to hear you are having so many problems just now. Can't help very much I'm afraid, but just wanted to remind you not to take the antibiotics yet if you are going to send off a urine sample, as the presence of an AB in the urine will bugger up the test results, certainly if it is going to be cultured.

D Mannose is good for preventing urine infections caused by E. coli, although no use against other bacteria. Also, I wonder if you are using enough Vagifem. Two a week isn't very much and many folk use more than that.

Hope you feel better soon,
JP x
« Last Edit: January 07, 2019, 10:28:06 PM by Joaniepat »
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greenECLECtus28

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Re: Help! Looking for some advice
« Reply #2 on: January 07, 2019, 10:27:21 PM »

Hi Joaniepat

Thanks for that that's  a good idea but I wasn't going to take anything as you say until the sample has been sent off as you are correct it could affect the results 😀 it was Ecoli that was the issue before a particularly stubborn one, maybe I should up the Vagifem can't do any harm will have one tonight.

Thanks for the kind words 😀
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Donna-paul

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Re: Help! Looking for some advice
« Reply #3 on: January 08, 2019, 10:39:41 AM »

There's a lot of virus and flu going round. I've been laid up 2 weeks with awful flu high temp 38 cough and chest infection. I also recommend D mannose is really good when I kept getting infection I used it plus a consultant said a teaspoon bicarbonate soda in water to help.
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greenECLECtus28

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Re: Help! Looking for some advice
« Reply #4 on: January 08, 2019, 02:12:49 PM »

Got a doc appointment this morning doc tested sample was showing slight increase I think she said in specific gravity?  but didn't appear to be anything major in anything else from what I could gather but she has sent it off anyway to see if anything appears if it's cultured, it's weird she took my temp with a thermometer you point at your skin? and said it was normal but I'm still feeling ‘out of sorts' kinda fluey with aches and pains and when I take my temp it's going between 37.5 to 37.7 think I will take a paracetamol and see if it goes back to normal which for me is 37.2.

Keeping my fingers crossed maybe it is my cold that's the culprit but knowing my luck ☹️ Anyway results should be back by Friday I did ask if I should start antibiotics in case as I have them at home as my urology consultant did advise that if I got symptoms I could take them and then if the culture came back positive but for a different antibiotic then it could be swapped or continued if the antibiotic was the right one. She didn't seem that keen on that maybe because the dip test wasn't absolute but those tests aren't always 100% either as I'm sure I've have a negative on of those but culture has been positive so not sure what to do.

She's also not keen on me taking the  ciprofloaxin I have that and Nitrofurantoin at home which she seems keener on  but previously when I had the issues I had 7 doses of that and not only did it make me really poorly but every time the dose was finished the infection returned and I ended up in hospital and was given Gentamicin intravenously and then put on Ciprofloaxin when I was discharged before seeing the consultant I was then on a full dose for a week and then a maintenance dose of 250mg daily for 3 months then Nitro for 3 months as they don't like you be on the same antibiotic for 6 months, so I'm in a quandary as if it is this again I don't want it to get a hold and I end up really poorly like before.
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CLKD

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Re: Help! Looking for some advice
« Reply #5 on: January 08, 2019, 03:35:38 PM »

Don't take ABs unless there is an infection!  When I had a cold in October it went on for weeks, the cough has finally started to disperse.

A dip test is USELESS! the sample has to be tested in a Lab..

It may be the start of vaginal atrophy, do read our threads.
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greenECLECtus28

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Re: Help! Looking for some advice
« Reply #6 on: January 08, 2019, 04:01:09 PM »

Hi CLKD  :)

Nice to hear from you

I think my worry is that I'm running a fever with the aching joints pains etc like I did when I had the UTI's previously (controlled with paracetamol) because of my Spina Bifida I don't get the normal ‘warnings' that other women would get like the burning etc and what was happening was that the infection was fairly well established by the time I was having those symptoms and after repeated infections ended up in hospital which is why I'm not a fan of Nitrofurantoin as as I said I had 7 courses of and every time the course finished the infection returned. I'm just worried it progresses to an upper UTI in my kidneys and I end up with septacemia or something! I'm a terrible worrier and always think the worse it feels like it's just one thing after another all the time I'm only 55 but between losing mobility and now walking with a stick then recently breaking my arm after a fall and now all this again I feel I'm at the end of my tether, I feel like I'm an old woman plus  I'm hell to live with and am finding so hard to be positive about the future, I know I should just pull myself together as there are people much worse off than myself.

GP suggested that once we sort this out would I not consider something to try and deal with the anxiety I'm quite anti about anti depressants as I feel I should just be able to get on with it but I have to admit even when I'm well I'm sitting waiting for something to happen so I don't feel like I'm enjoying life as I should be!

I was thinking about taking some extra doses of the Vagifem until I get the results back hopefully on Friday
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greenECLECtus28

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Re: Help! Looking for some advice
« Reply #7 on: January 09, 2019, 03:28:00 PM »

Will try the D-Mannose the ones I've got are 500mg and you are advised to take three a day up to three times a day does that sound about right? Seems quite a lot :)

Have been drinking loads of water, temp seems to be sitting around the 37.5/37.7 so according to my digital ear thermometer the high side of normal the fluey achy symptoms with the aches and pains seem to come and go but I have no appetite every time I eat something feel yucky and got this stupid wind again probably nerves
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