Wow!! I think I am very glad that I have stayed with intermittent catheterization. It's going on 16 1/2 years, and I do get very tired of having to schedule many things around my cath schedule, but I have never had a serious UTI -- and listening to you guys I never want one. The most serious one that I had I got while I was in the hospital for a brown recluse spider bite. And that was 15 1/2 years ago. Since then, I have averaged a mild one once a year, which has responded to 10 days of Cipro. I am sure I usually have a mild UTI, but I am not symptomatic. After eight years of no health insurance, I was finally eligible for Social Security when I reached 65 -- that was a great birthday present. So last year, I went through the entire kidney, bladder, colonoscopy, and whatever else they can think of series of tests. Luckily, everything seemed to be working correctly, and my urologist finally said, as he had some news for me, "everything looks so good that I don't really believe you are a quad". Corniest joke I've heard in a long time, but it was welcome news.
So, until something else has to be done, I think I'll stay with intermittent catheterization. Because as they say, if it ain't broke don't fix it. My heart goes out to all of you who have so many bladder and kidney problems. I have been blessed with very good health, and with the exception of these darn wounds that I am working on, I stay in good health. Joan, C4 1990 _____ From: [EMAIL PROTECTED] [mailto:[EMAIL PROTECTED] Sent: Friday, February 02, 2007 1:32 PM To: [email protected] Subject: Re: [QUAD-L] UTI Prevention & Van Insurence If you have a supra-pubic cath or an in dwelling Foley of any kind for more than a few days, you have a UTI. It is a matter of how bad it is and how well you tolerate infections. On that level, you should have bacterial infections most of the time. If any of you get a viral infection, the doctor may want you in the hospital but there's not a lot they can do. (When were you ever made comfortable in a hospital.) You can be super clean and a real fanatic, but your skin is covered with bacteria it is trying to keep out. For this ! reason, most infections are stafflococous. If you have kids around then you get a higher rate of strep infections. (can't say they didn't give you anything.) If you think you can delay treating the infection, your kidneys can become history to an aggressive bug in under a day. Fortunately, us quads get pretty ill while the infection is still chewing on our bladder and start anti biotic in time. A UTI is worse if it is shutting your kidneys down. I can usually tell a lot by how easy it is to get mad. If I get po'ed because people don't park between the lines, I'm probably pretty sic! k. I personally don't go to hospitals. I can be ignored and miserable without going anywhere and I have cable tv for when I'm awake at 4 am. I just promise to call 911 if I think I'm going to die. They can always send a nurse with the plague du jour if need be. Next time you catch a bug remember, it caught you! Don't get me wrong, do all you can to stay clean. Lots of reasons to keep clean! Please don't think UTI's aren't serious because I like to joke. Once your kidneys go, you get a new catheter so you can get your blood dialysed and not die of septicemia as fast. john C-5 post 31 Cincy, OH -----Original Message----- From: [EMAIL PROTECTED] To: [EMAIL PROTECTED]; [email protected] Sent: Thu, 1 Feb 2007 9:34 PM Subject: Re: [QUAD-L] UTI Prevention & Van Insurence Maybe the UTI was fostered by the yogurt. Sometimes food rich in calcium or minerals are deposited in the urine and slowdown draining of urine. The slowdown could in turn foster UTI. I have read that most UTIs are caused from a bug in our stool. I had always been extremely careful getting cleaned off after bowel care and accidents but then when I learned that most UTIs are caused by bug in stool I became extreme, somewhat over-the-top about cleanliness. It helped. Changing sheets and washing more frequently might help. Dan T. [EMAIL PROTECTED] wrote: Hi All, I have not had a UTI since August and I swear it's from taking cranberry pills and eating a yogurt EVERYDAY. When I got my new van in 2001 I had my conversion company give me an itemized list of their work and gave it to my State Farm agent so everything is insured. I pay $1,200 and I drive. I haven't had an accident since 1981 and I've never gotten a ticket. Bobbie _____ size=2 width="100%" align=center> <http://pr.atwola.com/promoclk/1615326657x4311227241x4298082137/aol?redir=ht tp%3A%2F%2Fwww%2Eaol%2Ecom%2Fnewaol> Check out the new AOL. Most comprehensive set of free safety and security tools, free access to millions of high-quality videos from across the web, free AOL Mail and more.
