Dan, I have had my share of infections over the years, but I was able to minimize them for a substantial amount of time (around seven years) by taking a very small dose of oxybutynin (5 mg), in addition to 1500 mg of vitamin C, and a cranberry supplement.
Like Lori, I began having more UTIs than normal the year before last and didn't realize until December it was because I had a large deposit of bladder stones. I had also had tremendous problems with my urine smelling putrid. Thankfully the removal of the stones has virtually eliminated (knock on wood) the majority of the UTIs. I have had one during the last year, but like everyone else I just try to minimize them as much as possible. I used to have at least four or five UTIs a year during my first few years, but I realized I was getting some backflow because I tended to lean back in my wheelchair a little too often. I discovered that if I cut down one of my bedside bags and hung it on the side of my chair it allowed the year and to drain unfettered. Once I started doing this and began applying bacitracin to my SP site, I noticed a drastic reduction in the number of UTIs. Everyone is different. I always have some sort of bacteria in my urine, but that's because I haven't catheter consistently stuck in my bladder. I almost forgot, I have started taking a small amount of apple cider vinegar every other day. I read that it might help in preventing stones, which I have developed almost every year over the last five or six years. So far, I haven't had stones in a little over a year, but I probably need to get checked in the next few months. BTW, the doctor I used to have as a primary position just returned from doing research. He told me in the past that the best thing for a new injury or relatively newly injured male quadriplegic to have done is have a small portion of the sphincter in the penis removed so he can urinate through an external catheter. I can't remember the name of this procedure, but he recommended that I have it done about eight years ago, but I told him at the time that my experience was pretty poor with the external catheters. Quadius On 3/7/08, Danny Hearn <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> wrote: > > *Thanks ,,Merrill- I use oxybutinin as needed and I take cranberry pills > and or drink the juice a lot. I do drink lots of water because I know its > needed. I think i'm more at risk having Diabetes and having the > supra-pubic----the doctors told me that both those increase my UTI and > infection troubles.* > * Dan > H. * > >
