Why are the antibiotics not working for mom's UTI? It's been three weeks, what can I do?

How is Hippex administered?.....through the catheter? through an injection? orally/ (pill or liquid form)? I've never heard of it.....can't find it in the PDR.

Just checked with the Coumadin Clinic and they told me to go ahead and give him the cranberry extract twice a day and he will be tested in a week. They were concerned about me giving him the cranberry and he hasns't had e-coli but I don't want him to get that either. Isn't e-coli an infection in the blood? Sorry for the ignorance. So much to learn to keep our family as infection free as possible. Thank you all for your answers. Donna

My husband self catheters and is therefore very prone to UTI which he had been getting very frequently. I little while I ago I took him to a urologist to see if they was anything that could be done to reduce the number of infections he gets. He prescribed Hippex, a urinary antiseptic (not an antibiotic) which alters the ph in the bladder, making is more acidic and therefore less friendly to bacteria. This is a safe medication with very few side effects. Since going on it, my husband has not had any UTIs. You should ask your doctor about this medication.

That's a question for her doctor. Keep pushing for the correct diagnosis and or treatment until it's resolved. Get a second opinion if necessary.

Um, I don't think that I saw whether a culture was actually done? That'll tell what organism(s) is/are causing the UTI and what antibiotics are best for that/those organism(s).

Cranberry juice and extract are only effective for e. coli infections. My mom has YET to have an e. coli infection.

And yes, cranberry is contraindicated when the patient is on coumadin.

My mom always gets multi-organism UTIs and needs to have two antibiotics to knock it out. And those antibiotics change, depending on what the culture shows.

Sounds like she has a resistant strain (the kind you can catch in the hospital pretty easily) and might need to receive the next level. Also, if she uses a catheter or is not perfectly careful in wiping, she can actually keep re-infecting herself. My husband used to have to use catheters and kept re-infecting himself because of them. I had a nightmare problem once with an abcessed tooth and wound up with a resistant strain. The abcess got so bad I got Bell's Palsy and I was put on three different antibiotics at the same time. Is she diabetic? I am and that is why I have a hard time getting rid of infection. I had dental surgery and the doctor gave me a course of antibiotics since I am a diabetic. Well, I got a bacterial infection even while on antibiotics! The dentist can't get over it . I feel so sorry for your mom! I know how miserable a UTI is. I hope she feels better soon.

I forgot to mention, normal pee is the color of straw. Most people don't drink enough and have yellow pee, especially the first of the day. Dark urine is reason for concern.

Yes, if he doesn't take enough water or fluid there will be less output for sure. A good way to check that we are taught: Have him relax his hand, resting his hand on thigh. Pinch the skin on the back of the hand between your thumb and index finger so that your thumb and index finger would be touching if the skin fold was not there. Let go suddenly and watch the skin. If the skin is slow to return to normal, he is slightly dehydrated. If the skin stays pinched, that is reason to consult the dr.or perhaps go to the ER. Other signs: dry lips, unable to wet whistle, and lastly inability to make tears (more useful for babies). The pulse may weaken in strength with loss of blood volume and the HR will increase . ---Cindy

You are welcome Donna.
Cindy

Great idea about offering fruit. My husband will eat pineapple, rasberries, melons such as cantaloupe and watermelon. Being summer, these are great choices and I will add them to my list for shopping tomorrow. I just kept thinking I needed to get him to drink the fluids but fruit is an excellent source. He isn't good with the veggies but I do try to get him to eat them.
Thank you.
Donna

Alsooo, check out the Egyptian black cumin seed oil, cold-pressed.Nigella sativa has been used for a few millenia for many ailments because it contains so many nutrients and is amazing with infections. Of course your dr may not have heard of it because it is more popular in Muslim , Middle Eastern, and N African cultures. I did recently meet a neurologist doing deep brain implants, at a Parkinson's conference, and mentioned it when he stated that he was looking for compounds with neuroprotective properties. He said he was already aware of nigella sativa (Philipino dr at Cleve Clinic).
Here is how I came across nigella sativa, available over the counter in a Whole Foods.. I went to a supermarket looking for buckwheat groats because I avoid wheat products and buckwheat is in the rhubarb family. I struck up a conversation with a black employee putting food away in the aisle right next to the buckwheat. He went on to describe how his 88 year old mother had her right hip replacement removed due to infection and subsequently unsuccessful treatment with vancomycin, the big guns. The dr gave her 2 wks to live at best. He was desperate. A Muslim friend told him about taking 2 softgels /day of 500mg black cumin seed oil (called Kalonji in Arabic) He gave his mom that- I don't know if they'd sent her home by then. He smiled and said "That was 5 years ago. She is 93 now, has another hip, and walks all over the house with her walker"
I'll tell you what. I was so amazed I decided to get some that very day. I've been ordering from blackseedproducts.com. Theirs is coldpressed and 1000 mg. I take it every day now. I have never gotten an upper respiratory infection or UTI since starting to take it this past fall. I usually have to take a couple days off after taking the live flu shot for work. This year, only 1 day.

Hi , I'm a PT. The nurses I work with in home care recommend to sneak in extra fluids to the elderly with vegetables and fruits with High Water Content . "celery, cucumber, iceberg lettuce, tomato and zucchini. Other nutrient-rich vegetables with high water content include broccoli, green cabbage, cauliflower, eggplant and spinach. the following fresh fruits have a water content of 85 percent or higher: apricot, blueberry, orange, peach, pineapple, plum and raspberry. Melons such as cantaloupe and watermelon have some of the highest water content, at more than 90 percent. These melons are good choices for snacking because they contain less sugar than many other fresh fruits."
Cindy-

In reading all the answers to this question, I am a little concerned about the cranberry juice or the cranberry pill. My husband takes Coumadin every day and thought cranberry juice is not recommended. I have made note of some of your comments and will check with the Coumadin Clinic and his Dr. for advise. My husband has Alzheimers and Parkinson's Disease and suffers from constant UTIs. He has also been to the rehab recently (twice this year) to get antiobodics by IV. I offer fluids all day long but it is hard to get him to drink much. I monitor his folley and noticed yesterday and today the output is less so I am once again a bit worried. Thank all of you for your questions and answers. It is so helpful

She's either got a resistant strain of bacteria in her urinary tract, she's had too many antibiotics, or her UTI isn't what is causing the high WBC count. Have doctors check for other infections in the body (i.e. she could have an abscessed tooth). Give her 3 billion live cultures (in pill form) of acidophilus (the refrigerated kind) to restore the flora in her stomach during antibiotic treatment. Keep trying to get that UTI under control so her kidneys are not damaged. Best wishes!

Call the doc. List all the antibiotics that have been used to treat this infection.
I can tell you that Cephalexin won't work. Try Cipro. Dosage is important.....max the dosage. Drink plenty of water, but don't over do it...
Clothng must be loose. Potty must be near. Keep tabs on night-time potty breaks.

My mom also gets frequent UTI's, last one they discovered while she was in hospital for another matter...they put her on antibiotic, one of the Z-pak types for the three days she was there. Got her home and she ended up right back with one. Her doctor informed us that since she is diabetic she must take a seven day antibiotic. So far, so good this time around. I can usually tell she has one when she gets more confused and tired than normal...UTI's do affect the brains of the elderly very quickly. I do like the sounds of the Hippex and will definitely talk to mom's doctor about that this month during her check up, thanks, balexander9!

I use cranberry extract exclusively at the first sign on a UTI and it clears it up immediately.

My dad had many bouts with UTI, same answers not drinking enough. not fully emptying bladder. After many different antibiotics and a few hospitalizations and developing MRSA as a result, he has been clear of infections for a few years. We now give him cranberry extract which is in the vitamin aisle and he hasn't had any more infections (knock on wood!!)

Get Egyptian black seed oil (nigella sativa). Only Egyptian, cold pressed.
Get rid of any candida in the system (yeast). Get Threelac.

hmmmm, doesn't cranberry juice help with UTI's. Is it non-responsive to it?

My husband, who has dementia and Parkinsonism, has been self-cathetering for 20 years due to a neurogenic bladder. (He had this condition from before he developed dementia, fortunately, since he would not be likely to learn how to do it now as a new skill.) Like most people who self catheter, he is subject to frequent UTIs which, due to his brain disease, cause severe behavioral and neurological symptoms when he gets them, sometimes resulting in a hospitalization if I don't pick up on the problem quickly enough and get antibiotics into him. More recently he became resistant to Cipro, the antibiotic which he has been taking for years, and was prescribed something stronger. When he continued to get frequent infections, I took him to a urologist for a full work-up. While nothing new was found, the new urologist put him on a medication called Hippex (generically: Methenamine Hippurate 1 Gm tablets, given twice a day). This medication is a urinary antiseptic (not an antibiotic) which works by altering the ph in the bladder, making it more acidic and therefore less friendly to bacteria. There are virtually no side effects from this medication. So far, my husband has not had a UTI in two months, which is actually a record, so it seems to be working. You might ask your mother's doctor about prescribing this medication for your mother. I think it's worth a try.

I can say... I was getting UTI all the time and when I got off of a medication that I was on they finally stopped. The medication was a anti depressent and the warning label warns of kidney problems not UTI but I was having constant UTI. Also a UTI can come with the person not empting completely. Maybe a little 'dip' or pocket in the bladder that is not allowing the bladder to empty all the way. I know for a fact that if the person has a dropped bladder (like vw9729's mother in law) if it is not cleaned properly and completely you will get the UTIs and with the surgery the woman will complicate the fact that she will get more UTIs or if you get the bladder lift insert you will get the UTIs,. not really sure why on all of these accounts. My mom has a dropped bladder and it makes her have to go a lot more often. She has to have it checked by a urology specialist more often and he has told her as long as she is keeping it very very clean and she doesnt mind cleaning it... having surgery would be his last very last result. He made mention that the surgery could complicate the situation more. My thought would be to check her meds she may be having a reaction to something... maybe also something she is drinking or eating. I also know that if you don't drink enough the UTIs are more frequent. I will say on one last note... to be sure it is not a vaginal infection or not a yeast complication. My daughter who is in a wheel chair and when she first was getting through hurdles of cathiters and diapers and just alot of strange physical stuff.. she was getting UTIs all the time. She had many infections in that area. I was told that it is more complicated for the female in that area because any kind of yeast can affect both areas. Once the system is affected it has to be completely cleared of all the infection or it just keeps reaccuring. I would suggest lots of clear liquid I was told water is really the best thing. Probiotics are fabulous for the whole system. My mother in law just got over a UTI... they put her in a rehab facility to be sure all was clear. I guess it was making her real loopy and off balance... Good luck.

My mother-in-law had constant UTI's for years and years. When I began as her caregiver over 6 years ago, she was on a maintenance antibiotic for it. I took her to several urologists as I was determined to get her off the maintenance antibiotic and find out the root of the problem. After bladder lift surgery, different treatments and methods, it was never discovered. She eventually became incontinent - which would make you think since the urine can't be held in - the infections would go away. But they didn't. I was told by these specialists that this just happens with some people sometimes that they can't figure out what is causing the constant infection and there is nothing further that could be done but keep her on the maintenance antibiotic to keep the infection down and then treat it aggressively when it flares up. They would send her urine out to the lab to see what antibiotics would work on it. She eventually built up a resistance to the antiobiotics and unfortunately none worked anymore. But unfortunately UTI's are common in the elderly. Usually all you can do is treat it when it happens.