Heading off a UTI. How do I deal with this?

There are some excellent suggestions here. I'm always happy to see a mix of ideas, because in general people are finding that integrative medicine is gaining respect. I chuckled when LadeeC said " here comes the hated: consult your physician .. who of course won't know anything about this .. but .. yanno .. I gotta say it ]".

She's right, though more doctors are taking a look at some alternative treatments considering the problems with over prescribing antibiotics. When it comes to elderly people, especially, you do need to check with a doctor because many of them are on several prescriptions and there can be interactions. Please read all of these comments, but especially LadeeC. Good advice.
Take care,
Carol

We've just begun a trial run of something called d-Mannose (it's the simple sugar that's in cranberries and other high-antioxidant berries). It's a 'naturopathic remedy' that has been known not only to help prevent, but to rid the bladder of the e-coli bacteria that causes so many UTIs. I strongly urge you to do your own research before trying it. WebMD has a bit on it, with testimonials; there is a host of other sites that also promote it. [Notes: 1. According to eHealthMe there have been NO studies of the interactions of dMannose and coumadin. 2. From what I've read the dMannose is NOT metabolized by the body, so the potential interactions seem slim. 3. There's a misconception that dMannose lines the bladder stopping the bugs from attaching themselves to it; instead, the ecoli -and only e-coli, so far as I know- literally attaches itself to the dMannose, and then gets flushed out of the bladder. 4. here comes the hated: consult your physician .. who of course won't know anything about this .. but .. yanno .. I gotta say it ]

If e-coli isn't the culprit, the other things to try are: lots of clear liquids (as tolerated: a congestive heart, and some other conditions limit the amount of fluids consumed); help boost the digestive system with healthy bacteria with probiotics, like live acidophilus (there are many, many strains of it out there, some experimentation may be required). Avoid prolonged exposure to wet diapers/pads. Try to establish a routine of going to the toilet. If e-coli is the cause, it's generally because fecal matter as managed to find its way into the bladder through the urethra.

Our doctors have tried to limit the number and frequency of antibiotics, since overexposure to them creates an environment for the super-bugs (antibiotic-resistant strains). We had a scare with that, within the last couple of months, so we're trying anything!

There are also cranberry pills, they have as much cranberry as 5 glasses of cranberry juice. A possible solution if he doesn't like drinking the juice. I crush and dissolve all mom's pills and mix them into yogurt or pudding or ice cream, so now I add a cranberry softgel. I poke a hole in it and squeeze it out into the mixture. My mom has diminished sense of taste, so if I make sure there's enough yogurt to mask the taste, she doesn't even notice it.

Will he drink Cranberry juice? It won't cure one if you already have an infection, however, I swear by it to prevent them. Years ago I had frequent UTI's and I started drinking cranberry juice every day, never had another one. Now have my 88 year old father drinking it after he had recurrent UTI's due to prostate problems and not being able to empty his bladder completely. It has helped prevent them for him too.

There are also antibiotics that a person can take regularly as a preventative. Ask his doctor to see if it's available.

will check at our doctors appt next week. I am a little Leary of the cranberry juice as he is on Prodaxa ( replacement for Coumadin)

LaDee thank you for this vital information, will be online today checking this out, it's a step forward ( big step) to preventing the horrible side effects of one with Alzheimers getting a UTI ( especially in a male, which is my situation, who shows no symptoms except mounting hallucinations & rage)

*Smiles* you're welcome. On another thread I shared that Edna doesn't present with the 'common symptoms' .. no pain on urination, no fever, and it isn't until the infection is raging that the urine changes color or smell. HER first signs are: aphasic speech, weakening strength, she's gets a jerky tremor in her strong arm. She'll eventually hallucinate. We've learned to catch them sooner .. but they just keep coming back. Also turns out that e-coli .. the little buggers .. are really good at 'hiding' from the antibiotics. So, while the course of antibiotics stops the raging infection, there are the buggers just hanging in there waiting for the 'all clear' signal to mate and proliferate.

Like I said, we've just started this routine .. and keeping our fingers crossed!

*little whisper* the name is Ladee (like lady)

Just starting to read all I can on d- Mannose not much but I came across Waterfall d- Mannose and there is much more information. Still reading but have placed an order for the power form. Thanks so much