Always sick these days

[Deb 27]

So, I can't seem to get well. I keep having these UTI's and a few weeks ago, I had shingles. Is this unusual? Is this a sign of immunodeficiency?? I am sick of being sick. I keep wondering if I need to retire. Think I am going to my doctor next week for a work up. My white count is always normal. I've been taking a good cranberry supplement too, but apparently that isn't working to keep the UTI's at bay. I've been taking a multi vitamin and omega 3, so I shouldn't be deficient in anything. I really dread going to a urologist b/c I know they are going to want to scope me and I don't want it....... I need something b/c the UTI's are just too often. I use an estrogen patch. Any suggestions for me?? Thanks in advance.

[araminta]

I can't answer all your questions, but I think shingles can be caused by stress and being generally run down.   I used to get a lot of UTIs at one time, and was always having to take antibiotics, then I discovered a triple strength cranberry tablet which worked perfectly - it was from Holland and Barrett in the UK.   Then they stopped doing triple strength and all I can get is a weaker sort.  I think the concentration of the cranberry ingredient is crucial, and personally I plan to take more of the weaker ones than they say on the bottle, though I hesitate to tell other people to do that as I am not medically qualified!

[AnneNeville]

I have had problems with recurring UTIs, causing pain and urgency for many months after the infection is apparently gone. It is terrible. I get nightmares about it, because of the battle of trying to convince doctors that I needed antibiotics for longer than three days.

Now that I know I have Sjogren's, I wonder whether all that pain was from a bacterial infection, or whether getting a UTI triggered months of interstitial cystitis/inflammation of the urinary tract. Certainly I had pain and even blood cells apparent long after the bacteria was gone.

Would it make sense to talk to your rheumatologist? Mine was responsive when I talked about this symptom, and suggested that if the problem recurred, I could take a prophylactic daily antibiotic.

What got me through the last bout of UTIs and UTI-like pain was yoga pants (reducing any irritation I could) and a home remedy every time the pain and urgency recurred: a pinch of baking soda (maybe a quarter of a teaspoon) and three tablespoons of apple cider vinegar in a glass of water. It tastes disgusting, but I did find that it helped the urgency and pain noticeably.

Please note, though, that that will do nothing for bacteria. It only relieves the pain and urgency. And vinegar is bad for our teeth.

I have been told that Alkaseltzer tablets do the same thing as the baking soda.

[Deb 27]

I've had a lifetime of  recurring UTI's. When I was 23, they did a dilation of my urethra. The urologist said I had a urethra the size of a baby's and it was causing bad reflux.  That slowed down my UTI's but didn't totally cure me. Now that I am menopausal, it's like they are back. As if we need one more thing to deal with! I might switch to D-mannose to see if that will help. I've got to stop my one diet soda that I drink a day. I think the chemicals in it affect me. Ugh! My one vice!!!!! I had to give up chocolate soy milk b/c I have a food intolerance to both chocolate and soy. Thanks for letting me vent. It's the only place where I feel like people understand-:)))))