UTI - again!

[Ann Mac]

For the 5th time in 2 months, I am pretty sure Mil has yet another UTI It's so frustrating - I just don't know what I can do to try and prevent them. I battle to get her in the bath at least 3 times a week, I am fairly certain that her life long habit of fresh undies daily is still part of her routine - though I am not sure that she washes properly in between baths, and she refuses cranberry juice - hates the stuff. I struggle to get her to drink enough - I offer, she refuses because she doesn't 'want to be running to the toilet all the time'. I explain about the need for her to drink plenty, and its 50/50 as to whether she will agree to have a drink - though even if she does, chances are she will tip it away if she can .

She finished AB's for the last infection on Wednesday. Today, warning bells started to jingle at me hearing her to and fro the loo several times between 4.30 and 6a.m., and slightly increased confusion when she got up. I tried asking her tactfully if all was OK, but she was formal and distant with me - so at that point, She obviously felt she didn't know me well enough to discuss 'private' stuff. Late this afternoon, she left her bedroom door open - and I smelt urine as I passed by. She had washed 2 pairs of panties - not very well - and put them on the radiator - and they stank I tried being tactful, asked her if she had washing, and it then transpired she had washed them by rubbing them with the tablet of hand soap in the bathroom Tact got me nowhere in terms of getting her to let me wash them properly - in the end, I had to be a bit blunt - and then we had tears, and then she admitted she was again having uti symptoms - to the extent that not being able to wait whilst someone was in the bathroom, she had resorted to having to wee o to her dressing gown, on the floor - and that was stuffed in a bag by the radiator too And its not the first time tbat has happened.

The GP wants to put her on long term ABs - but is there anything else I could be doing, or any advice for managing this for her, please?

 

[ITBookworm]

I don't know if it is any help but I do know that you can get cranberry capsules which have the same effect as the juice without the taste. Would MIL be willing to take them do you think?

Another option might be to see if you can get sneaky with getting liquid into her. So gravy or sauce with meals, jelly, ice-cream, fruit that is naturally juicy etc. I am sure I have read other threads with more ideas about how to get liquid into people if they are dehydrated - I will see if I can find any.

 

[MeganCat]

Five times in 2 months is a lot - I'd consider the long term antibiotics
Also agree about sneaking extra fluids into her diet and cut down caffeine ( coffee tea cola)

 

[CJinUSA]

My mother has done better in this area since we are using Depends. She fought fought fought using them, and then one of my sisters had a long talk with her about the amount of laundry she saw me doing one day while they visited. The Depends product seems to whisk away the liquid into a layer of the lining that does not touch the body (it's really quite an amazing product).

We also use V8 juices that include cranberry along with other juices. Pomegranate juice seems to have some of the same properties as cranberry. If you could try a fruit juice that mixed up the useful juices with some other ones, this might appeal. And call the juice a juice made *not* from cranberry but whatever the other juice is. It is worth a try. The juices are delicious1

 

[FifiMo]

What kind of antibiotics is the GP prescribing? If she has had so many UTI's it may not be separate infections but the original one that has not been treated properly. Broadspectrum antibiotics are often ineffecctive and they need to send of a urine sample so that they can grow a culture then give her the appropriate antipbiotics to clear the bug.

Lots of ways you cn try and get extra fluids into her as has been suggested. Soups are good for lunchtimes. Custards are good. Jelly. If you have a stick blender then try a tin of peaches including the syrup with a can of evaporated milk then make a jelly in as little water as possible, add the evaporated milk then make up to the pint with water. Think back to things that she might recognise like ice cream floats with lemonade and scoop of ice cream in it. Knickerboker glories. Sponge with custart. bread and butter pudding. You could also try making your own smoothies if she likes fruit. As well as fluids, these are good ways of packing in extra calories. Then there is the all time favourite - mashed potatoes with gravy. Add milk when making the mash and lots of gravy. Even mince and mash can have a high amount of fluid in it. Oh and if you're passing, a McDonalds thick shake in various flavours tastes just like ice cream - packed with calories and fluids too.

It might be worth getting her some tena pull ups if having an accident is causing her to worry. Tell her that everyone is wearing them these days as they can just be thrown away and no washing needed. IF need be then tell a little white lie and say that you have started wearing them yourself some days. Make it sound like she is behind the times.

Fiona

 

[Ann Mac]

Thank you for all the replies

I'll certainly give the cranberry capsules a go, if I can persuade her to take them - thanks for that

She will drink pure orange juice - but absolutely not any other, no matter how I have presented it.

Although she will tell everyone that she 'isn't fussy what she eats', she is actually quite particular, and has quite small portions. Most of her meals do come with gravy (meat and two veg, stews, shepherds pies) and she will also eat fish in parsley sauce - refuses any other sort of sauce. The only soup she will eat is home made leek and potato - and I make a big batch of that every week, and a small bowl of it is her lunch favorite. I have got a stock of ice cream/choc ices in, and offer them and also make trifles with a double layer of jelly - the only way she will eat jelly and custard. With her being diabetic, although she loves sweet stuff, I have to be careful not to overdo the sweet things, though I do use/buy sugar free. Ice cream is her favourite though, and I am going to ask the GP about how much of it she can have - the ice cream floats, I do think she would go for, big time Milk - she will only have it in tea, fruit smoothies she informed me are 'too sweet and sickly' !

She refuses to use any form of pad or pull up - and yep, told her I use them, told my friends use them, told most women over 40 use them - even told her the Queen uses them - slipped them into her room on the quiet (found them shredded in the bathroom bin) and she ignored the packs I left in the bathroom, even after I pointed them out several times, telling her they were mine and to 'help herself'.

Fifimo, she has had 3 different types of AB's - this is the second time she has started with a UTI (or perhaps it just hasn't cleared) within a couple of days of finishing a course. I have a sample bottle here, and am going to try and persuade her to give one (if I can) in the morning - our GP is pretty good and I suspect he will either squeeze her in or make a home visit to her. She has a bit of a 'thing' about giving samples, but this time I will be really firm about her cooperating - if she gets narked with me, I'll just have to put up with it!

Poor thing just can't go on like this

 

[Ann Mac]

Just had a thought - could the amount of salt that Mil insists on pouring onto her food be adding more to the problem than I have maybe considered? She often has different meals to the rest of the family (she doesn't like the curries, stir fries, pasta dishes, ect, that they love), and because she always add so much salt when food is on her plate, I've taken to adding less (and sometimes none at all) to the food as I am cooking it for her? She really does pour it on - to the extent that Hubby has asked her 'Are you going to have any food with that salt?' - would it be better and perhaps have an impact if I switched to something like lo-salt ? I'd have to transfer it to an 'ordinary' salt container, as we have suggested it before and she says it is foul, but I don't mind being sneaky if it helps!

 

[Carabosse]

You could ask the Dr to put her on a prophylactic dose of Nitrofurantoin, mum was on that and it seemed to keep her UTI's at bay, in saying that the cranberry juice she was drinking might have played some part in it.

 

[Dunkers58]

If there is space in her room would it be worth her having a commode for the times she cannot get to the bathroom?

 

[Ann Mac]

Thanks Carabosse - I'll check out the Nitrofurantoin. She won't drink cranberry, but I am going to get the capsules that have been recommended

Dunkers58 - thank you. I suggested a commode to her yesterday, but she was totally opposed to the idea - however, I honestly think it would save her embarrassment and distress, so its definitely something I am going to persist with. We are looking at ways we can add another loo - unfortunately we have only the one, situated in the bathroom, so if someone is in the bath or shower, and Mil needs to go its a problem - not that anyone minds hopping out of the tub, but she is reluctant to 'disturb' whoever is in there. Sadly, the cost of an additional loo is a problem - because of the layout of the house, it would mean extending the downstairs hallway by way of an extension, to create the space - and we just can't afford it at the moment

 

[littlegem]

Hi Ann Mac,
My hubby used to drink lots of pure orange juice as well and kept having repeated UTI's, the Doc explained to me that the orange alters the wee and makes it too acidic.
I've moved him onto orange squash and so far (touch wood) no UTI's.
Worth a try I think
xx

 

[Dunkers58]

Could you play on the 'not wanting to disturb the bathroom occupier' if she had the commode .... and ofcourse would just be for emergencies!

 

[jeany123]

Would your MIL be happier with a commode that looks like a proper chair rather than a obvious looking one, something like this might be more acceptable to her, just to use if she cannot wait,

http://www.careco.co.uk/item-s-ba05015/wicker-commode.htm?gclid=CKSFqd7uvrwCFWfLtAodewkA3A

 

[Ann Mac]

Thanks Littlegem - Mil tends to go for water or tea (when she does agree to a drink) but yes, she will occasionally chose orange juice - I thought that any liquid into her is better than none, but if OJ can make it worse, then I'll try and get her to stick to the water.

Dunkers58 and Jeany123 - thank you I'll push the 'not wanting to disturb' and for 'emergencies only' in trying to persuade her. And yes, I think one that looks more like a chair will be better - I am actually toying with the idea of just getting one and putting it in her room - if I did that, hopefully, if she gets stuck, she may accept it as an alternative to the dressing gown (or the duvet, or a pile of clean towels, all of which she has used in the past) on the floor.

 

[angelface]

Have you tried apple squash? Never know, it might work?

My aunt is on a low dose of antibiotics for UTIs, and it does seem to help. She does not seem to be suffering any side effects from the ABs.

 

[Carabosse]

Had a commode for mum in her bedroom, she was adamant she would never use it, but once I got her to bed and went through the usual routine of the light stays on, pee into there if you need it, etc, etc, she took to it like a duck to water. I would get it, take the lid off at night and just see how she gets on, I would leave a bedside light on so she can see it or having it would be pointless.