Hello all,
I am a paraplegic, my spinal cord injury is at the T4 level. As a result, I have had to use intermittent catheterization to empty my bladder. Over the years, my body became used to routinely emptying my bladder. Eventually, my body adapted to be able to hold increased amounts of urine for longer periods of time.
In my twenties I had recurring UTIs which I later learned were the result of bladder stones. By my early thirties, my body built a resistance to all antibiotics except Cipro and two or three antibiotics that are provided through IVs.
Now I'm in my mid-forties, I still have yet to build a resistance to Cipro. Two years ago I had a lithotripsy to destroy kidney and bladder stones. Since then my body has become gradually more incontinent. At first I only had small leaks, being able to make it to the bathroom before having a major accident. The past two weeks the situation has become drastically worse. I find myself sitting at my desk at work when one of my legs suddenly spasms ever so slightly which leads to a large leak. When I take a scheduled bathroom break and I empty my bladder I urinate very little.
Ok, with all of that explained here are and aren't my symptoms:
I do have:
- Cloudy urine, ranging from light to dark throughout the day.
- Slight amount of blood in the urine.
- Sudden urge to urinate.
I don't have:
- Fever
- Nausea
- Head-ache
My diet is healthier than most Americans. I generally drink 1 cup of coffee with cream and sugar and 64+ ounces of water per day.
My questions/concerns are...
Could I have a bladder infection / UTI even though I don't have a fever, nausea, or head-ache?
What does one do about UTIs once they are resistant to all antibiotics?
Any suggestions for returning back to continency?
Hi Brad.
I would definitely say you have an infection. Blood in the urine and cloudy urine and sudden urge to urinate are definitely signs. I've had UTI before and only once have I had nausea, chills, etc... That was when I had one that was really severe and my doctor really wanted to admit me to the hospital, but I declined. Personally, I would get it treated.
I was born with spina bifida and my lesion level is T10 and I live with incontinence. I wear diapers all the time because my bladder empties on its' own all the time. I have a pretty good bowel program, but bowel accidents still happen. Never have come up with a fool proof bowel program, unfortunately. I also cath in the morning when I get up and just before I go to bed just to MAKE SURE my bladder is completely emptied at least twice a day. I RARELY deal with UTI. By the fact you are continent with cathing and you are having accidents now, infection is very likely.
On the "returning to continence" note, the biggest part of that is going to be to prevent UTI. Have you tried any natural preventatives, like taking vitamin C, cranberry, etc...? I cath and have used vitamin C and cranberry for years and have not had an UTI in 9 years. Only downside is higher doses of vitamin C can act as a diuretic, making you pee more. Cranberry, you can run into risks of kidney stones if you take a lot of it, so with your past history of stones, probably not something I would recommend for you. The key is keeping urine acidic enough that bacteria can't live in it.
I hope this helps. Sorry you are running into the problems you are. Very frustrating, I'm sure.
Kind Regards,
Brian
