#UTIs

[scienceandstorytelling]

I figured I’d make this PSA, since I’ve never seen anyone talk about it: when old people get UTIs, it can really mess with their head and cause symptoms that mimic things like dementia. I saw this often with my grandmother, and my mother had an elderly coworker who was perfectly healthy and independent until he suddenly had a sharp mental decline. He was in the hospital and they diagnosed him with dementia and were about to strip away his Power of Attorney and put him in a nursing home when someone thought to check for a UTI. They put on him antibiotics and he was quickly back to his usual self and back in his own home working at his job again, because he was completely fine aside from the UTI.

Obviously I’m not a doctor or anything, but from my experience and my mother’s research in caring for my grandmother, this is a real thing and I figured people should be aware of it to at least take into consideration in that kind of situation.

[tyrograph]

It's called Strovac

[iamanathemadevice]

Every female bodied person needs to read this

Every female bodied person needs to read this, and everyone should send the link to every female bodied person they know

[picspammer]

I wake up, it's a bad dream No one on my side I was fighting But I just feel too tired to be fighting Guess I'm not the fighting kind

Happy anniversary to this single by Keane, released on this day in 2007

[mcatmemoranda]

Nitrites in urine means there is E. coli in the urine. It's a UTI. Treat it.

[chirpychapperjr]

[vizthedatum]

Interstitial Cystitis diuretic and flushing supplement tip

If you're a beverage goblin like me who is planning a friend outing (with beverages! (non-alcoholic)), please time the dosage of your D-mannose + vitamin B-6 + vitamin C (plus other supplements you're taking that are possible diuretics), otherwise, you WILL pee yourself (I just did lmao). Especially if you already have incontinence issues (I used to but through better sexual practices, pelvic floor physical therapy, and a lot of therapy, I don't have it that much anymore).

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Please note that Interstitial Cystitis (IC) has no cure but it's all about holistic symptom management that works best for your personal goals and lifestyle <3 it's painful, it's hard, I'm sorry, but you all got this.

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OKAY now I'm gonna talk about D-mannose, this tip, this incident, and... why you gotta plan for stuff:

D-mannose is really great for UTI prevention and has anti-inflammatory properties for chronic cystitis and inflammation in the bladder. It prevents UTIs by blocking E. Coli (one of the main pathogens responsible for UTIs) from adhering to urinary tract epithelial cells (read more here and do your own PubMed search).

It can help with chronic inflammation, even without possible infection, because it helps maintain the integrity of the bladder wall (allowing the bladder wall to heal - which is so important if you are chronically inflamed!). D-mannose does this by promoting the growth and production of collagen and proteoglycans, while also reducing the activity of neutrophils (the white blood cells that *attack*) and increasing the activity of macrophages (the white blood cells that are more of the clean-up-crew and not so much *attack*).

So yeah, it's an awesome supplement to take! You can definitely consume it naturally through certain foods, including cranberries, but I'd recommend a concentrated dose in the form of a supplement. I often take D-mannose after exercise and sex, and I take it daily in the morning with all my other meds (it does kind of upset my IBS-D but that is a different post for a different time).

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I often take D-mannose with vitamin B-complex and vitamin C because it helps flush out my urinary tract! The added vitamins (and other people take other supplements with D-mannose) are diuretics that make you produce more urine so basically you pee more. Great for flushing out unwanted bacteria after D-mannose has (hopefully) done its trick.

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Anyway, please time when you take all of it especially if you're going out with a friend and you have water, a fun drink, a drink for energy, another fun drink (and soup! *facepalm*)... and you lose track of time because you're having too much fun with your friend.

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Should I keep writing about my adventures with supplements, diets, indignation at my condition, and other things I've tried for IC? Including all the anecdotes I have?

[blue-bec]

I keep thinking about this post... and not for the reasons you may think. In my shoes I would have had to lie to the doctor about whether or not I was having sex with my boyfriend, because telling the truth would have ended up in an hours long lecture sessions about how bad sex before marriage was and how I was now the worst daughter, and why couldn't I just listen to her instead of ... blah blah blah... and I would have grey-rocked my way through that in order to survive.

This is a horrible experience, and I'm sorry it happened to you because UTIs and bladder infections are awful, and having a parent not listen to you and then make fun of the whole thing later isn't cool... but I'm glad at least that you didn't end up being abused for being sexually active.

When I was young I was dating this absolute cocknob right as I graduated high school. More on that later.

As a present ostensibly to me (but mostly my folks) I was whisked away after graduation to spend two weeks in Europe with my parents. The plan was to see London, Paris, and Heidelberg.

I was moody and a teenager and was largely disgruntled by this fabulous adventure. I went along with sullen foot dragging and black looks. I commandeered my reprehensible boyfriends enormous black hoodie and wore it on the trip. At the start of our jaunt into London I mentioned offhandedly to my mom that it was burning when I peed.

“You’re just dehydrated, and your period is about to start.”

She was right on both counts. I upped my water content, and had my period (which may have contributed to my overall ill humors.)

So we found ourselves in a tiny hotel in Paris, a week into our jaunt, when I repeated, “Man, it just really burns when I pee.”

“What?!” my mom demanded.

“I told you like a week ago that it was burning.”

“Augh! Now we have to go to the hospital!” she proclaimed.

“What?! Why?”

“Because,” she snapped, “You have a bladder infection.”

More bickering ensued, and my temperament was not improved by knowing I’d told her I was having an issue a week ago and been ignored.

My dad heard about the itinerary shift with resignation and we trooped down the narrow stairs as a family to ask the concierge where the nearest hospital was.

The absolutely lovely man at the desk was immediately so concerned when we asked for directions. “Is everything okay?” he asked with very genuine sympathy and I muttered that everything was fine, we just needed a quick visit.

Lucky for us the hospital was only a few blocks away. We walked there and the building was massive, home to what appeared to be several separate wings but no obvious main entrance.

We wandered inside and it was like a weird dream. There was no one around. Huge echoing corridors met us as we peered in vain for a front desk or possibly signs. We searched with increasing frustration for anyone to talk to and somehow found ourselves in some tiny back offices.

A woman sat at her desk and looked bewildered to see three lost Americans approaching her. She greeted us and as a family we all simultaneously realized the massive flaw in our current course.

You see, dear reader, we did not speak French. My dad and I both spoke German. I inquired politely if she also spoke German and she shook her head looking increasingly cornered. We asked if she spoke English.

“Leetle…?” she replied.

“My daughter has a bladder infection! Blad-der?” My mother declared this at a high volume as if volume alone could bridge the communication gap, while simultaneously miming over my stomach, circling where she presumed my pelvis was under the gigantic black sweatshirt.

The woman’s expression turned extremely skeptical and she slowly repeated “Bladder…” She scrutinized me for a moment then said, “You go…. This?” And pointed to something purple on her desk.

“The purple signs?” my dad asked.

She nodded and we set off. I was stewing with resentment at my mom for having ignored my first complaint when we were in a country that spoke English. And also generalized hostility about being on the trip and the object of miming. Now here we were in a French hospital, lost and unable to communicate. I also was under no illusions that someone who didn’t know the word for purple would have any clue what bladder meant.

And slowly I realized what had actually happened as I peered at the purple signs. My mother circling my stomach with her hands, gesturing to my middle. The woman’s skeptical face.

“Hey mom,” I chirped, syrupy and smug. “I don’t speak French. But I do know that it’s a Latin based language. And wouldn’t you know, but that purple sign looks an awful lot like it says ‘maternity’ to me.”

“Shut up!” she snapped.

A few minutes later we stood surrounded by the moans of pregnant people and the cries of fresh new lungs wailing at their first taste of cold air.

I smiled sweetly at my disgruntled mother.

Luck was with us however. A nearby father noticed us and came over to ask if we needed help. With perfect English he gave us clear directions.

As we finally approached the right area for walk in services it was clear how we’d missed it the first time. A large swathe of the front of the building was covered in tarps. A huge wall sized window was broken, and construction was taking place, but at least it had a bustle of people and a clear line. We sat down in the queue of chairs.

While we sat some police officers came in. They walked up to a man ahead of us in line and with few words exchanged they handcuffed and led him politely away.

I was genuinely so out of reality. Every new thing that happened was like a bizarre dream from the empty hallways to the maternity ward and now this tarp strewn waiting room in which people could just be calmly arrested.

It was a shock to me then when we reached the front and the nurse spoke with perfectly unaccented English to assess me. Not only did she know bladder but a whole slew of other medical words I couldn’t guess at. I peed on a stick and we waited.

When we got the results she told me it was good because they could give me antibiotics today for my now confirmed infection, but bad because I’d need the doctor to sign off. I nodded and my mom and I were escorted to yet another small room to wait.

When the doctor arrived I felt suddenly gangly and awkward. I’m not tall but I towered over this tiny French woman who radiated calm composure. She seemed to be around my grandmothers age. She looked up at my blushing face and said, “Bladder infection?” Her English had a much stronger accent than the nurse but with the same medical competence.

I nodded.

She nodded too and we sat in a still contemplative moment on my UTI.

“Do you have… boyfriend?”

My face was on fire, every cell of me wanting to flee from this tiny perfect old woman. I nodded.

She nodded too. We sat still in the knowledge that I had a boyfriend and a UTI.

“Do you and your boyfriend do… it?” Her delicate accent stretched it into “eet.”

I don’t know if she didn’t know the word for sex or if she thought saying “it” was kinder but I wanted to melt into the floor and cease to exist to escape my increasing mortification and her meaningful pause. I nodded.

“Okay,” she said kindly. “When you and your boyfriend do… it… you must make pee pee.”

I writhed slightly under the psychic damage of this elegant medical professional saying “pee pee” and I nodded more emphatically hoping she’d desist this torture.

She continued. “If you and your boyfriend do… it… five times? You make five pee pees. If you do it ten times, you make ten pee pees.”

My face had never been hotter, all the blood in my body had volcanoed to my head, pounding in my ears and valiantly attempting to give me an aneurism to end my suffering. There is no mortification as acute to a teenager as an adult talking about sex and here was this medical professional telling me about… it.

Meanwhile, my mother. Who should have been regretting her poor parenting and reflecting on her neglect in failing impart this vital part piece of sex ed to her kid. Alas, she was laughing herself sick the corner. She added to my embarrassment by quietly repeating “pee pee” and “it” under her breath as she wheezed and chortled.

The doctor patted my hand kindly and handed me the antibiotics. I got to spend the rest of my trip in Europe avoiding direct sunlight and listening to my mother parrot “Do you do… eet?”

[lachrimae-verae]

Babes I got a UTI for the first time in almost 10 years, and it sucks so bad.

The next bit is gonna be a bit tmi, so keep scrolling if that squicks you, but this is some actual medical info, with actual advice from my doc.

Anyway. What doesn't suck, is that they didn't give me an antibiotic that would give me hives (I have so many allergies fml). They also didn't tell me to drink cranberry juice, which is good bc studies show that the sugars in cran juice make the infection worse, not better. My doctor recommended I drink cucumber water with lemon, to help soothe my urinary tract, but also to promote more urine production, to help flush out the infection faster. They also gave me a short term round of meds that will help deal with the constant pain. All of this is great.

However, what I really want to say is that if you are noticing something about your body, KEEP TRACK OF IT. Notate the date, time, symptoms, and where in your body it's happening. Today I went into the doctors office, gave a consise timeline, list of symptoms, and how severe on which day, and I was treated seriously and with respect. This doesn't always happen, of course, but if you stick to it, and don't let them derail you, you get your shit taken care of much faster.

[certifiedsexed]

question. how does one practice Omorashi without getting a uti. I hear people talk about it in the tags but I have no idea of any details !!!

For context! Omorashi is the Japanese term for a piss kink, which is where people play with piss, usually [though not exclusively] during or as part of sex. [This is an article that gets into a little more details, for those interested.]

Well, it depends on the type of play you're doing! For example, I assume you're referring more to people holding their pee as part of piss play, which is the only type of piss play that definitely puts you at risk for a UTI.

Holding your pee isn't recommended, healthwise, but making sure you're both aware of the risks [Practicing Risk Aware Consensual Kink (RACK) is very important!] and trying to do it in moderation can really help limit the risks.

You shouldn't be doing it constantly if you want to avoid a UTI. Keeping up with your water intake regularly can also really help! It's one of those things where you kinda have to figure out, through trial and error, what works best for you but hydration is key.

Most of other types of piss play aren't really a risk for a UTI, though there is a risk of things like bacterial vaginosis and the ever-consistent yeast infections depending on what you're doing.

I assumed this was the type of piss play you were talking about but if it wasn't, or you want more information, feel free to let me know.

Hope this helps! Let me know if you have any other questions. <3

[urinay-tract-infection]

causes of uti in female

Here are the primary causes of urinary tract infections (UTIs) in females:

Short Urethra: Females have a shorter urethra than males, making it easier for bacteria to reach the bladder.

Improper Hygiene: Poor personal hygiene practices can introduce bacteria into the urinary tract.

Sexual Activity: Intercourse can facilitate the transfer of bacteria from the vaginal area to the urethra.

Use of Catheters: Catheters can introduce bacteria directly into the urinary system.

Certain Birth Control Methods: Diaphragms or spermicides can alter the vaginal flora, increasing the risk of infection.

Menopause: Hormonal changes during menopause can lead to vaginal dryness and changes in normal flora, increasing susceptibility.

Dehydration: Not drinking enough fluids can result in concentrated urine, which may promote bacterial growth.

Urinary Tract Abnormalities: Congenital or acquired abnormalities can obstruct urine flow, creating an environment for infections.

Chronic Medical Conditions: Conditions like diabetes, kidney stones, and autoimmune diseases can increase UTI risk.

Antibiotic Use: Disruption of normal bacterial flora from antibiotic use can allow harmful bacteria to thrive.

(Click here to Read a Blog- 10 Causes of UTI in Females)

Understanding these causes can help in preventing UTIs and maintaining better urinary health.

[dynamichealthinsights]

The Ripple Effect of Hydration: Nurturing Your Kidneys for a Lifetime of Wellness

In the intricate tapestry of human health, few connections are as vital and yet often overlooked as the profound relationship between hydration and the well-being of our kidneys. Like a gentle stream nourishing a lush landscape, water flows through our bodies, sustaining life and enabling our kidneys to perform their crucial functions. In this comprehensive exploration, we will embark on a…

[drsandeepharkar]

The myth about urinary tract infections(UTIs) is that this condition only affects women but the fact is that men also get affected by urinary tract infections(UTIs) in life. Consult your urologist to get it treated effectively.

[picspammer]

17 years of Under the Iron Sea

Happy birthday to this beautiful masterpiece ✨🌊