Bladder Problems

I agree very much with your last few sentences petrapam, and we should all make sure our GP's know exactly how we feel.
Talking of simple conclusions, instead of enduring years of muscle pain and paying for countless Chiropractic services [paid for myself] plus tons of pain killers [from GP] couldn't the doctor have made the connection between statins and muscle pain?Made the connection myself, and hey presto! some pains gone within days, others gone within the next 6 months. Unbelievable.Since heard doctors talking on radio 4 about the known connection!
Bladder pains and constant infections must be awful, glad you got yours sorted out.

Good for you Petrapan on two fronts. Firstly for doing some research and secondly for standing your ground and getting the treatment which has helped you.

There is another thread on GN about GPs. I think most are ready to work with those of us who are willing to take a more proactive stance on our health, and if not then change GP.

Perhaps you hit the nail on the head Aka, we should start shopping around for our GPs like we shop around for most other things. After all, if we don't like the food or service in one restaurant, we simply avoid that one and choose another don't we.

There could be other things contributing to frequent UTIs.
Since I was a little girl I've had a weakness in the bladder, need to rush to pee. As an adult and married the attacks got worse, and again at the menopause.
In my case HR pessaries help, I think I must have very thin sensitive skin inside.
I agree Petrapan we don't want to be swallowing antibiotics every few months.

Well, I've had countless UTIs for decades. Like you, I tried every self-help measure known to woman, including herbal remedies. Angela Kilmartin's book was my Bible and I adopted scrupulous hygiene (including bottle washing after opening bowels). I still keep that up, but I was still getting UTIs. GP referred me for a cystoscopy which revealed no abnormality (cancer has to be ruled out and I was panicking as usual).
Then, in my internet searches for an effective self-help measure, I found D-Mannose. It's a constituent of cranberry but you'd have to be drowning in cranberry juice to take in enough to sort out an established infection. I decided to try it. It's expensive, but it did the trick - apparently it doesn't kill bacteria as antibiotics do, so it won't kill off good bacteria. The e-coli is attracted to adhere to the mannose in the bladder rather than the bladder wall, and then you just wee it away. You do have to work out for yourself which your effective dose is, and if you're prone to infections it's important to take it daily. Occasional sufferers could keep a pack handy just in case. It's a type of plant sugar and you simply dissolve a teaspoonful in a tumbler of water. I take a dose morning and night and have hardly had any infections since. If I get twinges, I up the dose for a few days and it goes away.
I now swear by this stuff - wish it could be prescribed on the NHS as there are obviously problems with prescribing antibiotics too often. In my case, there were very few left which would work on my UTIs - though I do keep a course of an effective one handy, just in case I need it.
For sufferers of UTIs I would recommend d-Mannose - for me it was worth every penny. And no, I don't have shares in d-Mannose!

Wow, cystitis is a rotten condition, isn't it? Doctors do need to listen to us...
Well, I have a great interest in general bladder problems that others belittle. The ones that make you wonder if you smell a little bit....the ones that make you a slave to the toilet.
I have been doing a lot of research and have just written a book. I'll not tell you about the book as this is not the place.
But please, oh please do something about your problem if you have one. It will only get worst if you don't.
Pelvic floor exercises DO work but only if you do them EVERY hour.
Frequency and getting up at night can be things of the past. Really.
One in five of us have a problem so we are not alone.

After a few years of weak bladder problems and bouts of painful infection I took the advice of a lady I met at a urology clinic one day,I was at the clinic for my botox top-up of the bladder which I have every 9/12 mths and she advised me when going to the loo to gently rock back and forth a few times to release what is left in the bladder this helps to stop any urine stagnating in the bladder which can cause infection,it sounds trivual but it works for me and I have not had to go down the route of painful infections for quite a while now,anything though that works for you is invaluable I have a very good Consultant who would prescribe anything I asked for if it helped he is such a very caring man.

The advice given by glammanana was told to my friend after years of bladder problems, she was told to walk round the bathroom after "finishing" and then release the rest ,and there almost always is more.She found this of enormous help.

As some of you may recall I do a lot of work on the effects of the lack of loos and the closures of public toilets. There is medical evidence to say that 'holding on' can cause infections and this can start with small children being told to 'wait'. Unfortunately I'm one of those people who can't go anywhere unless I know there's a loo en route and at the end of my journey.

Goldengirl, I totally agree. I am hopping mad at the closures of so many public loos. For many people this means they are less able to go out for the day. I don't ever risk 'holding on' for long, with my propensity for UTIs, though the d-Mannose I take every day has worked miracles for me and I now never go anywhere on holiday without taking a pack of this precious white powder (I dread the day when a customs official finds it and thinks it's heroin!)

I have a regime of scrupulous personal hygiene, but even that wasn't enough to prevent frequent attacks of cystitis, until I discovered d-mannose. It's wonderful to know I don't have to take antibiotics to get rid of an attack (or rarely).
Good advice though to 'double void' as it does prevent urine stagnating and bacteria building up in the bladder.

The urologist I used to see was a clot. He told me orange juice would cure cystitis and was at least as good as taking antibiotics. When I expressed doubt, he said, 'Why do you think hotels offer it for breakfast then?'
Needless to say, I won't be seeing him again!

I agree that it is a good idea to not hurry away from the loo...but....is it your bladder that is not emptying? I wouldn't think so. I wonder if your urethra, the out tube, is a little kinked. The bladder is similar to a balloon and never properly emptied will become flabby. It's called a "residual urine" in the trade.
1. Pelvic floor exercises will eradicate the kink in the urethra.
2. If there is a residual urine, no amount of rocking will empty it. BUT the continence nurse will help you cure it. Yes, she will!!
No I am not a continence nurse. I am actually very pro us girls getting on with our own cures. But the con nurse is the only one that can help with this one. The bladder will be like a new balloon again!

Petrapan I'm glad your problem is much better.
I so agree with your last paragraph.

grannygiggles you may like referring to yourself as a "girl" the phrase "us girls" seems to assume that the rest of us do too.
I agree with you about the importance of pelvic floor exercises though - any free tips on how to remember to do them lots of times a day?

Is there an association between the thinning of vaginal tissues post menopause and increase in urinary infections? Anyone know?

Yes there is Jess i suffer with vaginal atrophy and get frequent urine infections....the doctor gives me antibiotics which in return gives me thrush!!!! Its a vicious circle and theres seems to be no respite...i do find regular use of replens helps a lot thankfully its now available on prescription...

My doctor/ consultant refuses to give me hormone treatment as theres a high risk of cancer... My mum and sister both died of cancer so im in a high risk category...

I remember reading somewhere years ago (not sure where and it may not be true) that men empty their bladder completely when they urinate but that women do not. I always feel that I do not completely empty mine and often sit a bit longer to try and do a drop more (sorry!). Thank you for the tip about rocking, will try it. I wonder if it is because we sit on the loo this prevents us from complete emptying? The angle prevents it? Although I never sit down on a public loo.

Was that breast cancer dollie ? I seem to remember on another thread we were talking about the fact that there was little or no research on the long term effects of using oestrogen creams vaginally. (with or without a cancer risk)
The natural position to wee for humans is squatting...

Yes it was Jess my mum was 77 and my sister was 38

I did some years ago use the oestrogen cream for several months it was prescribed by my own doctor and after a few months i started bleeding ...when i was examined by my consultant the lining of my womb had grown so thick i had to have all the lining removed ...i was also checked for cancer luckily i was clear... The consultant told me the oestrogen vaginal cream had been feeding the lining of my womb and thats why it was so thick...

How frustrating. Pity there is not an oestrogen treatment that would just work on the required area and not affect anything else.

Dollie, years ago, I was prescribed vaginal hormonal hrt pessaries for atrophy/thinning skin etc, but I discontinued using it because my own mother died of cancer aged 66 - started in the cervix, secondaries in the abdomen. My brother, who is a doctor, went up the wall when he knew I was using them, as I'd had post-menopausal spotting a while ago and had to be fast-tracked to investigate (luckily it was a small polyp but I decided not to use them again).
The vaginal atrophy is horrible though: my sex-life is virtually non-existent as it's just too painful. I had an early menopause, so that didn't help.
Years ago, sex used to trigger cystitis, which was miserable, and I tried going to the loo before and after, drinking plenty etc but it didn't help the libido at all

Makes you wonder how many other women were given this hormone treatment for vaginal atrophy and it has progressed into cancer!!!!!

Well, quite - I would never go near it again, having had a scare previously and with my family history.

PETRAPAN being your own Doctor is something that I strongly believe in. As you yourself had to make a decision that should have been taken by your GP.

I am not afraid of any pain that can be caused by any injection or any operation, but what I am afraid of is the in competence of any given Doctor.

For eg, if you need a blood test, you better make sure that the person is experienced other wise you come out of there full of holes

I recently had to go to the hospital due to a cyst on my head, when I spoke to the Doctor that was going to perform the procedure I became very concerned because quite honestly I had no confidence in her at all. When she asked do I get pain from my cyst I replied no--wrong answer she said!!!

However that's not to say that there aren't any good Doctors out there because there truly are, I'm just scared of the in competent ones.

Me too, Cathybee. When DD2 was in hospital (more times than I can recall) we had to sort out the mess made by incompetent doctors. DH was a scientist and well aware of the effects of various drugs and the need to take into account a patient's weight and age, for example. Several times he had to point out errors in prescribing - if it hadn't been for DH and him keeping tabs on everything, I shudder to think what might have happened - drugs were prescribed which interacted with others, for instance, and it wasn't til DH queried it that they realised! Another occasion they 'lost' a referral for an urgent scan and DH had to insist on going to the relevant department himself to ask them to look for DD's notes - he found them when no one else seemed bothered. We've been aware of mis-diagnoses, mis-interpretations of x-rays...I could go on. Early in DD's life, a paediatrician said that she had microcephaly (she didn't, and another one confirmed that), but not before we had weeks of anguish worrying about it. Another all but accused us of abuse, when we took DD to hospital with rectal prolapse. We had months of terror, fearing a knock at the door in the middle of the night to take our beloved DD away. I couldn't eat or sleep. It wasn't till she had a barium enema procedure that the man conceded that there was a problem causing her symptoms which were not of our doing!
Our DD was born with a rare congenital disability and we were forever in and out of hospitals, and desperate to give her the very best of care - we were utterly devastated at some of the cruel things said to us at times by people who should have known better. And yes, we did come across some excellent and compassionate doctors, but far too many of them were anything but, so I have VERY little faith in the medical profession and now I question everything, ask for evidence, reasons, or whatever I need to understand and make the best decisions for myself. Both DH and myself both see the GP as fairly limited in expertise: if we know what's wrong with us, we research it first and go armed, knowing what we want out of the consultation - whether it's a prescription for a particular antibiotic or a referral to someone else. It sounds cynical, perhaps, but our experience has taught us to be VERY careful and very wary.