Misery of cystitis

I feel for you! I had a summer, out of the blue, of repeated cystitis attacks. They eventually cleared up but I have no idea of what I did differently.

I took priobiotics with the antibiotics and they seemed to help but why it all began in the first place.... who knows. Yogurt (as long as it is 'live') is excellent, too.

I wondered if increased sugar (I have a sweet tooth!) could have been the culprit and many people say yeast (in bread, etc.) is a problem. You could try cutting those foods out.

Drinking extra water is always good for flushing out toxin-y things.

My research at the time led me to Angela Kilmartin who is a bit of a guru on this topic. She does have a website: Angelakilmartin.com, I think. This may now all be 'paid for' information but you'll soon probably be at the stage where you'll pay nearly anything to stop the pain!

Try googling the condition and see if there is any sensible up to date advice out there (if you haven't already!).

I do hope you feel better soon.

If you have the prescription for estrogern pessaries, start to use them!

Recurrent cystitis after the menopause is quite common, it's due to the thinning of the lining of the vagina which easily becomes inflamed. There are a few threads about it on here, I used to use pessaries, now have cream, which helps to restore that lining.
Hope it works, it's a miserable condition.

Exactly what Tricia said!

It's miserable but the pessaries helped me lots! Try searching for other threads on here.

Yes, yeast is definitely a problem. I've stopped eating bread. Don't like cake but fresh bread with butter was my 'cake', I love it, but it's had to go!

Candelle, thank you for your detailed response. I will check out Angela Kilmartin's website.

Doctors now recommend ibroprufen to help cope with the symptoms (see The times 5 Jan). They are worried about the over use of anti biotics for urinary infections.

Hello, I have only posted on here a couple of times but I do read the posts most days. I couldn't let the concerns about cystitis pass me by without mentioning D-Mannose, a natural treatment for bladder problems which is absolutely brilliant. I had bad cystitis back in 2010 and 3 courses of antibiotics did not get rid of it and it was agonising, but a friend recommended D-Mannose which did the trick very quickly, and I keep some in the cupboard now and take it if I get the beginnings of a twinge. I haven't had a recurrence for 5 years now. I'm not sure if I'm allowed to post the website but I'll try. Hope you soon feel better Ginny42.
www.waterfall-d-mannose.com/dmannose-powder.html

Cystitis is horrendous. I suffered for many years and cut out anything acid to eat and drink. Never found any alternative treatments that worked. Problem was partly caused by bladder prolapse which was only diagnosed by gynaecologist. Now I take oestragen and antibiotics to prevent infection.

I would hate to think we would be denied antibiotic treatment. My consultant prescribed them and I switch to another one every three months to prevent immunity. Thrush is also a cause for some women. I agree that the book mentioned will give lots of clues as to the cause of the problem.

Ginny42, I was thinking of you overnight and remembered my beloved hot water bottle which helped a bit at the onset of these nasty attacks. This may help a bit as a temporary measure.

Two things I should have also mentioned are that if you are still sexually active, you should have a wee as soon as possible afterwards (within ten minutes at the most). This helps any possible source of infection be washed away. Sorry to be so graphic but it's true!

Finally, I remembered that Angela Kilmartin was a proponent of NOT wearing anything tight around the crotch area. This included tights (she loved crotch-less tights. Mine become crotch-less when I rip them, not that's intentional!).

Just remembered... try pants only made from cotton, too, an AK suggestion, although most of us do, anyway. Just check.

See if you can manage not wearing tights, f possible, for a bit and see if that helps.

The pessaries posted above sound good too but if you are in the middle of an attack I'd try everything - all at once!

Wishing you a speedy recovery.

The pessaries aren't meant to be a treatment, but a preventative. They're meant to be used longterm at least mine are. I've been using them for over 10 years, on and off. If I stop, eventually the cystitis returns, so it's back on them again.

To be honest I think we need a number of strategies in our armoury! Yes, ibuprofen helps while you wait for other things to work. A hot water bottle does help too. Camomile tea soothes. I've also taken Bicarb of soda to dispel any acid.

I've tried Uva ursi by Vogel. Cranberry helps to prevent bacteria sticking to the walls of the bladder; uva ursi goes straight to the bladder and eases the crampy feelings. I am attracted to the D Mannose powder and will be sending for some. Thank you Sparklefizz.

The consultant said the cause in my case could be anxiety.

Apparently this is common in women aged 60 +.

What a wonderful resource Gransnet is! Thanks everyone.

I had it fairly mildly recently over a weekend and a teaspoonful of bicarbonate of soda in a glass of warm water every 2 hours really helped.

I've found a local stockist for the D-Mannose powder. I will try it and report back.

Thanks for all the suggestions.

Hi Ginny42, I have also suffered frequent cystitis & kidney infections (from age 6!), and I have no magic solutions, but I think it's worth you looking at NHS Choices on cystitis, and you might also want to click on the link for "interstitial cystitis". I've had 4 hospital-based investigations (instigated by GP, not me) over 5 decades, and I find it very frustrating because I think they just want to cover their backs in case you have a tumour or something sinister. When they don't find anything sinister, their attitude is 'job done' and you are left to manage as best you can. Here's my routine when symptoms strike: paracetamol (not ibuprofen - can damage kidneys and gut); hot packs - one behind the small of the back and one over the kidneys; loads of water to drink; Cystopurin to alkalise the urine and stop the stinging; here's one you might find strange, but work for me - Germaloids haemorrhoid ointment applied to the vulva to stop stinging when you pee.

Cranberry drinks have been found to be no better than placebo in large scale trials, so do it if you want to. I think doctors still feel it's worth telling you this because it might make you drink more fluids and it gives you something to do.

One thing I have to disagree with is the idea that cutting yeast out of the diet works. It is based on the mistaken idea that any yeast can cause infection. Well, it can't, no more than you can catch dry-rot from handling floor-boards! Baker's yeast is Saccharomyces cerevisiae and the organism which causes "Thrush" is Candida Albans. They are both yeasts, but are about as closely related as cabbages and oak trees! Please don't deny yourself on the grounds of a fallacy. I can recommend reading 'Bad Science' by Ben Goldacre for a superb insight into persistent quackery. When you have a chronic relapsing condition, it is all too easy to think that some quackery or another 'worked' for you, but it's only the normal remission of the disease (until the next time).

Correction - meant to say one hot pack at small of back and one over the BLADDER! Should have reviewed before posting!

Citric Soda - only available in South Africa but if you know anyone is going ask them to pick you up a box of sachets. Fortunately, my son was on holiday there last year and got some for me. Brilliant, based on a formula of bicarbonate of soda, which you could make yourself. Google it.

I really sympathise with you. I have suffered with it for years. I think if you have a weakness for cystitis, it will always return.
it helped me to read a book written by a sufferer. She was a disabled lady who had trouble with it and she came up with some brilliant advice which I have always followed. Sorry, it was years ago and I do not have the book details.
Rather than write it all here, suggest you find a book that goes into the subject in detail.
I have also asked for and received an extra supply of anti-B’s from my doctor to keep with me in case of an attack on holiday.
Best of luck with this and `i am sending you a big hug because I know the misery you are going through. ??

I can't believe this topic has come up. I had my first attack of cystitis yesterday, at the age of 63. I've drunk a carton of cranberry juice and the symptoms are less painful.

tigger - I used to make "pot.cit" with boiled up barley, then drain off the water and use that, which is the potassium, plus orange juice
Much nicer than the horrible pot.cit. stuff the doctor used to give.

D-Mannose. I can recommend it. Have suffered cystitis for years, have had investigations to no avail. I have to keep antibiotics at home because of the swiftness of onslaught and severity of pain. I always try D-Mannose at the first twinge and 90% of the time I avert the attack. It annoys me that many people think cystitis is just a burning sensation and urination frequency, I don't think they understand the chronic pain it produces, to me its like someone grabbing hold of a muscle just above the pubic region and twisting and squeezing! Agony.

When it makes you nervous to leave home (or the nearest loo) you'll try anything.

As others have said, repeated courses of anti-biotics often results in thrush, another niggly discomfort you have to cope with.

I have used a little E45 cream and a drop of tea tree oil mixed in the palm of my hand, and applied to the area. Tea tree is powerful, so be sparing with it. It just feels cold, no stinging. Alternatively I put a drop in the gusset of panties and always iron the cotton gusset with a hot iron.

Inishowen you have to be careful with cranberry drinks with sugar. I use Lambert's cranberry complex powder.

It's important to find something that works for you. I worried when I read that the infection can backtrack to the kidneys, so will continue to test all suggestions. I've now had several days feeling comfortable.

A treatment that worked for me if I caught the cystitis early enough is as follows (sounds a bit gross but tbh I would have tried anything to feel better): run a warm bath and make sure you can easily reach the taps to top it up. Take a large jug/flask of warm lemon barley solution (at least two pints) and a cup or beaker and place within reach. Lie in the bath for as long as possible, drinking as much lemon barley as you can and peeing into the bath as you get the urge. Stay there and keep drinking and peeing. Being in the warm water allows you to pee with minimal pain or stinging. Constant drinking helps flush out the infection. Let some water out of the bath after each pee, top the bath up to keep comfortably warm and to help muscles relax.

This has worked for my daughter too. It may not get rid of it completely if it's a bad case but it can tide you over until you get the antibiotics or other treatment underway.

Sorry to argue but my thrush was once diagnosed as being caused by the yeast present in bread and wine. This was after a negative result from the GP. Went to the STD clinic. Wonderful people. Got intensive treatment. (Was some years ago! Don't think I would be comfortable going there now).

Good posts NemosMum I agree with you.