UTIs

I've had 7 UTIs in 5 months, treated with antibiotics but latterly returning after just a few days, so I decided to take things into my own hands . I now take d- mannose ( powder dissolved in water) plus high strength cranberry tablets twice daily, have cut out caffeine, drink lots of water and---this has made the most dramatic change--have changed to a near vegan diet. From what research I have done, the usual culprit in UTIs is e-coli which needs iron to thrive, so if you can change the pH of urine from it's normal acidic condition to alkaline, the e-coli can no longer extract the iron from urine and so die out. Meat, fish, dairy products etc produce acidic urine. To produce alkaline urine you need to eat vegetables, especially green leafy ones, fruits, nuts, seeds and pulses--peas , beans and lentils. Since changing my diet, I have now been infection free for a month, which is such a relief as the last really bad one has left me with a damaged kidney.

Re having to buy expensive capsules of d-mannose for travelling---buy empty capsules on A*****. They are quite inexpensive and you can fill them with the powder. I find size 0 is convenient.
By the way, this is a useful wheeze if you have to give nasty tasting pills to a cat--crush them, put the powder in a capsule and smear it with something that the cat likes to eat.

Great news! They’re definitely working for me too.
I was hospitalised last year with a serious infection, I was given antibiotics that were literally lifesaving.
It brought home the fact that too many antibiotics can create resistance! It’s made me even more determined to use alternative methods re the UTI.

Just a warning about self medicating for UTIs, a friend has been hospitalised with sepsis after developing a UTI whilst on holiday.

I was also going to suggest Vagifem, after a UTI that i couldnt seem to get rid of the Dr gave me Vagifem, and if i forget to use them i know about it,
All connected with the menopause or post meno,
They make such a difference

Me too blondenana.

harrigran---if I actually developed another UTI, I would straightaway take antibiotics, which my doctor allows me to keep "just in case" in the fridge. The regime I describe is to try to prevent another UTI developing and--touch wood--has so far been successful.

Do not understand how you can have ab's on standby
Different UTI infections may require different ab's
When I had my last infection I was given ab's by my GP which worked for about three days, then seemed to stop working (it was a 7-day course). When I finally rang the surgery at the end of that time, my sample result had only just been returned to them. It turned out that of the five different ab's I could have been given, the one that I was - that particular infection was resistant to. Another course of a different ab sorted it out.

I also have had UTI"s since menopause and I have Vagifem pessaries that help lots as long as I remember to use them. If I do forget and start to twinge I take D Mannose and drink a lot of water. Although water won't get rid of an infection I do feel it reduces the ouch factor.

BTW I used to have UTI's when younger and a strict vegetarian so I wouldn't suggest that diet plays much of a part.