next »

[itried]

Thank you mixedmetaphor. I'll definitely do some research about changing my diet a bit, and I'm starting by exploring whether or not I can actually kick caffeine for awhile. I had a very unhealthy relationship with food in my young adult life, which was for many years masked as vigilant vegetarianism; I've finally reached a relatively healthy, comfortable place in my enjoyment of food and acceptance of my body's needs and desires. For this reason, I tend to dismiss recommendations to drastically restrict or change my diet, I think because I fear a return to that very self-abusive place. I wonder if I could actually make a serious dietary change at this point in my life, several years healed from my eating disorder -- yet still a bit "food-distorted" -- without it feeling emotionally retrogressive.

[ucprof]

Re cranberry I find that the supplements/pills and the straight up juice gives me heartburn.  But there are some lower sugar cranberry products out there.  For a while ocean spray was making one that was a light version with artiicial sweetener and 27% cranberry juice but they seem to have discontinued that one.  However I found a generic version with what looks like the same makeup as the previous product.  I can see the sugar would be a prob for diabetics in particular. 

[biomancer]

Thank you mixedmetaphor. I'll definitely do some research about changing my diet a bit, and I'm starting by exploring whether or not I can actually kick caffeine for awhile. I had a very unhealthy relationship with food in my young adult life, which was for many years masked as vigilant vegetarianism; I've finally reached a relatively healthy, comfortable place in my enjoyment of food and acceptance of my body's needs and desires. For this reason, I tend to dismiss recommendations to drastically restrict or change my diet, I think because I fear a return to that very self-abusive place. I wonder if I could actually make a serious dietary change at this point in my life, several years healed from my eating disorder -- yet still a bit "food-distorted" -- without it feeling emotionally retrogressive.

From a physiological standpoint, I don't think it's likely that you'd really benefit from a drastic diet change unless your diet is currently really unusual.  The kidney issue with diet is not so much about meat vs. vegetarian/vegan as it is about the amount of protein in your diet, and more specifically the amount of protein that you're "burning" for energy.  If you're eating a moderate amount of protein and using it for the usual amount of cellular repair and potentially muscle building, it's not hard on the kidneys.  If you're on one of the more radical diets out there that eschew starch and/or fat in favor of protein for energy, then your kidneys are working a lot harder to get rid of nitrogenous waste.

The only issue with meat vs. veg is that you typically get a higher proportion of protein in meat than in vegetables, and if you're eating a lot of really-well-done grilled meat then you're getting a lot of nitrosamines and other potentially troublesome forms of organic nitrogen that the kidneys have to deal with.  Veg-type fare typically has a much lower amount of protein per unit mass (even high-protein foods like tofu or other beans still have less protein per ounce/gram of food than meat usually does), so you typically don't get as much protein per meal on a vegetarian diet.  A veg diet also doesn't have the nitrosamines, though there can be other naturally occurring chemicals in some food plants that can mess with your kidneys (I'm thinking of the oxalic acid in things like rhubarb and spinach here).



How did things go with the physician, ITried?

[itried]

Wow biomancer, this is really helpful information. I didn't know anything at all about the effect of meat on the kidneys. I recently started eating much more meat, because I find it so satisfying and easy to digest. I need the fat and protein because I'm an athlete, and if I just eat veggies and carbs, I'm hungry all the time. I'm allergic to nuts and I only like eggs in moderation, so I added the meat to my diet for protein that makes me feel full and doesn't give me stomach issues. Moving forward, I'll monitor the severity of my UTIs, eliminate caffeine, and start cranberry supplements to see how my UTIs/kidneys do, and may then look more deeply at how much and how frequently I eat meat.

Thank you for asking about my appointment yesterday. It's bad news, and I'm pretty bummed... "moderate blood" levels in my urine, so I'm back on antibiotics. You and others were right to recommend that I get checked right away. What threw me this time is that I wasn't peeing blood, as I was with my two prior, recent UTIs, and I wasn't having much discomfort in my pelvis (I did have a little) or pain when I urinate. As I mentioned in my OP, peeing frequently can also be confusing for me, because I drink a lot of water. Also, in the past, my UTIs have resulted directly from sexual activity, and I haven't been sexually active in almost a year. It looks like just what many of you suggested: that my severe UTI/kidney infection last March has put me at risk in other, new ways, so I need to really pay attention to this from now on.

There's an element of this that's very difficult emotionally. The sex-triggered UTIs and kidney infection were from sex with a man who, while I was ending our relationship, was very cruel, deceptive, and manipulative, and who ultimately ended up stealing a large sum of money from me. I left him almost a year ago, but it's taken me months to heal from that relationship emotionally. It's upsetting to think that this physical health issue is a direct consequence of that relationship; I don't want him in my life or body in any way, ever again.

Thank you all so much for your insights, information, support, and encouragement.

[mixedmetaphor]

Thinking of you, itried.  There is definitely a psychological strain those of us who suffer with UTIs and kidney problems experience.  Take care of yourself, both physically and emotionally :)

[crowie]

The first UTI that I ever got in my life occurred during one of the most stressful periods of my life, after a move.  When my cat recently came down with a UTI he had also just moved to a new place (with me) and had also just transitioned from indoor only to indoor/outdoor.  When I had my UTI and when my cat had his I did some reading and learned that one's susceptibility to UTIs can be exacerbated by stress.

It must have been disappointing to get the diagnosis, but the good news is you now have the information and treatment you need to take care of yourself.  I will echo mixedmetaphor in wishing you good health and to take care of yourself on every level, emotionally and physically.  That man sounds like a horrid person and I can understand your desire to leave him and his memory behind you.  I hope you feel confident in your doctor and that he will not give you the all clear again if you still have "traces" of bacteria, I don't know if that was such a good call last time.  

[ucprof]

It's good to get things checked.  Sometimes the UTIs can be very deceptive.  I remember one time when I was having strange symptoms not feeling well but no direct UTI symptoms.  My physician ran a battery of basic tests, bloodwork etc and they do a urine test as a matter of course.  My bloodwork pointed to an infection and the urine test showed where it was and what drugs would not work.  It took two weeks on cipro for that one to clear.  But I would not have guessed UTI there were no direct symptoms of that. Oddly enough once I started treatment with the antibiotic I got the UTI symptoms full force.  It took several weeks to feel normal again.

[itried]

Thank you mixedmetaphor, crowie, and ucprof. Yesterday was tough, but I had a good night's sleep (finally!) and am feeling more hopeful today. I'm trying to see this as an opportunity to take better care of myself all around. Given that UTI symptoms are often elusive and/or absent, I may have regular urinalyses for the next several months or years. For everything I thought I understood, I see now that I was fairly ignorant about this, because my past UTIs were indicated by such extreme symptoms.

The information and support you all have offered has really helped me this past week -- thank you all again so much for sharing your stories and lending advice. Let's all take GREAT care of our wonderful selves!

[biomancer]

ITried, I'm sorry that this infection comes with so much emotional baggage... infections are unpleasant enough by themselves. 

That said, I'm glad that you got to your physician and that you're being treated.  You might want to add some yogurt to your diet if you don't already eat it regularly, as antibiotics can mess with your intestinal bacteria in ways that yogurt can usually prevent or at least mediate.

I hope you're back in perfect health within a few days!!

[itried]

Just a quick update: I'm feeling much better now with a short round of antibiotics, and am using this setback as an opportunity to redouble my self-care. I'm hopeful that I can make small changes in my diet and behavior to reduce my risk for UTI. I have a follow-up appointment with my doctor next week, and will discuss prevention with her. She also knows the relationship piece of this story, which I think will be helpful.

Thank you again everyone, for your thoughtful input and support.

[gennimom]

Itried, I hope you don't mind if I ask a question about my own UTI issues.

Biomancer, I don't know if you can answer this, but if you saw this, would you say a person has a UTI?

Colony Count : <10,000 CFU/ML
Mixed flora consistent with contamination.

I thought it meant I had a UTI, but my doc (not the one who ordered it) said my report was fine. I'm confused!

[hegemony]

Gennimom, I am not a medical doctor, but I just saw a doctor for similar issues and she was talking about the possibilities of the sample being contaminated by someone touching the wrong part of the container, etc.  So I wonder if that's what's meant by "contamination" in your report.

[gennimom]

I have no idea. Since this was ordered by the ER doc I saw Saturday, I don't think it would be all that easy to find out either.

[biomancer]

Thanks for the update, ITried.  I'm glad that you're feeling much better!!  It's also good that you're taking steps to maintain better health.

Itried, I hope you don't mind if I ask a question about my own UTI issues.

Biomancer, I don't know if you can answer this, but if you saw this, would you say a person has a UTI?

Colony Count : <10,000 CFU/ML
Mixed flora consistent with contamination.

I thought it meant I had a UTI, but my doc (not the one who ordered it) said my report was fine. I'm confused!

I think Hegemony is right - the sample most likely got contaminated by someone (either it wasn't a completely "clean catch", or a member of the staff didn't handle it properly).  The contaminating bacteria that tend to get in via improper handling or from the skin (or from a non-"clean catch" - it's pretty hard to get a urine sample from a female patient that doesn't end up with at least some skin bacteria in it, since it's rather difficult to urinate in a cup if you can't direct where your urethra is pointing) are different from the bacteria that tend to cause UTIs.  I won't go into specific species, but UTI bacteria have to be able to grow well with very little oxygen (since there's not much oxygen to be had in the bladder or kidneys).  Bacteria that require a lot of oxygen (aerobic bacteria) that are found in a urine sample probably came from skin or another surface/sample that gets a lot more air.

If the colony count is being reported as "<10,000 CFU/ML", that suggests that they did a test looking for the generally much higher bacterial population that would be consistent with a UTI and didn't find the high number they were looking for.  If there's an infection, the bacterial population is more likely to be in the millions (or more) per milliliter.  That's enough to make the urine visibly cloudy (even once it's in the toilet), though there are other reasons why urine might be cloudy (such as taking more calcium than your body can absorb).

Of course, I offer my standard disclaimer that I'm a biologist who specializes in microbiology, and not a physician or nurse (though I've realized that a fairly astounding percentage of my former students are either physicians or nurses).

[gennimom]

Well, I appreciate your reply, Biomancer. That makes a lot of sense. I also suspect that the almost-dried-out castile soap wipes might have had something to do with it. Okay.

It is times like this when I hate the terminology used that is presented to patients but isn't put in terms people like me can understand. I have a PhD, folks! NOT an MD!

Okay. I'm all right. Just exasperated.