[Aggie69]

Just had a call from my GPs surgery to say that Dr D'Cruz wants me treated for a UTI. Had some tenderness in my pelvic area for ages now and weeing A LOT but no real pain so I was unaware. Not sure whether this is coincidence or another possible indicator of lupus.....any advice please?

 

[mooks]

heya, UTI's are really common in the normal population so it probably hasnt got much to do with Lupus. Hopefully it should clear up pretty quickly with antibiotics. xxx

 

[lazylegs]

Hi Aggie,

You don't necessarily have to have pain when you urinate to have a Urinary Tract Infection. The tip off for me is constant lower back pain.

I hope the antibiotics knock it out the first time around.

Take care,
Lazylegs

 

[Aggie69]

Hi Aggie,

You don't necessarily have to have pain when you urinate to have a Urinary Tract Infection. The tip off for me is constant lower back pain.

I hope the antibiotics knock it out the first time around.

Take care,
Lazylegs

Hope so too. Turned out to be a strep infection.

 

[Clare.T]

Hello Aggie
I hope it clears up soon too ! I have had a few asymptomless UTI's in the past couple of years, that's to say not typical symptoms of pain or frequent urge. But now I know that undue fatigue and uncomfortable sensations rather like period cramps and a sort of heaviness in lower tum can be signs. Looking back I realised too that I had been going more often than I usually would.
I now get a routine urine check now along with my 3/4 monthly blood work.
I read a few years back that women with SLE do get UTI's more frequently but nobody knows quite why. They are more common in post menopausal women because lack of estrogen and dryness makes you more susceptible, thinning the tissues or something.
UTI's are frequently undertreated and recurr. People with SLE might need 'twice as long and twice as strong' treatment to get over any sort of infection especially if they are on immunosuppressant drugs. We should avoid antibiotics of the sulfonamide group such as Bactrin as they can trigger flares.
I don't know anything much about strep infections as opposed to other sorts but from what I have been reading it could be useful to know what sort of strep it is as this might indicate a possible cause and help to avoid recurrence.

Drinking cranberry juice daily seems generally agreed helpful to ward off infection and can't do any harm. I am not suggesting you are in any way at fault in getting a UTI, but I found it a very useful reminder to read through all the possible causes and prevention details in a detailed, one might even say explicit, site. One might have to be pretty manic about prevention way and above the usual hygiene measures
Lingering infections of any sort can really get you down and reduce resistance to other bugs.
I hope you feel very much better soon - remember to take 'live' yoghourt to help with side effects of the antibiotics and to drink plenty of water

All the best
Clare

 

[onetay]

Aggie,
It is not a sign of lupus but yes if you get uti's a lot and have trouble getting rid of them it can be as immune is down and opens you up for all sorts of things. I have sle and uti's are a problem for me as most of the time it takes me 2 to 3 times longer to get rid of them. Since kidneys are an issue they watch very careful what is going on and try to get rid of infections as soon as possible for me, but the body has it's own time table lol.

Clare is right about the cranberry drinks it does help to ward them off, not sure why but what works is a blessing. If you find you can't do cranberry there are lots of mixes:cran-apple, cran-grape, cran-cherry, and of course the cranberry. I also put mine over ice as it helps with the bitter taste.

Wish you the best in your fit of the infections and the other problems you may have. You might want to tell your doctor that you are seeing for a dx of lupus so he/she can keep track of how often you are getting infections. It may not be lupus but another autoimmune disease. Hope you feel better soon.
Tammy

 

[Aggie69]

Hello Aggie
I hope it clears up soon too ! I have had a few asymptomless UTI's in the past couple of years, that's to say not typical symptoms of pain or frequent urge. But now I know that undue fatigue and uncomfortable sensations rather like period cramps and a sort of heaviness in lower tum can be signs. Looking back I realised too that I had been going more often than I usually would.
I now get a routine urine check now along with my 3/4 monthly blood work.
I read a few years back that women with SLE do get UTI's more frequently but nobody knows quite why. They are more common in post menopausal women because lack of estrogen and dryness makes you more susceptible, thinning the tissues or something.
UTI's are frequently undertreated and recurr. People with SLE might need 'twice as long and twice as strong' treatment to get over any sort of infection especially if they are on immunosuppressant drugs. We should avoid antibiotics of the sulfonamide group such as Bactrin as they can trigger flares.
I don't know anything much about strep infections as opposed to other sorts but from what I have been reading it could be useful to know what sort of strep it is as this might indicate a possible cause and help to avoid recurrence.

Drinking cranberry juice daily seems generally agreed helpful to ward off infection and can't do any harm. I am not suggesting you are in any way at fault in getting a UTI, but I found it a very useful reminder to read through all the possible causes and prevention details in a detailed, one might even say explicit, site. One might have to be pretty manic about prevention way and above the usual hygiene measures
Lingering infections of any sort can really get you down and reduce resistance to other bugs.
I hope you feel very much better soon - remember to take 'live' yoghourt to help with side effects of the antibiotics and to drink plenty of water

All the best
Clare

Yet another thing I have been mentioning to various doctors over the past year or so and that I wasn't imagining, ie. possible irritable bladder (needing to wee more than usual and tender abdomen). At least I know what it is now. Anyway, thanks Clare. Very thorough and helpful advice as always.

 

[Aggie69]

Aggie,
It is not a sign of lupus but yes if you get uti's a lot and have trouble getting rid of them it can be as immune is down and opens you up for all sorts of things. I have sle and uti's are a problem for me as most of the time it takes me 2 to 3 times longer to get rid of them. Since kidneys are an issue they watch very careful what is going on and try to get rid of infections as soon as possible for me, but the body has it's own time table lol.

Clare is right about the cranberry drinks it does help to ward them off, not sure why but what works is a blessing. If you find you can't do cranberry there are lots of mixes:cran-apple, cran-grape, cran-cherry, and of course the cranberry. I also put mine over ice as it helps with the bitter taste.

Wish you the best in your fit of the infections and the other problems you may have. You might want to tell your doctor that you are seeing for a dx of lupus so he/she can keep track of how often you are getting infections. It may not be lupus but another autoimmune disease. Hope you feel better soon.
Tammy

Thanks for the advice and best wishes Tammy. My GP is aware of the situation as I demanded a consultation with Dr D'Cruz. I'm seeing him again mid January so no doubt he will be able to answer any questions that I have. I always seem to get everything going....have done really since I was a teenager. Had flu/chest infection just before Christmas and needed antibiotics because it didn't clear on its own. Now I have another cold/cough and UTI to boot. Wonder what's next? Deep joy!!!