What Is A Uti And Is It Different From A Silent Uti
UTIs are pretty common among women, but can you guess where they come from? A UTI is basically what it sounds like: an infection in any part of the urinary system, which includes the kidneys, ureters, bladder, and urethra. Most UTIs occur within the lower urinary tract, which is made up of the bladder and urethra. While the most common UTI symptoms in women include burning with urination, frequent urination, a sense of urgency to urinate, and pain in the area of the bladder, those symptoms dont always appear in elderly adults. The difference between a UTI and a silent UTI is that you often dont experience the typical symptoms of a UTI if you have the latter hence why its called a silent UTI
Its not unusual to see a patient in her upper 70s or older who gets infections without symptoms, says George Flesh, MD, director of urogynecology and pelvic reconstructive surgery for Harvard Vanguard Medical Associates, according to Harvard Health Publishing. Some experts believe thats because the symptoms of a UTI are actually caused by the immune systems fight against the infection, and the immune systems of elderly people may not fight as fiercely.
What Are The Symptoms Of Cats With A Uti
Cats may have a pretty predictable bathroom routine, but cats with a UTI might begin exhibiting unusual behavior relating to urination. They might be drinking a lot more water and trying to urinate frequently, but unable to pass more than a little bit of urine at a time. They might also loss control and urinate when theyre not supposed to. All of this can lead to confusion and anxiety that causes them fear or avoid the litter box. Cats with a UTI can also just seem sick, showing signs of lethargy or vomiting.
How Am I Since Completing My Uti Recovery
I still have that counter. At the time I write this, I am 625 days UTI free. But its no longer important. I keep it as a memento of what I went through, and what it took to get past it.
UPDATE 2020: My counter is now at 1701 days since I overcame my experience with chronic UTI. The regimen that I implemented at the beginning of this journey resulted in a long term remission from UTIs. I say remission because I know it will always be possible for me to get another UTI. My urinary tract isnt impervious to bacteria, just as my sinus isnt impervious to a cold or flu. But, I was able to stop taking all the supplements I started, and continue only with basic vitamins that proved essential due to my particular diet. I have never again experienced the ongoing pain and symptoms I experienced then . I do have a story about food poisoning in Asia that led to urinary tract symptoms, but thats for another time .
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How Do You Flush Out A Uti
Drink Plenty of Fluids to Flush Out Bacteria but Dont Overdo It. Drinking plenty of water six to eight glasses daily can flush bacteria out of your urinary tract and help prevent bladder infections. But many people drink more than that these days, having heard that drinking water frequently is healthy, Dr.
I Refused To Accept Utis As My Future
Its not in my nature to learn to deal with something that I know shouldnt be. There is no way my body is built to crumble at the first hint of sex, or fatigue, or dehydration. Ive always been stronger than that.
Im pretty good at knowing exactly what is happening in my body and when. Ive accurately diagnosed myself with injuries that have taken years to show up in scans. Im my very own body whisperer.
So when this happened, it was a virtual kick in the guts, or more specifically, the bladder.
Getting a UTI every few weeks or months doesnt give you much breathing room to feel human. To get things done.
There is a constant shadow hanging over you. Restaurant and bar reconnaissance isnt about people anymore. Its about toilets. You learn to scope out any venue for its bathrooms. At any given moment, I could tell you where the nearest public toilet was.
I never went anywhere without a remedy in my bag. For me, that meant carrying antibiotics 24 hours a day.
Holiday planning came with underlying anxiety, and relationships dont even get me started on how recurrent urinary tract infections impact those.
Too late Im on a roll.
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How Is Bladder Pain Syndrome Diagnosed
There is no one test to tell whether you have bladder pain syndrome. Your doctor or nurse will do a physical exam to look at your lower abdomen and lower back and ask you questions about your symptoms. Your doctor may give you tests to rule out other health problems, such as urinary tract infections, sexually transmitted infections , bladder cancer, or kidney stones.
Some tests your doctor may do include:
Seek Treatment For Oab Symptoms
Many people believe that bladder leaks are a normal and inevitable part of aging. However, although urinary incontinence and OAB are common, people do not just have to deal with them. Various treatment options are available to help manage or prevent the symptoms of OAB, including:
- lifestyle and dietary changes
- pelvic floor exercises
- medications and surgery
A 2019 study found that women who received medical treatment for OAB symptoms also experienced improvements in their anxiety and depression symptom scores.
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My First Uti Gave No Hint Of The Recurrent Urinary Tract Infections Ahead
If I could start this process again I would do it differently.
I had my first UTI at 23. The after-hours doctor asked, Are you sure you dont have your period? clearly unaware of the danger created by patronizing a female in the midst of a UTI.
I managed to stay calm and suppress the urge to retort, You think I cant tell the difference between my period and blood coming out of my urethra?? .
All I wanted was something to fix the pain, and for him to leave my sight immediately. He delivered in both respects.
The antibiotics worked within a few hours and I never thought about it again Until nine years later.
As it turns out, I was really good at getting UTIs. If getting UTIs was a desirable skill, I nailed that skill for five years, with barely a break.
What Does A Uti Feel Like
Generally, UTIs feel like a sharp burning sensation while urinating. Oftentimes, the burning is from the acidic urine irritating the lining of the bladder and urethra, urologist Lisa Hawes, MD, told Readers Digest. The bacteria damages the lining of the bladder and urethra and then the acidic urine acts like alcohol over a cut, causing the burn. You may also experience itching and a constant feeling of needing to urinate. If you have a UTI, back pain might also be something you notice. Back pain is one of the common symptoms of a bladder infection, which is a type of UTI.
But is it possible to have a UTI without Symptoms? Could you be sick and not even know it? The scary answer is yes.
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If Things Dont Get Better
Contact your doctor or consultant again. If you have blood in your urine, a high fever, an increase or decrease in blood pressure, experience pain radiating to other areas than the pelvic region, become confused or dizzy or start vomiting seek urgent medical help. Take any prescribed medications with you to show the emergency doctors.
How Long Does A Uti Last In Elderly
Treatment typically lasts no more than 7 days, and your infection should clear up in a few days. Its important to drink plenty of water during treatment to help flush out the remaining bacteria. People who have two or more UTIs in 6 months or three or more UTIs in 12 months can use prophylactic antibiotics.
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Symptoms Of Urinary Tract Infections In Dogs
Dog UTI symptoms result from inflammation and pain due to bacteria invading the bladder wall.
Signs of a UTI in dogs may include:
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Inappropriate urination
-
Frequent urination
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Straining to urinate with only a small amount of urine production
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Blood in the urine
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Increased thirst and urination
In more severe cases, where the infection moves into a dogs kidneys, you may see:
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Lethargy
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Vomiting
An Urge To Pee It Happens
In a piece for Anxiety Centre in April, Folk wrote that an urge to urinate is a common stress response for people with anxiety disorders.
This symptom may occur rarely, intermittently, or persistently. For example, one day you may visit the washroom numerous times, and the next day follow a more regular pattern, he said.
Behaving in an apprehensive manner activates the stress response. The stress response secretes stress hormones into the bloodstream where they travel to targeted spots in the body to bring about specific physiological, psychological, and emotional changes that enhance the bodys ability to deal with a threat.
Unless your doctor specifies you have a bladder condition that can also cause frequent urination, Folk said anxiety can have this effect too.
Sometimes, your body may indicate you need to pee, even though you dont want to, he added.
Dr. Ardesheer Talati, an assistant professor of clinical neurobiology at Columbia University, headed a study in 2008 on why patients with anxiety disorders were more likely to frequently urinate.
Looking at 693 subjects , Talati and his team found participants with panic disorders were eight times more likely to experience interstitial cystitis. In other words, they were more likely to experience bladder pain and an urgency to urinate, he told Global News.
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How Vets Diagnose Utis In Dogs
There are many ways to tell if a dog has a UTI and to investigate the underlying causes for why an infection occurred in the first place. Its important to obtain a definitive diagnosis whenever there is evidence of urinary tract disease, or else UTIs may come back.
Here are the ways that veterinarians test for UTIs in dogs.
Try Pelvic Floor Exercises
The muscles in the bottom of the abdomen that support the pelvis, bladder, and urethra are known as the pelvic floor muscles. These muscles can become stretched or weakened as a result of surgery, pregnancy, or childbirth, reducing their ability to control the pelvic organs effectively.
Pelvic floor exercises can help restrengthen these muscles and improve the symptoms of urinary incontinence and OAB. A physical therapist can work with an individual to come up with an exercise plan that works for them.
In a review of 31 clinical trials, researchers found an association between participation in pelvic floor muscle therapy and significant improvements in not only the symptoms of urinary incontinence but also in quality of life. The measures of quality of life included a score of anxiety and depression symptoms.
People of all sexes can benefit from pelvic floor exercises. A found that following prostatectomy, which is the removal of part or all of the prostate gland, participation in pelvic floor exercises led to significant improvements in urinary incontinence, anxiety, and depression.
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Apple Cider Vinegar For Utis
Apple cider vinegar is widely known and used for its amazing health benefits, and its a natural remedy for UTIs, too. Its acidifying nature is great at clearing UTIs, and it helps prevent bacteria from spreading, stopping the infection before it reaches the kidneys. Try Braggs organic raw apple cider vinegar. Its gluten-free and contains Mother of Vinegar, a healthy bacteria that occurs naturally as strand-like enzymes of connected protein molecules. Its also loaded with vitamins and prebiotics, which relieve and prevent UTIs.
A version of this article first appeared in our print magazine.
Silent Utis: How They Start
That weekend was supposed to be so fun. I always looked forward to hosting my grandchildren, who lived 45 miles away, overnight. But this time my extreme fatigue stole most of the energy and joy from our precious time together. The strange thing is, it wasnt the I probably did too much yesterday kind of fatigue. It was concerning, Mashunkashey said. That heavy blanket of fatigue covered me the rest of the week. All I wanted to do was lie down, and that just wasnt like me Im not a napping kind of person. She visited her doctor to ask about the exhaustion, but her doctor couldnt provide an answer.
This wasnt like other health issues Id had in the past, though. Years earlier I was prone to urinary tract infections. I once had six in the span of six months. I dreaded that unmistakable backache, the painful urination, and the urgency to pee, not to mention the doctors appointments and prescription co-pays for all those antibiotics. Thankfully, I seemed to have outgrown UTIs, but this new health complaint was such a mystery It worried me, Mashunkashey said.
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A Doctor That Helped Me Turn Things Around
Not only did my new doctor believe yeast may have been at the heart of these symptoms, she also suspected it was causing my urinary symptoms. Testing confirmed that Candida was an issue in both my gut and vaginal microbiomes.
She managed to convince me, by sharing her own experiences, to go off the pill. This was terrifying to me at the time. I imagined the heavy periods returning, and all that came with that, including the possibility of babies.
But I was done making excuses for myself. I was ready to take control of my health.
The decision to stop taking medications seemed counterintuitive, but I was ready to try a different approach.
I neednt have worried. The process of changing my diet, and the other measures Ive mentioned below, resulted in a super regular and almost symptom-free menstrual cycle.
UPDATE: Although I felt the need to stop using antibiotics when I was recovering, Im not against using antibiotics and I have seen through our community that antibiotics can indeed be the right solution for many.
What Should I Do If I Think My Dog Has Lower Urinary Tract Problems
Pay attention to your dogs behavior, because its not easy to spot all your dogs symptoms.
If you notice symptoms of pain and discomfort, especially difficulty urinating, call your dogs vet to figure out whats causing the problems and the best way to treat them.
American Kennel Club: Does Your Dog Have UTI Symptoms or Something Worse?, Urinary Tract Infections in Dogs.
Banfield Pet Hospital: Lower Urinary Tract Disease .
Canine Health Foundation: Canine Lymphoma.
Merck Manual Veterinary Manual: Bacterial Urinary Tract Infections.
MSPCA-Angell: “Lower Urinary Tract Diseases of the Senior Dog.”
Peoria Area Veterinary Group: Urinary Tract Problems in Dogs.
Pesquisa Veterinária Brasileira: Analysis of lower urinary tract disease of dogs.
VCA Hospitals: Urinary Tract Infections in Dogs.
Pagination
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