Frequent reading of this site has shown lots of notes about bladder infections. Is this part of the RA thaaaang?
I've had 3 this year and put it down to rough sex (just kidding
Ray, do you get them Here is what I found out about RA and bladder infections since I questioned my doc about this one when I got one AGAIN last week and I drink gallons of water everyday.
The inside of your bladder is a smooth wall. The bacteria that gets in there slides down that wall and you urinate it out. What RA does is makes that smooth wall rough and then the bacteria can't slide down and you get a bladder infection.
Stupid RA lol.
Thanks gramma, I love the 'keep it simple stooopid' explanations, plus it makes sense.It's common for those of us with autoimmune conditions to also have frequent UTIs (bladder infections, or urinary tract infections) as well as interstitial cystitis (similar symptoms). Just make sure you talk to your doctor about any concerns you have regarding bladder/urinary tract symptoms. It's possible it could be something other than just occasional infection. And if there is a chance it's interstitial cystitis (or something else), there are other treatments that need to be discussed.
I'm going through this right now. I've had fairly frequent UTIs throughout my life, but now we're finding blood cells in my urine with no sign of other infection, and I'm pretty sure we're going to find I also have interstitial cystitis. Better that than bladder cancer and some other possibilities... but it's important to be evaluated and treated accordingly no matter what the diagnosis.
Fantastic info Jodi...thanks so much for posting about the interstitial cystitis. Yea I have interstitial cystitis and although i never tested positive for a UTI i have very similar symptoms.... mostly frequency with some bladder pain as well. if the symptoms are IC related not UTI then crandberry juice will most likely cause it to be worse because of the acidity....
Thanks girls, my gp normally diagnoses cystitis. To be honest I had an emergency hysterectomy in 2002 and thought that now my bladder has nothing to rest on that in some way it had something to do with the cystitis
Ta.x
Yep! I have Interstitual Cystitis as well. Oh gosh, it is a pain literally!! Certain foods will set it off, and the meds are crazy. You have to take the only med on an empty stomach. (Great, now I am just like granny! Did I take my med and has it been an hour yet. LOL!) You also take aderax, which is a strong antihistamine. I like that because in conjunction with the pain meds, it kind of helps with the sleep at night. The test is grooooooling, so make sure you can do this on a day that you do not have to do anything. Take care and get it checked out. If you don't it could cost you your bladder and then you have to catheterize yourself to go pee the rest of your life. you talking about elmiron? i dont take it yet....cystaq works pretty well for me along with urised so thats nice. The food stuff is annoying but luckily im not that sensitive to foods if im having a good day. last week though has been awfull! Sarah...frequency and leaking can be caused by your bladder not having anything to rest on anymore. Talk to your doc if you are concerned about that. For women that have had hysterectomies the bladder can drop and it needs to be stapled up.You might ask your doc if you can try a low dose preventive antibiotic. That has worked well for me in preventing frequent UTIs ( I had 5 of them in 7 months
Laker
Yes, Littlemermaid it is Elmiron, and the Urologist in Wy said that is the "only" med for IC? I would much rather take one that is easier on my system. The burning in the esophagus just makes me angry since I have worked so hard to keep the acid stuff in check. The urologist is talking about acupuncture. If I could get the insurance to cover, I would be a lot happier about that than the meds. I cannot take a high enough of the dose without a reaction to quickly resolve the problem.