My Mom is having recurrent UTIs. Nothing seems to help. Any advice?

Great advice, everyone. I'll suggest Mom to regularly use more organic apple cider vinegar (with the mother in it: most effective kind of vinegar). She had to get a pessary and it was a problem to get the right size. Then she realized she was fingering it often which then caused some minor inflections. We bought her cranberry pills, cranberry (unsweetened) juice, and extra vitamin C and in a few days she was fine and tests showed no infections.

At 94 she lives independently, only know needing someone to help her clean her immaculate apartment. No walker, no cane and so far no falls. She never drank booze, never smoked, and always exercised. People who meet her are amazed at her relative health and good looks. For all her crazy Narc behavior, I still love her and see her as my mentor.

Mother has an atrophied vagina that is blocking her urine flow. I don't know enough about the plumbing down there to talk intelligently about it, but I was surprised that this is possible. Her urologist diagnosed it. She's on female hormones.

Thanks! I give my mother apple cider vinegar capsules and have upped the doseage, but I'm not sure it helps. I'll try to switch out to the real thing. We now are using hydrogen peroxide wipes for the anal area. Problem is with her, she has hemorrhoids and suffers fecal incontinence as a result. She doesn't feel it in her Depends and the nightmare begins. Getting the hemorrhoids cleared up seems to be the first step. Regular changing depends is also helping along with the wipes. Thanks for the suggestion. I'll give it a try.

Sherry1Ann... I am so sorry that you have this trouble to go thru.........
I have toddled about on this earthball for 79 years, and experienced Kidney-trouble several times as a child, then again when young married, then again after my husband passed at age 41... at which time I was treated to a "bladder irrigation" which did eliminate recurring infections for 30 years. I was prescribed an antihistamine-type of medication that was supposed to help as well, but which I could not tolerate and after calling the Doc, was allowed to stop.
Yet at that point I also read stuff on apple-cider -vinegar benefits, which included to add 2 Tablespoons of such 5% vinegar to a about 1000 cc (ml) of {filtered} water and try to drink it thru the day...... Lo and behold..... to this day it is keeping me clear of infections (UTIs) when I don’t forget to use it.
The reason I am sure of this... is due to the fact that about 2-3 years back I suffered 3 consecutive UTIs and my PCP insisted I see a Urologist... which I did.
I have Advantage Insurance, so that visit {OV} cost me $45.-- the lab test for a culture cost me I think $ 15.-- or $20.-- {can't remember, since those fees change every year} and the antibiotic prescribed was to cost another $45.-- since I am allergic to Cipro. ... there go another $ 100.— or so , out of my tight budget..... Made me irritated... and the prescribed antibiotic which I Google-checked was full of a selection of side-effects that I could do without. Hence I told the pharmacist that I wanted to wait till the result of the culture were available . I went home and spent the weekend drinking vinegar water, which I had not done for some time... only to find that I was feeling much better the following Monday, and the Pharmacy called and told me that the Doc had agreed to treat me with Keflex, a much simpler antibiotic with few side-effects, since the culture showed an E-coli infection, treatable with the $5.-- costing antibiotic... Well that brought the cost of that infection back down to the $60.-- range, but I was also aware that the vinegar water had done it's trick as well....
Since then I have a 1000ml glass-jar standing beside me, and on the night stand, every day as I can tolerate vinegary tasting water very well....... and have actually had my body solely fight another flare-up some months ago with just the vinegar-water, drinking it at times of acute recurrence for several days - 2 of those jars per day.... that time it worked without a Dr. visit, + without antibiotics......Have not had any symptoms in months........
However, when you say the word Vinegar water to some other family members and friends, they screw up their faces, and think ....”Poison”... So, notice: I said “some”...several of friends and family members also believe in it, and they drink it for such occasions as “stomach-bugs” ...it’s considered 1st aid for food-poisoning ... and I must say I have not had a stomach-upset In ???? –years....
and THIS IS THE BEST.... if you cannot stand vinegar and water... put the vinegar into Juice, Tomato juice, Applejuice, a Salad, even a portion of the stew you eat for supper... and if you buy the frozen juice you can adjust the intensity of juice vs. the 2 tablespoons of vinegar till you can tolerate to drink it.... what’s more as you drink it every day your taste-buds adjust to tolerating it better each day. It is that route I used to take to get my kids to drink it when they had school-age upset stomachs...... Also there are books available on the apple-vinegar idea.
Now I know this is a long story, yet have to add a 2nd intervention I now use, and feel it helps also... that concerns the fact of microbes on the skin... I had nursing Classes ... and infection control in hospitals means attending ongoing lectures every so often on that subject. Without a doubt one can do a good cleaning job with just toilet paper, yet I now buy a $1.50 bottle of 91% Isoprolol alcohol, with a drip-top closure and create a ½ piece of 5” paper-towel into a square, then saturate it with drops of 91% alcohol and give the anal area a final cleaning, thereby just about eliminating all invisible remnants of E-coli bacteria that could otherwise multiply in that dark, moist, warm area – the exact conditions necessary for bacteria to grow fast. It is exactly those BM-created E-coli bacteria that can actually wander up the very closely located urethra and create UTIs.... Yet in cases where UTIs have become a frequent occurrence, I remember my Doc stating that a bladder irrigation is needed to remove the constantly present bacteria left in the bladder even after each voiding....
Now I am sure of one thing though ... using apple-cider as medication will not cause the antibiotics side-effects !!!
I do wish you well ....

I just Googled the methenamine hippurate on this site...webmd/drugs/2/drug-6822/methenamine-hippurate-oral/details
This medication is based on the same Idea as drinking Vinegar water, to keep the urine acidic, with which I have kept my constant repeat UTI's of the past under control for years. Without my habit of adding 5% Apple cider vinegar to various drinks I would have repeat infections frequently... Have proved this to myself as well as to my docs for at least 60 some years.......Apparently folks who cannot fight off UTIs well, seem to not have acidic enough urine, naturally.
.........I suggest reading up on this methenamine hippurate medication and asking the urologist about it ::: whom I would contact each time there is a flare up- so he can justify the possible bladder irrigation cost to your Mom's insurance.. That "In-Office" treatment kept me UTI free for years after a yearlong repeat UTI problem in my 40s. ....
Also the methenamine hippurate could be a more successful treatment - than constant long-term Antibiotics.
Without a doubt... delaying the treatment, will cause further health-problems - and long-term antibiotic needs constant support with probiotics taken 1/2 hour prior to Breakfast, lunch and dinner, since antibiotics do not only kill harmful bacteria, they also kill the intestinal bacteria needed to process the food we eat into the nutritional components we need... and if taken a long time do have side-effects {SE} that do not help general well-being. One of the SEs is tiredness, since B-vitamins cannot be absorbed properly , among others, if antibiotics keep killing the bacteria needed to accomplish nutrient uptake.
So one should not take the ANTIBIOTIC at the same time as the PROBIOTIC ,,, sounds logical... does it not... yet makes for quite a daily pill-taking and food intake scheduling problem... If I remember my NSG classes right, I think there is supposed to be at least a 2 hour space between taking the two medications. plus the 1/2 hour space between probiotics and food intake.... to allow the probiotic to spread and help digestion of the next food arrival in the intestinal tract.... gee, I have trouble remembering my pills I take just each evening........
I wish you well, and a lot of motivation on such a trail.
I think that increasing 5% vinegar intake, by adding it to Juices at a ratio of 1 Tbsp per 8 oz glass of juice or whatever drink is preferred
and taken religiously for several weeks would help repair the bladder lining - and keep the urine acidified also, even if Antibiotics are given at the same time.!!
At least 2 such 8 oz glasses / day are needed to have any effect in my situation. But it does work for me, have only had one infection bad enough to see my Doc a year ago... and I asked him to call in the antibiotic after the Lab culture results were available... which turned out to only call for Keflex, a $5.-- antibiotic, rather than the $45.-- one he wanted to Rx at the time of the OV... The stronger the Antibiotic, the more unpleasant SEs are a given. I did not suffer worsening of symptoms by increasing the acidic fluid intake for the 2 day wait period, and of course meticulous cleaning of the area after each void is of primary importance, as proven by the fact of the one slip-up causing the E-coli- -UTI which needed the Keflex treatment. ..... I do wish you well in your endeavor to combat this persistent problem !!!

But meanwhile, I did hear that Triple Cranberry pill made by Nature's Bounty with added vitamin C was very helpful to others with reoccuring UTI. So Mom is taking it twice a day, just in case.

Turns out my mother has a dropped bladder, not uterus. She doesn't let me go to the doctor with her so I can easily get the wrong story. Her doctor said she doesn't have a UTI afterall. So she has me running around and then when I get her something she thought she needed, and she always makes it sound like an emergency and she can't possibly ask anyone else, than the next thing she dismisses the need the next day or so.
Time to get hip to that sh*t, eh?

Thanks MK, this answer could prove to be very helpful. At 67 I do this for myself intuitively. I will help her with this.

This may sound weird, but see if you can assist her, and if she will cooperate, to staying on the potty a little bit longer while she leans forward, backward, bends forward, etc., and then to try to "push out" all that is in the bladder. Sometimes folks are just too old for "structural" improvements, and, let's face it, I think doctors just can't be bothered trying to fix something that they can throw a pill at. I've learned that the bladder can indeed change position and elasticity and can unfortunately retain urine after toileting, which can be destructive. If she can get some results from this "dancing" she may willingly do it briefly every time and it may solve the problem along with some very simple changes in habits. Aside from this, she may be using pads that stay in place too long, or a brief that is not changed often enough. It would be helpful for her to "go commando" if possible, in bed or at least in the morning or evening for a while. Keep good wipes nearby, to try to keep the area clean. It's true, people can go "mental" with this type of infection, causing a lapse of judgement or even the command of the English language (inappropriate terms for familiar items, people, etc.) ! My mother would try not to drink liquids because she had incontinence problems, but she did finally understand how concentrated the urine would become, she would be dehydrated, have very dry skin and especially her lips and nose and even her eyes. She would always say "getting old is not for sissies". She did understand that I was trying to help her solve some problems herself through changing habits without having to suffer worse problems. Some things worked, some didn't, but she did absolutely realize that she wasn't completely emptying her bladder and that did help.

juddabuddhaboo, your mom needs to go to a good gynecologist if her doctors suspects her uterus is dropped. I had that diagnosis from a quack doctor for my mother, they wanted to do surgery and also said she had cancer. I took her to my gynecologist and what she had was a bad case of hemorrhoids from the unprofessional rough rectal exam that the quack did on her. Her uterus was not dropped at all.

My mom had constant bladder infections. She was never in any pain, but she was troubled with a large kidney stone in her kidney which was causing the infections. This was diagnosed with I believe an ultrasound. We knew she had these infections because we could smell it in her urine.

HI Everyone. Mom doesn't have dementia, but she is over 93. I don't think much of her doctor anyway, but having surgery at that age is nuts. Maybe her doctor has dementia!

Cg4, good info. I learned that low estrogen has been found to contribute to recurrence of UTI's just a few months ago. My Mom did the Premarin cream for awhile, but that became too difficult. There is an oral medication "Osphena" that my Mom is currently taking. We will see, the jury is still out.

Although I have not read through all of the responses here, another common contributing factor to frequent UTIs in postmenopausal women is due to a lack of estrogen. See WebMD article webmd/menopause/news/20130620/how-estrogen-may-help-prevent-urinary-tract-infections-after-menopause. Treatment with a topical estrogen preparation can be helpful in reducing the number of UTIs along with other symptoms related to postmenopausal estrogen deficiency. I would mention this to your Mom's doctor if this has not already been suggested.

Most recurrent UTIs in women occur from (1) wiping back to front instead of the other way around, (2) dehydration, (3) not changing sanitary pads or Depends often enough. Dehydration is a HUGE problem in the elderly - because in order to avoid incontinence, they often restrict fluids, which gives them UTIs and actually increases their incontinence. It becomes a vicious cycle.

Of all of the suggestions from other respondents, I think the cranberry capsules are the best idea, since they do make the pH of the urine more acidic which helps inhibit bacterial growth in the bladder.

Judda, does Mom have dementia? Think twice about a surgery like this and the benefit from it? I have to ask, why fix it? Remove it if surgery is necessary. My Mom was diagnosed with uterine cancer at thenage of 80, had the hysterectomy, which was the beginning into a steep decline of Alzheimer's she never got back the brain she had before the anesthesia. Should have left the uterus because cancer progresses so slowly in the elderly. Probably a better end than Alzheimer's will be.

Anyone have experience with "dropped" uterus? Mom went to the doctor and he said he is sending her to a urologist and that she needs surgery to put the uterus back in place.

She needs yogurt. The good probiotic yogurt like Greek yogurt..

What seems to work for my Moms recurrent and resistant bacteria UTIs is first always having the culture done so the dr knows which bacteria and what antibiotics the lab says will work. Also seeing a urogynocologist to see if she needs Premarin to strengthen the tissues so they don't droop and get infected. Also Dr prescribed Hippex which flushes kidneys and bladder daily along with Align brand probiotics to maintain good bacteria balance. This has reduced the number of them and the resistant bacteria. Daily showers and no washcloths help too.

we bought that but never tried it because she hasn't had one since getting out of the nursing home. Doctor there and nurses not so open to things like that. So glad it is working for you!

Same problem with my mom, until a friend told me to try a product called D-Manose, it is cheap and on Amazon. A capsule in the morning and night and it worked wonders. It does something with binding to bacteria and flushing it out, and it knocked that awful smell out pretty quick, since I could barely stand to be near her before.

My mom was having uti's about every month, and confusion. After a stay in the nursing home where they told us her dementia was increasing, we took her to a new holistic doctor. We had started cranberry pills at the nursing home (they fought us). and we put her on a probiotic and Phosphatidyl serine (we bought Doctor's Best Best Phosphatidyl serine at the health food store) when she got out. She saw the new doctor the day after getting out of the nursing home. He took her off Namenda, also trazadone. Within days her talking out in the middle of the night stopped. Her mind is so much sharper. The doctor says he doesn't see any dementia. And it was in her records through 3 doctors. She does fall, and has had some trouble with losing consciousness while straining on the toilet which I am trying to figure out with diet. But she is my mother again.

You can find unsweetened pure cranberry juice made from concentrate at Trader Joe's in case you can't afford cranberry supplements. You might look into WaterWorks4U to buy a water system that transforms your water to oxygenated, ionized, and alkalized water where infections cannot live. The more antibiotics one takes the more infections come a week later. Makes sense to me.
Avoid them and take probiotic supplements. Get them from a health store or a Naturopath to be sure it is quality and has the right dosage.

If there is any pain in the bladder or burning, a tea made of fresh corn silk has always worked for me.

Has she been tested for diabetes?

Thanks everyone. My mother had a nasty fall (midway through one of the UTIs. She got a bad skin tear on her elbow, about 6 inches long. The Clinic applied steri strips in lieu of stitches due to the fragile skin. She was bandaged and told not to dare get it wet. She washed herself morning and night, but I don't think that took the place of her morning shower. She is all healed up now and able to get into the shower. I'm keeping my fingers crossed, giving her cranberry juice, snacks, sauce etc + herbs & lots of water. Thanks for the suggestions.

Another thing to consider is to make sure your mom is taking showers....my mom went thru the same thing and I found out that she wasn't showering except for every few weeks !!! Yes, that's awful and since I became aware of that, it is different...now it is every other day or two at most. There were several things she used to do that attributed to her frequent UTI's and now that I am involved directly with her medical care and every day living, she hasn't had one !!! I'm just happy for her since those are so nasty and very uncomfortable no matter what age a woman is !!! I'm not saying that is the only solution, but in my Mom's case it was directly related to her !!! I hope this may help someone as easily this fix was for my Mom...

Thank you Sherry Anne -- we have the urologist/obGyn on speed dial. ;-) and are diligent with the probiotics and D-Mannose. Next step, those washes.... the only thing I won't do is the daily dose of antibiotics -- I understand they render the antibiotics ineffective when needed for other treatments, and that sometimes patients die as a result. Perhaps I am being overprotective...but the urologist was not too enthusiastic about that course of treatment either.

hi there,
there is a product called 'd-mannose'. it's quite amazing, least IMHO. it's a very fine power- think powered sugar, has almost a powered sugar taste but does not affect blood sugar. basically it makes the bladder walls slippery so the bacteria that causes bladder infections cant stick. I had my 90 yr old grandmother on it because she couldnt tell when she had a bladder infection which she started getting more often as she needed to wear incontinence protection. she was fully mentally capable of function which was great, just worn down & limited physically due to age etc.. so she could take it on her own but you can sneak it in to juice, water most any liquid. it can knock out the pain and bladder infection 'feeling' in hours, tho you should continue taking it for a week or two. Ive had my mom, my self, some friends All use it to treat and get rid of bladder infections.. o and there are No side effects. I had my grandmother on it full time, every day for at least 4yrs. when she got up and got her morning tea she'd take her 1/4tsp of D'Mannose. it comes in many forms but i like the loose powder.
This was a godsend when a friend recommended this product. I hope it helps some of you as well.

even my mother was having recurrent UTI's no permanent cure. Dr's as usual put her on heavy anti biotic, once this stops, she picks up after 2-3 weeks time again.

Try giving her 2 times a day on pro biotics so that it can increase good bacteria's in her body , i tried that way there was reduced incident of UTI attack. My mom is on catheter for the last one year, prior to this , almost 2 years she was having recurrent UTI. People prone to UTI attack has to pass urine every now and then to void the residue in their bladder. also try evalon cream every alternative day this is a miracle cure...
-Sathiakumar
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India

Hi Stephan,
I believe that it is time to take your mom to a urologist. This was my next step, but fortunately the UTI cleared up, although I don't know for how long. What type of underwear is your mother using. Mother uses Assurance, available at Walmart stores, it's a lot like depends and now that we are checking on the dry status regularly and changing whether she needs to or not morning and night, it seems to help.
My husband described a procedure that his X wife had to endure for the frequent UTIs. He said that the urologist would catheterize her when her bladder was completely empty, then antibiotic wash was forced into the bladder through the catheter. She had to hold it in and not pass the urine/antibiotic for as long as possible, they asked that she hold it for an hour. This would solve the problem for a few years before she would end up with one again. I have not seen or experienced this kind of thing, but it does make some sense.