UTI's with self catheterisation

Post your questions about urinary tract infections (UTI's) here.

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5barblues
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Joined: Wed Jun 21, 2017 7:19 pm
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by 5barblues on Wed May 23, 2018 3:15 pm

UTI's with self catheterisation

I catheterise 3 times a day and from time to time get UTI's.
My regime is wash hands thoroughly, then use Isagel hand cleaner, then use a clinical wipe for the end of my penis and then insert the catheter. After completion I use a wet wipe again, and then dry off as necessary.
On top of this I take a daily antibiotic tablet (250mg Cefalexin alternating every 3 months with 50mg Nitrofurantoin). Yet, I still get the occasional UTI. I would like to know if there is anything else I can do to stop them occuring.
PS. I do not smoke or drink alcohol. I drink decaf tea/coffee and water. My diet is plain food but on the odd occasion I will have a mild curry.
Any suggestions would be appreciated.

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Mr Adrian Joyce
Posts: 10
Joined: Wed May 16, 2018 9:37 am
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by Mr Adrian Joyce on Thu May 24, 2018 12:04 pm

Re: UTI's with self catheterisation

I can see that you have a meticulous technique and yet it is frustrating for you to have the odd infection despite seemingly taking all the precautions. The normal bladder volume is around 400 - 600ml - I am not sure how much you are emptying on your catheterisations but if it is in excess of this amount then you may need to increase your cauterisations to x4 /day, as this might reduce your infection risk further. I assume that you are using a size 12 or 14 catheter, if the catheter is a size 10 then the drainage can be slow and the time taken to empty the bladder can again predispose you to an infection. However, despite all precautions patients on ISC (intermittent self catheterisation) are slightly more at risk of an infection than others.

Despite you taking a single dose of antibiotic /day as prophylaxis, it is important to maintain a good fluid intake as restricting fluid intake can potentially cause other issues in terms of kidney function.
Adrian Joyce
Mr Adrian Joyce
Consultant Urologist

http://www.talkhealthpartnership.com/on ... _joyce.php

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