Mom has had many UTIs since moving to Assisted Living. Two months ago her doctor recommended daily antibiotics as a preventative measure. Despite the risks of C-Diff, etc. Dad agreed. A few days ago, Mom had a bad fall that required an ER visit. She was diagnosed with a UTI. Assisted Living says it's a "false positive" because "she always has a UTI... that's why she's on the preventative antibiotic". That doesn't make sense to me.
We know the preventative doesn't always work. I understand mom may always have some bacteria in her urine. But how do we know if the bacteria have become resistant? Antibiotic on top of antibiotic doesn't sound like a good solution. Who do we believe... ER or AI? Has anyone been down this road?
Some of the previous suggestions for hygiene and checking with a urologist etc are worth following up on. In the meantime, consider cranberry tablets or capsules. The cranberry in these forms is much more concentrated than cranberry juice, and does not contain the sugar that yeast (Candida) grows and thrives on.
Good luck. It sounds like you are being very cautious and responsible - raising questions, seeking answers, attempting to do the best thing for your Mom. She's fortunate to have you actively looking out for her.
Preventives: daily cranberry juice + cranberry pills, hygiene -
washing bottom every time she uses bathroom, make should she wipes herself from front to back, drinking a lot of fluids through the day (no, just offering water is not enough - making sure she DOES drink!).
Fermented food served 2-3 times daily. Not marinated, but pickled. That means it's useless if vinegar is one of the ingredients. Should be ONLY salt and sugar.
The sugar should be restricted to ONLY organic cane sugar, honey or agave nectar, all in very little quantities. Absolutely no GMO-food in her diet.
Fresh fruits and vegetables are a must!
Processed food to the minimum.
Considering that antibiotic/hormones filled chicken/beef will also depress good bacteria in the guts (which will help candida grow and prevail), the meat should be also restricted (organic or none).
The sours of protein would be: mushrooms, gluten free grains (non-GMO).
Yes, holistic life style = healthy lifestyle!
Any more questions?
Seems to me you have 2 questions: 1) how do you know if the bacteria in your mother's bladder is resistant to her antibiotic, and 2) how do you know if a clinically symptomatic UTI caused her fall.
For Q1, if someone gets a good sample of urine (clean catch or by cath in the ED) and it's cultured, the culture results usually test the bacteria for antibiotic resistance.
The harder issue in people like your mom is figuring out when they have a clinically significant UTI. In frail older people, sometimes the only outward sign is weakness or new confusion...so was that fall triggered by the UTI, or by something else? Hard to say.
I do hope they let you know what her urine culture showed, regarding antibiotic resistance. After such a fall, if you suspect UTI it would be reasonable to treat the bacteria with something that the culture shows they are susceptible to.
Otherwise, you can try cranberry, probiotics, and many of the other suggestions, to see if that reduces your mom's bacteriuria (chronic bacteria in the bladder without UTI) or clinical UTIs.
You can also ask a urologist, but often they aren't well-versed in the practical health questions of eldercare, which is "Is this problem a sign of a UTI that needs treatment?"
Good luck!
Make sure the MD is not connected with the care facility which makes divided interests a consideration. Also, consider a 24 hr aide if mom remains in assisted living.
Good Luck with all of this.
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