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Find ways to increase his fluids that don't involve drinking them. It's hard to get most elderly folks to up their fluid intake. Does your father like popsicles? There are brands that have fruit juice in them. If he's diabetic, perhaps you can make your own. Italian ices are another method.

I agree with the posts about antibiotic therapy. While it's important not to overuse antibiotics, I have cared for many elderly home health patients who suffered chronic UTIs and antibiotic therapy helped tremendously.
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I put my mom on amoxicillin for a week if her urine was smelly, had an open script from doc. He said give 250 mg 1 time daily to prevent but i didnt need to. Keep them very clean and dry and 24 oz fluids daily is all they need. The doc told me that and thats all my mom had for 8 years with me. Believe me, that was hard enough, 3 cups.
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Also, call Life Extension and ask to speak to a health advisor. Explain your situation. The the advisor the medications your Dad is on and ask for suggestions to relieve your dad's recurrent UTIs. It's a free service. If you have problems please inbox me directly. And please get the health advisor's name. Good luck.
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Make sure he's bathing properly. That was the problem with my Mom. She wasn't bathing as frequently and as thoroughly as she needed to be.
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I would look into the reason for the recurring UTI's, and why he isn't completely emptying. There could be an obstruction. i know people are not dogs. However, sadly, many years ago, my old spayed female had the same thing. She had recurring UTI's out of the blue. It turned out she was not able to empty due to an obstruction and since dogs don't speak, she was unable to tell us. Eventually the obstruction grew in size. One night her bladder was completely blocked. What appeared was that she was straining to empty and her urine was very dark. Of course this was an emergency situation. I got her in right away. Imaging showed a tumor. Sadly, my only choice was to put her down. Had she been human, other options may have been possible, but having her live the remainder of her life with tubes in her and most likely living indoors and unable to walk was not going to be an option for a dog. A human can read and write and do many intellectual things, while my dog could not appreciate a life like that. She joined my late boyfriend, who had always believed in Heaven.
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we use 4200mg cranberry capsules-does anyone know if there is a side effect to using these. it seems to keep some UTI away but you never know. luckily my MIL will drink watered down cranberry juice but we are lucky if we can get 3 glasses in her a day. only wakes up w/wet pull up never during the day yet.
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actually if you do google that a to of tips come up - many of which are contradictory so do be careful xxxx
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You might want to google 7 Home Remedies for Urinary Tract Infection (UTI) Symptom there are some useful tips and warnings in there that might (or might not!) be relevant
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What are the best cranberry supplements to buy? My mom is 87 with dementia, and has given up trying to make it to the bathroom
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Hi,
Thank you all for all the information. I will definitely do the cranberry pills and try to increase if needed. After my dad had his prostate shaved they did test his bladder and said it worked, that he was emptying his bladder completely. But he does wear diapers. I'd say at night may be the only time he would need to change the diaper more since he usually uses his commode during the dayexcept for accidents. At night though he usually takes the diaper off himself if it's too full. I've stopped giving him drinks before bed to help. The doctor thinks the bacteria is in his bladder and says it's very resistant to antibiotics. Said he may need to come home with a pic line (which is another story because I think he will pull it out). Said the bladder is a very fragile organ especially in the elderly. He also talked about the bacteria winning and dad not being able to survive it. This is why I am inerested in the d. Mannose. But I thank you all for all your information!! If anyone has any other information I would love to hear it!
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I read that regular cranberry juice isn't as helpful as we've been lead to believe because of all the sugar in it. But have you ever tasted straight cranberry juice? Yuk!!! Perhaps do a bit of research on the cranberry supplements available as some are definately better/more potent than others. Also - my dad was getting frequent UTIs while wearing a catheter for three months getting strong enough for surgery. Like JessieBelle said, a daily low dose antibiotic was the answer - it was prescribed by his urologist. Even with your dads shaved prostrate he could be having problems emptying his bladder. If possible, when he urinates in the toilet- once he has finished count to thirty and then encourage him to give it another push. In potty-training my disabled son, an autism specialist told me that after the initial urge is gone the brain can stop/reduce the message that they still needed to go - thus the thirty count. I know I've tried it myself and am always amazed at how much I'll go again after the count - sorry if that's TMI! Lastly - you didn't mention if dad is wearing adult diapers. If he is, you may need to be changing them more frequently as they are bacteria sponges.
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Just caught your post now -- I had a UTI last week. I had a dreadful reaction to the antibiotic (sulfatrim) and have been recovering for the past few days in order to go back to the doctor ... well, whaddya' know, I had also increased my dietary supplement from one cranberry capsule to four, and it seems to have cleared up. I can't stand pure cranberry juice -- too bitter -- but the capsules are fine.

Most doctors don't know anything abt herbal treatments, but naturopaths do. I managed to go off two of the drugs I was taking with the help of a naturopath.

I'm not suggesting that you ignore your MD's advice, but I do think that herbal remedies/fish oil/B12 and other vitamins can help supplement the treatment.
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I don't know anything about your second question but I would consider raising the issue with your father's urologist, if he has one, since the infectious disease doctor doesn't seem to be responsive to your inquiry.
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Thank you for your reply! Any information helps. I did tell the infectious disease doctor about the d. Mannose and as usual she doesn't know it and doesn't sound like she will give him while he is there. I did find test strips on Amazon so I am able to test his urine at home for uti's, so that's helpful. I see so many different dosage that I'm not sure how much to give my 84 yr old dad for maintenance and how much if and when he gets another uti. I know they say to be careful with the kidneys and I know there are test strips I can also buy to test the protein in his urine. Does anyone know if these test strips would be the correct ones to use to monitor function of kidney's that would be affected by the d. Mannose?
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My mother had recurrent UTIs in the last two years. Her doctor put her on a schedule of a Bactrim (800/160) tablet 3 times a week to try to keep the UTIs at bay. She also takes a high-dose cranberry supplement. Has it helped? Perhaps. She has had two more UTIs this year, but I think they may have been imaginary. Her urine tests showed a trace of lymphocytes, but no clear evidence of infection.

You can talk to your husband's doctor and see if he thinks it would be worth a try. Elderly UTIs are hard for both the elder and the caregiver. You have my sympathy.
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