My mother seems to be getting recurring UTIs - she told me of new symptoms today and she just had a one-week course of antibiotics 3 weeks ago that had appeared to cure it - I think it was Ceftin. About a couple months ago she also had a UTI. It is concerning because these infections seem to make her feel bad all over and she puts off going to the doctor until it is very painful. I live long-distance so I can't drag her off to the doctor. I wonder should she be on a longer course of antibiotics than just a week? Taking something different?
Also when she is treated for a UTI, she should be going back to her doctor for a "repeat urine" a week to 10 days after she is done with the antibiotic. It could be she has taken it so much recently, that it's not working for her anymore. Also, if she is a sweets eater, that could be part of her problem. Bacteria feeds on sugar, so when you have a UTI, sugar should be avoid when possible.
Talk to her about getting some "pullups" underwear for at night. They come in different absorbance levels "light", "moderate", "maximum", etc. Mom wears these with a pad for added protection, during the day, and heavy duty diapers at night. She can also get those disposable bed pads in the same section of the store, to keep the bed dry.
If your mom knows they will keep her dry, she may drink more when she wears them. She may be a bit resistant at first, but knowing she is protected from embarrassing accidents may change her mind. If it's possible, maybe you could make the trip and go with her to shop for these things to make sure she gets the right products. Sometimes it helps to have someone there.
Thanks for the ideas too Deefer, do you ever have to worry about your mother getting diarrhea from the continuous antibiotic? Esp in your mother's case I can see why you wouldn't want to take any chances with a uti getting started. My mother technically doesn't have dementia but more and more she is forgetting things and showing some problems with logic, sadly I don't think it's far away.
The cheaper brands are good enough during the day as she doesn't have memory issues. But if she wets a lot during the night, a better "brand" is the way to go.
Our moms are old school and would rather not deal with this issue in the open, but I sure would wear a pull up if I needed it! beats wetting my pants in public or waking up in a wet bed!!!
Got to love it! Does she have a close friend that you could talk to that can maybe help with the problem? How about a relative she relies on? It must be so hard for you to deal with this long distance.
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