Re: Re:Response from my rheumy. UGGH (I think I need a vacation! ) LOL

[Guest guest]

I'm sorry that you are going through so much right now. Did your

doctor do a urinalysis and send the urine for a culture and sensitivity? Did

he then (if he did those things) order an antibiotic that is the best for

that particular organism from the culture and sensitivity report. The lingo

they use is C & S for that. Pyridium does nothing to combat the infection. It

essentially numbs the bladder. If it showed no growth and the symptoms are

getting worse usually the repeat the tests. There are two antibiotics that

for the most part kill off the bacteria that commonly cause the urinary

tract infections(UTI's) They are septra DS ( also known as Bactrim) and

Cipro. I have never heard of a wait and see attitude with UTI's or kidney

infections. The culture has to grow greater than 100,000 bacteria/cu ml to

be significant. If it did you should be on an antibiotic for 10 days then a

repeat urinalysis 3 days after you finish the antibiotic to make sure it is

totally cleared up. I haven't been on line much these days so I don't know

exactly what is going on but if your not on an antibiotic for greater than

100,000 then you need to go to the er or something to get it taken care

of.Greater than 100,000 colonies is indicative of an active infection. If

the report says less than or greater than one hundred thousand organisms or

colonies or no growth usually. It isn't something to just put up with. The

urinalysis would show with an infection of the urinary tract, red blood

cells sometimes or at least increased white blood cells(leukocytes) and

positive for nitrites. Some doctors will just give an antibiotic for 3 days

only. There is some controversy over which way to treat it is best.(3 vs 10

days). Bacteria should be cleared from the urine within 48 hours of

antibiotic therapy. If they tested the urine and it was normal in the

office where I worked we then would do a vaginal culture if the patient had

any discharge symptoms etc. If that was normal and the patient had

persistent symptoms we would repeat the urinalysis again. I don't know if

this helps at all but a urinary tract infection is nothing to fool around

with as it can lead to a kidney infection etc. I hope you are better soon

and you get the help and treatment you need. Symptoms of a urinary tract

infection include lower abdominal discomfort, frequency-small amounts,

urgency, fever, burning upon urination (dysuria), also flank pain with a

urinary tract infection. As far as proteinuria or positive albumin on a

urinalysis,aside from kidney problems you can get transient proteinuria with

fever, exposure to cold, emotional stress and strenuous exercise. I would

think if they suspected kidney problems they would do a BUN and creatnine.

Creatnine is the most sensitive of the two kidney blood tests. There are

also drugs that can cause a positive or false positive on protein in the

urine. I hope this makes sense. Take Care and God Bless You. Love Sue Park

Re:Response from my rheumy. UGGH (I think I need

a vacation! ) LOL

> Well, I wrote to My rheumy last night and had an answer first thing this

> morning. I guess I am worrying over nothing. UGGHHH Is it me????

Aren't

> we suppose to watch out for infections? Doesn't it say it's the

infections

> that will kill us first before the RP? I was up all night in pain from

the

> kidney and bladder infection and don't see that living on pyridium for the

> bladder spasms and vicodin for the pain is helping. I feel it is just

> covering up the problem. I don't even know if this is RP related. I do

have

> a lot of protein in my urine and that is a sign of RP in the kidneys.

Shoot,

> who knows.... all I know is that I'm tired of hurting and not getting

> anywhere. Guess I'm just sleep deprived and over reacting. Just thought

I'd

> vent again. (Boy, I'm doing a lot of that lately) sorry. I am going to

call

> my cardiologist at Stanford and see if he sees a problem with the

infection.

> I don't need for this to go to my heart. Again, I'm probably over

reacting,

> but better safe than sorry. Thanks guys for listening.

> hugs

>

>

> <<

> I think it is very reasonable to see if the infection clears in the next

> few days, and if not, to consider an IVP or other imaging study. If you

> are still having problems you are best served to see a

> urologist. Prednisone certainly increases your risk of infection, but I

> think neither your RP nor your steroids are playing a major role here.

>

> Best regards, PJ

> >>

>

>

> DISCLAIMER!!

> WE ARE NOT MEDICAL PROFESSIONALS, THEREFORE ANY INFORMATION THAT IS

RECEIVED HERE IS FROM EXPERIENCE ONLY. PLEASE CONSULT WITH YOUR DOCTOR

BEFORE TRYING ANYTHING THAT IS SUGGESTED. WE ARE NOT A SUBSTITUTE FOR YOUR

PHYSICIAN AND ARE NOT TRYING TO BE. REMEMBER EVERYONE IS DIFFERENT AND

TREATMENT MAYBE DIFFERENT FOR MANY OF US. THANK YOU

>

>