Another Kidney Infection

[Rain6866]

Well, it's happened again. What was it, 3 weeks ago when I had a 104.9 fever and the doc said it was a bladder infection that spread to my kidneys? Sunday, all at once I got chills and my fever shot up. On Tuesday I saw my family doc ( my gastro always says to see my family doc) and this time on top of the kidney infection I have some really bad wheezing and he said infection in my lungs and sinuses. More antibiotics. He also said all bladder infections stem from different types of ecoli. Now here is my question. I could have sworn I read somewhere on here where the Peg-intron contains a small amount of ecoli.. but I cant find it. Remember I am on my 11th shot week (whew almost half way done!) so i could be sadly mistaken as I often am lately. Does anyone remember reading that also?

Thanks for all your help.
Rain

[newleaf09]

Had this about 10 weeks into treatment because my neutrophils dropped to 558.  750 is considered the danger level where you need to use neulasta (or neupogen) or reduce the interferon.  Neutrophills control bacteria in the body.  I guess it's always naturally there but the neutrophils keep them in check.  I'm at 800 neuts now and took a shot of neulasta to bring them up BEFOR the infection sets in.  

Not everyone is prone to bacterial infection on treatment.  I am; maybe you are.

[meakea]

I second that Annie...everything you just said.  :)

[annieCinMD]

Always, always, always get up and pee after sex. That's usually when I get them...and probably why I haven't had one in a long time. Sex..what's that??!! I can't remember  :(

[meakea]

Rain6866:

I think it was part of my problem when I got the UTI while on tx because I had forgotten about that "helpful emptying tip" and I had to go to the bathroom so darn many times during the day at work that I think I was running in and out of the bathroom so quickly that I might not have been completely emptying. It's hard to know what causes them but I think if we deploy all the helpful tips that we can, it certainly can't hurt in our attempt to avoid them.

[Rain6866]

"Left over urine in the bladder can contain bacteria and help fester an infection."


Maybe this could be the reason. I am drinking so much more fluids since I started TX maybe my bladder isnt getting completely empty before I am filling it again.

[meakea]

By the way...I don't know anything about an interferon/e-coli connection but when I had my UTI a number of months ago, it was cultured and nothing grew out of it...so there was no e-coli with mine.  As Annie mentioned, e-coli does typically exist in our colons so, especially during Hep C treatment, use extra-extra care with personal cares after BMs.  Sorry, if this sounds obvious but it is something that the docs discussed with my mother when she had a severe bout of UTI that was from e-coli.  You know the front to back thing.  And make sure that when you empty your bladder, you lean forward somewhat when you are almost finished.  That movement can help move out more residual urine -- another tip from my mother's doc.  Left over urine in the bladder can contain bacteria and help fester an infection.

As far as our tips about the cranberry juice and yogurt, these will not help your current episode but might help prevent future episodes.

[meakea]

Sorry for all the UTI/kidney issues that you are going through!  Fairly early on in my TX, I got a UTI and it was successfully treated with Cipro. I figure it was treatment related in some way because I, in my 54 years of life, I had only had one UTI before and that was many, many years ago.

Immediately upon finding out that I had a UTI, I started drinking 6-8 oz of 100% cranberry juice (that I personally like to dilute with water so it's no so strong - making it a 16 oz glass of liquid) every morning along with a serving of organic yogurt.  I don't know if this had anything to do with it but I haven't had any more UTIs since then and I'll take shot No. 38 tonight.  (And I don't want another UTI either -- they are miserable).

Good luck!!

[annieCinMD]

portann gave you some good advice as far as food and drink. I have a history of UTIs, never my kidneys, thankfully. I actually like a cranberry tablet, found in health food stores, and maybe CVS or grocery stores. The juice is so calorie dense and you have to drink so much of it, and the tablets are concentrated. That helps clean the bacteria out of the urinary tract. The yogurt helps put the healthy bacteria back in the digestive tract. It's so easy, especially for women, to get out of balance. Antibiotics deplete the healthy bacteria. I think I have heard that ecoli causes the infection. I think it's OK and normal to have ecoli in your colon but it is a very BAD thing to have it in your urinary tract (and hurts like h&ll).  Good luck and sorry to hear you had another setback.

[portann]

Rain: "He also said all bladder infections stem from different types of ecoli."

I hadn't heard that.

I'm wondering if the new infection somehow rebounded from the earlier one. Did you stop the antibiotics from the first round about a week ago or were you still on them when you got hit with this infection?

I don't know about an intereron- e-coli connection but one way or another, you'll need to keep taking the interferon to complete treatment. So you're stuck with it.

Next time you come off the antibiotics, you may want to try different foods or drinks that some sources claim can be beneficial post-antibiotics. After I had my one bladder infection about fifteen years ago, my doc told me to eat yogurt and drink cranberry juice but she doesn't know a whole lot about nutrition. Maybe others have better ideas.

I'm so sorry, Rain. Please do your best to not get discouraged. It's the pits and that bladder infection of mine still makes me cringe to think of it.

You're almost half-way done and I want to see you here soon on this side with me, post-tx.