If you've ever had a bladder infection (the common name for UTIs), then you know how very painful they can be.
If you haven't, let me describe one for you:
Many times, you don't realize right off what's wrong. You're edgier than normal. You feel "different down there," but you're not sure. Then, you get the frequent urinating thing. Every two minutes. It begins to be painful, sometimes there's nothing to urinate but you feel like you have to, as if someone's holding your foot and you've got to jump off a cliff.
You start drinking water like crazy thinking you can dilute it. You hear cranberry juice or cranberry pills help so you run out and buy some and chug down a quart and nix the soda pop. No matter what else you think you have to accomplish, you can't because you can't think straight. There are no other thoughts but those of pain. Your lower abdomen aches. You wet your pants, you can't help it, and you cry as you're doing it.
If you are at work or have to go to a function, you're miserable. If you had a gun and could drive yourself to the pharmacy, you would hold it up-for meds. I'm not kidding.
Even after you get the meds, it takes hours, if not days. You can run a fever. You snap at everybody, if you can even answer them. You find yourself running your fingers through your hair over and over. You avoid everyone.
This is a bladder infection.
The medical world acts like it isn't a big deal. Most people assume that the second you get antibiotics it instantaneously goes away. But it might not, and the overuse of antibiotics carry a consequence, according to the AMA.
Doctors and nurses pooh-pooh you if you're young.
Isn't that cute. They assume you're having too much sex with too many partners, wink, wink. While that can be one cause, it's not the only cause. Sex is a major reason women get UTIs due to bacteria and it's common women's wisdom to always urinate after sex. It's also important to remember to wipe from front to back. Women of all ages and lifestyles suffer greatly from UTIs (more than men, in general) in part due to their anatomy--a short urethra. Yeah, blame us.
But there are other reasons. Nerves, for one. I always get a bladder infection when something big is about to happen--buying a house, passing a big test and even caffeine intake can affect UTIs.
UTIs are also serious and can be life threatening if left untreated, so do take this seriously.
But what would a UTI be like if you couldn't communicate?
What if your loved one has ALS or Alzheimer's, or some other neurological, physiological or speech impairment that keeps them from realizing exactly what's going on? What if they don't want to tell someone they've wet themsevles--again? Wouldn't you be embarrassed?
Urinary tract infections in the elderly are very common.
Particularly in women, and even more so for those who live in a care facility. And they often go untreated. Why? Too many to care for, perhaps. The elder's inability to describe what's happening.
UTIs in the elderly or in people with Alzheimer's can affect not only their health, but can also lead to significant behavioral changes.
In fact, if your loved one's behavior has changed recently, even if they're male, you should consider the possibility that they could have a UTI.
Just as with me, agitation or nervousness is a big indicator. A person with a UTI is concentrating on controlling the pain and there's nothing left for niceties. Check to see if they're running a low grade fever, if they've soiled their underwear, if they're going to the bathroom every few minutes or more disoriented than usual.
Elders with Alzheimer's or Parkinson's, or other neurological disorders may not remember to urinate-even their bodies and muscles begin to forget, to give off the proper signals, and this leads to a tract infection.
Those who have diabetes are also having a higher risk of a UTI because of changes in the immune system. Any disorder that suppresses the immune system raises the risk of a urinary infection. If your male elder has an enlarged prostrate, that can impede urinary flow and cause an infection. So can a kidney stone.
People who are catheterized or have tubes placed into the bladder are more prone to urinary tract infection. (This is the highest group of all)
Common Urinary Tract Infection Indications:
- Frequent urination along with the feeling of having to urinate even though there may be very little urine to pass.
-Nocturia: Need to urinate during the night.
-Urethritis: Discomfort or pain at the urethral meatus or a burning sensation throughout the urethra with urination (dysuria).
-Pain in the midline suprapubic region also known as flank pain and is also associated with kidney infections.
-Pyuria: Pus in the urine or discharge from the urethra.
-Hematuria: Blood in urine.
-Pyrexia: Mild fever
-Cloudy and foul-smelling urine
-Increased confusion and associated falls are common for elderly patients with UTI.
-Some urinary tract infections are asymptomatic and difficult to detect.
-Protein found in the urine.
Kidney Infection Indications:
All of the above symptoms plus:
- Emesis: Vomiting.
- Back, side (flank) or groin pain.
- Abdominal pain or pressure.
- Shaking chills and high spiking fever.
- Night sweats.
- Extreme fatigue.
Testing for UTIs is usually a mid-flow urine test, and that can difficult when dealing with an elder loved one.
The treatment for UTIs is antibiotics, but antibiotics have become overused and may not always be effective. Be sure to retest. The drugs usually used in uncomplicated UT cases are: trimethoprim (Trimpex), trimethoprim/sulfamethoxazole (Bactrim, Septra, Cotrim), Amoxicillin (Amoxil, Trimox, Wymox), nitrofurantoin (Macrodantin, Furadantin), and Ampicillin (Omnipen, Polycillin, Principen, Totacillin). There are also a new class of drugs called quinolones includes: ofloxacin (Floxin), norfloxacin (Noroxin), Ciprofloxacin (Cipro), and trovaFloxin (Trovan).
Elderly individuals, both men and women, are more likely to harbor bacteria in their genitourinary system at any time, which means it just comes with old(er) age. Care facilities are a medical necessity in many families lives for many reasons, but there is a higher incidence in care homes for UTIs. If you can care for your loved one at home for as long as possible and utilize the many community resources available to you-and keep your elder on a consistent routine, your elder is better off.
Consult a urologist if you or your loved one has recurrent or consistent UTIs as there are more agressive treatments available for recurrent UTIs.
By being aware of UTIs and how they present themselves, you can keep your loved one from suffering from this very painful and frustrating ailment.
Don't suffer in silence.
Helpful website: http://kidney.niddk.nih.gov/kudiseases/pubs/utiadult/
Carol D. O'Dell is the author of Mothering Mother: A Daughter's Humorous and Heartbreaking Memoir, about her experience caring for her mother through Alzheimer's, Parkinson's, and coronary diseases.
She is a family advisor at Caring.com.
A creative writing teacher and inspirational speaker, O'Dell is often featured at spiritual retreats and conferences of caregivers and health care and geriatric professionals.
Mothering Mother is available on Amazon or request it at your favorite bookstore. Visit Carol's website and read her blog at http://www.mothering-mother.com
