I never had a UTI in my life and since lyme I am now having my third.
My question is...is this a borrelia infection in the urinary tract or is this some other bacteria? Anyone ever had a positive borrelia culture on urinalysis?
Posted by kgg (Member # 5867) on :
Are they culturing your urine? Many people with Lyme have bladder issues. Borrelia like the bladder. But I do not think it will culture out like a regular urine culture. That is the problem with testing for Lyme, the culture media is complicated. And the process long.
Lyme does cause immune system suppression, which may be why you are getting the UTI. Your body can't keep the pathogen in check.
Posted by map1131 (Member # 2022) on :
No everyday labs will not find lyme or any of it's friends in your urinary culture.
Like my PCP just told me a few months ago....these everyday labs are just looking for the bacteria they know like e-coli etc. The simple things, only the basics.
It is a waste of time and money and beyond frustrating to have your urethra on fire for months, have stinky urine, urinary tract symptoms all over the place.....
and the labs say the urine sample is negative.
What's really horrendous is when 3 different abx are used for 2 weeks each and they make no difference in the symptoms. That's called being on your own.
You do you research yourself and you find something that gives you relief. I've been at this for over a year.
Even considered making an appt with urologist? Why bother? Will they understand Lyme & co in the urinary tract? Nada
If there is a lab that actually can find these bacteria in my urine, I'd love to know who and where. My PCP and myself would love to know who is causing me this horrid pain & issues.
Anyone know a great urine lab? There are many people on this site and in my support group that would love to have answers.
Pam
Posted by GretaM (Member # 40917) on :
Oh gosh. UTI.
When I get started on this topic I tend to ramble.
Most docs will have you pee in a cup in their office-they dip a test stick in your urine, and if it is positive, they will tell you you have a UIT and prescribe you a short course of abx with a broad spectrum abx like cipro. Bactrim. Septra.
The stick test in the office is a quick test but it doesn't always work out best for the patient. What the doc is then supposed to do is send your urine to a lab, where the lab will culture it and find out what bacteria you have.
Then, the lab will send back the report to your doc with a list of which strains of bacteria you have and more importantly which antibiotics it is NOT resistant to.
Most docs dump the urine after a stick test. It never makes it to a lab.
And then give us the gears about improper abx useage... Argh don't get me started down that road.
Also, once you've had a course of abx for a UTI, quite often the lab will be unable to "grow" a bacteria from your urine further down the road if you still have UTI symptoms.
So the docs will still treat for a UTI based on white cells being high in your urine, or blood.
Or, it could be Bartonella or Lyme, which case it will never culture at a lab and a short course of abx won't help you.
Mine was bartonella.
Resolved with gentamycin IV and time. And lots and lots of D'mannose. That stuff is a godsend.
Good luck.
Posted by map1131 (Member # 2022) on :
Funny thing....d'mannose didn't touch my UTI. It wasn't until I added Berberine to my daily horse pills that I found some relief.
Of course, I'd tried to hit it with rife. But one must know the bad guy in order to try to hit it with frequencies and destroy it.
I too am beginning to think it's bartonella Greta. Just this week, stinky urine came on for a couple days.
It was past time for me do you bart rife, I had been focusing on lyme since my Dec embedded tick attack.
Tues all day my urethra was on fire and I finally decided today was the day I get in the 3rd dose of Berberine and then I also did bart session with rife.
The next morning I awoke with no smelly urine and no pain. So is it the bart killing or combo of rife and Berberine that knocked him down a notch or two?
Yet to be determined.
Pam
Posted by GretaM (Member # 40917) on :
Haha horse pills...Pam...so true...
Posted by Lymetoo (Member # 743) on :
D-Mannose may not "cure" a UTI .. but it sure will keep the UTI's away! I've been on it for 5 yrs and have not had a single problem with another UTI.
I have a history of IC and frequent UTI's due in part to Lyme & Co.
No more worries.
(PS .. I never had bart)
Posted by Cold Feet (Member # 9882) on :
Your question: Is a UTI just a UTI?
It may or may not be. Please see my short video on biofilm infections on my biofilm channel:
Lots of good intelligence there from doctors, researchers et al from all over. Hope it helps.
Posted by koo (Member # 30462) on :
Thank you all for your replies. I have never had a culture. With the first one I called the MD and she called in Cipro...fine with me. Since I herxed like heck with this, I also came to the conclusion that I had bartonella as well.
Second one was last July. I self treated with amoxicillin.
The current one came on fast. Since I still have a stash of ABX (currently not treating lyme with Rx ABX) I did amox again and got relief starting with the first dose. No herx.
With the second and third infections I was not treating lyme with ABX so perhaps these are a result of immunosuppression. I also had shingles last year when not on ABX.
Yet I never get a cold. My last one was 8 years ago.
Lymetoo, how does D-mannose work to prevent an infection? I have had a bottle of this in my hand before at the store but at the time could not bear to add one more thing to all the stuff I take. I will probably reconsider.
Posted by GretaM (Member # 40917) on :
My understanding, bear with me, it's been a rough couple of days, brain is mushy, the d'mannose coats the lining of the bladder and the urethra and the E Coli, (and perhaps other bacteria also), can't 'land' (for lack of a better term), and get established long enough to cause an infection before you void your bladder and wash them away.
Posted by Lymetoo (Member # 743) on :
Greta got it right. It's like drinking cranberry juice without the cranberries!! and without the sugar!
Posted by Lymetoo (Member # 743) on :