Bladder Infections: 11 Help Tips for an Annoying Problem.

You are in a situation where you go to the toilet or bathroom a lot and when you do-well, not much happens and when it does, its slow coming and the stream out is not consistent.

What are we discussing about? A health problem that’s serious if not taken care of, its mostly common with women, may be perhaps because of their peculiar situation, five out of every ten will come down with a bladder infection at some point in their lives (men can get them too, but it’s so rare that bladder infections also known as Urinary Tract Infections (UTI’s) are considered a female problem.

It’s the most common infection that Doctors treat. Probably 50% of all women have at least one bladder infection at some points during their lives, and 20% or more will have multiple infections it’s not uncommon for many women to have one or two every year.

What is the cause of Bladder Infections?

Bladder infections are caused by Bacteria known as E.coli that takes up residence in the vagina and consequently makes their way to the urethra, the tube which urine flows in the vagina, the bacteria are no problem. Trouble only begins when they enter the urinary tract. These are bacteria in normal circumstances are present in women, and the women who get UTI’s weren’t automatically different from the women who don’t. But for reasons we don’t understand they are more susceptible to the infection. Bladder infections are really infections of the urine itself, and its effect on the patient is usually relatively minor. The bacteria irritates the wall of the bladder, in most cases it’s the bladders equivalent of a bad sun burn. The infection will burn and sting and generally make life uncomfortable for those who have them.

However, here are good reports on how to deal and manage with them.

1. Drink lots of fluids; this is for simple reasons of comfort and health. Most  women are erroneously excused, that it only hurts when I use the bathroom for pee and so I should drink no fluids or less of fluids, this indeed is an error, and absolutely the worst thing a man or a woman with an infection can do, and this is the reason why;

The longer any amount of urine stays in the bladder the more bacteria there are in it. E.coli doubles it population every 20 minutes according to a research, more bacteria means more pain. There’s a very strong argument for drinking more fluid both to prevent UTI’s and to treat them.

Message: The more you drink, the sooner the pain will stop, and hurt. If your urine is clear, you are drinking enough, if it is colored, you are not.

• Take a hot bath; this helps to relief pain in the women folk. A hot bath often.

• Take Aspirin or Ibuprofen; these are anti-inflammatories and they do help some people. They reduce the inflammation in the bladder and the less inflammation, the lesser the burning.

Take vitamin C: about 1000mg taken throughout the day will acidify the urine enough to interfere with the bacterial growth. This is a good idea if you are having problems with re-infection or have re-occurrences in the middle of nowhere without immediate access to medical help.

Caution though: some antibiotics prescribed for bladder infection don’t work well in acidic habit of urine, so tell your medics if you are taking vitamin C. Also let him be aware of how much you are taking. Please know that vitamin C is not toxic, however 1000mg is considered a large dose and should have your medics approval.

• Always wipe from front to back; wiping from front to back helps prevent infection from reoccurring. The Doctor says, wiping the wrong way is one of the most common causes of infection and a good way to get repeated infections. Wiping away is just pure common sense, you want to move bacteria away from, not towards the vagina and the opening of the urethra.

• Before sex or intercourse; go to the bathroom before intercourse. This helps to flush out bacteria that may be present in the vagina, experts postulated. Bacteria that might otherwise be pushed into the bladder by intercourse.

• After sex or intercourse; go to the bathroom again. This is where the myth of your partner’s involvement gets its start and like most myths, there is a grain of truth to this one. A man’s penis can massage bacteria present in the opening of the urethra into the bladder. Voiding effectively “rinses” the bladder out. UTI’s are common and prevalent in sexually active women, but that’s more the result of not knowing how to protect themselves than of sexual activity itself. However, the bacteria has been pushed into the bladder, then urinating will flush most of them out.

• Beware female diaphragm; diaphragms have been known as a major contributor to those who have stubborn, repeated bladder infections. Two mechanisms or processes, may be involved here:

A).Bacteria colorize the diaphragm itself which is then inserted deep into the vagina, and

B).The diaphragm interferes with bladder emptying which means that bacteria already there aren’t flushed out. If this description fits you well, see your medic or gynaecologist for options on birth control.

• Use pads instead of tampons; it’s advisable that woman with repeated and chronic infections at the time of menstruation to quit using tampons and replace them with pads.

• Practice good hygiene; good hygiene means wearing cotton underwear that keeps you dry, avoid tight pants that decrease ventilation. If you don’t bathe to remove bacteria from the perineal region (between vagina and rectum) obviously you run the risk of repeated infections. Douching constantly can both introduce bacteria into the vagina and rinse out the normal “friendly” non-infectious vagina bacteria which are then replaced with infectious E.coli. Irritation of the urethra may occur which may feel like another UTI. Strong anti-bacterial soaps can do the same thing and change the vaginal floral enough to make the individual more susceptible to infections.

Summary: Be clean, but don’t be obsessed.

1. Four serious issues of bladder infection:

A). Blood in the urine

B). Pain in the lower back or flank

C). Fever

D). Nausea or vomiting

These four symptoms may mean kidney infection if after first or second antibiotic pill but the symptoms often last for two to three days.

1. Drinking gallons and loads of cranberry juice helps a lot more women.