Whats The Difference Between A Urinary Tract Infection And Bladder Infection
A urinary tract infection is a more general type of infection. There are many parts of your urinary tract. A UTI is a term for an infection that takes place throughout the urinary tract. A bladder infection, also called cystitis, is a specific infection. In this infection, bacteria makes its way into the bladder and causes inflammation.
Not all urinary tract infections become bladder infections. Preventing the spread of the infection is one of the most important reasons to treat a UTI quickly when you have symptoms. The infection can spread not only to the bladder, but also into your kidneys, which is a more complicated type of infection than a UTI.
What Are The Different Kinds Of Urostomy
There are 2 types of urostomy:
Standard or conventional urostomy. This is also called an incontinent diversion. The surgeon uses a piece of your small intestine to connect the ureters to the outside of your body instead of the bladder. The urine then flows out through the stoma, where a pouch collects it.
Continent urostomy. This procedure is the same as a standard urostomy, except the surgeon creates a pouch inside your body to hold the urine. It is designed to keep urine from flowing backward to the kidneys or leaking out through the stoma. You empty this pouch several times each day using a small tube called a catheter. A urostomy is usually a permanent surgery and cannot be reversed.
How To Care For Your Urostomy At Home
Emptying your urostomy bag. Once you have recovered from surgery, you will need to empty the urostomy bag several times per day. It is best to empty it when the bag is less than half full, usually every 2 to 3 hours.
Urostomy pouches come in many sizes and shapes, but there are 2 main types:
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One-piece pouches attach directly to the skin barrier.
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Two-piece pouches include a skin barrier and a pouch you can take off.
Most pouches drain through an opening at the bottom. They also prevent urine leaks and help contain odors. Ask your health care team which type of urostomy pouch you will receive.
Draining urine with a catheter. If you have a continent urostomy, you will need to drain the pouch using a small tube called a catheter several times a day. You can do this less often over time because the pouch will get larger.
Caring for your skin. The skin around the stoma will always look red. It might bleed now and then, and this is normal. However, call your doctor if the bleeding continues for more than a few minutes.
It is important to make sure your pouch is correctly connected to your stoma. A pouch that does not fit well can irritate your skin. You should also keep this area clean and dry. If this skin looks wet, bumpy, itchy, or painful, contact your health care team since these can be signs of an infection.
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What Is The Urinary Tract
The urinary tract makes and stores urine, one of the bodys liquid waste products. The urinary tract includes the following parts:
- Kidneys: These small organs are located on back of your body, just above the hips. They are the filters of your body removing waste and water from your blood. This waste becomes urine.
- Ureters: The ureters are thin tubes that carry urine from the kidneys to your bladder.
- Bladder: A sac-like container, the bladder stores your urine before it leaves the body.
- Urethra: This tube carries the urine from your bladder to the outside of the body.
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What To Watch For When You Have A Urostomy
Urinary tract infections . You can get an infection if bacteria get into the urostomy, ureters, or kidneys. Make sure to wash your hands before and after emptying your pouch to avoid this. Also, drink plenty of water every day and regularly empty your pouch.
Signs of a UTI include dark or strong-smelling urine, back pain near your kidneys, or fever. Call your doctor if you notice any of these signs.
Urine pH balance. Liquids, including urine, can be more acid or more alkaline. The acidity of urine fluctuates throughout the day. After a urostomy, it is important to keep your urine acidic. This means a pH level below 7. This resists bacteria and helps prevent urinary tract infections.
To keep your urine acidic, you can drink plenty of non-alcoholic liquids every day. Instead of drinking citrus juices, which can make your urine more alkaline, you can drink cranberry juice. You can also talk to your health care team about whether it is recommended to take vitamin C daily.
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Urinary Tract Infections After Urostomy Surgery
Now, lets talk about the main complaint of many ostomates living with a urostomy: urinary tract infections.
Unfortunately, even after urostomy surgery, urinary tract infections can still be an issue. This is because the urinary tract is still in place, so bacteria can make its way into the body and multiply. Also, bacteria can get inside the urostomy itself. Urinary tract infections, if left untreated, can lead to more serious issues, such as kidney infections.
Its important to see your doctor as soon as you think you may have a urinary tract infection.
Common Symptoms of Urinary Tract Infections
- A strong urge to urinate
- Blood in the urine
How Can I Take Care Of Myself
- Follow your healthcare providerâs treatment. Take all of the antibiotic that your healthcare provider prescribes, even when you feel better. Do not take medicine left over from previous prescriptions.
- Drink more fluids, especially water, to help flush bacteria from your system.
- If you have a fever:
- Take aspirin or acetaminophen to control the fever. Check with your healthcare provider before you give any medicine that contains aspirin or salicylates to a child or teen. This includes medicines like baby aspirin, some cold medicines, and Pepto Bismol. Children and teens who take aspirin are at risk for a serious illness called Reyeâs syndrome.
- Keep a daily record of your temperature.
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How Are Urinary Tract Infections Treated
You will need to treat a urinary tract infection. Antibiotics are medicines that kill bacteria and fight an infection. Antibiotics are typically used to treat urinary tract infections. Your healthcare provider will pick a drug that best treats the particular bacteria thats causing your infection. Some commonly used antibiotics can include:
- Nitrofurantoin.
Its very important that you follow your healthcare providers directions for taking the medicine. Dont stop taking the antibiotic because your symptoms go away and you start feeling better. If the infection is not treated completely with the full course of antibiotics, it can return.
If you have a history of frequent urinary tract infections, you may be given a prescription for antibiotics that you would take at the first onset of symptoms. Other patients may be given antibiotics to take every day, every other day, or after sexual intercourse to prevent the infection. Talk to your healthcare provider about the best treatment option for you if you have a history of frequent UTIs.
Why Prostate Laser Surgery
Compared to open prostatectomy and transurethral resection of the prostate, prostate laser surgery offers significant advantages to the patient. They include a general lower risk of post-surgery bleeding, a much shorter hospital stay , and a much quicker recovery. Men who undergo prostate laser surgery for BPH will also, in contrast to other procedures, generally notice an improvement in their urinary output and comfort right away. They are highly unlikely to need a urinary catheter for longer than 24 hours, again unlike with other procedures.
Long-term complications are also much less likely with prostate laser surgery than with more traditional forms of prostate surgery. Though that is good news, laser prostate surgery still carries both short-term and long-term risks, just like practically any other surgery. What are they?
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How Common Is Bladder Surgery
Almost 85,000 people are expected to be diagnosed with bladder cancer in 2021. Its the sixth most common cancer in the United States and the third most common cancer for males. Bladder surgery is typically part of the treatment plan for bladder cancer. Radical cystectomy where your entire bladder is removed is the type of bladder surgery used for muscle-invasive bladder cancer .
Urologist In Concord And Mint Hill North Carolina
Dr. Richard Natale is a board-certified urologist and an expert in treating mens health issues, including urinary incontinence after having prostate surgery. Dr. Natale will give you recommendations for improving your stress urinary incontinence so it ceases to interfere with your lifestyle.
If you have any questions or would like to schedule a consultation with Dr. Natale here at Carolina Urology Partners, contact our friendly staff today by calling us at 786-5131 or by filling out our online request form now. We look forward to being your healthcare partner!
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Some Myth Some Truth: Sexual Activity
Sexual intercourse indeed can be a strong trigger for a UTI, as can any activity that has the potential for putting infection-causing bacteria near the urethra.
Your partners anatomy can act as a ladder for infection of the urethra with bacteria that usually live in the bowel, said Dr. Dielubanza.
Use of spermicides with or without barrier contraceptives has been shown to increase the risk of urinary tract infections in sexually active women. Women may consider an alternative contraceptive regimen if they experience UTIs after intercourse.
Trying To Avoid Getting A Uti During Sex Requires A Lot Of Planning And Mental Energy
If theres any good news to be shared about UTIs, its that many women can prevent them by peeing after sex.
One of our best defenses against newly introduced bacteria is the physical act of urination, which flushes bacteria out, says Dr. Ross. This is why peeing after sex is always a good idea.
But of course, its never that easy. For many women, executing this seemingly simple UTI prevention hack means carefully planning and scheduling both pre- and post-sex hydration so that we can pee as soon as possible after sex, without chugging so much water that were bloated during the actual sex part of the sex.
If that werent complicated enough, were also operating on a timer that begins the second sex does. The longer the time the bacteria have to travel up the urinary tract, the more likely an infection is, says Dr. Ross. This means that after sex, while men and their long urethras get to lie around in a lazy post-coital daze, women have to rush off to the bathroom immediately and/or drink a ton of water so we can pee ASAP.
Even if we manage to pull all of this off perfectly, any woman who has endured the agony of a UTI will probably still end up spending the better part of the next 48 hours in constant fear that her urinary tract is going to erupt in flames at any moment. And yes, if you were wondering, all of this anxiety and mental calculation does have a tendency to kill the mood during sex.
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Tip : Regularly Empty Your Urostomy Pouch
One way to reduce urinary tract infections or urostomy infections is to remember to regularly empty your urostomy pouch before it gets too full. Youve probably heard that before, but you may be wondering why its so necessary.
Infection-causing bacteria grows and multiplies in urine fairly quickly. If urine is left inside the urostomy pouch for too long, it could back up and wash against or into your stoma, which may cause irritation and increase the risk of a urostomy infection.
Ostomy Team Supervisor Michael Riggs says, We recommend emptying your urostomy pouch when it becomes 1/2 to 2/3 full. Not only can a full pouch cause urine to back up to the stoma, but a full pouch is also more likely to come off due to the weight of the urine inside the pouch.
If youre unsure how to drain your urostomy pouch, you can always reach out to one of our Ostomy Specialists. Were more than happy to help you in any way we can.
Where To Buy Urostomy Supplies
Reducing urostomy infections doesnt have to be complicated. You just need the right resources along with high-quality urostomy supplies to create a routine that will work best for you.
180 Medical has a highly-trained team of friendly Ostomy Specialists who are ready to help you find the products that can turn your life around. Contact us today!
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Control Group: Abdominal Surgery Patients
The incidence of UTI was stable during the 2 phases of observation . The frequency of the performance of urine analysis following urinary catheter removal was similar in phases I and II . In the postanesthesia care unit, bladder ultrasound examination was performed 42 times during phase I and 20 times during phase II . Bladder ultrasound examination tended to be less frequent in phase II with 3 patients, compared with 10 patients in phase I . The incidence of urinary catheterization in the surgical ward remained unchanged at 2%. Nine episodes of bloodstream infection were recorded in phase I, and none were recorded in phase II 2 episodes were secondary to UTI. The occurrence of other infectious complications was similar during both phases. The overall use of antibiotics was higher in phase I because of increased recourse for the treatment of bloodstream infection. Three patients died deaths were unrelated to UTI.
What Does The Bladder Do
Your urine bladder , stores your pee after your kidneys filter it. Pee goes from your kidneys down the ureters and into your bladder, where its stored before exiting your body through your urethra.
Your bladder is made of muscular, flexible tissues that can expand bigger or shrink smaller depending on how much pee it contains. The muscles in your bladder contract when they push your pee through your urethra.
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What Happens After Bladder Surgery
The specifics of recovering from bladder surgery depend a lot upon the type of bladder surgery that you have. For example, in a transurethral resection much less tissue is removed or changed in the surgery than during a radical cystectomy where the entire bladder is removed. Thus, the recovery time after your procedure can vary. Your healthcare provider will help guide you through the recovery process including a voiding trial and catheter care instructions.
Not long after your surgery, youll need to get checked out again by your healthcare provider. Report any problems youve had since your procedure. If youve had bladder cancer, they might need to insert a camera into your bladder to check it.
What Treatments Are Available To Me If My Incontinence Doesnt Go Away After A Year
While kegels and behavioral therapy work well for most men with mild to moderate leaking, they may not be completely effective for some. Luckily, there are still some options for treating bladder leakage after prostate surgery.
Another surgery is sometimes needed when bladder leaks persist for more than a year after surgery. This may consist of having a urethral sling procedure, or an artificial urinary sphincter.
With a urethral sling procedure, a synthetic mesh tape is implanted to support the urethra. Up to an 80% improvement has been seen with this procedure and some men stop leaking completely.
An artificial urinary sphincter is used in patients who have more severe urinary incontinence that is not improving, or for those patients who may have had a lot of damage to the sphincter muscle after prostate surgery. An artificial urinary sphincter is a mechanical ring that helps close the exit from the bladder.
As will all surgeries, these come with pros and cons and potential complications. Be sure to discuss these options with your doctor.
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Can You Have Sex If You Have A Uti
In general, it is recommended that you avoid having intercourse when you have an active urinary tract infection. When you get an antibiotic prescription, ask your doctor when the right time to resume sexual activity would be. Of course, you can still kiss and have other intimate and emotional connections.
Once you have completed a course of antibiotics and the UTI has cleared away, you should be able to resume sexual activity. But be sure to take the careful steps necessary to prevent the sex from putting you on the road to yet another one.
Selecting A Good Urostomy Pouch:
Most of the urostomy pouches available to ostomates nowadays have a non-return valve that prevents the urine in the pouch from flowing back over the stoma. The ostomy pouches also have taps or bungs at the bottom which allow the urine to be emptied over the toilet when the pouch is becoming full. This also allows the night drainage system to be attached for overnight drainage to save you from having to get up frequently and empty it.
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