UTI dangers

There could be many reasons why this UTI has developed and why. It will help if the hospital cultures the bacteria within the urine because this will then help to define the cause. To be honest, they do normally do this anyways, so that you are using the correct antibiotic.

My bladder is always teetering on an infection so it will only take one thing to trigger a full blown UTI, maybe not drinking enough water one day, not emptying as good as I should, catheterizing late, a not 100% 'clean' cathing procedure.

I have a bad habit ( not advised ) of being late to self catheter, so on most parts, it is self induced in my case although too easily induced.

Karen67, I started out self-cathing. I wasn’t incontinent. A few months later, in a different hospital, they put in a Foley. They told me that it would be changed monthly, but that I could go back to self-cathing whenever I wanted to. You know the rest. After a year with the Foley, I was completely incontinent.

As for your UTI’s,...please dear, get kidney herbs and make a tea of them. Marshmallow root, Gravel root, and Hydrangea root. Put a little black cherry juice in the tea after you make it. Drink a quarter cup and store the rest in a glass jar in the fridge. Oh, and make the tea in either a glass or an enamel pan, not in metal or teflon. And use a plastic strainer, not a metal strainer. This tea will dissolve debris from your urinary tract.

Drink another quarter cup (or half cup) a few hours later. We don’t want your bladder to suddenly become uncomfortably full. So start slowly. After all the debris is gone, you would be able to drink a whole cup of the tea without any discomfort of fullness. I buy my herbs from a local herb store and also from drclarkstore.

drclarkstore.com/kidney-cleanse-tea-hydrangea-marshmallow-gravelroot/

It is unusual for urine infections to make one very dizzy, light-headed, and have trouble finishing sentences or answering questions. This can happen when you are elderly. Are you sure the symptoms were related to the infection and not some other problem? It is entirely possible that you had a low sodium levels due to drinking excessive amounts of liquid, assuming that you were drinking lots to try and clear the infection. Were you put on a drip?  About twelve years ago I was admitted into hospital with exactly the same symptoms you mentioned. My sodium levels were 116.  The low sodium cut-off point is 133.   I was almost hallucinating.  I couldn't complete a sentence without forgetting what I was saying.  I was actually talking garbage.  It was terrifying. And all because I was drinking excessive amounts of water due to a urine infection (I was drinking over 4 L a day). I was in effect flushing all my electrolytes out of my body.  They put me on a sodium drip.  Within four or five hours I was back to normal. Low sodium levels can be very dangerous. It causes the brain to swell.  If not treated urgently you could die. I can't add any more thoughts to your post, Karen, except to say that I hope you get on top of these infections and find the source of the problem. All the best to you.

Karen67, if your bacteria was e-coli (common for paralyzed women wearing protective gear, allowing contamination from back to front), you might want to try prophylactic use of D-mannose. There is easy access to info on internet, and it does not affect serum blood sugar level or interact with other meds. Although I do not cath, I had almost continual UTIs after becoming paralyzed. Being treated repeatedly with one of the few antibiotics I can tolerate risked its losing effectiveness, and escalating infection. My UTIs were e-coli, with one exception (which required antibiotic). Using D-mannose, I have not had a UTI for 4 years. If I suspect I may be developing one, I take more frequent dosing until symptoms disappear and then a week longer to be sure. My protocol is 1/2 t. morning and night, daily for prevention; 1/2 t. every 3 hours to treat active infection. D-mannose attracts and carries e-coli bacteria out of bladder if you drink plenty to flush. It is commonly used by paralyzed people for this purpose.  What I use is here: smile.amazon.com/gp/product/B07C8LPBMH.

“Autonomic dysreflexia (AD) is a potentially life-threatening medical emergency that affects people with spinal cord injuries at the T6 level or higher. Although rare, some people with T7 and T8 injuries can develop AD.”
www.christopherreeve.org/living-with-paralysis/health/secondary-conditions/autonomic-dysreflexia

“Autonomic dysreflexia (AD), also previously known as autonomic hyperreflexia or mass reflex,[1] is a potential medical emergency classically characterized by uncontrolled hypertension and bradycardia, although tachycardia is known to commonly occur.[2][3] AD occurs most often in individuals with spinal cord injuries with lesions at or above the T6 spinal cord level, although it has been reported in patients with lesions as low as T10.”
en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Autonomic_dysreflexia

I’m adding these excerpts because I am T9 and yet I had several episodes of AD. It only happened a few times, for which I am very grateful.