UTI three times in a row?

I'm surprised they didnt try Bactrim first. E. Coli lives in your digestive tract and is a very common cause of UTI. Many people are very surprised by this. Be sure when you wipe, after using the toilet, that you are wiping front to back so you are not "dragging" any E. Coli bacteria from around the rectal area to the urethra. It is a good idea to wash the rectal area with soap and water after having a bowel movement to reduce bacteria in the area that can migrate to the area of the urethra. Always, always urinate after sexual activity. Intercourse can carry bacteria and drive it up into the urethra (the urinary opening) and if it sits for a period of time it will set up shop and give you a raging UTI. Urinating helps to flush that bacteria out. It helps to drink a glass of water prior to sexual activity so you can go afterwards.

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I have learned a great many things about preventing UTI's since I usually manage to get one at least twice to four times a year since I was 2 years old. I've learned a lot of tricks on how to prevent them. They are terribly painful! I answered a post a few weeks back for another question about UTI's and went into more detail. You might look back to see if you can find it. Be sure to stay well hydrated. The longer that urine sits in the bladder the easier for you to get a UTI. Never wait long times to urinate! Dont hold it-go right away when you feel the urge. Holding your urine long periods of time can contribute to UTI's. Drink plenty of fluids so you go often and keep the urine dilute.

Bactrim (a.k.a. Septra) isn't *just* a sulfa drug; it's actually a combo of 2 antibiotics: trimethoprim & sulfamethoxazole. Only the latter is a sulfa drug. Patti is correct, tho, that many folks are allergic to sulfas. Fortunately, I'm not. I also did not get a yeast infection while on Bactrim for my UTI. And the Bactrim cleared up the infection fast.

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However, I was in the minority in that I got constipation instead of diarrhea. In fact, I had SEVERE constipation -- no bowel movements for 4-5 days!! :( Normally I go once each day so this was very abnormal. And this was despite me drinking tons of water, taking a high-quality probiotic supplement, increasing my dietary fiber and increasing my exercise. It was literally like my small & large intestines had SHUT down. Very scary!! I ultimately started showing signs of toxicity build-up & even my doctor said I better stop the Bactrim. I'd actually been on it 7 days; I had a BM about 2 days into the prescription but even that one was difficult. And then after that, everything basically stopped. In the course of my life, I've (fortunately only rarely) taken antibios in the penicillin group and in the cycline group (i.e. doxycycline) and never had anything like this happen. I was fine w/ them. Not sure why I had such a freakish side effect from Bactrim, but this was the first & LAST time I ever plan to take it!! It is *not* a benign, garden-variety antibiotic! :(

That being said, I do have to admit (as I wrote above) that the Bactrim worked very fast & very well in taking care of my UTI. If you try it, I hope it works as well for you as it did for me, but I hope it does *not* cause you the problem it caused me!
Cheers,
Shari in California :)