Jan 1, 2018
Hi Tracy
As I explained, two days ago I had another UTI. It came on about 2 p.m. when I was at a phone store, trying to have technical support connect a new phone with my existing phone number. I had just urinated before going there -- yielding up a small amount -- and already it was time to urinate again. And after a few minutes, when the phone assignment had been completed, I had a need to urinate yet again; only this time there was an off color in the liquid -- a trace of pink.
I knew what that meant. I drove straight home, peed again, and first saw blood, and then clots in the urine stream. I went to urgent care, where I passed a small specimen because I really didn't have much in my bladder. (I stopped hydrating so that I could be dry at my next destination.) I met with a doctor and asked why I was having recurrent problems. She offered the observation that there's a distinct possibility that the microbes causing the problem come from outside the body and work their way up the urinary tract. Recommended treatment -- plenty of flushing activity, attention to bathing regularly and perhaps (my opinion) changing underwear more than once a day.
When I got home I drank water every time I urinated, and tried to pee before I had to. By midnight the urine was clear. I had already started on antibiotics.
However, although the urine was clear, sometimes the urge can accelerate rapidly from a mild sensation of need to an accident. And so I continued the practice of hydrating, but peeing before I even feel the need. In other words, stay ahead of the process.
What I'm finding is that it's also a policy of staying ahead of Dr. Pavlov. The moment I enter a bathroom the urgency accelerates, or in cases where there was no perceived need, an urgency emerges. So, yes, if you were wondering, I keep pads handy while this temporary aggravation exists, and I have been known to wear diapers -- but manly diapers, the kind that remain undetected beneath my trousers.
It has been a full nine months since my last radiation treatment and my second (and last) lupron shot, and the after effects are still being felt. The good news is that, while this effect is aggravating, it is manageable.
Love,
Dad
