how can i drink more water??

[PenelopePitstop]

hi ya,

i have an on going problem with urinary tract infections, i literally get them all the time. i have been to see a specialist about it twice over the last 5 yrs and it is just one of those things that women suffer with!! some more than others. At one point i was getting one every couple of months!! which means i'm more or less always taking antibiotics.
i do all the preventative tasks given to me....except one! i find it so hard to drink! i just don't feel thirsty and too much water makes me feel sick! i've also been diagnosed with IBS and that will also be better if i drink more!!

i know your probably thinking just drink but i find it so hard!! anyone have any tips on how to get more fluids in!?!?

i've been in the office for 3 hours and i've drank half a glass :Scared:

any help would be great.

xxxx

 

[*Gemma*]

Have you tried the flavoured waters? They are quite nice if it's the taste you don't like.

 

[pmason]

I hate just drinking plain water as well, I don't think it does any harm to put a small amount of no-sugar squash in with it if that's going to help you drink the required amount. It's better than not drinking at all!

 

[Urban Geek]

I dilute either fresh orange or apple juice with water, using just a small amount of the juice, and this helps me intake more water. HTH:hug:

 

[BABSann]

hi ya,

i have an on going problem with urinary tract infections, i literally get them all the time. i have been to see a specialist about it twice over the last 5 yrs and it is just one of those things that women suffer with!! some more than others. At one point i was getting one every couple of months!! which means i'm more or less always taking antibiotics.
i do all the preventative tasks given to me....except one! i find it so hard to drink! i just don't feel thirsty and too much water makes me feel sick! i've also been diagnosed with IBS and that will also be better if i drink more!!

i know your probably thinking just drink but i find it so hard!! anyone have any tips on how to get more fluids in!?!?

i've been in the office for 3 hours and i've drank half a glass :Scared:

any help would be great.

xxxx

I suffer very badly with both the same problems, its an absolute nightmare. I dont particularly like water on its own either but what I now do is have some boiled water in a mug and add a slice of lemon, it's much nicer and a natural detoxifyer. I still dont drink anywhere near as much as what I know I should but bit better than what I was drinking. I also drink natural teas which are good for you, hope this helps a bit.xx

 

[Becky120881]

I really hate water also and have had cystitis that many times, I also only drink about two drinks a day and end up with headache most days because of dehydration.

I would put some squash in your water to make it taste better and cranberry juice is very good for urnary infections.

I think very cold water tastes better and put a slice of lemon or lime in it.

If you don't think about having to try and drink lots of water it helps, I think sometimes it's all in the mind, if you try and have a glass of water as soon as you get up, at lunch time and at night at least you are upping your water intake abit more.

I hope this helps

 

[looby4444]

hi ya,

i have an on going problem with urinary tract infections, i literally get them all the time. i have been to see a specialist about it twice over the last 5 yrs and it is just one of those things that women suffer with!! some more than others. At one point i was getting one every couple of months!! which means i'm more or less always taking antibiotics.
i do all the preventative tasks given to me....except one! i find it so hard to drink! i just don't feel thirsty and too much water makes me feel sick! i've also been diagnosed with IBS and that will also be better if i drink more!!

i know your probably thinking just drink but i find it so hard!! anyone have any tips on how to get more fluids in!?!?

i've been in the office for 3 hours and i've drank half a glass :Scared:

any help would be great.

xxxx

I can totally level with you as i have has cystitus chronis for nearly 2 years now.

at one time i was literally taking antibotics then finishing then then going back within i week for some more. it was horrendous. to make matters worse they tablets give me thrush as well. it came to a point where me and my fella didnt dare go near each other as sex always made it worse.

anyway to cut a long story short. i was on 6 months of nitrofurantion. i came off them and once again it came back. i was distraught. so i asked for a repeat of them for 3 months just to lead a normal life and came off them and ive been all clear for 6weeks!!!!

it feels wierd and im really funny about have sex now just in case it comes back but im just really careful...i know shower (my bits!) afterwrds and drink plenty to flush any bacteria out.

its sounds gross and it can be a really chore and turn off, but its way better than any pain.

its nice to read this though as i thought i was just a freak, so if you ever need a chat you know where i am, it can be horrible facing it all alone.

hth

lou x

 

[naturalnails]

I have always been a huge water drinker - I drink at least 4 pints per day - I have never (touch wood) had any "wee" problems. And the benefit to your skin is amazing LOL.

Try all or some of the above to find something that helps. Another thing to try particulary in the summer is to make some ice pops with sugar free squash.

 

[nailsbydesign]

Hot or warm drinks are easier to drink as they dont seem to make the stomach feel heavy after drinking them like cold drinks do. Also what I do is have a bottle of water with a pull up drinking spout (like sports drink bottles have) with me at all times and take a mouthful about every 10-15 minutes or so ...you will be surprised just how much you drink that way. You will start to pee like mad to start with if you increase your fluid intake but the body soon adjusts to it. It is also good for your skin to drink more so look on it as a beauty routine!!

 

[River]

I thought I was the only one !!

I also suffered from chronic UTI, and was on antibiotics for pretty much 5 years of my life. I went to go see a specialist and this is what was recommended.

* Drink lots of water (add a bit of dilute drink, or non-sweetend flavoured water, or boiled water with lemon as mentioned before)

* Drink Cranberry juice and Cranberry tablets daily.

* Cut out all caffeine (coffee, tea, pop etc). You can drink the decafinated varieties.

* Wipe yourself clean from "front to back" as doing it the other way round can spread germs from the "back" to the front into the urethra.

* After "having some fun" you can rinse yourself with a mild solution of Bicarb of Soda as this helps clean the area and kill the germs.

* If you get really frisky, make sure that nothing can spread from the back to the front.

* Use condoms.

* Don't wear tight clothing that cause friction or tights. Always wear cotton undies.

* Don't use scented soaps / shower gels to clean your femine parts. Use a product called FemFresh or Lactacyd Femina instead. You can order a free sample from here. I use both these products and they are really good.

http://www.lactacydfemina.co.uk/g.htm

* Don't use bubblebath or lie down in a bath for long as water travels up the urethra causing problems.


Since I've started doing all of the above, I haven't had a ITI for almost 4 years now !!!!! (TOUCH WOOD).


River

 

[* Helen *]

I cannot drink water or cold drinks either and I hate fizzy pop. The only thing I drink all day is tea and I only usually go to the loo 2 or 3 times a day! I didnt know that lack of fluid could cause headaches and Im a big sufferer, might try cranberry juice ... thanks geeks :wink2:

 

[PenelopePitstop]

all your replys have been great! it's nice to know i'm not the only one!
i'm trying the boiled water with lemon as we speak as i've just had some pancakes so had the left over lemon!

i was given all the same advice. the main one i find is make sure you go for a wee after sex as well as washing as it fushes any nasties that might of travelled! i use sanex shower gel and that seems good althouigh i will get a sample of the femfresh and try that too.

it's not that i don't like the taste of water, there's nothing nicer than a glass of ice cold water, it's the volume of the fluid i have to drink....ergh makes me feel like it's going to spill back out! but i suppose little and often is the answer!

xx

 

[River]

i use sanex shower gel and that seems good althouigh i will get a sample of the femfresh and try that too.

xx

Hi Pen,

Yes, I forgot to mention that. Having a wee before and after sex will help flush out any bugs.

The other thing to consider is this: One of the reasons why I got constant UTI was because the mouth of my cervix was eroded. This was due to the fact that I was on Depo so long and my estrogen levels were non existant causing the cervix to erode. I went on a 2 month estrogen replacement course to heal some of the damage and this helped a lot !

I also forgot to clarify, when using condoms, try to use ones that don't contain spermicide as this could also trigger UTI's.

Sanex is a good shower gel, but you should still not use it down there or any other scented product for that matter as it can irritate the area.

Something else you could try is for every cup of coffee / tea you have, have a glass of water with it. That is what I do and my colleague in the office knows that she's not allowed to make me a drink before I've had a glass of water !!


River

 

[fificharlie]

I too am a major sufferer!!!
I was told by my doctor to not use anything 'down there' that you would not put in your mouth, stay away from scented bubble bath / shower gel, coloured toilet paper, wear cotton undies, and heat can help an attack, keep your lower back warm, hot water bottle!!!
Have you tried Cymalon? I find this is very good, as it lowers the acidic PH of your wee wee, so it makes the burning sensation go.
It really is down to drinking little and often, barley and peach are also very good to add to water for urinary infections. - Every time you go to the loo, no matter how painful, try and empty your bladder completely. Sit on the loo for a couple of mins after youve finished, and try to go again, you might find that a little more comes out and that eases the pain.

Its such an awful pain, I really do know how you feel, paracetamol can also help.

xx

 

[Fingertips ND]

Hi Pen,

Yes, I forgot to mention that. Having a wee before and after sex will help flush out any bugs.

The other thing to consider is this: One of the reasons why I got constant UTI was because the mouth of my cervix was eroded. This was due to the fact that I was on Depo so long and my estrogen levels were non existant causing the cervix to erode. I went on a 2 month estrogen replacement course to heal some of the damage and this helped a lot !

I also forgot to clarify, when using condoms, try to use ones that don't contain spermicide as this could also trigger UTI's.

Sanex is a good shower gel, but you should still not use it down there or any other scented product for that matter as it can irritate the area.

Something else you could try is for every cup of coffee / tea you have, have a glass of water with it. That is what I do and my colleague in the office knows that she's not allowed to make me a drink before I've had a glass of water !!


River

Just a quick question: how did you know your cervix had eroded?

 

[PenelopePitstop]

it's funny i don't get the pain when i pee, i do get it just at the end when i'm about to stop (sorry that's probably to much info) The way i know i have it when i feel nauseas all the time, headache and i get stabbing pains in my lower back (kidney pains) and i have the feel like i need to wee all the time but can't (cystitis). they really are the nastiest things and knock you out for about a week!

i've had it once where it felt like i had a knife through me and also where i have been in bed not being able to move my legs....scary!!!

you'd laugh if you saw me at work i have a bottle of spring water, a hot cranberry juice/water and a hot lemon/water...i think i'm going to explode but have already doubled my toilet tripd of a whole day!

xxx

 

[laneypants]

i seem to drink more water if i have it in a squeezy bottle out of the fridge-seems to taste better..? i also like robinsons strawberry and kiwi with barley (someone mentioned that barley helps) and i think its ocean spray do an orange and cranberry juice in the fridge section at the supermarket which i water down about half and half and thats lovely too. (also goes well with vodka!)

 

[River]

Just a quick question: how did you know your cervix had eroded?

Hi Vicki,

We do discuss the most bizarre things on this site, but as we are all friends .... :o

I had to go to a specialist who gave me an internal examination (almost like a smear) to find out if this was a problem and might be causing the recurring infections.

Apparently, this is one of the side effects of Depo, especially if you are on it long term.


River

 

[pippadoodle]

I hate drinking water also. When my son used to swim he had to follow the pee test...if your urnine is dark you are dehydrated, if it is clear you are ok. Try taking a cup of hot water with lemon in to bed with you and when you wake in the night or first thing in the morning drink it. Good for flushing out toxins..xx

 

[Buggy]

i suffer from this also.. i'm queen of water infections (well actually princess, my mom is queen).. (haven't read all the replies so if i repeat anything sorry in advance. )

Firstly, best ever advice is:

go to the loo after sex. sex is the most common cause of water infections, as bacteria enters the urethra (spelling??...your wee tube) and travels back to the bladder. if you go to the loo after sex (don't worry if you've been before, you'll still have some wee left!) it flushes out the bacteria. it doesn't happen to men as much because their urethra is not as short as ours (their's is as long as their willy and then some, and ours is only 3 or 4 cm so not as far for the bacteria to travel).

other than that...
can't stand water either so i drink squash. i take a bottle of lemon or orange or blackcurrant squash to work and use that to put in the water. lemon is particularly good at detering water infections (also you can do the lemon and blackcurrant hot! but beware huge amounts of blackcurrant rots your teeth!).

basically, you don't have to drink pure water to deter a water infection as long as you drink lots of squash or other fluid. The key to deterring a water infection is to get lots of fluid passing through your body. that means not only drinking a lot, but weeing a lot! go to the loo at least once an hour, to keep the fluid flushing through your bladder.

water infections occur when you urine in the bladder goes stagnant. when you're on the loo, once you've finished weeing, wait a few seconds and you may find a bit more comes out. this is a good thing to try because otherwise that little end bit stays in your bladder like a little dirty puddle. my mom suffers as well, as her bladder lies at an angle where there is always a little bit left inside (creating the dirty puddle!) and i suspect i've inherited this little problem too, which is apparently very common. so always wait for that last little drop! and drink loads to keep the puddle diluted. and wee loads to keep flushing it. weeing more during the day will strengthen your bladder and make it more efficient. (holding wee in stretches and weakens the bladder walls)

the things to avoid like the plague are anything with caffiene (tea, coffee or coke/pepsi) and if you like cranberry juice this is good at deterring water infections as it stops bacteria clinging to the bladder wall but, contrary to popular belief, it doesn't cure it. Barley water cures it (the proper stuff, not Robinson's barley squash).

another thing i've found is Boots do healthy water works tablets which help also (can't remember what they are called).

if you get the water infection, s*d the chemist, go straight to the doctor. the chemist only sell things for cystitus, which in fact is the medical name for the symptoms of a water infection (burning and bursting for the loo sensation etc) but they don't actually cure the infection, they just rely on the body being able to fight it while it numbs the pain. its best to get anti-biotics to cure it as you could end up with a kidney infection if the infection moves back along the tubes to the kidneys. i've had this, and believe me its not funny! i considered calling an ambulance because i was in so much pain i thought my kidneys had ruptured.