UTI in older people

[CathyA]

I guess I'm an "older people", but I don't feel like it.

I think I've been struggling with diverticulosis, on top of IBS for several months. I have a bunch of things to do this week, then I might call the GI doc. I've been having pain in 2 places on my left side. It helps to be careful of what I eat. But lately, I've started being tired, having headaches, feeling hypoglycemic if I don't eat on time, pain in lower left and right sides, etc. Last night I woke up to horrible burning/cramping in my lower abdomen. Then I realized that I've probably been dealing with a UTI, on top of the other problems. I don't have a fever. I really don't think its turned into diverticulitis.

I've had IBS for about 15 years, so I'm used to alot of various GI pains that come and go.
I'm taking a 3 day course of Septra.

But the more I read, the more I'm learning that as we age, the symptoms of a UTI aren't as obvious as in a younger person. In much older people, it can actually make them crazy. Hmmm.....come to think of it, I've been a bit crazy too!
How about the rest of you "older" folks. What were your symptoms when you had a UTI? I think I've only had about 3 in my entire life, fortunately.

[libby]

Having to go to the bathroom frequently and pain when voiding are symptoms I have had. UTI's are no fun at all.

[Anne Lee]

My husband's grandmother would get them. She didn't run a fever but became very disoriented. I had one this past weekend. No fever here but I felt weak as a kitten. I did get on meds right away but they weren't the right kind so they did nothing for me. Apparently, I have atypical bacteria. (!!)

[artist]

I havn't had many UTI's So I can't say.

One thing though. Cinnamon can balance your metabolism and reduce the hypglycemic feeling you are getting. Dh was horrible to the point of passing out and then a nurse suggested he put a Tsp or two of cinnamon on his breakfast toast, oatmeal etc.. That's all it took. He no longer feels on the verge of passing out if he doesn't eat on time. Took a couple of weeks to feel the difference, but it was well worth it.

[Gina]

So.... what's a UTI?

Un Temporate Intestines? Ugly Temple Intrusions? Uncovered Toes International?

[JaneV2.0]

An elderly acquaintance is just getting over one, including sepsis and a fairly long hospital stay. Dehydration and confusion were part of the mix.

If you're prescribed one of the quinolones (like Cipro) it will probably go downhill from there. JMO.

[herbgeek]

Gina: urinary tract infection.

[Gina]

Thanks. I am one of the many who is not good with acronyms. Until I see what they stand for, lol.

[Miss Cellane]

The only UTI I've had, that I know about, ended in a kidney infection. I had no symptoms of the UTI at all, no fever that I could tell, no pain, nothing. Nothing until I got really sick and took myself to the doctor's, where they figured out it was a kidney infection and then started yelling at me that I should have come in at the first signs of the UTI. Which I never had. That was not a fun conversation at all.

Just a side note: in the elderly, any kind of infection can have "dementia" show up as a symptom. My dad had surgery for a broken hip at 79, and it got infected. The only symptom was that he appeared to develop Alzheimer's over night. I had more than one battle with doctors in the hospital over that. They kept, "There, thereing" me, "the family is the last to see the changes." It wasn't until I lost it completely and yelled at one poor doctor that four days ago, Dad had been discussing the upcoming presidential election, doing crossword puzzles and planning how to add a ramp onto his house and if Alzheimer's could develop that fast and that severely in four days, she had an excellent subject for a medical journal article, that anyone listened to me and got him the help he needed. It took a neurologist less than 15 minutes the next morning to completely rule out any kind of dementia.

[CathyA]

Thanks everyone,
I find it really interesting that in the elderly, it manifests has dementia. I wonder why?
I think people/docs get into the habit of thinking that everyone is the same in their symptoms of things, and that's just not true.
I'm on my second day of Septra and its giving me a headache. Antibiotics always make me feel horrible. I have so many pains going on (fibromyalgia), its hard to know what I should pay attention to and what I should ignore. The pain feels like its in my ovaries, but they are dried and shriveled up. So I'm thinking it might be the bladder/ureters that are hurting.
We'll see if the Septra makes it all go away.
Thanks for your input!

I wonder if you can buy cinnamon capsules? I could probably make them myself. I am on a beta blocker and its totally gotten rid of my feelings of hypoglycemia. But last week, it all came back. I'm thinking it might be the UTI.

[Anne Lee]

The thing is, I know a couple of people who work with the elderly, one is a recreation specialist at a nursing home, the other a nurse, and they BOTH knew that sudden onset dementia is a sign of infection. In fact, the recreation specialist usually can tell before the health professionals.

I would suggest that as you age or if you have a senior citizen you care for that you make sure your medical people understand geriatrics. A 5 year old is not a 15 year old who is not a 30 year old who is not 60 year old who is not an 80 year old.

[Wildflower]

My MIL's dementia becomes very severe when she has an UTI. We always know to have her checked for that first when she is "acting up". :(

[CathyA]

I wonder what the actual mechanism is for the "craziness" with it? I'll have to google that!
Fortunately, they were very aware of this connection when my elderly mother went into the nursing home. Unfortunately, she had dementia, even when she didn't have a UTI.