Recurring UTI treatment?

Being incontinent causes UTI's. sitting in urine for any length of time breeds bacteria. Talk with the doctor. Call the clinic and see if they have a medical release form so that you can call and the doctor can call you. You can discuss this issue, she is probably embarrassed and hasn't mentioned it. I know that my grandmother doesn't tell the dr everything. I have to go to her appointments, and my gramma gets SOOO mad at me when I tell her "secrets". lol

The pullups are something she could wear all day and if she gets the light absorbancy for day wear, they are not noticeable under regular clothing. I would get the maximum protection ones for at night. I think they would be more comfortable than a pad and she won't need to be using her own undies.
The cheaper brands are good enough during the day as she doesn't have memory issues. But if she wets a lot during the night, a better "brand" is the way to go.
Our moms are old school and would rather not deal with this issue in the open, but I sure would wear a pull up if I needed it! beats wetting my pants in public or waking up in a wet bed!!!
Got to love it! Does she have a close friend that you could talk to that can maybe help with the problem? How about a relative she relies on? It must be so hard for you to deal with this long distance.

Oh and heck yeah she's cognizant, crazy like a fox.

Hi Deefer, so do you think the Poise things don't provide that much coverage compared to the pull-ups? I am long-distance so I can't check things out in person or go with her to the store unfortunately. I like your ideas though and will experiment bringing this up with her - I know that it upsets and embarrasses her to have these problems. I have strongly encouraged her to get the incontinence evaluated at least once by a doctor, but she refuses. Of course. She told me today she is "thinking" about going to back to the doctor to get some antibiotics but even now she's putting up resistance. She has to be in acute pain with an issue before she'll go unless it's a scheduled check-up. Sometimes I imagine that if I were local to her everything would be fine, but then I think she would be just as stubborn and ignore everything I say even if I were right there next to her. Sigh. Just depressed about it all tonight. Thanks again - tomorrow is a new day and I won't give up.

Fairydust, if she is cognizant then I would say yes, she probably avoids drinking too much so that she won't wet in bed at night. It doesn't matter what she drinks, even soups and watery fruits are good for hydration.
Also when she is treated for a UTI, she should be going back to her doctor for a "repeat urine" a week to 10 days after she is done with the antibiotic. It could be she has taken it so much recently, that it's not working for her anymore. Also, if she is a sweets eater, that could be part of her problem. Bacteria feeds on sugar, so when you have a UTI, sugar should be avoid when possible.
Talk to her about getting some "pullups" underwear for at night. They come in different absorbance levels "light", "moderate", "maximum", etc. Mom wears these with a pad for added protection, during the day, and heavy duty diapers at night. She can also get those disposable bed pads in the same section of the store, to keep the bed dry.
If your mom knows they will keep her dry, she may drink more when she wears them. She may be a bit resistant at first, but knowing she is protected from embarrassing accidents may change her mind. If it's possible, maybe you could make the trip and go with her to shop for these things to make sure she gets the right products. Sometimes it helps to have someone there.

Oh more thoughts, she has had problems with incontinence especially at night and wears some kind pad, I think Poise? Perhaps she is drinking less to try to avoid incidents?

Thanks Imma, I hope the special cup works! I definitely need to investigate - I suspect my mother drinks very little straight water - mostly tea and soda drinks.

Thanks for the ideas too Deefer, do you ever have to worry about your mother getting diarrhea from the continuous antibiotic? Esp in your mother's case I can see why you wouldn't want to take any chances with a uti getting started. My mother technically doesn't have dementia but more and more she is forgetting things and showing some problems with logic, sadly I don't think it's far away.

Fairydust, My Mom gets them all the time and suffers from late stage dementia, so can't tell me when she has one. She acts crazy for about a week when I suddenly realize what is happening. She is on 50mgs of Macrodantin, an antibiotic, that she takes every night as a maintenance medication. This seems to help keep them at bay for longer periods of time. Imma is absolutely right about elders not drinking enough. Most have incontinence issues do to health problems or medications they are taking. This is a major factor in their drinking habits! Also hygiene can be an issue. Does your mom have signs of dementia? If not, she could ask her doctor about taking a low dose maintenance antibiotic daily and this might help.

I bought my mom one of those fancy insulated plastic cups with the built on straw and told her it was her water cup! Hopefully she'll see the cup as a reminder.

Thanks Imma897, yes I can sure do that - I'll tell her I read it somewhere! I truly don't know how much she drinks - I know she does take a diuretic because she tends to accumulate fluid so I'm not sure how that all affects the bladder in the end.

I talked with a woman recently who works in an assisted living facility who told me that UTI's are very common with seniors because they dont drink enough water on a daily basis. Is there a way you can remind your mom to drink more water every day?