Oh I'm so sorry, I know what that is like. Worst. Ever. Luckily for me, the usual remedies worked for me. Have you had your pap swabs examined for e coli?
I've read that E. Coli is common in low concentrations in the vagina, but perhaps you have a bit of an imbalance and maybe the treatment you've received thus far has targeted the bladder??? You know things can get so messy during intercourse, perhaps if you're out of balance it's easier for those little bastards to make their way to your UTI?? It's a complete hypothesis, it's just the first thing that came to mind when you said E. Coli. I'm not that kind of scientist though, and have only used E. Coli once in an experiment.
Best of luck to you!!! I hope you find a solution, I know how terrible these things are!!
I've been there. It's awful. I tried everything (cranberry..etc) and they stopped completely once I found a new partner who was of a more 'normal' size.
I'm assuming you've tried/checked all the usual: pure cranberry, yogurt(in and out), vinegar, baking soda, condoms (latex, polyurathane)lube (water, silicone), allergies to detergent or soap
And you've also switched boyfriends.
Have you tried removing acts/positions from the menu, and reintroducing them individually? The infection usually occurs only when there's a specific cause of bruising/irritation. Maybe your problem is only with one particular position. (although it's possible that it's a favorite given the chronic nature)
You mentioned a couple of times that you drink heaps of water - is it possible that you are actually overdoing the water ?
Your comment reminded me - I was drinking a lot of water 'with gas' as well, and am also cautious now about drinking too much 'mineral' water...because that also seemed to make it worse...probably changing the balance of the salt or acidity of the urine...
Another tip I remember from my GP when I was suffering was to make sure you position yourself on the loo so you can evacuate the bladder most effectively. She recommended that I supported my feet on two or three phone books as a sort of step, which then allows the bladder to empty more fully, eliminating more of the bacteria which can cause a flare up.
I really hope we're not heading to a place where it is suggested that women should stand to pee (especially after 10.00pm) ...... now that would really be ironic.
Fair enough! I didn't either at the time but noticed after we split and I had a new partner, I never got one again. This was ten+ years ago and I still don't get them.
One other thing I also just remembered is the estrogen factor. Have you noticed the infections tend to occur around a specific time(s) in your menstrual cycle? This was another issue for me and it's also why you see menopausal/post-menopausal women having a higher incidence of infections (estrogen is protective). It could be that avoiding sex just at certain times can help.
Good luck. I feel bad for you as it's so frustrating to deal with. Let us know if anything works.
Hope it is still on time - you might also want to ask your doctor whether there is any medication to help you stimulate your immune system to prevent having all these repeated infections.
One more thing, but if you are by any chance vegan/vegetarian it might help to start eating meat. But I realize that you might not be comfortable with that.
If you have been regularly taking antibiotics it's reasonable to assume that the bacteria in your digestive system is unbalanced.
If you take a course of pro-biotics (ask at the chemist), this should help to re-dress the imbalance of bacteria in the intestines and maybe eat up some of the excessive e-coli bacteria. It is always wise to take a probiotic after a course of antibiotics.
A good plant medicine for the bladder and kidneys is solidago or goldrute - taken in the form of tea.
Why the groan Tari? Is the above offensive? PLEASE explain!
Continuing on this adult subject... and hoping not to offend Tari...
We tried washing thoroughly before sex, but it didn't stop the infections. We used female contraceptives, which didn't stop the infections, but it proved I was not infecting her. http://www.dooyoo.co.uk/personal-hyg...ondom/reviews/
We went to a specialist who explained that the normal intercourse sexual act moves the contamination around, and pushes it into the urethra. He gave us a one-time anti-biotic you take after sex, but that didn't stop the Urinary Tract Infection as it returned. So no sex = no infection.
But we weren't convinced, as we had been very thorough with the washing before sexual intercourse, always lay on a clean towel etc. always took the anti-biotic afterwards, always had a good pee too.
As you all know, the mouth has a large number of good and bad bacteria, and when you apply these to the vagina / urethra (The two are very close to each other!) the bacteria are in the wrong place and cause havoc. We then abstained from oral sex and she has been 4 months now without an infection. We also use the one time anti-biotic after sex, just to be safe!
Give it a try, oral sex abstention might work, it did for us.
My clients with UTIs have experienced good results with D-Mannose in a pure and natural form, and high-strength probiotics. Once the infection has cleared, a low maintenance dose of D-Mannose is recommended.
I am sure you can find D-Mannose at a pharmacy or health shop here, I use a brand from the US.