It’s been almost 12 days again.
Michael did get a cystoscopy and talked with a urologist on Monday the 6th. Yay! Thank you for your prayers. Apparently, the only concern is that Michael’s enlarged prostrate protrudes into his bladder, so a pool of urine remains in his bladder after urinating. The retained urine is a perfect storm for infection. There is a surgical remedy but Michael is not a candidate because of his liver disease and a weakened immune system. So, Michael’s only option is to self-catheterize 3-4 times a day to fully empty the bladder. The challenge is that using a catheter can introduce bacteria and raises the possibility of infection, only not as much as leaving a pool of urine undrained.
He had some energy last week after starting the new antibiotic. What energy he had was happily spent on setting up a drip system to water plants during the summer. Spring is here and flowers and bushes are bursting forth with lots of color! But then on Thursday and Friday of last week he was stuck to his chair and spiked a low fever. 99.1 F
We talked to his PC doctor on a Monday. She thought it would be good to have another urine test so she ordered one. This Wednesday he noticed more UTI symptoms and went in for a test. The preliminary results today are another bladder infection. Argh! They sent it out for a culture.
Michael says it is hard to not be discouraged. Bacteria in the bladder is normal and most people’s immune system handles it. I feel that all these antibiotics are making it hard for his body to fight off infections, that and/or his immune system is greatly compromised.
We are waiting to hear back from docs to see if there will be yet another antibiotic prescription. Michael is doubling up on probiotics, taking d-mannose regularly and drinking MORE water!
Prayer focus: An amazing, incomprehensibly effective immune system. And an optimally balanced gut with all kinds of extremely efficient good bacteria doing a wonderful job of digestion and fighting off the bad guys!
Michael posted a new story this week! Don’t forget to check it out.
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