Can Diaper Wearing Give You Utis

[Pollyanna Fleshman]

I am asking this since I do seem to get them pretty often. I've been this way as long as I can remember. I asked about it, and a nurse told me that diaper wearers get more UTIs often than their counterparts, those not wearing. So, I was wondering what you guys knew. Is this nurse right? Of course, if she is, there is not much I can do since I NEED diapers. But, I just wanted to know.

[uknappyman]

Just my two pence worth on this topic!

I have previously had both and Indwelling urinary catheter and also a Suprapubic one. Regardless of how it was inserted I always developed a UTI. This includes the time I had my second Suprapubic catheter put in during a 'Surgical' procedure in an Operating theatre! So it is safe to say that it was definitely 'Sterile'!

I finally gave up on the whole catheter option and am quite happily using Nappies (Diapers) for over 2 years now without a single Infection!

This is very interesting as I have no longer got a 'Normal' Immune system as this has been reduced to almost zero by medication I now take!

I think that the risks of getting a UTI from Nappies (Diapers) is very low for men and a little higher for women as their urinary tract is do much shorter.

But I am not a doctor!

Best wishes,

UKNappyman

[PhilDL]

I brought this up a few months ago when I suffered 2 UTI's within 6 weeks.

I wear diapers every night and other absorbent padding during the day. The consensus at that time was that they don't cause UTI's. I was going to ask my Urologist but he was a foreigner and the questions were going so fast that I decided not to tell him about wearing diapers.

I haven't had another UTI in 2 months! I started to take cranberry and Saw Palmetto pills everyday along with the Dr. giving a script for Flomax which I will stop this weekend. If I do get another UTI my only option will be to stop diapers until I get another UTI, I would need to rule diapers out. I hope I don't have to do this since I trained myself to wet at night, I'll have to go cold turkey and start toilet training ASAP!

Phil

I am asking this since I do seem to get them pretty often. I've been this way as long as I can remember. I asked about it, and a nurse told me that diaper wearers get more UTIs often than their counterparts, those not wearing. So, I was wondering what you guys knew. Is this nurse right? Of course, if she is, there is not much I can do since I NEED diapers. But, I just wanted to know.

[Pollyanna Fleshman]

Wow! Thanks so much to all of you who have taken the time to answer my questions. I appreciate it.

Also, to UK Nappyman, welcome to the board. I feel honored that your first post was in my thread. How cool! I hope you like it here.

Phil, if the cranberry and the pills are working for you, I'd suggest you stick with them, especially since you have trained yourself to wet. Trying to undo that training could be tough and even disasterous. So, if it is working keep with the regimine. It will keep you healthy anyhow. Not to mention, why change things if they are working for you? I hope I've offered some help. Oh, and if you get another UTI, don't bother giving up the diapers. Just think of yourself as needing them and depending on them and that giving them up is not an option. After all, that is how it is for me. I can't be without them. Perhaps, taking that approach may help out? Let me know what happens.

[redneck diaper boy]

My daughter has a spinal injury and she has to us a catheter. She gets UTIs.

I have had only several UTIs in my life. One of them occured after being catheterized.

Antibiotics and cranbery juice seem to be the common remedy.

I am asking this since I do seem to get them pretty often. I've been this way as long as I can remember. I asked about it, and a nurse told me that diaper wearers get more UTIs often than their counterparts, those not wearing. So, I was wondering what you guys knew. Is this nurse right? Of course, if she is, there is not much I can do since I NEED diapers. But, I just wanted to know.

[Guest wayneo]

Answer yes...I have had many UTI's over the years of being incontinent, my urologist obviously suggested a cath which I did I got a realy bad bladder infection which caused me to sepsus?? after amost three weeks in hospital which I was diapered and not cathed I went back to diaper full time! I have not had a cath for any long periods of times since. My urologist then suggested shaving my pubic hair which i did and it really did cut down on my uti's maybe 1 to 2 a year now.. Much better than 12 to 15 a year...

[Dill_Pickle]

That's the same I was told when I was told I could either wear a cath or pads for my urge incon.

Apparently a catheter is the worst offender for UTI's and it is possible in diapers/pads.

Just because it's possible however, doesn't mean it's probable.

Thoughts to think:

1) Backpressure on the Urethra makes it more susceptible to UTIs. Low urine volume also makes you more susceptible to UTIs.

2) Wearing diapers might cause said backpressure, especially if you are sitting in an ordinary chair when you pee.

3) Gals (and I have no idea who is gal or guy) have much shorter urethras, so the external environment is much more likely to cause a UTI.

4) Cranberry juice works! Get the good stuff, (100% cranberry juice) from RW Knudsens at $4 to $6 per quart, in the health foods department, and drink it as sour as you can stand it. Bactrim is the standard antibiotic.

[Angela Bauer]

People who do not wear diapers or use catheters get UTI for any number of reasons.

I am 44, have worn diapers at night since I was 12 and 24/7 for over 23 years. I have not had UTI, probably because I pay attention to the advice of my urologist and other medical professionals. They suggest I eat a healthy diet, including cranberry juice. I change my diapers frequently, long before my diaper is soaked. The idea is to get away from stale urine before it turns to ammonia. I am careful to clean myself completely during every change. I use baby lotion and powder sparingly. I make sure to drink a recommended amount of water, to keep my kidneys healthy and prevent my urine from being concentrated.

The way I look at it, in the big picture the price of an extra diapers a day is small compared to the discomfort and risk of UTI, plus the cost of doctor visits and medication.

[babykeiff]

I am asking this since I do seem to get them pretty often. I've been this way as long as I can remember. I asked about it, and a nurse told me that diaper wearers get more UTIs often than their counterparts, those not wearing. So, I was wondering what you guys knew. Is this nurse right? Of course, if she is, there is not much I can do since I NEED diapers. But, I just wanted to know.

UTI ( Urinary tract infections) and diapers causing them is a myth. In simple terms, a UTI is a bacterial infection in your uretera. This part of your body has not got an active immune system working there, so the act of urinating will keep this sterile. Also, urine IS sterile. UTI are caused directly by something carrying bacteria into your urethra ie a catheter or something else. Good hygiene standards - cleaning the diaper area well after a wet OR soiled diaper, using rash cream (most dont prevent rashes, but they do kill bacteria which aids in the healing of rashes); well hydradated diet will all keep them to a minimum.

Females tend to get them more often than their male counterparts and this is usually due to the cross contamination of fecal mater onto the urinary tract. To avoid this, wipe from front to back. Usually, with a soiled diaper, one can use the wet part of the front of the diaper to clean up the bulk of mess.

Cranberry juice works to reduce/eliminate UTIs cause cranberries are a natural diuretic, and the more urine you produce, the more the urethra is washed out. Increasing the amount of liquid in your diet will eliminate their creation. - Drink more water.

[maxi]

I didn't think wearing a diaper could give you a UTI, until recently that is. I have changed my mind a bit about that because a couple of weeks ago I was unwell with some gastro bug, and I was changing my diapers more often than normal because of having the slight "runs". Once the gastro thing got better, a day or so later, I began developing a UTI. Eventually I had to go to the doctors for treatment because no home remedies seemed to work this time. I think it wasn't the peeing in the diaper that was the problem, but the mixture of that with perhaps a bit of fecal matter and maybe I didn't clean myself up when changing as well as I should. At 3 or 4 in the morning I was not thinking as straight as usual! And that I think caused the trouble.

A UTI is pretty nasty and can't be ignored. So I now tend to think although wearing a diaper does not actually CAUSE a UTI, it does provide the perfect warm clammy conditions for bugs/bacteria to multiply and then maybe find a nice route up into your bladder where there are no defences. I have not worn a diaper in almost a week now, which is the longest time I have gone without one for almost as long as I can remember, and I don't half miss one. Can't wait to get back to normal....but may be I will be less keen on staying in a wet diaper without changing it...well, for too long....just in case.

Think I also perhaps ought to try the cranberry juice, though I am told it is pretty sour.....yuck!

[uknappyman]

Just a quick note regarding the Cranberry Juice issue!

I personally cannot stand the taste of it at all but I know just how well it works to keep your Urine a very unwelcoming place for bacteria to live in.

To get the best of both worlds I simply take a Cranberry Capsule daily. You do not need to drink the juice and you still get all of the advantages!

Stay well,

UKNappyman

[DailyDi]

Love cranberry juice and always have it on hand. Try to drink it at least 2-3 times a week. Haven't had a UTI in 10 years

[maxi]

Glad to report my UTI has cleared up and I am back wearing diapers again! Didn't realise quite how much I would miss wearing one till this recent incident. Think I must be more diaper dependent than I thought!

I've also got cranberry juice as well, and must say the sort I got isn't too bad at all...quite refreshing even. I won't have any prob drinking a daily glass of it.