Are there any kind of home tests to look for a UTI?

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Are there any kind of home tests to look for a UTI?

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Mom (91) gets UTI infections at least three times a year. Most of the time she says she has no symptoms but I can tell you that dizziness, weakness, falling and confusion are huge symptoms. She fell the other day and doesn't remember what happened. She said she had no symptoms of a UTI but test confirmed she did. She was a little dizzy the day before but it passed. The next day she fell. I was just wondering if there are any home test that mighte indicat she needs to see her doctor for confirmation?

Product Senior Health Urinary Tract Infection (UTI)

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Yes there are, if your drug store doesn't have them you can get them from Amazon.

https://www.amazon.com/uti-test-strips/s?k=uti+test+strips

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I'll check out the link. Thank you.

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Please Google "uti in elders". The symptoms that older folks get with UTIs are not the usual burning or frequency/urgency we experience when younger.

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Yes, she and I are finding this is true. That is why she says she has no symptoms when, in fact, she has the UTI.

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Azo makes a UTI test. A little difficult because you have to'pee' on the test strip.

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Actually the person can pee in a sterile container and dip the lab strip in the sample. Amazon calls the containers

Graduated Specimen Collector Pans [Pack of 1] Toilet Nursing Hat for Urine, Vomit & Stool Collect

and they fit under the toilet seat for an easy collection. Check in your area for a mobile lab company that will pick up the specimen.

Graduated Specimen Collector Pans [Pack of 1] Toilet Nursing Hat for Urine, Vomit & Stool Collect

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If she tests positive, is the doc still going to want to see her before prescribing anything? Will they let you come in for just a test? Sometimes a culture is needed to determine what type of infection it is.

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Yes, usually doc will want to do a Culture and Sensitivity if there is a positive urine test so that the correct antibiotic is prescribed, but the test strips are great for testing to see if that is indicated. Amazon sells many kinds. Azo is quite expensive and you can get many many strips cheaper from other companies. Qtest makes a bottle of 100 strips quite inexpensively.

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I love those hats. Moms urologist did not supply them and I told the nurse that I was not going into that tiny bathroom and trying to get Mom to pee in a cup. I have a hard time doing my own. We had to go to a lab one time for labs, they gave me a hat. They pee in it and then u pour it into the little jar.

What you need to do is try to prevent them. If Mom is not incontinent then switch her to cotton panties if using other material ones. Make sure she voids completely. By having her sit a little longer till she gets the urge again helps. Also leaning forward. That she is cleaning herself well, using wipes after a BM. Don't use soap near her urethra. My Mom was on a regiment of cranberry tablets and a probiotic daily. In the year before her death, she had not one UTI. Alva, an RN, swears by D-Mannose to prevent them. But the manufacture claims it may help clear one up.

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Thanks, JoAnn. I'll ask my mom's ARNP about the cranberry tablets, daily probiotic and D-Mannose.

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Good Morning,

How about a little cranberry juice in the morning. My mother had the same problem during the Pandemic, back-to-back, it was awful. I couldn't tell if it was the Dementia progressing or the UTI. After several bouts of antibiotics, when it cleared, you have to wait for their baseline to assess their behavior/symptoms.

Too many of the same antibiotics, after a while the elderly become immune to them; basically they are of no help. It's also important not to mix certain antibiotics with other meds.

Ocean Spray Cranberry Juice the regular kind works for my mother. The "pure" mother did NOT like. Drinking water daily, white "cotton" underwear briefs and not sitting for too long can all help to prevent a UTI.

When the elderly get a UTI, it's harder for them to fight off infection. It can wreak havoc on their system and can be mistaken for other diseases.

I hope I was of some help to you.

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Yes, you were a help. My Mom is 91 and, unfortunately sits most of the day. I'll mention this to her, though.

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Yes there are at home tests that my Mom’s doctor recommended I purchase to screen my Mom at home for uti’s after she was getting them consistently every few months. I purchased them from Amazon just a simple stick test kit. Then her dr gave me the sterile urine cups and bags. I would test at home first thing in the morning and following the package directions. Using the “catch hat” or sterile commode bucket makes it much easier than peeing in a tiny cup. Then after the dip stick at home test showed evidence of a uti, I would take the sample to my dr and she would test it at the office and send out a culture to confirm. Since my mother has seizures triggered by uti’s and ended up in the hospital a few times with a uti, her dr would immediately prescribe an antibiotic if the dip stick urine test was positive. This went on for over a year for us. Visits to a urologist finally paid off as he put her on a medicine called, methenamine which has helped stop the frequent uti’s. Apparently it makes it impossible for bacteria to grow in the bladder. It’s important to mention here that it took awhile on this medicine before she was uti free. Also, we tried cranberry pills, and juice as well. And I still use them as the urologist said to continue with those. It’s now been over 6 months without a uti for my Mom so I would highly recommend seeing a urologist to see what your options are. I know not everyone can use this medicine. Hope this helps! Best of luck to you!

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Unfortunately Methenamine doesn’t make it impossible for bacteria to grow as we discovered the hard way but it sure does help!

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The UTI issues may be a consequence of low estrogen. If yes, it’s an easy fix.

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Please elaborate on how to fix it easily. Then people can ask the doctor to prescribe it.

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Yes, there are kits available.

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Apple cider vinegar will wipe out a bad UTI. 1/4 cup in a very sweet juice to counter the sour. A tablespoon 1x day for 3 days sometimes will work if its not yet bad. If to the dizzy stage, usually pretty bad.

You can catch it earlier by the smell, dark color. If they have a need to go frequently but cant really go, thats later sign aling with pain.

Often UTIs happen often if they have incontinence. Bells Lifestyle bladder tea 1 mug per day (starts working after 2 weeks) will be like magic. About $25 a month. Also helps keep UTIs at bay! May interfere a little with blood thinner medications. They might need a little less of the medication. Just have to watch it.

Best of luck and God bless!

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My mom 86 yrs. old has chronic UTI, with no symptoms for years. Long story short too many antibiotic can ruin their gut flora and they can wind up with C diff. Which is way worse than a UTI. Important to take probiotic and fermented foods when taking antibiotic.

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What are examples of fermented foods?

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AZO that makes the urinary over the counter cranberry supplements and OTC meds for urinary infection also makes a test that can be helpful. Just to be on the safe side, if you have home health care coming in, the nurse can also take a sample and have it tested, report to dr, and dr can order meds if needed.

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Thanks about the info about Home Health and AZO. I got the test strips. We are supposed to have home health come once a week. When they start I will ask about if they can take a sample to see if her UTI has cleared up.

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I have recurring UTI after a faulty vaginal mesh years ago. I ordered some strips similar to what they use in doctors offices to check for infection. Got mine from Amazon but I saw them in a local drugstore too so they’re available. They definitely work in showing a result in full blown infection, but I’ve also had UTI & these strips didn’t indicate it until my doctor cultured it.

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Usually a urinalysis is performed to confirm a UTI. I have never seen the "urine dip sticks" ever being sold to the market. Part of the reason is that there is an expiration date on them and "a positive" for white blood cells in urine is usually followed up with a culture and sensitivity test - which requires a lab. Better to go to the least expensive provider to get her urine checked.

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My aunt's urogynecologist said if there are 2-3 UTIs in a year to put them on a low dose of cephalexin daily and that keeps them at bay. The ER and urgent care and regular doctors' offices say "oh, she has a lot of UTIs, and puts her on antibiotics. Sometimes they send it out for a culture and find that it is under 100,000 colonies and not really a UTI at all. What I found was she DIDN"T have a ton of UTIs but had an overactive bladder which can present as a UTI.

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I purchase a test kit from Amazon.com that has several test strips and has been very accurate.

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The nose worked for me.

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Summernole: A urinary tract infection must be confirmed via urinalysis and not a simple dip stick test. That said, it will have to be administered in a physician's office. Once a U.T.I. clears by way of taking antibiotics, the individual CAN and SHOULD get on daily regimen of cranberry tabs (AZO is a reliable brand) and also pure cranberry juice (not cranberry juice cocktail) to thwart future U.T.I.s. It will ineffective to start taking cranberry tabs and cranberry juice IF there is still an active U.T.I.

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Thanks for the info.

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Edit: Don't start cranberry tabs or juice if there is still an active U.T.I.

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Could a nurse come to the house - through MediCare, Medi-Cal, etc.
Worth checking into.

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We are supposed to be getting a nurse once a week but haven't heard anything yet.

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Here is what I keep on hand:
https://www.diagnoxhealth.com/product/urinox-10

It tests for UTI as well as blood, dehydration and seven other issues. I only use it as a screening tool. If it is positive, I get my husband in to see the doctor to be tested there. If it is negative, I watch him more closely for other symptoms and retest again if needed or follow up with the doctor if I still have concerns. It comes individually wrapped and can get boxes of 10 or more. Google it and you can find it available from several sources including Amazon and Walmart. If you get the strips that come in a jar not individually wrapped, they have a shorter expiration date after the jar is opened.

You can also find a test at any pharmacy but it only tests for a UTI and is more expensive.

I wish I had these for my father when he was in the nursing home. When he had bouts of confusion, we would ask for him to be tested for a UTI. They often waited a few more days for more obvious symptoms because he didn't seem confused to them.

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Thank you for this information. I clicked on the link and they said they are "out of stock" but to look at Amazon for the product. A good recommendation. Thanks, again.

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What they said, and...as you are already doing, it's important to learn your mom's symptoms of a UTI. It varies from person to person. I can tell when my mom is heading for one by how she speaks, how confused she is, and how weak, tired and achey. Rarely any burning sensation or fever. Waiting for a 3 day culture was making her suffer since it was difficult to get a good sample (she's incontinent) in the first place. After a year we worked out a protocol with her geriatric urologist to treat with a standing prescription when we notice her symptoms. This made a huge difference in treating her in a timely manner. But - I had to know her signs and advocate for a different approach based on that.

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The symptoms you are picking up on are things that you know are linked to a UTI with your mom. Other people may have other symptoms or none at all.
You would think a UTI would cause burning, pain on urination and other like symptoms. No way would a typical person link getting dizzy, getting a bit "squirrely" angry, agitated and other unrelated symptoms to a UTI
I have gotten a phone call from my doctors office informing me that I have been diagnosed with a UTI and I have had NO symptoms.
I think this is one of the reasons a UTI is often over looked even by medical staff.
Get the OTC test strips and keep them handy. At least it gives you a starting point when calling the doctor

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Are there any kind of home tests to look for a UTI?

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