Solution!

Hey, blogger, why the long absence?  Well...I found the solution right after starting my blog!  I was afraid to share it as it seemed far too easy.  I wanted to test it out for a bit and am just now feeling confident enough in my solution to share it with you. This all came about accidentally but has made a huge difference in my life.  I hope it will help you too!

My husband is responsible for this exciting development. I owe all credit to him and his deductive reasoning. First, some history- years ago, I had a horrible problem with canker sores.  I had them constantly and was in quite a bit of pain. Finally, I discovered I couldn't use toothpaste with Sodium Lauryl Sulfate (and it's in almost all toothpastes).  Why? I don't know!  I've discovered many sites discussing the dangers of SLS and many sites discussing how there are no dangers of SLS.  In the end, I just had to move forward with what did, and didn't work, for me. Thus, I use only two types of toothpaste:  Squiggle or ProEnamel.  If I stick with them, I'm pretty much canker sore free.

My husband (genius man that he is!) had an epiphany one day. If SLS was causing my canker sores, could it possibly have something to do with my UTIs?  He checked my shower gel and found that SLS was in it, as well as in his.  He also found it was in our laundry detergent and basically every cleaner or soap we owned. We set forth on a mission to find SLS free soaps.  After much research, we decided to try
Dr. Bronner's castile soap for our laundry (just for towels and undies) and as a shower gel.  It worked!  I can't even tell you how shocked I was to see that this worked, but it did!

I have had just one infection in the past four months and that occurred while staying in a hotel and forgetting to pack my soap.  I should have driven straight to the store and found some Dr. Bronner's but I was in a large city and didn't know my way around. I thought a couple of days with "regular" soap would be fine, I was wrong!  By the time I got home, I was peeing blood and had to start another round of Macrobid. I'm back to my favorite soaps again (I've also found a bar soap called "True" that works well) and I'm symptom free again.  Hallelujah! 

So, that's it folks.  If you've tried cranberry pills, D-Mannose, going off birth control pills, daily antibiotics and so much more just to find you STILL have UTIs frequently, try some new soap. I hope it works for you too!  If so, please let me know. I'd love to hear from you.

The Mission

I have suffered from frequent urinary tract infections (UTIs) since 1996. For years, I have been afraid to swim, hike, consume caffeine, have sexual intercourse or basically live a normal life for fear of the pain that comes from UTIs. I have spent thousands of dollars on doctors, treatments and medications and still do not have full relief.

It is common for me to wake up in the morning feeling fine, feel a knowing twinge of an oncoming infection some time throughout the day and be urinating blood and in excruciating pain by evening.  I have spent countless hours in urgent care facilities, doctors' offices and emergency rooms. I have spent hours researching and working toward successful resolution of my symptoms. To say I am sick of dealing with UTIs would be an understatement; however, I don't know that I have words to fully express my frustration and helplessness. I am determined to find a cure for this condition and am off to do it...on my own.

I have given up on relying upon doctors to solve this problem and am on a mission to pee freely!  This blog will detail my journey toward full relief from this horrible infections. I am writing this because I know many people suffer from similar challenges and I hope my learning experiences may benefit them as well.  I am not a doctor and have no medical experience. Please don't count on me for medical advice; however, I will share what does, and doesn't work for me as I beat this challenge.