Staph undetectable with urine dip!!

[Jamey]

I was wondering if anybody else has been cultured specifically for staph. My urine dips are always neg but there's blood and increased white cells in it.The first time we sent a culture to the lab, it came back as strep. Six months later it came back as staph. Antibiotics made me feel a little better. My next appt, another six mths, The same thing. This time antibiotics seemed to increase the burning. I figured it was the infection getting out. A week later the same thing. I started another round of antibiotics today(Macrobid, same as last time). I got so sick and have been really out of it today. This isn't the only time I've dealt with staph. Two years ago(?) I developed an infection in my eye and on my face. I just so happened to be visiting my god father in I.C.U. everyday the week before. I also wasn't a healthy child and have always felt kinda sick. I was wondering if any body else has problems with staph. If not, have they looked for it? Apparently my local hospital automatically Checks for it, but I've heard that most labs don't. Any luck with any certain antibiotics? Alzithromycin? I feel that I may have a systematic infection that flares up from time to time. I could use any thoughts on this. My body feels so poisoned no matter what. My eye still flares sometimes and Auto-immune disorders run in my family. Thanks for taking the time to read all this!!

[mich2604]

have you been tested for Lyme disease?

Often when on antibiotics those with lyme feel horrible.

Testing is very poor for lyme, so even if you have a neg test you could have it. Lyme symptoms often come and go.

Also have you been checked for autoimmune disorders?

[soccermom32]

Hi!
My whole IC nightmare began with a staph infection in my bladder. I had high detectable levels of staph bacteria and was on antibiotics for over a month. While the infection did go away, my body never got completely better. I felt like I was dying while I had the staph, had a high fever and thought it was going to kill me. Well, I didn't die but it surely screwed up my bladder and pelvic floor muscles.........

I don't have any advice for you. If you have staph in your urine though, I would think you should be on an antibiotic until its gone. Staph is nasty....the girls at the lab told me that when I was going through it. They said its very hard to recover from a staph infection. I had staph aerous...

[dreamy]

How do you think you got the staph soccermom? What antibiotic did you take? All of this stuff is so confusing. I hope we all figure it out soon. Jamey I hope you feel better!

[Jamey]

Mich,
I saw a post on Lyme (yours?) and it's not the first time I've considered it. Levaquin is the only antibiotic that helps, But never for long. As for auto-immune, my SED rate was within "normal range" But was only a couple #'s from being high.
My symptoms do seem to come and go but I've been on the down slope for the past year or two. My 5 year old told me today she misses when I wasn't sick. Was there ever a time? Thanks for the support, I hope you're all doing well (atleast better than me). Oh yea, My favorite place has always been the woods so lyme would be a high likelihood!!

[mich2604]

the thing is with tick bites, they dont only carry lyme there are other infections too.

Levaquin is used to treat bartonella(which is often found in ticks)

I would suggest getting tested by a lyme knowlegable dr.

I would suggest going to the canlyme website, just do a google search, they have a list of symptoms there....see if any of them look familar to you.

[dbritts]

Jamie,

I'm tested by fluid resin culture at my local hospital. I have had Stapylococcus Haemolyticus and methicillin-resistant staph epididermidis. These bacteria can't be found by an agar plate culture or dipstick. Zyvox cleared up my staph problem, but enterococcus is also in all my cultures and unfortunately it's colonized which means until further research is done, I'm stuck taking life-long antibiotics. My dr. is very thorough--when you have a persistant infection, the first thing is to rule out any structural abnormalities that might be causing the infection. I was fine. He's sent me to to our local Infectious Disease drs. and also to Wake Forest Univ. and Univ. of Alabama at Birmingham. They all concur that the enterococcus is colonized and antibiotics will only suppress it, not kill it. Germs like enterococcus are still considered "hospital acquired" even though enterococcus is the 2nd leading cause of UTIs. My infections started in 2004, my IC in 1986. I know some patients have UTIs as a "trigger event" for IC, but problems that have occured for me are immune-related. I've had a SED rate since 1996 that averages around 58--it's sometimes in the 80s. No one checked my SED rate when I was diagnosed with IC, so I don't know how long it's been abnormal. I haven't had one dr. that can tell me if IC causes an elevated SED rate. Ask your dr. if he's willing to order a culture that will pick up gram positive bacteria. If one is not available at your local hospital, there is one available through Quest Labs. I haven't had a reoccurance of Staph since Feb. 2005. Knock on wood!!!! Good luck!!

Debbie

[Krisi]

I have also had several different infections including staph, strep, enterococcus etc. I have had the dips turn up negative but have had some cultures turn up positive. When first dx'd with IC there were no bacteria in any of my cultures though I did have hematuria (red). My favorite though is when they run a sensitivity test with antibiotics you are supposedly allergic too, or they give you ones that they are resistant too. Last time I had an infection the doctor gave me a sulfa class drug and they didn't run a sensitivity test on that but they did on levaquin and cipro which i became allergic too .... anyway long story short there was almost none i could take and ended up taking ampricillin (40 pills) .. it was either that or go to the hospital for vancomycin.... Good luck on figuring out whats going on! I just wish I could figure out myself too! Sometimes I just want to scream .. because IC and a bladder infection is like so 10 times worse than just IC alone...at least it is that way for me. As for the SED rate no one has ever mentioned what mine is...


Krisi :)

[dbritts]

Krisi,

Did you IC start with UTIs? Mine didn't. I had no history of bladder problems. I've had chronic UTIs with multiple strains of bacteria since 2004, particularly enterococcus, but right now I have methillin-resistant staph again. It's very frustrating. My uro says he can't find the host. He's baffled. Even the Infectious Disease drs. don't have any answers. I used to envy women that had UTIs and could take an antibiotic and be OK. Now I say, be careful what you wish for, because I'm dealing with both. Do you keep an infection or do you get rid of it for long periods of time? I feel like breaking a few plates--that's what my friend's therapist tells her to do to release the stress--whatever works!!!

Debbie

[Krisi]

Debbie,

I am so sorry about what you are going through. I haven't had one that is methicillin resistant yet but I have had one that was resistant to cipro and a few others on the list. I noticed that most of the time they only do a sensitivity test for 5 antibiotics. I had bladder infections in high school and maybe one in college and such but that was a few years before I got IC. I got IC when I was 22, actually sad enough close to when I turned 22. I am 25 now. I had not had a bladder infection for a year or two after the diagnosis. Then all of a sudden it was like one right after another. Some of them weren't treated completely and I would get the same strain within a month of the previous one. I know some of them have to be the same strain when they are the same bacteria with the same resistances. I always hated bladder infections but with IC and a bladder infection it is always the worst. In fact currently I think I have one and should find out today if it is true or not. I now don't wait to see if I suspect it is an iffection or not, because the culture takes at least 48 hours. It is horrible when they don't like giving you an antibiotic until it has been cultured. I wish the best for you. Have they tried putting you in the hospital and giving you vancomycin?

I don't see a uro now, I see a pelvic pain specialist which is kind of scary sometimes. I had never asked if they cultured my for both gram +/-. I know they are both different I just assumed they always checked. I believe my urologist always did. I switched because the office wasn't very compasionate to my pain and told me that if you are taking elmiron that is all you should need. Sometimes I wonder if there is more surrounding the infections etc that the doctors are just not seeing. I bet you feel that way in your case too. I wish they could figure out why these things are occuring, so that we could do something about them to make them stop occuring.

Anyway, I am off to the doctor for PT and to see what my results say. Feel free to PM me anytime if you want to talk. :)

God bless,
Krisi

[Krisi]

Just wanted to let you know my results came back yesterday and I have klebsiella pneumoniae. I was hoping I didn't have an infection. I was also hoping I wouldn't have to take 40 pills again every 6 hours ....... Well at least I should start feeling better overall.

Hope all is going well,
Krisi

[jen74]

Wow, that is pretty scary about all these different bacteria causing infections. I am allergic to most all antibiotics, so I am screwed if I get an infection. I have heard about getting vancomycin or gentamycin in the hospital, but that seems like it would be outrageous in cost. You dont have to stay in the hospital do you? I dont like hospitals at all, everytime I go in one I end up getting sick or catching something! My own doctor told me to avoid hospitals unless an emergency.
I am prone to getting UTI's, and I bought this book about women who get recurring cystitis. It says you have to be very dilligent about being clean down there, especially after you move your bowels. The book says that bottle washing is the only way to go as far as removing the bacteria. They have this step by step way to clean. After you move the bowels, you are suppose to lather the hand with a mild soap and clean around the anal area and then sit on the toilet and use 1 or 2 500ml water bottles and fill them with warm water and rinse off the soap, that or shower after you have a BM. They say this is what causes alot of the infections.
I am not so sure how true this is, this is what is says in the book. I have become a complete neat freak down there because I do not want to get a UTI. I also drink herbal teas and take Dmannose everyday as a preventative. There has got to be a reason that you keep getting all these bacteria in your bladder though. I mean I dont think it is normal at all otherwise everyone would be having them. Maybe becuase of the IC we are more prone to having bacteria adhere in our bladders,where in a normal bladder, it is protected more. Also, I know that taking anti-B's to much can cause repeated infections and they become more resistent to the anti-B's. Pretty scary. It is like you are dambed if you do and dambed if you dont.
Did your doc say how you got the staph? Is this s common bacteria to get in the bladder? Which anti-B's get rid of it? I remember asking my nurse what I would do if I got a UTI since I am allergic to most all anti-B's, and she said they just dont treat the infection and that it will maybe go away on it's own or the bacteria will just colonize there. I thought that was a stupid thing to say, as I have nevere heard of just leaving an infection go, but that is what she said.
I do hope you get to feeling better soon.
Jen

[Krisi]

jen,

staph is actually like approx 2% of the infections in the bladder. the most common is e.coli and the second is KP (the one I listed previously). I heard if you are allergic to all the antiBs they can put you in the hospital and give you antihistamines and then give you the antiBs if you are hypersenitive that is. Staph can be treated with several antiBs and there are different types of staph infections.

I consider myself pretty clean down there but i don't wash after every bm cause if that happened i would have to wash at work. I do like to carry the wet wipes for that purpose but I find they bother my vulvodynia a bit so I just try to use them for the bm part.

I said earlier that I had KP infection and I still think it is odd because you are only supposed to be able to get it if your immune system is weak.. I just wonder why my immune system is weak .. :(

Krisi

[Charisse]

My dr recently told me that unless I was having pain from an infection that it was okay to have bacteria in the bladder so not to worry. This was in response to when I asked him how was I supposed to know if it was an infection or just IC. He said the only time you have to worry is when you are pregnant. I'm pretty sure I had enterrocous(sp?) show up in one of my labs last year but I had no idea it wasn't cureable.

[Krisi]

I have had enterococcus before actually like last month and it was cureable it just is that sometimes it is resistant to drugs that some of us can't take.

Krisi

[dbritts]

Krisi,

Thanks for your posts. This is the second time that I've had methillin-resistant staph. Zyvox and Rifampin were the drugs that showed the greatest sensitivity. I also had e. faecalis the last time I had MRSE, so they used Zyvox which is a generation 4 antibiotic (kind of scary), but it was the only thing that worked for both. I lost 17 lbs. in 2 wks. and my platelets dropped, so they discontinued Zyvox. That was under the care of an Infectious Disease doctor. The infection was gone and I felt great for two weeks. I've had e. faecalis, e.faecium, klebsiella and staph over the last 4 yrs. My uro doesn't believe in IV antibiotics nor did the head of Infectious Disease at UAB. I'm not sure of their reasoning because I'm at the point that I'd like them to try something different. I had vancomyacin and gentamicin instilled in my bladder for 21 days. My uro stopped that treatment because it wasn't helping. My dr. has been thorough--he's sent me to well-respected university hospitals--no one seems to have a lot of answers. The most common opinion is that I have an underlying immune system problem and the bacteria has colonized. They gave me the choice of treating as I'm symptomatic or lifetime antibiotics at UAB. I don't think either is a very good choice. I've tried not taking antibiotics, but I end up with fever, chills, blood in the urine- so it's back on antibiotics. I think once something like this gets going it's a hard problem to deal with. There's a guest lecture on this site by Dr. Matt Rosenberg--he said when a patient has chronic UTIs then he looks at immune system defects. That's the only thing that seems to make sense at this point. I wish I knew what he looks for. I had to stop my PFD therapy and trigger point injections because they won't do that when you have an infection, but the problem is I can't get rid of the infections!! I'm sorry that you have klebsiella. Do you have trouble with yeast also? That's another problem that's hard to get rid of when you have to take antibiotics all the time. Thanks for taking the time to respond. Until I joined the ICN, I had no idea that anyone else was dealing with both. This site is such a help and everyone is so supportive.

Debbie

[Krisi]

Debbie,

Luckily I haven't had a yeast infection in a long long time (*knock on wood*). In fact I have only had one in my life. I know that the antibiotics can cause the yeast problem so I am just glad I do not have to deal with that too. I am so sorry you are having so many problems, 17 lbs in 2 weeks is a alot of weight to lose. I have wondered if there is something wrong with my immune system as well. If there is something I am just missing. I mean a lot of these bacteria won't even cause an infection unless your immune system is weaker than it should be. Maybe since our bladders have wholes or complete sections missing in the lining making the bacteria easier to attach and multiply. I know elmiron is supposed to put a protective layer on but sometimes I just don't think it works or maybe it makes us more suitable hosts. Are there any other doctors that you can try? Or any other hospitals, maybe private ones? I sometimes just think all patients need second opinions. I hope things get better for you!

Krisi :)

[dbritts]

Krisi,

My uro has been great about referring me to Infectious Disease specialists. He wants me to go back to the Mayo Clinic in Jacksonville. He's referred me to 4 different Infectious Disease drs., so I think it's time for another approach. I'd like to go to a good Immunology Dept. I agree with you--we don't have normal bladder linings and that's got to make a difference. It's probably a combination of things. The question is "what combination"!!!

Debbie

[Krisi]

Debbie,

When you figure out what the combination is please let me know :) Right now they haven't said a whole lot to me. I am noticing that I seem to have more allergies now then what I did before then. Well, I will talk to you later my hubby wants the computer.

Krisi :)

[dbritts]

Krisi,

I think I can rule out one thing--according to my last CT urogram, my prostate, and seminal vesicles are unremarkable--no joke!! I'll sleep better tonight knowing that I have a healthy prostate.

Debbie

[jeanniebug]

This topic is very interesting to me. Because I've been dealing with a staph infection off and on since April of this year. It wasn't found in my urine, it was on my skin. The dermatologist did a culture to check for MRSA and I was told it was just "regular staph." I never thought to ask the name of it. I was given Bactrim and was almost finished with it when I developed an allergic reaction to it and had to go off it. That derma decided to see if it would go away on its own. (Only because I've been on sooo many antibiotics in the past few years)

My first staph infection was hideous I didn't know what it was and went to the ER convinced I had the plague. :lmao: Well it felt like I did anyway. It was all over my thighs, backside and arms. It finally went away and a couple of months later I had just a few spots on my arms and legs. Then it was totally gone. THEN I came down with my first kidney infection. I had to take Cypro to get rid of that. The day after I finished those antibiotics, I developed a HUGE staph boil on my backside of all places...and it hurt like hell! Went back to the derma and yep...a staph spot. This time they put me on 10 days of Doxycycline and gave me a new topical antibiotic ointment called Altabax. That helped it go down but this spot scarred and it still hurts. (Went to doc about it hurting she said give it a month) I also have to use an ointment called Mupirocin in my nose for one week out of every month. I was told because people can carry staph in the nose.

I've never had anyone check my urine for staph..but when I got the kidney infection, they labs did show it was ecoli. Ehhhh.

The whole thing is just frustrating and I've decided if the staph comes back again, I'm going to an infectious disease Dr.

I DO know I have a low immune system brought on by chronic IC pain and stress on my body in general from the disease.

All my doctors have said staph infections are rampant right now because our generation was brought up on antibiotics. (So many bacteria have become resistant to antibiotics because of this...) Well I have to take antibiotics to get rid of something like a kidney infection but sometimes they bring on the staph...grrrrr.

Oh ya and I wound up in the ER last Friday vomiting blood which they said was from being on too many medications. (Stomach lining was irritated)

I definitely think there may be a link between the staph and UTI/kidney infections because I never had a kidney infection until I got the staph!

:(