My 60 year old patient needed help from two of us to walk from the waiting room into the exam room. Once there and lying down, her blood pressure was 78/40 and her pulse was 120. I was unable to check her 'postural' blood pressure (comparing values sitting to standing looking for a significant drop indicative of dehydration) as she kept losing her balance and her consciousness in the standing position. Long story short--once admitted to the hospital, her diagnosis was sepsis (invasion of bacteria into the bloodstream) from an overwhelming urinary tract infection caused by ESBL E. coli.
I'll admit, I hadn't heard of this bad boy before Ms. B. nearly died from her infection. Just looking at the culture & sensitivity report, however, was enough to make my heart sink. Cultures of her blood grew an E. coli species resistant to all but 2 antibiotics tested, and those two were 1) only availble by IV, and 2) did not even exist back when I was in training.
Beta-lactam antibiotics are named for a beta-lactam ring in their structure. They include penicillin whose discovery revolutionized the treatment of infectious disease, and cephalexin, the miracle drug discovered after many bacteria developed resistance to penicillins. Extended-spectrum beta-lactamase-producing E. coli (or ESBL E. coli) produce an enzyme (beta-lactamase) that destroys the beta-lactam chemical ring, rendering it useless against the little buggers.
ESBL E. coli has been a problem in Europe for awhile. Its 'extended spectrum' resistance (eats not just one but most beta-lactam antibiotics) is theorized to have developed due to the overuse of antibiotics in animals--particularly chickens--raised for food. More often found in health care institutions such as hospitals, ESBL E. coli is clearly now out in the community where my patient came into contact with it.
Ms. B. survived, barely. When she came in earlier this week with symptoms of weakness and urinary burning and frequency, we both thought...and feared...the same thing. The culture came back yesterday--ESBL E. coli. She cried and I shuddered, feeling like I was glimpsing our future in Ms. B.'s today.
Ms. B. did nothing wrong, nor do we know just what to do right to avoid such a super-infection. I'd suggest hand-washing, scrupulous handling of raw meat especially chicken, vitamin D, and hot, sweaty exercise as known, immune-enhancing strategies.
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54 comments:
My mother-in-law got sepsis from e coli and was hospitalized, but it was not this form. That is scary!
This is really scary.
Does it help just not to eat chicken?
Do you think peroxide or alcohol or bleach would kill this bug?
When doctors talk about 'anti-virals'... the drugs really dont kill the virus, do they?
I am not clear if this is a virus or a bacteria....
I certainly didn't intend to scare the crap out of you with this story. Escherichia coli (aka e coli) is a bacteria that ordinarily lives in our gut. Speaking of crap, 1 gram ( or about 4/100 of an ounce) of human fecal material contains 1,000,000 E. coli cells. So they are certainly fellow travelers for life and they pitch in by making vitamin K in our guts. They do have the pesky tendency, particularly in women, of sneaking around the corner into the bladder where they cause the unpleasant burning and frequency of cystitis which is most commonly caused by this type of bacteria.
What is disturbing, however, is when good bacteria go rogue as in ESBL which is more likely to cause a far more serious upper tract-- i.e. involving the kidney-- infection, and then to shrug off the usual antibiotics. Even if we avoid chicken--and there's no particular reason to do so--those persons making our food in restaurants or other citizens who get a touch of E. coli on their hands and then touch doorknobs or supermarket cart handles may have E. coli with antibiotic-resistant genes.
We can't live free of bacteria, but through maintaining optimal health, avoiding unnecessary antibiotics, and a little bit of handwashing precautions, perhaps we can live free of this bad actor. I don't know about the various disinfectants and their efficacy, but I do know that kitchen sinks and counters harbor more unwanted bacteria than bathrooms do, so do be careful with cutting boards and utensils.
Scary. I try to be very careful with hygiene but worry about staff at restaurants, etc.
I just wrote to Obama and asked him to re--- look into the use of nano technology that was supposedly working on killing all these and more super bugs in the test tube with nano sized oil droplets... I asked what had happened to the research, and I heard that he is looking into all this... esp because of HIV, etc...
Anyway, I heard bleach kills all this externally along with alcohol, peroxide, and in bacterial sense, apple cider vinegar....
The asians, isrealis have internal help with 'stuff' like Sam bu col, and the asians have other real antivirals, antibacterials.... dont know how far they go in working on super bugs, tho, but they definitely help prevent and if caught at the beginning of symptoms........ blah, blah, sorry, ha ha, just trying to stay hopeful
Recently recovered from ESBL and UTI.
After 18 days of delayed meds for infection, no sleep, and three wrong meds, was fortunate to have GP, uroligist, and infectious disease specialist collaborate to find me a hospital bed.
Three days in hospital, 10 days of outpatient IV ertapenem and catheter, followed by two weeks of 18 hours sleep per day and now fine.
Hope your patient recovers.
RobinCanada
This is scary - I hope Mrs. B is OK...I know sepsis can easily be fatal.
To: RobinCanada and the doc - I just finished 10 days of IV treatment for esbl-e-coli. This is a reoccurance from the original infection in October 2008. (first time I was treated w/Primaxin.
My doc prescribed Doribax for 10 days this time and I finished it yesterday.
Today my mind feels cloudy and I have a headache. I'm wondering if this is side effects of the Doribax.
How did you feel after being treated?
My daughter who traveled to Engalnd and India recently has just been diagnosed with this form of e-coli. What are the precautions or things to do or not to do to prevent this e-coli from flaring into blood poisoning or menengitis?
Anon: The most important thing for your daughter is to complete her course of antibiotics. Ms. B has now had two recurrences of the ESBL infection, both treated very promptly with outpatient IV antibiotics. Her latest UTI thankfully was just plain old gut Klebsiella sensitive to everything.
Hi, My husband is in the hospital now with this infection and is on a single antibiotic that seems to be working but he keeps having set backs. I wonder if the doc could refer me to research that suggests other supportive therapy to avoid relapse and/or other combination antibiotic treatments, should this antibiotic treatment fail?
Thanks,
The worst part with me is I am convinced that's what I have , from a cystoscopy 9 months ago. I am very strong physically, but my health has nose dived, with repeated UTI's, back and flank pain ( kidneys),blood in urine, lung congestion ,like pneumonia and a horrible , wobbly sensation under my ribs and along my colon and liver area. Also my eyesight has rapidly deteriorated , with a gritty feeling and gumminess. I never had any of these before the procedure. I've read up and it's deadly stuff, but the hospital is clamming up and they and the GP have said nothing, just it's E.coli. After the 6th month of antibiotics with no effect I said what the heck is this ?, but still they are silent. I now realise that those antibiotics are being kept for the rich. These quacks better hope there's no God and no justice in the afterlife, that's all I can say. I think my wife, who works in a care home, and my daughters, 13 and 11 have got it as well, because no precautions out of ordinary sanitation have been recommended as the quacks clam up. though I have cleaned surfaces with Dettol spray. The hospital wants good reports so it can get Foundation Status and they can all make more money, but it's going to cost thousands of lives. Nice people!
My boyfriend is an internist and we've been fighting ESBL ever since I returned from a solo trip to India earlier this spring. He and my infectious disease doctor have had me on macrobid (only bacteria-static) since all the bacterial cidal drugs I am resistant to... except imapenum. I'm 31 and in good health but the burning keeps returning.... I'm avoiding the scary IV but after six months of recurrent UTI's I'm starting to think IV is the only option... I can't spend the rest of my life like this.... so scary. Must have been some dirty chicken I ate in India or Nepal. Is there any hope to get rid of this?
My cousins husband was diagnosed with ESBL in Mar/April 2010....just barely survived. Was back to work by July and everything looked ok.. However in August he started acting strange...He had bouts of low blood pressure and fainting spells when getting up or bending over. His reasoning seemed to be compromised at times. He had a heart attack and after 3 attempts of revival he died . Can ESBL return and affect the brain thus causing erratic behavior ?
He had an operation to try to remove alot of the infection but was told it could not all be removed as it was so close to his heart and it had also eaten into his collar bone. He seemed to be ok for a while but we aren't sure if it was the ESBL that was still there causing his death...Autopsy results are pending but we aren't sure if they will be looking for this bacteria.
My 20 month old daughter was recently treated for her second UTI with ESBL ecoli. She received 9 days of IV Meropenem. (1st UTI was three months prior, and she got a normal urine culture after treatment. She was previously treated with furadantin by mouth for 14 days. Today is her follow up urine study. I believe her gut is colonized with this bacteria. I'm hoping a lot of the colonization was killed, and praying that God heals her completely. She is well right now and I am beginning to potty train her to avoid another reinfection.
J
Days ago I returned from a trip to India. I unfortunately developed a UTI on the plane on the way back to Australia and I have just been told it is an EBSL e coli infection. Dr said I will need IV treatment as I am not responding to antibiotics...I am so scared after reading this!! :(
The stories posted here regarding experiences with this nasty bug are scary indeed. Interesting connection with trips to India! I hope everyone who has written is making a good recovery, and I am sorry to hear from anon about her cousin's husband's story. Thanks all for sharing; I hope we here more reports of people mastering this bad boy!
I have had one other patient with ESBL e coli, and two battling MRSA after orthopedic surgeries. I feel like we're looking at our future here, and it's most sobering.
My 13 year old son who has had a kidney transplant and has reflux of the transplanted ureter has had ESBL since about 11/09 and the Doctors refuse to treat. I guess I'm wondering how worried I should be ? Even Doctors at Mayo said it's best not to treat.
I just throught I would post an update on my case. I am 2 posts above who contracted ESBL e coli in India. I was given antibiotics from my doctor but told that they will probably not work as the strain is resistant to tablet form antibiotics and that if any further complications arose, head straight to the hospital where they would arrange for me to get IV antibiotics at home.
I drank 3-4 litres of water a day and and took those antibiotics, and the infection went away! I'm not sure how, but it seems that it can be fixed in some cases.
Jen: Interesting that they are choosing no treatment for your son. I know that infectious disease experts make a distinction between a bladder 'colonized' with bacteria vs. one that is infected. They advise no treatment for persons with bacteria in the urine who have catheters, or older people who have bacteria without symptoms. Perhaps your son falls into another watch but don't treat category. Sounds like your docs are keeping a close eye on your son, so, while no mother can not worry ever(!), I hope you can find other fixable problems to focus your energy on.
Anon Angela, thanks for the update. Water plus antibiotics plus a hearty immune system appear to have served you well!
Hi, I just happened on this new bug and am curious about this and the elderly. My mother (age 80) was just diagnosed yesterday with ESBL E-coli. She's been in a hospital after a broken hip and had gone to a nursing/rehab home. She started becoming VERY confused, almost the same as alzheimers. She was transferred to a hospital day before yesterday and was just diagnosed with the ESBL. I know there is really no one to blame as this appears to come from anywhere, but have you heard anything of the outcomes for the elderly with this type of infection? She is still very disoriented and we believe this has originated from the bladder infection but now we're very concerned with the ESBL. From everything I've read, including the CDC and Hopkins, this can be a very deadly little bug.
Hi Jackie,
Sorry to hear about your mom (and sorry it took so long to post your comment; I didn't realize that I was no longer getting notifications about pending comments). I am unfamiliar with specific studies re elderly and ESBL bugs, but, unfortunately, everything seems a big deal with elderly and, and top of that, they so easily get confused when ill. Both my parents faced infections as their final illness on top of their underlying conditions. I hope things have gone well with your mom.
Judy
hi everyone,
i was diagnosed with an esbl ecoli infection earlier this week. they originally had me on imapenum, but now i'm on ertapenum for a 2 week treatment. I'm doing my IV drip at home through a picc line, to accomodate school. I'm a 21 year old female, and i havent experienced any symptoms in about a week and a half.
does anyone know how contagious it is (i.e. can I kiss my boyfriend?).
it goes without saying this has been a scary experience. i wish you all the best!
I've just happened across this post, trying to find a solution to an ongoing (chronic) ESBL infection in a scarred kidney. I had reflux not diagnosed as a child, and now the kidney functions about 30%. I've been on a total of 7 weeks of ertapenem, but it seems the bug is hiding out in the scarred kidney, as when I get tired/run down, my symptoms recur. I want to try to preserve my kidney - i.e. not have it removed, so am researching things like manuka honey (University of Waikato) and apple cider vinegar. I have also been taking a tonne of probiotics/yogurt/kefir/sauerkraut, trying to strengthen my immune system as it seems antibiotics are just not working to clear it. Any comments from anyone about their experiences with the above?
I was dxed with this bug in the hospital and believe I picked it up in the nursing home.or the hospital.I also have had several utis this winter. very painful. my doctor acts as though this is no big deal but it is for me as i have comprimised lungs and am very short of breath and congested and had to get a course of antibiotics of levofloxin. does anyone know of any natural ways of deridding this. I am very scared espceially where I have bad lungs. am wondering if the iv drip will do it, also when my next urine lab report comes back I want to see it.I am wearing gloves in public and no restrooms for me.
I was in the hospital for a elevated heart rate and somehow they figured out I had esbl. I beleive I either picked it up in a nursing home or the hospital.I have bad lungs and cannot afford to be sick with this.I am putting myself in isolation until I can research and hopefully get this bug out of my system. I am very scared because of the illness I have.drs are keeping mum about it. like it is no big deal. today I am on 500 mgs of lexofloxin as lungs are congested.and I am short of breath.I also have had 2 utis this winter and they have been very painful. esbl can cause utis. I want to see my latest urine report when it comes back again. we all need to be vigilant. you can bet I will be wearing gloves in public.
I have ecoli ESBL too, got it in July 2013 at hospital I think when giving birth - had 3 catheters during labour. Currently trying antibiotic 2 out of a possible 3. I've set up a facebook page as there are a few posts on the net but they are hard to find. My page is called Ecoli ESBL support group. I've set it up just to hear other people's stories etc.
I just completed a 7 day treatment of nufor antibiotic for an ESBL UTI. My urinalysis came back clear but it was not sent off for culture. Should it have been. I'm starting to have the pressure feeling in my bladder day one after completing my antibiotic. I was on two other antibiotics prior to my doc doing the culture. Thanks!
There is no point culturing urine right after you finish a course of antibiotics. Nothing would grow even if the UA is not clear. Sorry you're having recurrent symptoms. Your urine needs rechecking.
Kissing is not a problem. It's good for your spirits which is good for your immune function!
I got ESBL e.coli also from India trip. Luckily they checked me in my local hospital for all possible bugs after being hospitalized during my travel. I haven't had any UTI but I had serious infection in my abdomen 2 years ago - docs thought I had diverticulitis but since my CRP was over 100 and I had ESBL they gave me Meropenem IV for about a week. I haven't had any serious stuff since then - lucky me.
To prevent problems with my bowels etc. I try to eat fiber and drink a lot and once in a while I buy unsweetened cranberry juice. It should be taken 1 glass in the morning minimum during UTI. Best would be to take it morning and evening.
Sandi- a few weeks ago I was not well. Spent 2 night in the hospital and was sent home with IV still in arm. On morning 2 of IV meds they took out the IV and told me I had Esbl. And sent me on my way. Just this past week I was back to the hospital. I have a GP that is so new she has never heard of Esbl. I am starting to wonder if I am being treated right.
I live in a very rural area and I don't think the local hospital, really a walk in clinic with 4 beds, I don't think they know how to treat it. I have a feeling with the way I feel now it has not cleared and I most likely need to go to a larger, real hospital and get proper treatment.
Hi - I'm trying to beat chronic occurrences of an ESBL - E.Coli UTI. Hospitalized last year when it elevated to a kidney infection. Started me on "typical" antibiotics for UTI - and as you stated earlier - it just destroyed the lactam chemical ring, and I got progressively worse. Had a "Burch" procedure to correct my bladder - (stress incontinence) but after 10 infections over the past year, a PICC line, and a reaction to Macrobid, my only alternative is IV - Ivantz/ertapenum. My question is - can I do anything to try and get to the underlying cause of being infected? Am I colonized AND infected? Help! My doctor is great - but I want to go deeper into the causal factors. I traveled to Italy for 5 years - and it's more prevalent over in Europe. She thought I might have picked it up there. Any info would be appreciated! These super-bugs are NOT to be trifled with! They are BAD!
Hi Paulette,
I'm sorry you're having such a time of it with this bad actor e coli. I am, however, glad you took the time to comment as you have sent me on a search at pubmed.gov which was most instructive.
I looked up colonization and ESBL, and came across several articles about the risk of colonization with travel. The studies focused on European travelers to southeast Asia and India. Of interest in your case is that pre-travel colonization rates of ESBL e coli present in these German and Swiss subjects ranged between 3-6%, so your theory that you picked up the bug in Europe is possible. There is also date on hospitalized patients in the US showing that almost 3% of those admitted to the hospital became positive for ESBL e coli or klebsiella bacteria.
Back to the travelers, well over half of them acquired ESBL e coli during their trip, and the highest rate were those returning from India, nearly 87%! Clearly, ESBL species are a worldwide problem, and worldwide travel brings the problem home to all localities.
Your troubles are doubtless due to colonization. There are multiple articles about the effects of probiotics on normalizing the bacterial populations in the human colon. I couldn't find much on pubmed.gov, but there is a lot of information found with a google seaarch on probiotics and ESBL that you might want to check out. I will do the same this weekend.
I hope that you will be able to put all this e coli angst behind you soon!
Thank you SO much for your reply...probiotics is definitely one of my "go-to" - but along with the "cranberry juice", and other remedies - there's not definitive evidence that it eradicates this "bad actor". However, it can't HURT. So between D-Mannose to flush things out, and probiotics - I'm hoping I can battle this thing. But I do have to say one thing - my bladder HURTS! It's just not normal for this organ to go through multiple infections... it hurts less so - the further out from the last infection bout - but the poor thing is in "shock"! Anyway - thank you so much for your concern - and for just plain reaching out. There is NO other support group or place to vent - on this, because I think it's just so new...to the U.S. anyway - I'll chime in again if I find anything else ....best, Paulette
I'm not sure if this thread is still relevant, but my 82 year old Mother, was diagnosed with ESBL in April. Has been hospitalized 3 times since for over a week. And as she lived in a Nursing home, she was in an isolation room for the better part of the last 4 months. She got out of the hospital last Monday, has come to my home to live, but now we have Hospice helping to care fore her. Because I've been told that there's nothing more that can be done. They've hit it with the strongest antibiotics there are, and it keeps coming back. She also has Alzeimers and the ESBL is causing its effects to escalate. I cannot believe that there are no other options to getting rid of this! I'm not ready to lose my Mom, and I keep second guessing myself if this is the right decision or not, to not at least try. I had never heard of ESBL before she got it, and I pray we never have to deal with it again.
So sorry about your Mom. I'll write more later.
Wow, hospitalized three times and living in an isolation room for almost 4 months, what a difficult road your dear mom is traveling.
I had a similar experience with my mom. Old, frail, and more or less bedbound pretty much define a person in very poor shape to fight off any infection, especially such a virulent and resistant one as ESBL. I too called in Hospice to help realizing that this did not mean she had to die but that she and I needed help to get her through those final months in style.
I assume your doctors have given your mom the best chance possible to overcome this, and I hope you and she (if she's still aware enough of the bigger picture) can find peace in that which you are doing. It's incredibly hard to feel comfortable making such decisions for another person who is no longer able to voice her needs, but you are standing by your mom in a wonderful way, and this knowledge will help you now and in the future.
I know you were hoping I'd have some ESBL specific suggestions, but having been there, done that, all I can offer is thoughts and prayers as you make hard but good decisions.
Mary says:
I am a longtime nurse and just got this nasty bug myself - totally out of the blue. Two days before I went to the ER, I told my chiropractor with my monthly appointment that I had a bad flare up of arthritis without any reason I could come up with - now I know where that came from.
I had a low grade fever for 2 days, just not feeling quite myself in the afternoons, but the 3rd day the temperature got higher and I knew I was sick. The next morning (Sat) I went to the ER and was diagnosed with a UTI as I suspected. I started on Cipro, but after 3 days I was sicker than ever in my life and my daughter had to take me back to the ER ( too weak this time to try and drive there myself). I was rehydrated in the ER, as I had been so nauseous that I just could not get anything into my body. The next morning I had to go back to the doctor and there he showed me I had this nasty, nasty superbug that I have not even heard of before. I am now almost through with 10 days of IV Ertapenem treatment and am basically back to normal, except for a huge lack of my usual energy. What I now really want to know I if it is possible to get rid of this thing in one's colon. I am preparing to retire soon and all of a sudden I think my life expectancy just dropped with a whole lot of years. I had a Pyelo-nephritis this time. How many more infections before I get it in a vital organ or in the blood?
The irony is that I am also a good student and follower of the natural health movement and even have some qualifications in nutrition etc. I have been focusing on prevention and building a healthy immune system, so this feels like a double hard blow for me.
My plan is to go forth with detoxifying, building a healthy body. I may also try some new products which promote stem cell growth. Will report back after a while.
Hi I was recently hospitalized with esbl infection in my kidney. It has been a long recovery. I had a esbl infection uti 3 years prior to this recent infection. Is it possible this was caused from my first encounter with esbl or could it be two isolated incidents of contracting esbl.
Anyone know of a way to get colanized ecoli out of my urinary tract? When they cath me and get urine from my bladder it is clean. But there is always esbl ecoli in my urine In a cup. I don't have any pain or burning. I feel "dirty". I want this out of MY body.
Is there any way to get colanized ecoli out of me? When I am straight cath that urine is clean, so it is not in my bladder. I feel dirty and Mac and sad. I did nothing to have this. Wil it ever go away?
I am 38 almost. Have been diabetic for 28 years acetal UTI all my life. I am also almost blind but not related to the diabetes.
Hi Sarah,
I am unclear what you mean by colonized e coli. When you straight cath and get a 'clean urine', that means the sample taken directly from your bladder without passing the external genitalia is free of bacteria. All of us have e coli on our external genitalia as this is a common bacteria in the colon. It is not unusual for older women (I wouldn't consider age 38 as older!) to have bacteria in their bladder, often without symptoms of an infection (pain on urination, urinary frequency, etc). Diabetics are prone to urinary infections. Please clarify your concerns, namely what it means to you to be colonized with e coli, and what your physician has told you about your condition.
You certainly have a lot of health problems to deal with; I'm sorry that feeling sad and dirty complicate things even more.
Best wishes,
Judy Paley
I have been diagnosed with esbl E. coli since returning from a trip to Haiti. I have been on a round of Macrobid and it returned after about a week. My urologist then prescribed Amikacin shots for 3 consecutive days, about two weeks ago, which helped, but I feel like it is back today. I am very healthy otherwise, take lots of vitamins and do weight lifting and high intensity aerobic exercise almost every day. i am going to get a urine culture to see if it is back, but in the meantime, I am wondering if this can be sexually transmitted and if I should have my husband tested too so that I am not re-infected if I ever get rid of it. We both work in health care.
The doctors say esbl/ecoli is living in my urinary tract. Some place between my bladder and vagina. They also say there is nothing that can be done.
Hello all. I was so glad to finally find a discussion about ESBL that involved patients. It's very difficult to find info outside of research and studies. My story:
I was dealing with an Upper Respiratory infection that I thought was a cold when the UTI symptoms began. Doc put me on Cefpodoxime, 100mg, which she said would treat both. Three days later she called with the bad news that I needed a different antibiotic for the UTI without specifics about the infection. I took a regimen of Macrobid, 100mg BID for 5 days, which proved ineffective at relieving symptoms.
It was when I went online to their portal to email her that I saw the ESBL diagnosis and started searching, finding only dreadful information. I'm now on no antibiotics and waiting for results from a second specimen, hopefully I'll hear tomorrow. In the meantime I take Azo to ease the pain when I absolutely have to and started a mega-C & D, Cranberry, Probiotics, and Apple Cider Vinegar regimen.
I'm hoping that treatment has improved since some of your stories and I pray you are all well. I'm a 60y/o woman feeling pretty anxious right now and looking for an ID specialist on my plan. A nurse friend suggested looking for a "Uro OB" which I've never heard of and haven't found many of. Doctor says if I have to have daily treatments, there are some ambulatory possibilities as opposed to in-patient IV. I'm wondering if they do that sort of thing at Urgent Care Clinics or if it has to be an ID office. Looking forward to finding out next steps. I don't want this to end up in my bloodstream and evolve to sepsis.
So glad to have found you all. Thanks! -Dee
This is Dee again with an update. But first I want to thank DenverDoc for putting this blog and post up. And to everyone who has posted. I know it went up in 2009 and it's now 2016. I can't tell when the last post before me was made, but given the small amount of info available and how much it helps to find experiences people have had, I want to leave my own.
So the 2nd culture came back positive also, but on the good side it still shows that it's sensitive to the Macrobid. So I started a 2nd regimen this morning. This time for 7 days. Right now I still have symptoms but took some Azo to quell them. Will let you all know what happens. I'm going to share your post, femail DenverDoc, so you may see some more traffic here. Thanks again! -Dee 8/4/2016
I was diagnosed 2 years ago with an esbl uti. For the first time since then I now have another uti. Flank pain and low grade fever. When I was initially diagnosed I went through hell to get help. I was on MANY different antibiotics before they put an IV in me. I ended up with a piccline and Invanz "cured" it. I should find out tomorrow from the culture if it is esbl again. It's such a struggle to find information on the Internet and my doctors don't seem to know much more than me. How many of you have reoccuring esbl utis? I've been on Macrobid the last three days, but my symptoms seem to be getting worse. Praying I don't have to get a piccline again, since I can't work at my nursing home with it. 27 years old here and I'm really worried I'm gonna have to battle this on and off forever.
My 87 year old mother has fought off UTI's for the past seven years since a stroke. She was just diagnosed with ESBL (and EColi)infections after a day of being treated with the wrong antibiotic. Her blood pressure has risen to 170/110, but hopefully he treatment will resole the infection.
Dee here again. 10/17/2016.
The 2nd round of Macrobid seemed to have "cured" the ESBL, but as I mentioned last time, some lessor burning continued until I stopped using the incontinence pads I had started using because of all the coughing and being 60.
So now the symptoms are all gone, but I gots some UTI strips and specimen cups to monitor regularly just in case. Thought it was a good idea. I am also taking "FemDophilus" and "D-Monnose" as preventive tools.
Hi Luz. Thanks for sharing your story..I sure hope your Mom is doing better and the the treatment works. Remember to take care of yourself too while caring for her!
Best to all!
-Dee
First of all I'm sorry for your loss. Can you please talk about the results? I'm having similar issues as him.
Hi,
I just got to know that i'm colonized with ESBL after a trip to Spain. It means that this bacteria is living in my gut.
I'm really worried as i'm already having UTI very often.
I would like to know if this colonization can disappear with time or not? Can our body get rid of it?
Anybody of you got rid of it after few months or few years?
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