Male chronic UTIS and exhaustion

[diggernorman]

Hi, my husband is type 2 diabetic and has been for at least 20 years, he is also on insulin. For the last few months he has been feeling unwell and losing weight, so he was booked in for a Ct scan with contrast. Since the contrast the following day he ended up with a nasty UTI despite drinking lots, he was put on antibiotics, he was very poorly.
Two months later the UTI never completely resolves and he is now on his seventh lot of antibiotics and been referred to see a urologist this week. I am very concerned as he is so tired all the time and I ENCOURAGE HIM TO SLEEP WHEN HE NEEDS TOO WHICH IS OFTEN, due to be exhausted through lack of night time sleep due to constant toilet breaks.
He is frustrated and not having the energy to do the simple things although I do assure him rest is what he needs at the moment.
I encourage him to eat well but his appetite is very hit and miss but he drinks well with no cafeine etc.
has anyone had chronic urine infections and recovered, I understand he may have an obstruction.
It is heart breaking seeing him so exhausted and I feel so lost as to how I can help him.

Please advise if you or a much loved one has been through something similar. Thankyou Lou

 

[EllieM]

Hi @diggernorman and welcome to the forums.

Unfortunately UTIs are very common among people whose blood sugars are running high (speaking from personal experience). Do you know what your husband's current hba1c is and what sort of blood glucose levels he is running?

 

[sunspots]

My ex-husband, so not exactly a much loved one, has a chronic UTI. He has normal energy levels though. I agree with EllieM (again!) that your husband's diabetes might be the culprit there. Illness itself also raises blood glucose.

 

[Hopeful34]

Hi, @diggernorman. Welcome to the forum. I'm sorry you're husband isn't well, and hope he soon feels better.

A family member went through a similar experience after a CT with contrast. They'd had reduced kidney function for years before the CT, and the CT department had been given specific instructions re the use of a contrast dye. Unfortunately they ignored these instructions, and consequently the family member was extremely poorly for about 3 months. The problem for them wasn't an obstruction, rather the contrast dye, so I'm not sure if this helps you, but wanted to post in case it did.

 

[Daibell]

Hi. There are many causes of UTIs but high BS is a common one that my GP missed before my DB diagnosis. How well-managed is your husband's BS? Does he check regularly and would a Freestyle Libre 2 monitor help. I I use Libre and it does cost but it's amazing tool. What sort of diet does your husband have? If he is a T2 on insulin it's possible he has some excess weight? If so then a low-carb diet will be vital together with good monitoring of BS and insulin shots. If he is losing weight then don't increase carbs but increase fats and proteins and bear in mind he may even be late onset T1 and not T2. If he is now slim then ask for the two tests for T1.

 

[diggernorman]

Hi. There are many causes of UTIs but high BS is a common one that my GP missed before my DB diagnosis. How well-managed is your husband's BS? Does he check regularly and would a Freestyle Libre 2 monitor help. I I use Libre and it does cost but it's amazing tool. What sort of diet does your husband have? If he is a T2 on insulin it's possible he has some excess weight? If so then a low-carb diet will be vital together with good monitoring of BS and insulin shots. If he is losing weight then don't increase carbs but increase fats and proteins and bear in mind he may even be late onset T1 and not T2. If he is now slim then ask for the two tests for T1.

 

[diggernorman]

thankyou this has been really helpful, its strange I have always questioned him being type 2 as type 1 is prevalent in his family ! we eat home cooked food but he may be a little heavy on carbs -I will look into your advice , thankyou

 

[diggernorman]

Hi, @diggernorman. Welcome to the forum. I'm sorry you're husband isn't well, and hope he soon feels better.

A family member went through a similar experience after a CT with contrast. They'd had reduced kidney function for years before the CT, and the CT department had been given specific instructions re the use of a contrast dye. Unfortunately they ignored these instructions, and consequently the family member was extremely poorly for about 3 months. The problem for them wasn't an obstruction, rather the contrast dye, so I'm not sure if this helps you, but wanted to post in case it did.

 

[diggernorman]

I am sorry to hear this its not good practise and so unnecessary, i hope they feel better now, mu husband is also diabetic so his blood sugars are now sky high

 

[diggernorman]

Hi @diggernorman and welcome to the forums.

Unfortunately UTIs are very common among people whose blood sugars are running high (speaking from personal experience). Do you know what your husband's current hba1c is and what sort of blood glucose levels he is running?

 

[diggernorman]

his levels range from 9 to 22 its all so random, his Hb originally was 54 and is now 94 ! its never been so high, he has an appointment tomorrow to discuss his bloods, thankyou

 

[diggernorman]

My ex-husband, so not exactly a much loved one, has a chronic UTI. He has normal energy levels though. I agree with EllieM (again!) that your husband's diabetes might be the culprit there. Illness itself also raises blood glucose.

 

[diggernorman]

how does he manage his UTI s ? thankyoy

 

[EllieM]

his levels range from 9 to 22 its all so random, his Hb originally was 54 and is now 94 ! its never been so high, he has an appointment tomorrow to discuss his bloods, thankyou

Sounds like he needs a medication review. Honestly, at those levels I'd personally regard the UTIs as a potential symptom of the high levels. They are likely to keep recurring until his levels come down. Mine have usually cleared up on the first antibiotic dose but I used to get them quite frequently in the days when my diabetic control was mediocre (dare I say poor). And high sugar levels will cause tiredness as well, so though there may well be something else going on (I am not a doctor and we aren't allowed to diagnose on these forums) getting his sugar levels back to normal is very important.

thankyou this has been really helpful, its strange I have always questioned him being type 2 as type 1 is prevalent in his family ! we eat home cooked food but he may be a little heavy on carbs -I will look into your advice , thankyou

T1 seems unlikely to me after 20 years of T2 without needing insulin, but I am not a doctor, and there are also other types of diabetes (eg MODY, T3c). Some long term T2s find that their insulin production wears out so they need to start injecting. His doctor will look at his medication options. It's likely that reducing the carbs in your diet would potentially allow him to cut back a bit on any medication he is using, but at the moment those levels are too high, and need reduction.

Good luck.

 

[jape]

@diggernorman
Male UTI tend to be relatively rare - the lifetime risk for UTI among men is about a quarter of what it is for women. The main contributing risk factors for males are diabetes (high levels of sugar in urine), prostate issues and not having been circumcised. The fact that your husband has constant nocturnal toilet breaks may point to prostate issues. The urologist certainly will be able point you in the right direction.

 

[diggernorman]

@diggernorman
Male UTI tend to be relatively rare - the lifetime risk for UTI among men is about a quarter of what it is for women. The main contributing risk factors for males are diabetes (high levels of sugar in urine), prostate issues and not having been circumcised. The fact that your husband has constant nocturnal toilet breaks may point to prostate issues. The urologist certainly will be able point you in the right direction.

 

[diggernorman]

Thankyou this is being looked into - also a medication review

 

[diggernorman]

Sounds like he needs a medication review. Honestly, at those levels I'd personally regard the UTIs as a potential symptom of the high levels. They are likely to keep recurring until his levels come down. Mine have usually cleared up on the first antibiotic dose but I used to get them quite frequently in the days when my diabetic control was mediocre (dare I say poor). And high sugar levels will cause tiredness as well, so though there may well be something else going on (I am not a doctor and we aren't allowed to diagnose on these forums) getting his sugar levels back to normal is very important.


T1 seems unlikely to me after 20 years of T2 without needing insulin, but I am not a doctor, and there are also other types of diabetes (eg MODY, T3c). Some long term T2s find that their insulin production wears out so they need to start injecting. His doctor will look at his medication options. It's likely that reducing the carbs in your diet would potentially allow him to cut back a bit on any medication he is using, but at the moment those levels are too high, and need reduction.

Good luck.

 

[diggernorman]

Thankyou we had a check up this morning snd he has been fast tracked for another med review - he has been on insulin for several years now as his pancreas has almost packed up

 

[diggernorman]

@diggernorman
Male UTI tend to be relatively rare - the lifetime risk for UTI among men is about a quarter of what it is for women. The main contributing risk factors for males are diabetes (high levels of sugar in urine), prostate issues and not having been circumcised. The fact that your husband has constant nocturnal toilet breaks may point to prostate issues. The urologist certainly will be able point you in the right direction.