Herbs for recurrent kidney infections

[kidneytransplant]

Hi there,

I had a kidney transplant many years ago. A few years back, I began having recurrent UTIs, most of which have been asymptomatic until I began having fever and chills. Know ER personnel way too much lol.

Anyway, around the time this began, I also tested + for Q fever, and subsequently tested + for pretty much everything else (LD, babesia, bart, RMSF). But, no, I do no have tick-borne disease according to my docs and this couldn't possibly be the reason for my constant UTI/kidney infections (the usual: "I don't what it is, but it's not Lyme"...um, OK.)

Because of continual abx use for the utis, I think the major symptoms of all these infections have been kept at bay. I have ear ringing, aches and pains, fatigue....but this is nothing compared to how bad I know LD and co can be, and I can live with these symptoms. I just can't live with constant ER visits and hospitalizations...30 +/- times in 4 years. Not to mention I am terrified of contracting a hospital acquired infection.

So, what I would like to know is what can I do??? I have taken vit C, cranberry supps, d-mannose, and drink copious amts of cran juice and water to avoid these infections.

I am a kidney transplant recipient (truly a gift of life if ever there was one), so I have to be very careful about what I take. I am obviously on meds for this....prednisone low dose and tacrolimus low dose. I can't take anything herbal or alternative that will interfere with these meds.

Any advice that you can offer would be so very appreciated. Thank you in advance.

[LadyB]

Hi KT,
I have to admit this is WAY out of my league, as I've never dealth with a transplant recipient at all, and so I simply can't state that any herbs are totally non-interfering with the drugs you're on, because I truly do not know.

Definitely, as pain -relieving as St John's wort tincture might be, that would be top of the list to avoid as it will move the drugs through your liver more quickly.

With Teasel's help with Lyme AND it's affinity for the kidneys and urinary tract, it sure SOUNDS like a grand idea, but again, I just can't say for sure that it's ok with the drugs (and I'm PRETTY sure the drug folks couldn't either)

I'm assuming your cranberry juice is entirely unsweetened.

Uva Ursi is the top herb for UTI's and I believe that can be had as a tea, which would probably be a good way to try some herbs, in a WATER preparation which extracts the most nourishing components of the plants. (rather than tinctures which extract medicinal alkaloids) I don't think I've ever seen Usnea as a tea, but Yarrow is another odd-tasting tea you might want to research. Very disinfectant for the bladder.

You're in a tough space on this one. IF IT WERE ME (and therefore I am NOT making recommendations for anyone else) I'd sure self-test with the Teasel with the drugs in my system and see how they might work together.

You might want to visit the Wise Woman Forum www.healingwiseforum.com and search urinary tract infections, as I recall there were MANY threads on the subject. As transplants go, kidneys are relatively common, so you might actually find someone with the same issue.

Trust yourself,
LadyB

[cinderskenney]

actually, you might want to cut back on the cranberry juice, which can be very acidic for the bladder. I too am having bladder/UTI problems with lyme. I am going to start D-MAnnose soon. I was on bactrim which seemed to help but now that I'm off it's coming back. Ugh!

[LadyB]

CK, have you tried Teasel? We have a number of posts around here where folks who didn't even connect bladder issues with Lyme got surprising relief.

There's a huge difference between a true bacterial Urinary Tract Infection and Interstitial Cystitis. IC is not an infection at all, but rather an inflammation of the SPACE between the lining of the urinary bladder and its muscle. And we know how INFLAMATORY Lyme can be.

If the usual abx treatment DOESN'T work for one's UTI, then it makes sense to suspect IC, in which case, yes, Cranberry can AGGRAVATE IT. Susun Weed has a whole section on IC in her New Menopausal Years book which I am not going to write out here, but trying something like Marshmallow root (2 TBPS of dried root soaked in 8 oz of water overnight, strain and drunk the next morning) may offer tremendous relief. If the pain is truly 'electric', she suggests trying St John's wort tincture, a dropperful as much as 6 times a day.
LadyB