Urinary tract infections are common in hospital settings. They are even more common for SCIs and those who are using, learning to use, and experimenting with catheterization. They are so common in fact, that the possible symptoms of a UTI are among those things that are drilled into our heads from the beginning of our time in rehab.
I, myself, had a number of UTIs. The one I remember least fondly was probably a month or so into my stay and it was a doozy. Generally a UTI is an infection in the urethra. It's caused by bacteria getting into that area. That's why intermittent catheterization can cause them unless absolutely sterile conditions are always involved.
Normally a simple IV and antibiotics would suffice. This particular UTI, though, required a much more potent antibiotic. It was so potent that after only a day or so it was painful when it hit my veins. So they switched wrists. The nurse that was trying to put it in my other wrist was so bad at it that I developed a fear of needles that continued for the duration of my stay.
Finally, they inserted a PICC line. A PICC line is kind of a super IV. An IV is inserted at the elbow and a length of thin medical tubing is fed into the vein. It leads up the shoulder within the vein so that the antibiotic can be administered into a tougher veined area. It freaked me out more than a little, the idea of having this tubing going through my body, even if it was just part of one arm. The UTI took a week or more to go away.
It wasn't until I was home and having to get my blood drawn every week that I forced myself to get over my fear of needles. I realized that it was something I was going to have to get used to. Fortunately, I only get my blood drawn as frequently as anyone else now. To this day I monitor myself for the signs of a UTI. Hopefully, I never get one that serious again.
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