ILC, AIs ,Menopause and Bladder Infections

Hi there. So sorry you are dealing with UTIs. They are most likely caused by a lack of estrogen. Low estrogen thins out the lining of the bladder making it more susceptible to infection and a chronic condition called interstitial cystitis. IMO it is not probable that it is BC in the bladder. Good luck and keep us posted.

Considering that I just had one dx this past Sunday and am on antibiotics because of it, I agree it's probably menopause (also what I read when I was researching why I got this damn UTI) coupled with a urethra that is only about 2 c. long! Short path for bacteria to travel. Thanks for reminding me to check out AIs and UTI link. If AIs decrease circulating estrogen, then more susceptibility for UTIs seems logical.

vagifem is a tablet that is used intravaginally. My onco said that is fine. There's also an estring type of thing that emits tiny amounts of estrogen. My onco said that is OK. She said NO to premarin cream. Maybe concern for how women dose with accuracy, I don't know. I've used olive oil and things have been fine for me so far, but once your bladder is affected, not sure olive oil is enough.

Good luck. I don't know if the Mona Lisa touch would have any impact on the bladder...maybe worth asking (there are also some threads on 'getting your mojo back' discussing this procedure).

Thank you, Wallycat. As is the case with so many things with cancer treatment, there is much controversy and debate over whether Vagifem, Estring and IntraRosa are safe for breast cancer patients. The bottom line is that there has been no such research specifically with breast cancer patients, so many doctors say it's better to be safe than sorry. Theoretically, Vagifem should not pose a problem, but when the pharmacist did my consult, she scared me by telling me it can cause nausea and breast tenderness! That tells me that enough can circulate in the system to be potentially problematic. And because I was on bio-identical HRT when I was diagnosed, I am doubly wary. I've been researching MonaLisa Touch, and I have seen reports from some doctors that it should help with the bladder too, but I haven't seen enough positive feedback from patients. And it is also expensive and needs to be maintained after the first 3-4 treatments, at least yearly. However, I think I would pay just about anything now for some assured relief. I will follow your suggestion and go see what they are talking about on the Mojo topic.

Dear Katcar0001, I don't think anyone cares if you post on ILC or IDC or anywhere else. We are all struggling to make it through this club no one wanted to join. I just spotted your comment and didn't see if anyone commented about where you posted. Suffice it to say, I don't care...we all learn from each others' posts and cancer affects us all similarly in many ways. ((((Katcar0001))))

I was going to reply to your post there, but decided to PM you in case you did not come back to check...regarding other things you could try...If you do have a subclinical bladder infection, you might try D-Mannose. Google it to get specifics; I won't exhaust it here. It won't affect blood sugar and it prevents bacteria from sticking to your bladder wall. You can take it with antibiotics and take it for as long as you need without side effects. You could also try pumpkin seed oil. I had an overactive bladder once and tried it; within 24 hours, it calmed it. Overactive bladder is also common in menopause (aren't we lucky?!). Mine comes and goes. When I feel I'm peeing more than usual, especially at night, I take a capsule or a tbs if I don't have capsules on hand. I do that for a few days and things seem to calm without any Rx drugs....

I'll repost this on your thread incase you go look there and miss the PM. Best to you!