My mum recently died after a UTI and now my wife’s got one – could she have caught it from the loo seat?

AS the acold upwind takes hold, it creates the cleanable breeding crushed for viruses similar flu, RSV and norovirus.

While successful astir cases we consciousness amended aft a week oregon so, for immoderate they tin beryllium serious.

NHS bosses fearfulness the work is heading for a hard winter – October saw immoderate of the highest A&E waits ever. But contempt the strain connected services, it is captious to cognize erstwhile to question exigency care.

If you oregon a loved 1 has trouble breathing, persistent thorax pain, confusion, oregon a bluish look oregon lips, interaction exigency services immediately. Early involution tin beryllium life-saving.

Everyone, but peculiarly those with pre-existing conditions, tin assistance by being vigilant and proactive.

Now is simply a captious clip to support washing your hands, and catching sneezes and coughs successful tissues.

Flu, covid and RSV jabs springiness other extortion during these months, truthful if you are eligible marque definite you get yours now.

Here’s a enactment of what readers person asked this week.

E. Coli near woman with a troublesome UTI

Q) MY mother, who precocious passed away, had developed encephalitis from a urinary infection. She would usage our WC, which we evidently cleaned.

However, my woman caught a urinary infection, which was diagnosed arsenic E.coli.

It went distant with medicine but, ever since, she’s had urinary leakage, causing her to deterioration ladies’ absorption pants. She has to alteration them astir each 4 hours. She is 65, and feels precise uncomfortable.

 She tried clinics, but they were useless, and cancelled. What tin you suggest?

A) Firstly, I americium truthful atrocious to perceive astir your parent passing away.

Regarding your wife’s situation, much than 80 per cent of UTIs are caused by E.coli, but it doesn’t person relevance to the toilet.

You cannot drawback a UTI from the toilet.

If urinary incontinence is caller pursuing a UTI, and doesn’t resoluteness itself wrong a fewer weeks, past it truly should beryllium looked into further. The GP volition privation to ascertain if it is accent incontinence (leakage erstwhile coughing, jumping) oregon impulse incontinence (an uncontrollable request to pee).

Tests whitethorn see urine and humor checks, and perchance an ultrasound to further measure the kidneys.

 Visible humor successful the urine that occurs successful the lack of a UTI – oregon remains aft a UTI has been treated – warrants an urgent referral to urology.

Depending connected results of immoderate investigations, determination are tons of treatments that tin truly assistance successful cases similar your wife’s, ranging from pelvic physiotherapy, to medications and surgery.

So nary 1 should endure successful soundlessness with incontinence oregon judge it arsenic a portion of ageing.

Q) I AM a stroke survivor aged 66 and for astir a period person had a nagging symptom successful my little close leg.

I tin spell hours without it and then, suddenly, determination it is.

I consciousness it would beryllium melodramatic to deliberation it whitethorn beryllium a deep-vein thrombosis, oregon DVT.

It is hard to get a GP appointment, and I don’t privation to interest if it’s not important.

A) You are correct, these symptoms are not emblematic of a deep-vein thrombosis. Classical symptoms of DVT see throbbing symptom successful 1 limb (usually successful the calf oregon thigh, specified arsenic erstwhile walking oregon lasting up), swelling, warmth oregon redness of the leg.

But I can’t reassure you that you bash not person one, arsenic sometimes radical contiguous with atypical symptoms.

Therefore, my proposal to you is to question aesculapian attraction – ideally archetypal with your GP – truthful you tin beryllium thoroughly assessed.

Often practices reserve same-day assignment slots, truthful stock your concern. However, immoderate are struggling with the disparity betwixt proviso and request – and this whitethorn not ever beryllium the case.

If you cannot get an appointment, past I would counsel that you telephone 111.

 This way, you volition beryllium capable to talk with a healthcare nonrecreational who tin measure you and, if necessary, put a slot astatine A&E oregon adjacent an assignment to person an ultrasound scan of the leg, which is the diagnostic investigation for DVT.

The information that you person had a changeable indicates a higher hazard of a antithetic information called peripheral arterial disease.

 This is erstwhile determination is atherosclerosis of the arteries that proviso the little limb and foot.

It tin origin intermittent claudication – erstwhile radical person symptom portion utilizing the limb muscles, specified arsenic climbing up steps, but not astatine rest.

Either way, adjacent if it is hard to get an assignment with your GP, this does not mean you should clasp backmost from seeking the aesculapian attraction that you request and deserve.

Post-tumour, however bash I assistance immune system?

Q) HOW bash I assistance my immune strategy to support maine from infections and viruses? I americium 59 and six months agone I had a nephrectomy and exigency splenectomy owed to a tumour.

 I person to instrumentality regular penicillin. I americium up to day with the Covid and flu vaccines.

 A) Following a splenectomy, which is an cognition to region the spleen, it is important to instrumentality measures to springiness yourself other extortion against corruption due to the fact that the spleen plays a relation successful warring immoderate invading germs that are successful the blood.

In summation to taking a debased dose of penicillin each day, it is highly important to beryllium up-to-date with each immunisations, not conscionable against seasonal bugs but bacterial infections that tin origin pneumonia and meningitis.

It’s besides precise important to see immoderate immunisations you whitethorn request if you are travelling to definite countries.

Things you tin bash yourself to enactment your immune strategy see consuming a healthy, balanced fare with a wide assortment of colourful fruits and vegetables.

Plants incorporate antithetic types of nutrients, truthful assortment and “eating the rainbow” is important.

 Including astatine slightest 2 portions of food a week provides omega-3 fats, which enactment a steadfast immune system, and bully robust sources are important too. A vitamin D supplement is besides advised arsenic we conflict to marque capable of this vitamin from sunshine successful the UK, particularly successful winter, and it plays a important relation successful immunity.

As for different supplements, they are sometimes adjuvant if radical conflict to person a varied and balanced fare – for example, vegetarians oregon vegans.

Moving your assemblage regularly besides helps the immune strategy function, arsenic does getting capable and regular sleep.

It’s besides important to instrumentality measures to negociate accent due to the fact that precocious levels tin beryllium detrimental to the immune system’s function.

Also debar smoking and support immoderate intoxicant intake wrong steadfast limits.