Pee Valve Problems

[DA Aquamaster]

The most common mix is 50/50. Try to get at least the 70% alcohol, some in drugstores is only 50%.

90% is available in drugstores if you look for it. I'll try to recollect what chain store I get it in.

[DrHarry]

Yes sorry we do have the other meth here too...wouldn't recommend it for diving!

We call it methylated spirits here...get it from the hardware store and use it for Trangier stoves, cleaning stuff etc. It is high grade ethanol with something very unsavoury added to stop people drinking it. It used to be methanol but too many people went blind from drinking it so I think they took that out.

75/25 meths /vinegar does the trick and is more than enough to prevent all these problems. It works because the alcohol dries out the tubing (pseudomonas lives in warm moist places and dislikes the acid).

Since I wrote that article I have seen several more cases and heard about many others. I always take some norfloxacin antibiotic on remote trips now (or ciprofloxacin) because standard UTI antibiotics do not work. You need to tell your doc it may be pseudomonas, otherwise you'll receive an ineffective antibiotic. Not surprisingly, most doctors will not be familiar with this condition.

[FW]

... I always take some norfloxacin antibiotic on remote trips now (or ciprofloxacin) because standard UTI antibiotics do not work. You need to tell your doc it may be pseudomonas, otherwise you'll receive an ineffective antibiotic. Not surprisingly, most doctors will not be familiar with this condition.

Ooh! I guess I was just lucky that Dr Bass happened to have Cipro with her!

[kwinter]

Yup. Since my incident, I keep some Cipro in my kit.

[lamont]

Had a similar incident in MX. Didn't realize my p-valve was closed, tried to use it, felt the pressure, then stopped, knew something was wrong, but was nearly out of the cave anyway. On ascent, though, expansion of the gas bubble attempted to reinflate my bladder. What resulted was a fairly nasty bladder/kidney infection. Resolved in about a week with Cipro.

I'm a guy so I never thought about UTIs/bladder infections before that happened, never occurred to me...

[decostanza]

Thanks for posting the link to the paper listed a few pages back...missed this initially.
Don

[huxley]

None of the UTI bacteria are that hard to kill outside of a body. Ear beer, bleach solution, and chlorhexidine are all strong enough.

just make sure you dont use it as ear beer after the valve flush, that would give a painfull infection.
that's the same mix i use always have a bottle handy. Am wondering how well the rubber membrane takes the alcohol and if its better to flush with water after the desinfection?

[FW]

just make sure you dont use it as ear beer after the valve flush, that would give a painfull infection.
that's the same mix i use always have a bottle handy. Am wondering how well the rubber membrane takes the alcohol and if its better to flush with water after the desinfection?

It wouldn't hurt. I personally use chlorhexidine. It is easier on rubber.