blood in ds urine, trying not to have a major panic attack, can anyone help?

[kaylasmum]

Hi, my 2 yo ds has been unwell for the past week with a high temperature, chesty cough and general lethargy. He has also had very little appetite. When i got home from work tonight about half 6 i went to bath him, his nappy was very wet, my partner had'nt changed him in 7 hours. i noticed that the urine was red coloured so called nhs 24 who suggested it could be a urine infection and that i should tske him to the out of hours doctors. I took his nappy with me and they said it was definately blood and that they could'nt start him on antibiotics until i got a sample from him.i suffer from health anxiety which i'm being treated for and i'm so worried that there could be some sinister reason for the blood. I'm sitting here with my ds on my knee without a nappy on in the hope thst i can catch a sample of urine so that i can get him started on the anti-b's.

Please if anyone has any experience of this with their children can you reassue me.

thanks in advance for any replies.

[ScummyMummy]

Oh honey, how scary. But honestly, they really really really really really don't send little kids home unless they're pretty darn sure they'll be ok there. Hope he's better soon. Do you have a partner, friend or relative to support you while you're feeling so worried?

[ThePlanningCommittee]

Your partner hadn't changed him in 7 hours?

I hope you get a sample from your little boy soon - and I hope you challenge your partner about his neglect of your son.

[Pawslikepaddington]

Yes, they do whip them into hospital asap if they are worried-dd has nearly gone in many a time for things like high fevers and a tight chest, normal childhood things. You must be so scared though. Where is your partner? Is he with you? Can he talk this through with you? It is so much scarier on your own, so even if he can just sit with you it may help.

[hobbgoblin]

UTIs very common in young children, but less so in boys. After two or three they will do further tests but usually they clear up after the antibiotics. My DS has had three suspected bouts but turns out his is something else ,he had no blood in urine but it was very chalky and he had pain too.

The blood will likely be due to inflammation, no more no less so try not to panic. In terms of avoiding future infections and Balinitis, do give dp a text or something to remind him to change the nappy!

[kaylasmum]

thank you all for your prompt replies, i try to be logical and i thought i was doing really well with my anxiety, but obviously not. I don't find my partner to very helpful in these situations. I can't go to bed until i have the sample from my ds, i'm shattered but want to get him started on his ab's as soon as possible. I feel so alone with this worry, both my parents are dead so i don't really have anyone to confide in when i'm worried like this.

[Pawslikepaddington]

Don't worry kayla-I'm in the same situation as you and get very lonely and scared if there are 1/2am problems. You are doing well, don't worry. Internally I FREAK if dd is ill at night-even in she is just sick or has a toilet accident. Docs and NHS24 are around 24 hours a day, so there is someone there. It is normal to get extra worried at this time of night, as it is so much harder to get something done if you need to, and you don't feel like you can talk to anyone-it is very isolating. We are here xx

[kaylasmum]

thanks pawslikepaddington, i worry so much about my kids health and always imagine the worst, as i'm doing just now. I was unable to get a sample from my ds last night so he still has'nt started on his ab's. I've not seen anymore blood in his nappy so don't know what to think. maybe he does'nt have an infection, maybe it was an irritation of some kind.

[kaylasmum]

has anyone else ever experienced this in their children?

[CharleeInChains]

If your struggling to get the sample, my gp gave me a little sticky bag that went right round ds's penis and scrotum and caught any wee so he was still able to play or sleep.

Please don't worry they wouldn't have sent him home if they were worried, UTI's are common in children and very easily treated.

[Tiggiwinkle]

kaylasmum-did they do a stick test with the moisture from the nappy confirming it was blood?

Urine infection can make children quite ill-it sounds as if your DS may well have one if he was generally unwell last week.

How is he now? If you are really worried I would go back to the doctors or if he is really ill I would take him to AandE. They process the tests more quickly there and may well put him on ABs straight away.

They do treat urine infections in little boys very seriously. In this area, they do tests on the kidneys (scans etc) after the first infection, because they want to rule out any underlying cause.

One of my DSs had one when he was about 3.

[MelonCauli]

You need to take him back to the GP. They should put him on something like trimethoprim (a wide spectrum antibiotic) while they wait for the sample. This is not going to go away on it's own. Make an appointment now. The high temp etc is very indicative of a UTI.

My dd has had many of them but the faster you act the less likely there is to be kidney damage.

[noddyholder]

You can get a sample from a boy using a condom if you have any.get back for a dip test as blood can sometimes be protein aswell and the quicker you get treatment the better

[Niecie]

Sorry if I am stating the obvious and you are already doing this but make sure you are giving him plenty to drink. Not only will it make collecting a sample quicker and easier but it will help fight the infection and begin the process of flushing it out.

Don't worry about feeling panicky because your DS is ill. I can be the same. You should have seen me last Tuesday night when DS1 had a raging temperature for 14 hours, no matter what he took to get it down. I have never seen him so ill. I kept checking for rashes. Poor boy would have been throughly fed up with me if he had the energy. Turns out he had tonsilitis. The point is it is normal to be worried - it is what keeps us on our toes and makes sure that we don't miss anything.

Keep cuddling your DS and waiting for that wee and in the meantime book that docs apppointment. Hope he feels better soon.

[kaylasmum]

tiggiwinkle - yes they did test the moisture in the nappy and it was confirmed that it was blood, not sure if anyhting else showed up. He is actually fine at the moment, playing around as always, he still has a bad cough and not much of an appetite. He will eat chocolate though! Did your ds have to have a scan after his infection.

meloncauli - i have been given ab's for him, the one that you mentioned but was told to wait until i get a sample from him before i start him on them.

niecie - i have been trying to get him to drink but he really does'nt drink a great deal, at most probably about 2 glasses of juice in a day, but i still breastfeed him and have been doing that quite frequently over the past week. Not sure how much milk he will be getting though.

There is no sign of any blood today, when i took his nappy off it was very wet, it did smell quite strong though. Have any of your lo's had blood in their urine with an infection, this is whats really worrying me.

[Tiggiwinkle]

Yes Kaylasmum-he had a scan of his kidneys and also a special test where they injected dye and took a series of pictures as he passed urine.

This was after just one infection.

The blood in your DSs urine is an indication that he has an infection. TBH i would really concentrate on getting that sample so you can start the ABs.

Don't want to alarm you, but by the time my DSs sample had been tested and the results were back, he was a lot better. BUT the infection had been of such a serious nature that he was taken into hospital and given IV antibiotics at that stage.

They really do take urine infections in boys very seriously indeed.

[kaylasmum]

what did your sons scan show up? why are urine infections so serious in boys. i'm trying very hard to get a sample from ds, can't take my eyes off him for a second just incase i miss it.

[kaylasmum]

also meant to mention, the doctor i saw last night did'nt mention the need for a scan or anymore tests, he just said that if my ds did'nt improve after 48 hours of taking the ab's then to see my gp. don't know what to think.

[Tiggiwinkle]

His scans were all clear. Basically they take urine infections in boys more seriously because it is much more unusual for them to get them. There is more likely to be a reason for them such as an anatomical abnormality. They look to make sure there is no obstruction in their "tubes" which would lead to the urine collecting and developing infections. They also check the kidneys to make sure they are functioning normally.

Repeated infections can lead to permanent damage which they obviously are at pains to prevent.

Girls are much more likely to get infections, just like women are, without there being an underlying cause.

[noddyholder]

Blood is not always a sign of infection I HAVE HAD IT AND IT WAS SOMETHING ELSE ENTIRELY sorry about caps! You do need further investigation esp the dip test Did you try the condomes very good at catching the wee in boys

[cutekids]

hi.my dd2 did a urine sample for me one morning and it was LITERALLY red.i was absolutely terrified.obviously,took her straight to doctor who didn't seem concerned at all.just prescribed some antibiotics and said to keep an eye on her.obviously,sent her sample up to hospital aswell.i just asked him what he thought it could be and he just nonchalantly said,"just a slight urine infection.don't worry".!!!!! Seems he was right though.sample came back fine.I worry about absolutely everything with my 3 so i know you're probably the same.Do TRY to stay calm though.

[kaylasmum]

i'm still trying to get a sample from my ds with no luck, i phoned my gp and asked if i could start him on the anti-b's as i'm concerned about any long term damage if i don't get him started soon. He said to persevere for a while longer but if no luck then just to start him. He also mentioned that they would probably want to do a scan on his kidneys to check things out. This has sent me into a blind panic. I posted on here last year about a lump on my ds back and how we had to wait 6 weeks for a scan and eventually we were told that it is fatty tissue. The waiting for the scan and the results were horrendous, for three months i could barely function properly due to my anxieties. I just don't know how i'm going to get through this.

[Tiggiwinkle]

Please don't worry-it is purely a precautionary measure. As in my DSs case, in most cases there will be no underlying problem-they just have to rule it out.

Did they not give you a little bag to attach to your DS to get his sample-I am sure they did this when we had to get one?

[kaylasmum]

hi tiggiwinkle, when we were at the doctors last night we saw a nurse first and she had the bags but then the doctor said that he did'nt think they would be any good! I did'nt really like his attitude though the nurse was absolutely brilliant. How long did you have to wait for a scan for your ds and did you get the results there and then? Did he have any blood in his urine? sorry for all the questions but i just need to put things in perspective.

[Tiggiwinkle]

I think we had to wait a couple of months for the scan-he was kept on a low dose of ABs until he was given the all-clear. As far as I remember, we were given the scan results there and then.

He did not have any blood in his urine, but he did have an infection with a nasty bacteria which only responds to IV antibiotics.

[kaylasmum]

2 months is such a long wait! Its the blood in the urine thats really terrifying me. He's not showing any sign of pain when he pees so i'm worried that it might not be an infection and something more serious instead. I've been doing what my counsellor has told me not to do, googled! and i now have wilms tumour in my head. And to top it all ds has just peed all over me and i did'nt manage to catch a drop. Going to go for a bath and try to relax and let my partner take over.