Distressed 5yo needs a wee and can't go

[sarahbanshee]

My 5yo was unwell last week - no specific symptoms, but high temperature, subdued, a bit off his food. He had a day off school but seemed better.

However since then he has several times insisted that he needs a wee but can't go (even when we are pretty sure he doesn't eg five minutes after he last went). He gets quite distressed about it. Occasionally there is a tiny wee but more often nothing. Other times he is going perfectly normally so it doesn't seem as though it's anything fundamental - it's on and off.

He has been toilet trained with few issues since he was about 2 and a half, although he isn't dry at night (wears a pull up, sometimes wakes up to go, sometimes wakes up with a dry pull up and bursting, sometimes sleeps through and has a full pull up ). He has always had a tendency to deny needing a wee when there is something more interesting to do and wait until he's desperate but that had got better since he started school.

Any thoughts about what this might be or what we can do? Might it be a UTI? Does he need to see the doctor? I have been trying to get him to drink a fair bit - not usually a problem anyway - to try and flush it out but it still seems to be happening on and off and the poor boy is getting upset. There's no pain or smell or sign of anything amiss but he is just sad about it. Advice please!

[TootsBoots]

Yes, sounds like a uti poor thing. He needs gp or walk in - take a sample if you can.

[PirateJones]

sounds like his bladder might have gone into spasm, uti or holding too long can do it, A Warm bath might help.

[sarahbanshee]

Thanks - doctor agrees probably a UTI and we have antibiotics.