Urinary tract infection - how do I tell?

[Distracted]

Am wondering if dd could have a urinary tract infection?

She doesn't seem unwell, but just seems to be going to the toilet a lot more frequently this week and keeps wetting herself too. On a half hour car journey when she would usually be fine, had to stop twice for her to wee & she genuinely needed to go each time.

Had 3 big accidents yesterday - it seems as if she gets to the stage where she's desperate (& she does then find it v. difficult not to have an accident at that point)straight away, without the usual lead up.

She's 3 1/4 and has been potty trained for about 5 months. We are still up and down a bit with potty training with phases where we seem to get wet pants more often, but this isn't just wet pants but big accidents and also using the toilet much more frequently.

Could she have an infection? She's well otherwise (except has told me a couple of times in last few days that she had tummy ache but then she soon says it has gone again)

I do worry that she very often strains when she wees & hope she isn't causing herself any problems by doing this (we probably caused this by making her go to the toilet when she didn't need to during potty training and phases when she's had accidents and not been telling us she needs to go).

What do other people think?

[hunkermunker]

DS has had two UTIs so far (he's 15mo tomorrow) - he is very obviously unwell when he's had them though - extremely high temperature (40.9 at its peak) and perks up almost immediately he has trimethoprim.

Not sure about a UTI in an older child - if you're worried though, go to the GP and take a fresh sample of wee with you. They may be able to test it there, or send it away to be tested.

[Mae1]

My dd (4yrs old) has recently had UTI - same symptoms - weeing a lot, wetting herslf (most unusual), but also saying it hurt when she wee'd.
Took a sample to docs - they tested it there and then - protein present which did suggest an infection - it was snet off, antibiotics given straight away - when results came back it was confimred as UTI. Now waiting to have Kidneys checked - apparently they do this to ensure there isn't an underlying problem.

[PennyLess]

My dd is now 5 and she had a suspected UTI when she was about two. She was still in nappies so we couldn't get a sample which is why it was never confirmed. However, she had the kidny scan - they are checking for reflux, ie that infected urine isn't going back into the kidneys - oh, and that the kidneys are there and functioning!
Def take her to the doctor to check - with a sample - but strangely, my ds has been weeing far more that usual recently, going to the loo about twice as often as usual, and having accidents he had grown out of. He's 3.2.
Could it be the weather?
Incidentally, the reason that I knew my dd had one was that she was in pain when she weed, and that is how I knew she was weeing often, because she cried each time.

[bundle]

uti can only be diagnosed when you have a fresh sample examined and a culture above a certain number of a single bacteria is found. this needs to be done by paediatrician, and could then involve invasive tests so they really have to be certain to ensure they don't subject children to such tests unnecessarily

[QueenZebra]

When my dd has had uti's she's had very high fever, although it could be a bit come and go, plus she had painful weeing... esp. she would be in so much pain she'd have to wake us all up to use the toilet in the middle of the night (she's still not dry overnight).

So, doesn't sound to me like Distracted's DD has an UTI.

[Distracted]

By the way thank you all for your advice - I logged in again Sunday and then didn't have an opportunity to check again all last week.

I ummed and aahed a bit at the beginning of the week, but in the end didn't take a sample in, and sounds like I did the right thing really. She carried on weeing more than usual and wetting herself the first half of the week, but it's cleared up the last 3-4 days so all ok.