Really annoyed with dismissive doctor

[pandowo]

Dd has a uti and on Monday she was prescribed trimethoprim and there hasn’t been any improvement. On sunday her temp was 40.4 degrees, the fever broke Monday evening. She is quiet, hardly passing urine, we’re really struggling to get water or squash down her, she is extremely irritable and having horrible night wakings thrashing around, screaming, moaning, not wanting us to touch her. She’s very clingy in the daytime, cries if we aren’t holding her etc. She will have a few occasions where she seems like herself but then it hits her again.
Dh took her back to the gp earlier and the doctor refused to change her antibiotics and stated that utis are not common in children?! All over the internet it says how common they are in kids. Keep doing what you’re doing and see you later !
Does this sound right ?!

Call 111 for advice

Was meant to add this same doctor told me metformin caused my miscarriage a few years ago. Just total crap.

You need to finish the course

Did they send a sample to the lab on the first attendance, so they can see if it’s the right antibiotic? How old is the child? Would be anticipating some improvement by now, though if temperature has settled that would be a good sign.

The temp actually settled before we started the antibiotics. No they didn’t send it to the lab. She is 3

Should there not be some even slight improvement by now ?

and hasn’t reached the peaks pre antibiotics again?

There is isn’t there? In the sense her temp has settled?

No the temp has broke. But she still is barely urinating, not herself at all, not doing her usual things like wanting to play, refusing point blank to drink, just wants cuddles

Can you try and see a different doctor at the surgery? Or is there an out of hours you could go to via 111 if you ring later in the day? I've had quite a few UTIs in my life and would expect a big improvement in pain passing urine (and urine volume) after a couple of doses tbh.

She’s poorly
utis take a bit of time to clear
just crack on with antibiotics, lots of fluids and lots of cuddles
no need to look to blame the doctor

I’m not looking to blame anyone, I just want what’s best for my young child. As her parent I would know if there has been any improvement, she hasn’t improved, she should have by now if the antibiotics were working for the type of bacteria causing the uti.

Does her breath smell like pear drops ? If so a&e. That's a sign of ketones and not eating enough.

There should be some improvement by now.

I am a frequent sufferer of UTIs, in adults they usually give you a 3 day course of antibiotics but I always have to ask for 7 days because I get an improvement but by day 5 it will be back. They, also, always send the sample away because a lot of UTIs are Trimethoprim resistant, which is crap for me because I’m allergic to a lot of other antibiotics.

Ring 111 @pandowo . She’s obviously still very poorly despite being on day 4 of antibiotics. While you’re waiting for them to call back try to get her to have some ice lollies or jelly because they’re fluids.

Is she tender anywhere - particularly over her back in the kidney area?
As others have said, persevere with fluids strongly. She won't be peeing much if she's not drinking much, and that won't help symptoms or the infection to shift.

Ring the GP say you’re unhappy with the outcome and want to see another GP. You may have to speak to practice manager.

Try syringing in 5 mls of water every 5 mins, playing with tea cup in the bath and encourging her to drink the bath water, giving juice and hot chocolate - whatever you can get her to drink.

I would have expected to see an improvement but if it's a well seated infection it may well take most of the week.

Just my experience.

I would have expected an improvement by now. I had a uti a few years ago that was resistant to the antibiotics that were prescribed. My symptoms were dismissed when I said that they were not working, and I ended up in hospital with a kidney infection. I would request a follow up appointment, especially as she is not taking in sufficient fluids.

How can the GP know what they are treating if a sample hasn't been sent off, my child's last UTI was caused by a bug that needed a very specific IV antibiotic 4 times a day so we needed to be in hospital. I would be calling the surgery again and saying that I am not happy with the outcome of the latest consultation and asking for her to be seen by a different doctor.

You say refusing point blank to drink? And not seeming better in herself? Think you need more medical advice, 111 or GP.

I wouldn't necessarily have expected an improvement yet.

However it's total rubbish that they're uncommon in children and it is usual practice to send off a sample. This means that if the antibiotics continue not to work, a specific type for the infection your child has cancer he prescribed.

You need to chase urine analysis, not simply ask for different antibiotics, as at the moment it's guesswork.

I have requested a second opinion so am just waiting on a callback, hopefully it doesn’t take all day.
She has perked up a little, playing games on the iPad but still not running around like she would be normally. Had to give her an ice lolly as I think the novelty of our “game” ie the fluid challenge has worn off !
If this second doctor agrees she should stay on the current antibiotics then I will give it another 24 hours. I just can’t believe stated so factually that utis are uncommon in children, he said it’s adult women who get utis.

Absolutely push fluids any way you can. As people have said ice lollies, jelly, water in syringe or like medicine by the spoonful, milkshakes. It’s the quickest way to make her more comfortable.

I mean, UTIs are less common in children than in adult women, but they're hardly rare. And in a young child I would always advocate sending a sample to the lab if giving antibiotics, as otherwise you never know whether it was actually a UTI or not for sure, and indeed whether it was a typical bug, and if your antibiotics are the right one. Now technically NICE guidance only says you have to under 3, but I must admit I apply it older than that.

If not really drinking, getting checked out again seems eminently reasonable.