2 yo DS referred to Yorkhill Urology following a UTI

[Tamashii]

DS developed a fever and was complaining he wasn't well and needed calpol. He was soon screaming in pain and witholding urine. Took him straight to GP who took urine sample, prescribed Trimethorprim and it turned out to be correct - he had urine infection. No idea how he got it but he has been referred to Yorkhill Urology dept for "further tests" and we are waiting for an appt.

Anyone been through this esp with a boy? Apparently since it is rare in boys under 3, they are automatically referred for an ultrasound and "some tests" that GP said would be explained in letter from hospital as he is not entirely sure what they do but not to worry as it is likely to be nothing. They just want to make sure he is ok.

I of course am worried now as I STUPIDLY Googled the whole thing and have been reading about catheters and injections into the bladder etc so I am concerned about what will happen.

Thank you so muc in advance for any help with this one :(

Stop fretting first and foremost.

He is likely to get an ultrasound scan of his kidneys to check for anatomical abnormalities that could predispose him to have UTI as it is less common in boys than girls.

I am not sure at his age (the older, the less tests) whether they would also recommend a so-called 'DMSA kidney scan' that assesses kidney function and looks for possible scarring. This involves an injection into the back of his hand and then lying still under an X-ray machine for a good half hour so they can take images of the injection being passed through his kidneys.

My DS2 had a UTI aged 8 months, had the above tests at Yorkhill and was on Trimethoprim prophylaxis for 3 years as there was scarring on his kidneys. A repeat DMSA scan when he was over 3 showed no further changes and he has been fine since .

If they find nothing wrong with your DSs kidney then he will not need longterm antibiotics and it will be put down to being 'one of those things'.

HTH and good luck .

Thank you sooooooooooo much. Can't imagine my DS lying still under an Xray machine though.... Maybe have to bribe him with lots of stickers! Thanks very much :)

My DS fell asleep the first time round - only after LOTS of screaming though .

Aged 3 they told us to bring a DVD and he lay as still as a corpse for the entire test watching 'Finding Nemo' .

Oh, yes, bribery: he got chocolate buttons as a rewards afterwards.

He is now 6 and has no memory of the events. I, however, still have nightmares... .

Aww thanks PacificDogwood. What a brave DS! I hope DS doesn't have any problems and we don't have to do the XRay but I guess it's better than what I read when I stupidly googled. Thanks :)

Hi my ds too went through all this. He was very poorly as a 5 week old baby and it was a significant urinary tract infection. He went through the same tests as pacificdogwoods ds and was discharged from the paediatrician at 3 years old. It all sounds daunting but they are doing the tests to look for reflux of the urine into the kidneys and scarring on the kidneys. My ds was also on trimethoprim for a year.

Interestingly he only ever had that one uti and no reflux or scarring. All tests were clear. Am sure your ds will be fine too. All the best. And don't google- they told me this at the time.

Thanks CharlieBoo DS has only had this one UTI as well but since then he has been holding his urine and then soaking through his clothes at night. It is such a shame. There is just so much crap going on just now and I just hope DS is totally fine. Thanks - I aint googling any health problems anymore! :)

Just wanted to post a follow up on this in case anyone else is interested/has any experiences to add.

We've had the initial consultation and have been recommended to go for the ultrasound then the DMSA XRay scan in about 6 months time to check for kidney scarring as they are concerned the infection was in his kidneys due to a high fever.

I am fine with taking him for the ultrasound but am worried about the XRay as he will not lie still and screamed n cried getting his tummy felt as well as the fact that the DMSA scan involves "radioactive isotopes" being injected into his bloodstream when they might not even be able to get clear pictures if he won't lie still.

Fret fret and fret some more! He probably gets more radiation from being around the microwave oven and our mobile phones but actually allowing them to inject something into his blood stream seems to be getting to me.

ANyway, that isn't for another 6 months so we shall see.

Thanks again to the lovely posters from my original question and I hope my DS is totally fine too. 2011 is hopefully going to be a better year for us...

If he is well in the meantime, you don't have to agree to any invasive tests if you are worried (that's what I did in the past), you can simply postpone/defer.
High temp could have also meant that his immune system is strong and fighting well, if you want to know how his kidneys are working, you can ask for a kidney function blood test? Even if he did have scarring, would there be anything they would do about it?

My ds had uti and all the tests at 10 months, then dd at 2 yrs. Both were fine and tests nowhere near as traumatic as I imagined. Dd has a temp of 39 as we speak and I am fairly sure it's another uti so in for it all again .......

Thanks for the replies. I think we will just go for the ultrasound for now and see what comes up. He has had absolutley no other UTI's since and seems to be in good health (touch wood of course) so if they find nothing on the ultrasound I am not sure if he would be "willing to participate" during the IV ink stuff and lying still under an xray machine for any length of time. I am just never sure how to handle stuff like this since you are responsible for the healthcare of your child so any decision I make could possibly be the wrong one... Hmmmm.

Sorry if your LO has another UTI Bobbiesmum it's so horrible for the poor wee thing.

Thanks again