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Children's health

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Recurrent urine infection 5year old dd

8 replies

SylvDP · 17/09/2015 10:04

Has anyone's dd been through recurrent urine infections?
Dd is just 5. This has been going on since last November (on and off, about 6 weeks of good health in between episodes), though her last case was April and she has been well throughout the summer. Previous to this she had an ultrasound which showed everything was clear.
I took her to the doctor last night, she tested her urine and said it was a UTI so prescribed her antibiotics. I'm waiting for her to call this morning to see how things are.
She has the same symptoms as normal, high temp and vomiting.
Basically I'm just looking for any advice. Should I be insisting on further testing (I'm not sure what for)? I know this isn't 'right' and am worried sick tbh.
Just hoping someone has been through this. I don't want to be fobbed off at the doctors with "let's just see if it happens again."

OP posts:
TheSpottedZebra · 17/09/2015 10:06

Poor your DD.
Is she wiping correctly -ie front to back?

TheSpottedZebra · 17/09/2015 10:07

Have they ever tested to see what the infection was? Ie which bacteria?

IthinkIamright · 17/09/2015 10:08

I'd second is she wiping correctly but more importantly is she wiping away all the poo and not leaving any?

SylvDP · 17/09/2015 10:21

She does wipe front to back, though I did wonder if she goes enough times at school (she says she goes 3-4 times but I'm not sure). She had a swab done around Easter time which showed bacteria present (I can't remember what however).
Her sample has been sent off to the lab, however these sometimes come back as ok even though the surgery dip test shows an infection and she has all the symptoms of an infection. I just feel a bit helpless really.
Thank you for the quick replies.

OP posts:
nocoolnamesleft · 18/09/2015 01:51

The most important test is sending the sample to the lab. If the lab sample is clear, it sounds more like bladder irritation rather than true UTI. If the lab samples show actual recurrent UTI, then she should (NICE guidance) be having a DMSA scan to check out her kidneys.

If it's bladder irritation (and all these are also useful in kids with recurent UTI, as they reduce the odds of getting a UTI):

Drink loads, even when well. For an average sized 5 year old that should be a total fluid intake of nearly a litre 1/2 per day (more if big for age). The fluids should be spread out through the day - make sure she's not drinking very little when at school, then having most of what she does drink in a few hours in the evening.

She should be drinking enough to make her urine, when well, watery in colour - just a tinge of colour, no more. Concentrated urine is very irritating to the bladder, tube to the outside (urethra), and the delicate surrounding tissues. Irritated bladders make can mimic infection annoyingly well, but are also more prone to letting infection take off.

No fizzy drinks or fresh citrus drinks (basically, the acid load gets wee'd out, which irritates the bladder).

Make sure she isn't constipated. If a kid's got poo waiting to come out, then it makes it harder to empty the bladder, leading to stale urine being left behind, and also means more bugs floating around the perineum just waiting to cause trouble.

Hygiene isn't just about wiping the right way, though that is important. You've probably already banned bubblebath, but try to avoid using any products in the bath (at a push, use stuff marketed for people with eczema), and if you need to wash her hair in the bath, then do it last, so she isn't sitting in shampooish water. Irritating the urethra with bath products makes both UTI and bladder irritation more likely. Cotton knickers. If she tends to get any dampness at all, encourage her to be able to get clean dry knickers on at school.

Check how often she is actually going to the toilet for a wee. Hanging on leads to stale wee (back to irritating the bladder) and to leaks (irritating the urethra and surrounding area). Encourage her to sit properly on the toilet, not hover or rush off,to help with completely emptying her bladder.

Seriously, though, the single most common factor that makes a big difference is making certain they drink enough. As far as I can work out, at least 19 times out of 20 young kids drink way less at school than their parents think: there are just so many more exciting things for them to do! Worth keeping a daily diary of drinks for a bit? I've not met many kids that age who can reliably tell you what they normally drink at school, but most can manage to tell you what they had that day. Oh, and make sure a really good big drink at b'fast, as you can control that one...

blahblahblah2000 · 18/09/2015 03:30

We had similar issues. My daughter had a kidney scan to see if the recurrent infections had caused scarring (luckily all ok). We had to avoid bath's altogether, shower only and wash well with plain water (no soaps or bubble bath). Plenty of water to drink. The pediatrician had her on low dose antibiotics as a preventer for about 12 months. The Doctors anticipated she would grow out of it and she did and has not had a UTI for about 3 years now (she is 8). Good luck Xx

SylvDP · 18/09/2015 10:18

Thank you nocoolnames and blahblah, that's really helpful.
Her results weren't back this morning so no answers there. She is a lot better in herself which is a relief.
I will stop baths and just stick to showers, she uses Aquamax as she gets mild eczema.
She takes 2 water bottles to school so I can keep an eye on this. She says she goes for a wee 3-4 times a day but I will keep an eye at home to ensure she really is emptying her bladder fully. Having a supply of pants at school is a good call too.
I think I mentioned before that we did have an ultrasound to check kidneys etc and that was clear.
It's nice to hear other people's dds have grown out of it, I'm hoping this is the case here.
Once again, thank you so much for your replies.

OP posts:
maybebabybee · 18/09/2015 10:27

I have no advice OP but when I was a little girl I used to suffer from recurrent UTIs too....nothing seemed to really work. No scarring on my kidneys though, I am ok though I am still prone to them no matter how much bloody water I drink! Have been checked out umpteen times both as a child and as an adult and still no explanation. It's so annoying :(

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