urinary tract infection.... help!!

[theweathergirl]

My little girl (17 months) has just had a urinary tract infection, and had to go on a drip for a few days as she was so dehydrated from vomiting. Now the hospital wants to do some tests, but they sound awful (catheterisation/x rays etc) - has anyone else had experience of this? Are there any alternatives?

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My little one had a urine infection at around the same age and we had the tests (kidney scan and something else). I think they like to do it for repeated infections or one where it may have been going on for some time (often they are not picked up until they have been going on a while whilst they are in nappies and they like to check the kidneys are not scarred). I think if they think it is necessary you'll have to go with it. They HATE doing these scans on little ones because they wriggle and wriggle so I think they would only recommend them if they thought they were absolutely necessary. They check for common abnormalities that can lead to a predisposition to urine infections. It probably all sounds really scary (I know I was terrified) but I was relieved when it was all over and we were given the all clear so fingers crossed for you if you go ahead with them.

dd had investigations done at 4 months following a uti. It was basically to check that there is no reflux of urine from bladder to kidney or blockages which could cause damage in the long term. I suspect because dd was so young it was less traumatic than for a toddler so I don't know if they would offer some sort of relaxant or sedation in your case as they need to lie quite still. They inserted a tube into her bladder, pumped in some fluid (containing a dye) and then waited to take xrays whilst she weed to make sure it all flowed the right way. She also had a separate ultrasound to check for any abnormalities in kidneys, bladder and passages in between.

tbh although this sounds pretty gruesome I suspect that it is no worse than being put on a drip and should reveal/eliminate any predisposition to utis or potential damage. Is this her first one ? I felt that the paediatrician perhaps overreacted as dd only had the one and they can be caused by so many other things rather than any inherent problem. However if it was severe or one of several imho it is worth getting the full diagnosis.

hth