Daughter has UTI - advice?

I need to get a urinalysis/culture to confirm it (the culture will take a
couple of days from when I turn in the sample, which so far, I have been
unable to catch cleanly (once I dropped it in the commode, once it spilled,
once I missed completely. Gee, this is fun!)). Does anyone have any
advice on how to keep my two and a half year old comfortable for a couple of
days until the antibiotics can be prescribed?

And while we're at it, any advice on how to prevent future UTIs? I'm fairly
certain that inadequate wiping (back to front) must have been the trigger --
she's been wiping herself for a couple of weeks now, and although she gets a
bath every couple of days, perhaps daily baths would help? I don't know.
Advice would be greatly appreciated.

Donna

"Donna" wrote in message
news:xkREe.8795$iR2.1585@trndny02...
I need to get a urinalysis/culture to confirm it (the culture will take a
couple of days from when I turn in the sample, which so far, I have been
unable to catch cleanly (once I dropped it in the commode, once it spilled,
once I missed completely. Gee, this is fun!)). Does anyone have any
advice on how to keep my two and a half year old comfortable for a couple
of days until the antibiotics can be prescribed?

My DD had a UTI recently. After the urine was sent to the lab, they knew
very quickly it was a UTI. The doctor had us back within hours for a
Rocephin shot. (If you remember, her fevers were 106-107.) It took a few
days for the culture, but that was to find if it was sensitive to the
antibiotic she was given. Personally, when I have a UTI, I want to be
treated NOW. It is terribly painful and uncomfortable and it escalates
quickly (for me, anyway).


And while we're at it, any advice on how to prevent future UTIs?

How about cranberry juice?

Donna writes:

I need to get a urinalysis/culture to confirm it (the culture will take
a couple of days from when I turn in the sample, which so far, I have
been unable to catch cleanly (once I dropped it in the commode, once it
spilled, once I missed completely. Gee, this is fun!)). Does anyone have
any advice on how to keep my two and a half year old comfortable for a
couple of days until the antibiotics can be prescribed?

poor thing :-( Plenty of water, in whatever form she'll take it. Cranberry
juice, if she likes it (but I think that's better for prevention than cure,
don't attempt to make her drink it if she doesn't like it, I'd say).
Painkillers - these are easy to forget but they do actually help IME,
ibuprofen in particular. Maybe something warm to put on her tummy, if she
likes that. UTIs come in different varieties, and you don't really say how
uncomfortable she is, so I'm throwing out the things that help me when I
get them.

And while we're at it, any advice on how to prevent future UTIs? I'm
fairly certain that inadequate wiping (back to front) must have been the
trigger -- she's been wiping herself for a couple of weeks now, and
although she gets a bath every couple of days, perhaps daily baths would
help? I don't know. Advice would be greatly appreciated.

Don't be too sure about inadequate wiping - it could just as easily be the
opposite, too much/too rough wiping causing irritation and letting the
bacteria get started that way. Everyone thinks they know that wiping front
to back is crucial in preventing UTIs and it makes some kind of intuitive
sense, but the only research study I ever came across that actually studied
the issue found that it made no difference at all. I read in several places
that actually hygiene has basically nothing to do with UTIs - irritation
and general ill health are what you need to avoid, and the trouble is that
the things people do when they try to improve hygiene often make things
worse by causing irritation. I suggest that going to daily baths would
probably be counter-productive, because it's likely to dry out the skin and
harm the natural defences. When she does have a bath, leave bubble bath
out, and don't use soaps etc. on her vulva at all. Plain water is probably
best; if you feel she must use something else, a non-scented hypoallergenic
non-soap face cleaning gel is probably a good choice.

The best thing you can do to help prevent future UTIs is to encourage your
daughter to drink plenty of water, enough so that her urine is generally
very pale. A glass of cranberry juice each day, if she likes it, will also
help (there is pretty good research evidence that this old wives' tale is
true).

I hope she feels better soon!

Sidheag
DS Colin Oct 27 2003

I used to get UTIs *all* the time. I know exactly how she feels, poor
thing! If you can get her to consume a great deal of water, that will
certainly help. Cranberry juice is good, too. Avoid carbonated or caffiene
beverages when you have a UTI (not a problem, I'm sure given her young age)
You should ask the doctor if she can take an over the counter pain reliever
that is specifically for UTI pain, such as AZO Standard. If not, maybe
there is a medication they can prescribe for her. It is important that she
wipe front to back and urinate whenever she has the urge rather than hold
it. Drinking lots of water is also a good preventative.

Good luck!

lisa
micksmom
mick 7-12-02
noah 1-24-05
"Donna" wrote in message
news:xkREe.8795$iR2.1585@trndny02...
I need to get a urinalysis/culture to confirm it (the culture will take a
couple of days from when I turn in the sample, which so far, I have been
unable to catch cleanly (once I dropped it in the commode, once it spilled,
once I missed completely. Gee, this is fun!)). Does anyone have any
advice on how to keep my two and a half year old comfortable for a couple
of days until the antibiotics can be prescribed?

And while we're at it, any advice on how to prevent future UTIs? I'm
fairly certain that inadequate wiping (back to front) must have been the
trigger -- she's been wiping herself for a couple of weeks now, and
although she gets a bath every couple of days, perhaps daily baths would
help? I don't know. Advice would be greatly appreciated.

Donna

Sidheag McCormack ) writes:
Everyone thinks they know that wiping front
to back is crucial in preventing UTIs and it makes some kind of intuitive
sense, but the only research study I ever came across that actually studied
the issue found that it made no difference at all.

I don't think it's possible for a research study to find
that it made no difference at all. All they can do is
fail to show that it made a difference. It may still
have made a difference; they just weren't able to prove
anything, that's all. Maybe if they'd included a larger
number of people in the study they would have been able
to establish a result. Anyway, it makes intuitive sense
to avoid activities (such as back-to-front wiping)
that are obviously going to bring bacteria near the
urethra.
--
Cathy Woodgold
http://www.ncf.ca/~an588/par_home.html
We are all Iraqis now.

"Donna" ) writes:
I need to get a urinalysis/culture to confirm it (the culture will take a
couple of days from when I turn in the sample, which so far, I have been
unable to catch cleanly (once I dropped it in the commode, once it spilled,
once I missed completely. Gee, this is fun!)). Does anyone have any
advice on how to keep my two and a half year old comfortable for a couple of
days until the antibiotics can be prescribed?

Poor girl!

I agree about lots of water and some cranberry juice.
I would add: avoid sugar, and give her plenty of vitamin C --
enough so there's always some vitamin C in her urine.
Vitamin C in the urine helps kill bacteria in the urinary tract
(according to Linus Pauling in "How to Live Longer and Feel
Better").

Cranberry drinks sold at the grocery store usually have
lots of sugar and very little cranberry juice. Sugar feeds
the bacteria in the urinary tract. I heard that these drinks
aren't much use because the sugar does more harm than the
good that the cranberry does. We buy pure cranberry juice,
which is expensive and has an extremely strong taste.
We don't drink it plain; it's much too bitter for that.
I mix a very small amount into some juice (or water) and
drink that. Apparently cranberry contains a
substance that prevents the bacteria from being able to
stick to the sides of the urinary tract. It sort-of
washes them away like soap.

And while we're at it, any advice on how to prevent future UTIs?

The same things: drink lots of water, pee frequently,
cranberry juice, vitamin C, avoid too much sugar.

It's also good to empty the bladder completely every time
you pee. If she's toilet training and starting to learn to
wipe herself, she may be starting to think about the wiping too
soon and neglecting to empty the bladder completely first.
I'm not sure what's an effective way to teach a small child
about this; maybe it's enough just to tell them?

If it hurts to urinate now that she has an infection, she
might be tempted to hold it in and/or not empty the
bladder completely. She needs to pee frequently and
empty well to clear out the infection. Drinking a lot
will help force her to pee more often.

I think it's a god idea to teach her to wipe front-to-back.

I don't know whether baths would help or not. If you
can't stop her from wiping wrong, maybe a bath or shower
as soon as possible after pooping each day might help.
I'm not sure that it's worth obsessing over, though:
I don't even know whether baths would making things
better or worse. Showers may be cleaner than baths.

Good luck. I hope she's not in too much pain.

--
Cathy Woodgold
http://www.ncf.ca/~an588/par_home.html
We are all Iraqis now.

Catherine Woodgold wrote:

Sidheag McCormack ) writes:

Everyone thinks they know that wiping front
to back is crucial in preventing UTIs and it makes some kind of intuitive
sense, but the only research study I ever came across that actually studied
the issue found that it made no difference at all.


I don't think it's possible for a research study to find
that it made no difference at all. All they can do is
fail to show that it made a difference. It may still
have made a difference; they just weren't able to prove
anything, that's all. Maybe if they'd included a larger
number of people in the study they would have been able
to establish a result. Anyway, it makes intuitive sense
to avoid activities (such as back-to-front wiping)
that are obviously going to bring bacteria near the
urethra.

But you know what, if that were the problem
then babies in diapers would have practically non-stop
UTIs...and they don't.

Best wishes,
Ericka

Catherine Woodgold writes:

Cranberry drinks sold at the grocery store usually have lots of sugar
and very little cranberry juice. Sugar feeds the bacteria in the urinary
tract. I heard that these drinks aren't much use because the sugar does
more harm than the good that the cranberry does.

This is often said, to the extent that I'm getting into the habit of
challenging it every time I read it. Nobody has ever come up with any
evidence. It's theoretically implausible, because unless you're diabetic,
eating sugar is unlikely to put sugar into your urine. (Indeed, last time I
had a UTI, I checked mine after I'd drunk a litre or so of cranberry juice
with sugar. Negative.) Note also that the total amount of sugar in sugared
cranberry juice (the leading brand here at least) is not that different
from the total amount of sugar in pure orange juice. It's sucrose rather
than fructose of course, but it does mean you have to be careful how you
argue.

FWIW, at least some of the studies that showed cranberry juice to be
effective in preventing UTIs were done with cranberry juice with sugar
added.

We buy pure cranberry juice, which is expensive and has an extremely
strong taste. We don't drink it plain; it's much too bitter for that. I
mix a very small amount into some juice

IOW, you add sugar!!!

I'm not saying don't buy pure cranberry juice if you can get it - fine, if
you prefer. But here pure cranberry juice is simply not available, and I
wouldn't want someone to miss out because they thought cranberry juice with
sugar was no use.

(or water) and drink that. Apparently cranberry contains
a substance that prevents the bacteria from being able to stick to the
sides of the urinary tract. It sort-of washes them away like soap.

Yes.

It's also good to empty the bladder completely every time you pee. If
she's toilet training and starting to learn to wipe herself, she may be
starting to think about the wiping too soon and neglecting to empty the
bladder completely first. I'm not sure what's an effective way to teach
a small child about this; maybe it's enough just to tell them?

Oh, that's a good point, yes.

Sidheag
DS Colin Oct 27 2003

First off, thank you, everyone, for your advice and commiseration.
Duly noted, and greatly, greatly appreciated.

The weird thing: the urinalysis is negative. I finally got a clean sample
(practice makes perfect) last night and ran it to the lab, and the sample
was completely normal. Sarah doesn't have a fever, but she has been
holding her crotch for a week or so. (She's recently potty trained, and I
had initially written the crotch holding off as a part of the normal genital
discovery thing that happens about this time, according to my beloved
Brazelton but she also began scratching. I asked her if she was itchy
or sore, and she initially said no, but then a few days later, started to
say yes. And she seems to have some urinary frequency.

My thoughts are that either I have inadvertently "taught" her how to mimic
the symptoms of a uti, or... is it possible that she has one but that the
urinalysis isn't positive?

I'd love some input and suggestions from you all who know more about this
than I. Thanks so much in advance.

Donna

Donna

Ericka Kammerer wrote in
:

Catherine Woodgold wrote:

Sidheag McCormack ) writes:

Everyone thinks they know that wiping front
to back is crucial in preventing UTIs and it makes some
kind of intuitive sense, but the only research study I
ever came across that actually studied the issue found
that it made no difference at all.


I don't think it's possible for a research study to find
that it made no difference at all. All they can do is
fail to show that it made a difference. It may still
have made a difference; they just weren't able to prove
anything, that's all. Maybe if they'd included a larger
number of people in the study they would have been able
to establish a result. Anyway, it makes intuitive sense
to avoid activities (such as back-to-front wiping)
that are obviously going to bring bacteria near the
urethra.

But you know what, if that were the problem
then babies in diapers would have practically non-stop
UTIs...and they don't.

in fact, UTIs seem to happen rarely up until an age (18
months or so?) where the little girls start using bubble bath
or sitting in otherwise soapy bathwater...
in my case (not having had a UTI for quite a while now), it
seemed to be linked more to hot weather, sitting around in a
wet bathing suit or wet clothes from swimming, non-cotton
underwear,or even wearing jeans that were a bit too small on a
hot day... IOW, tight, wet clothes & heat help grow bad germs,
add irritation from ill-fit clothing in that area & sigh.
lee whose son got a UTI, presumably from scented bubble bath



--
war is peace
freedom is slavery
ignorance is strength
1984-George Orwell