UTI- ***update***

ORChick

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No advice here; sorry. But as to the babies - if they are girls, sitting around in poopy diapers might easily do it, just wet diapers not so likely. And the UTIs on your honeymoon? There actually is a name for that - honeymoon cystitis; not at all uncommon.
 

rebecca100

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Okay, by yesterday afternoon ds was in tears and his back hurt. I got him in to see the doctor by 3pm who was at first determined that ds DID NOT have a UTI. He thought it was just irritation and bladder spasms since it is rare for a male child to get an UTI. I broached the subject of ds, me, sil, and cousin all getting one within a week of each other and all living in different households beside each other and such. He told me they were coincidence and basically just bad luck. DS's urine test returned with blood and high white blood cells-an UTI. He put him on antiboitics and has ordered him to see an urologist in a week. He seemed quite concerned that ds would have one at all. I was suprised how quickly it went from just burning a little to him laying in bed crying from his back hurting. FIL thinks it is the laundry detergent and bought different. I truly think it might be swimming in the creek.
 

Shiloh Acres

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Wow, poor kid. Sounds like the kidneys are quite involved at this point?

I sure hope he feels better soon. Good thing about antibiotics are that if that's what he needs, they usually help you feel better fast. Do you have some form of probiotics to give him to keep his tummy in good shape during this? Poor kid. And poor mom. I know how terrible it is to have your kids sick. :(

take extra care of yourself too. Would really be curious to know the source of the infection, as I'm sure you would too.

Take care, and feel better!!!
 

Icu4dzs

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ORChick said:
No advice here; sorry. But as to the babies - if they are girls, sitting around in poopy diapers might easily do it, just wet diapers not so likely. And the UTIs on your honeymoon? There actually is a name for that - honeymoon cystitis; not at all uncommon.
I guess there is not TOO much to add here as ORchick has given you good information. From other posts, it appears that you have taken steps to deal with the problem by seeking medical attention which in this case appears the wise move considering the level of discomfort of your child. Yes, I would agree the back pain indicates the probably involvement of the kidney not just the bladder. This is a significant concern and obviously (IMHO) you took a good approach.

The concept of Honeymoon cystitis is as ORchick mentions, "Not uncommon" and simply attributed to a number of "honeymoon activities" that either irritate the opening of the urnary system or drag a little of "#2" up to where #1 lives (a signficantly short distance for the ladies) thus exposing them to the vagaries of infection, which if managed properly does resolve without further incident. Since the "honeymoon" hopefully lasts for the duration of the marriage, preventive measures such as hygiene (soap and water) afterwards is always a good idea.:old

The subject of UTI in children however is a bit different. Using cranberry juice, or pills and drinking lots of water is fine but does NOT address the issue for children, particularly the very young.

Generally, when a little girl gets a UTI the first consideration is "eliminate bubble bath" and the second is "ensure proper hygiene teaching to emphasize wiping from front to back, not back to front" (see above). Bubble bath tends to cause soapy water to have a "water-hammer"effect on the anatomy when the little girls bounce up and down in the tub.

When a little girl gets UTI, often it is treated with antibiotics and if no re-occurrence is found, that will generally resolve the issue.
If NOT then further evaluation may be required to ensure that there are no anatomic urinary tract anomalies that could result in further and more serious problems. Posterior urethral valves is one example. The intial discovery of horseshoe kidney, single kidney and a few others generally occurs during this evaluation.

For little boys, however, a UTI is often evaluated more agressively for the same anatomic anomalies since UTI in little boys is not generally associated with the causes mentioned above.

In the past one episode of UTI in girls was tolerated and treated. If no repeat episodes, then the situation was considered resolved. However, in little boys, evaluation is generally associated with the first episode because that is generally when the anatomic problems begin to show up.

The bottom line here is that UTI can become serious and lead to infection of the kidney. Urethritis will often respond to the measures noted above (since the symptoms are frequently the same) but re-occur if the same "stimulus" is repeated. As mentioned below, the use of pro-biotics to reduce the undesired effects of antibiotics is wise. (Live culture yogurt, etc)

As for the entire family getting UTI the issue of "swimming in the pond/lake" may need to be investigated for protazoan infection rather than the usual bacterial infection.

Hope you find this helpful.
Trim sends
 

Ariel301

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UTIs mainly affect women because of our anatomy. If a male is suffering from one, it is a very good idea for him to see a doctor, because it is unusual, and the symptoms may be caused by other things that need treatment, or he may have something serious going on.

As for female babies and small kids getting it...dirty diapers, going to the bathroom in their underwear and not changing right away, improper wiping procedures (not cleaning well enough or wiping back to front), and taking baths (especially bubble baths) can all contribute. I would think there is a small chance of getting something (for women, at least) from swimming in an E. Coli contaminated water source, like a livestock watering hole.

UTIs are usually caused by E. Coli. Which comes from your intestine. In females, it is very easy for it to get into the wrong place and get in your bladder. It is also easily caused by intercourse...hence the term "honeymoon cystitis", where women commonly will get UTIs frequently in the first few months of marriage.

I deal with UTIs frequently. I have always been prone to them, and nearly died from one that spread to my kidneys when I was a teenager, I started to get some kidney failure. Since getting married almost 2 years ago, if I am not careful, I have them constantly. If I am careful, I still get them every couple of months. Here's some things I have learned about home treatment:

Prevention: Wipe front to back when you go to the bathroom, and be sure to clean the area thoroughly. Since I am really prone, I go beyond wiping, and actually wash with mild soap and water too (I also have trouble with yeast infections and BV, so it helps with all of it). Don't hold it when you need to go, empty your bladder regularly, as the longer the urine sits, the more likely bacteria is to grow. If you are prone (especially children) to getting them, shower instead of taking a bath, and avoid using bubble bath products, as they can cause irritation. Wash (both partners!) before intimacy, and for women, wash again after. Drink a lot of water before, and go to the bathroom as soon as you can after, to flush anything from the urethra. I drink a glass of 100% cranberry juice daily (it's awful tasting stuff but it does work)--the cranberry prevents bacteria from being able to stick to the bladder walls. I saw a product available that is supposed to do the same thing, it is called d-mannose, but it is really pricey.

Treatment: If it's mild and you don't want to go to a doctor: You can relieve the burning/pain/urgency feeling with an over the counter pill called AZO. It won't cure you, but it does make you feel better. (It also stains your pee orange/red!) For a more natural route, drinking water with baking soda in it will help also, but you have to drink a lot of it to see an effect. Drink LOTS of water. And cranberry juice. If you start to feel nausea, have a fever, or pain in your sides/lower back, you need to see a doctor, this is a sign that you have kidney involvement. Also, some essential oils work well as an anti-bacterial, oregano oil being one. (This would be taken by mouth or massaged into the skin)

I'd be interested in seeing some more home cures...Not only do I have chronic UTIs, but I cannot take antibiotics because I get a condition called pseudomembranous colitis--if I take the antibiotics, I get ulcers in my intestine and am very, very seriously sick from it, and it takes weeks to recover from a three day course of antibiotics. Because of my UTIs, the doctor wants me to take antibiotics every day, they don't seem to get how sick I really get and just prescribe me a bottle of pills for diarrhea to go along with it....so right now I'm just doing what I can to get along.
 
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