# UTI in 17 month old??



## Curlyfry7 (Jun 20, 2007)

I'll try to make this brief....My 17 month old DS has been grabbing his genital area for the last 4 or so days, and fussing/crying when he does so. In retrospect, he has been touching the same area and acting surprised for a few weeks, but as he has recently started telling us when he poops, we thought perhaps he was starting to notice when he urinates.

I called the ped Wednesday afternoon and described the symptoms and they advised me that sicne it was unusual for a little boy to get a UTI, to gibe it another day (







). So since he didn't get home until late last night, I called the doc first thing this am for an appointment.Today, he has a fever and feels like crap.

At the office, they again advised me how unusual it was for a DS to get a UTI. They then thought it was strep thoat (although also unusual for hsi age) as his tonsils were swollen and had discharge, and asked about him acting like it hurt to eat/swallow- nope- he's eaten the best he ever has the last 2 days. So they want to run a strep test. I told them OK, but as far as I know, strep does not make you grab your crotch and cry







:. So they did, and it was (shocker) negative. So they catheterized him to get a urine sample, which is what I expected. He had high nitrates (or nitrites-could not tell what she said, and we don't really look at this in animal urine) and sent it out for culture, and I started him on antibiotics.

Has anyone else had this happen to their DS? What else could it be?? They kept asking if he was grabbing/screaming when he actually peed, and of course he had a diaper on, so tonight we left hims w/o one and it is DEFINITELY when he pees. Poor little guy is screaming when it happens and he can tell when it is going to happen now...of course, even tought they were very gentle and used lots of lube, the catheter didn't help!

I am also worried since this is uncommon they said if it IS an infection they will have to run additional tests to determine WHY he got one...any experience with this either???

He is so miserable- still feverish despite tylenol and just in general feels like crap.














.

Any advice/BTDT?? Thanks so much from myself, DH and DS!

Kelly


----------



## SundayCrepes (Feb 15, 2008)

Has he had a bubble bath recently? Children under 3 can get irritation from the bubbles.

My husband poo-pooed me when I told them this and he gave our son (plus or minus a year) a bubble bath. Because we EC, I knew immediately he had pain on urination and he started refusing to pee.

The cure was tincture of time. I think the pediatrician may have given me a steroid prescription. If she did, we didn't use it. She recommended some other topical for comfort. I don't remember what is was. By the time we were able to get it, he was already feeling comfortable and we didn't need it.


----------



## Ks Mama (Aug 22, 2006)

Hey Kelly. Just wanted to send hugs. We've been there.

Haven't experienced this with my son, thankfully, but my daughter, as an infant, had a few UTIs, and has bladder reflux. Knowing now what I didn't know then... I'll pass along what I can.

Firstly, there is NO reason your doctor needs to catheterize your son. NONE. *Don't let them do this again.* It is uncomfortable at the very least, and can introduce further bacteria. Ask them to "bag" him. It's a plastic bag with adhesive at the top - secure it over his penis, it catches the pee. There's no pain. Non-evasive. And don't let them bully you by saying it "taints" the sample. Have them clean him well before application of the bag (or do this yourself), and let them swab right from the bag. If they culture it, let them move the sample to the collection jar. Also, at 17 months, he might even be able to pee into a "hat" which is basically a plastic collection pan that looks like a top hat that sits on a toilet seat. He can sit/stand and pee into the hat. Warm water on his feet/hands works well for this.

Secondly, this part of your post really bothers me: "they said if it IS an infection they will have to run additional tests to determine WHY he got one...any experience with this either???" There is no WHY about UTIs. It is truly unknown why some people are more susceptible than others to UTIs, but it can be because of bacterial imbalance, immune system being low, etc. They may recommend that you have your son get an ultrasound & VCUG to check for kidney damage & bladder reflux. If you DO choose to get this very invasive, scary, and painful test done (we did with my daughter when she was about 13 months - on the advice of our pediatrician, and research online - but knowing now what we do - and having talked at length with a pediatric urologist after the fact - we would NOT have done this), please realize it will not tell you WHY your son got a UTI. It can only tell you whether or not there was kidney damage done from this UTI, and whether or not UTIs in the future could potentially cause more kidney damage (due to bladder reflux). I will repeat this because it is confusing, and I think doctors are even confused about the whys. BLADDER REFLUX DOES NOT CAUSE UTIs. But if your son DOES have bladder reflux, you will have to decide, based on the severity, how you want to treat/prevent further UTIs. They will likely recommend a prophalactic dose of antibiotics (which we decided against) for at least 1 year, followed by a repeat VCUG (which we also decided against).

But like I said, there's no definitive understanding of the whys of bladder infections. Things that helped us:
1) Getting DD out of diapers as much as possible. We started following a plan of elimination communication with my daughter when she started getting UTIs, kept her diaper free as much as possible when home, and by 22 months she was out of diapers altogether. This was absolutely key to stopping the UTIs. Like the PP said - with EC, you know immediately when something isn't right. I'd know she developed a UTI before it would even show up on the urine test stick. Remember that the SMELL of infected urine is very distinct - kind of like cabbage, so if you DO decide to stay in diapers, go with cloth or at the very least UNSCENTED disposables, and change FREQUENTLY - so you can smell any changes.
2) Washing well, without soap, frequently - NO SOAP, and making sure to wash/rinse well after every diaper change - pee or poop. NO SOAP. NO SOAP. NO SOAP. Soap/bubble bath doesn't CAUSE UTIs, but it can cause irritation of the muscous membranes which can mimic UTI symptoms, and lead to more tests & worry.
3) Drinking cranberry juice. Before she turned 1, we watered it down, after 1, we offered it straight. Don't offer cranberry cocktail - its all sugar - and read labels - lots of "cranberry juice" is really apple or grape juice flavored with cranberry. You want cranberry. Helps keep bacteria from sticking to the lining of the urethra.
4) High quality probiotic, daily.

If you have any other questions about our experience, please ask; I'm happy to share. It was a long road, but I felt we learned a lot.


----------



## Ks Mama (Aug 22, 2006)

Wanted to bump this so the OP reads it...


----------

