Anyone with a child who has had chronic UTIs/kidney infections?

[Cricket]

Dd (5) has yet another kidney infection. She has had every test they can do and even had surgery 13 months ago to correct a problem. Now this is her second infection in two months. She quit taking baths and only takes showers. She drinks 2-3 glasses of cranberry juice per day. The urologist seems to think it is because she holds it in and doesn't use the bathroom as often as she should. We've been trying to monitor her and making sure she goes 6-7 times per day. I don't know what else to do! Has anyone else had this problem and did you ever figure out what caused the infections?

[Ria]

Is she seeing a pediatric nephrologist? That's who I'd go to if you aren't already, not a urologist.

 

Ria

[newbie]

Christy,

I feel your pain, my dd 14 has only one annually, thank God. But, they are excruciating pain.

 

She has pain one day and by the time I want to take her to doc next morning she is fine. Hmmm.

 

I feed her yogurt, any kind, every time she gets one, that seems to help a lot.

 

She, also holds it tooo long. But we also have it in our family.

 

No real answers, just hugs.

[Cricket]

Is she seeing a pediatric nephrologist? That's who I'd go to if you aren't already, not a urologist.

 

Ria

 

That's a good idea. I'll have to see if they can refer her to one. She is under a special program through a local hospital.

[Cricket]

Christy,

I feel your pain, my dd 14 has only one annually, thank God. But, they are excruciating pain.

 

She has pain one day and by the time I want to take her to doc next morning she is fine. Hmmm.

 

I feed her yogurt, any kind, every time she gets one, that seems to help a lot.

 

She, also holds it tooo long. But we also have it in our family.

 

No real answers, just hugs.

 

My dd already eats a lot of yogurt. I guess more wouldn't hurt! Does your dd still need antibiotics or is the yogurt enough to cure it? Those infections do seem to be awfully painful. My dd has a high tolerance for pain and I'm grateful for that. But the last time this happened she was laying on the couch, sobbing, saying, "I can't take it anymore!" It's so terrible. I know she does tend to hold it in. Apparently I did too as a kid but I've only had one UTI in my life and that was as an adult. We also have kidney issues in the family. Dd has already had one kidney stone. My dad, brother and sister have had many. My mom found out recently that she was born with only one kidney. Weird. I just hate to think dd will deal with this forever. Hugs to you too!

[newbie]

I would give her yogurt every meal.

 

Another thing, I was going to look into was kids probiotics. I think that helps w/flora w/in the system. Probably why yogurt works.

 

So far, yogurt sans meds is working. I also, make sure she is drinking her water. No juices. If it continues, we are going to suck it up and hire an organic chef. We could all use it.

[Cricket]

I would give her yogurt every meal.

 

Another thing, I was going to look into was kids probiotics. I think that helps w/flora w/in the system. Probably why yogurt works.

 

So far, yogurt sans meds is working. I also, make sure she is drinking her water. No juices. If it continues, we are going to suck it up and hire an organic chef. We could all use it.

 

I just remembered my mom telling me that she read how diet drinks can cause UTIs. She drinks a lot of diet soda and for a few months last year she couldn't shake a UTI. She had to go on several rounds of antibiotics to get rid of it. She quit drinking diet soda.

[Aggie]

I agree about the pediatric nephrologist.

 

Actually, too much yogurt might be more harmful than helpful.

 

Is she drinking pure cranberry juice or sugary stuff?

 

How is the rest of her diet?

 

When my ds was in the hospital, I started getting a UTI. A nurse told me to take an alka seltzer at the beginning of a UTI and it works!

[Veritaserum]

I had chronic kidney infections as a child. It is not fun. I remember taking some awful-tasting medicine. Eventually I outgrew it and thankfully have never had another. UTIs have been few and far between as well, thankfully. No baths, no soapy showers or VERY good rinsing of the genital area also help a lot. Flushable wet wipes may help clean the area more thoroughly after urination. Being sure to completely empty the bladder may also help. I hope you figure something out!

[Veritaserum]

One more thing: I was reading somewhere that vitamin A (orange colored foods) can help prevent infections in the kidney/bladder/urinary tract.

[Ottakee]

I like Suprema Dophillus for a probiotic. My kids take it DAILY and it really helps build their immune systems (both girls have immune deficiencies and 1 had bladder infections)

 

Are they culturing her urine to make sure that the antibiotic is THE one for her specific infection? I would also ask that they recheck her urine a week or so after the antibiotic is done to make sure it is GONE and not just hanging out there still.

[Cricket]

I agree about the pediatric nephrologist.

 

Actually, too much yogurt might be more harmful than helpful.

 

Is she drinking pure cranberry juice or sugary stuff?

 

How is the rest of her diet?

 

When my ds was in the hospital, I started getting a UTI. A nurse told me to take an alka seltzer at the beginning of a UTI and it works!

 

It's the sugary stuff. The urologist said it didn't matter what she drank, just make sure she drank a lot. I'm starting to wonder if sugary drinks wouldn't cause more of a problem. Certain bacteria thrive on sugar, don't they? The rest of her diet is okay, but could be better. She eats plenty of fruit and some vegetables.

[FloridaLisa]

It's the sugary stuff.

 

Get thee to a health food store for the real stuff, no sugar added. Actually, the real stuff is fairly bitter and I like taking cranberry capsules better. I just headed off a UTI taking the cranberry capsules. IIRC, you should also avoid sugar when fighting a UTI.

 

HTH,

Lisa

[Cricket]

I like Suprema Dophillus for a probiotic. My kids take it DAILY and it really helps build their immune systems (both girls have immune deficiencies and 1 had bladder infections)

 

Are they culturing her urine to make sure that the antibiotic is THE one for her specific infection? I would also ask that they recheck her urine a week or so after the antibiotic is done to make sure it is GONE and not just hanging out there still.

 

I'll have to look for that probiotic. Yes, they are culturing it and rechecking her urine. The last infection was the day after Thanksgiving. 10 days later she was checked again and her urine was completely clear. I wish we could figure this out.

[Nakia]

I had chronic UTIs as a child, and I still do have one occasionally. My oldest daughter had the same problem when she was younger. We went to a pediatric urologist. She was diagnosed with occult reflux in her bladder. It was not picked up on any of the tests, but the ped. urologist had seen it enough to diagnose it. She had to go on a daily dose of antibiotics for several months. We also put her on a bladder training program where she had to empty her bladder every two hours during the day. That was 5 years ago, and she hasn't ever had another UTI! Praise the Lord!!

 

I wouldn't fool around with any natural remedies. No offense to anyone, but it's just that UTI's can lead to kidney infections, which can lead to permanent kidney damage. Antibiotics are absolutely necessary!

 

I know how hard this can be for you and your dd. :grouphug:

[sassenach]

Dd (5) has yet another kidney infection. She has had every test they can do and even had surgery 13 months ago to correct a problem. Now this is her second infection in two months. She quit taking baths and only takes showers. She drinks 2-3 glasses of cranberry juice per day. The urologist seems to think it is because she holds it in and doesn't use the bathroom as often as she should. We've been trying to monitor her and making sure she goes 6-7 times per day. I don't know what else to do! Has anyone else had this problem and did you ever figure out what caused the infections?

 

I was a childhood sufferer of CHRONIC UTIs. My suggestions is to see a kidney doctor, pronto. If your dd had not been checked previously, she needs to be tested for reflux. You should be aware that chronic kidney infections can lead to permanent kidney damage and if left untreated, full fledged kidney failure. This is nothing to mess around with.

 

I would also keep her on lots of water, and real cranberry juice.

[Pammy]

tests after tests revealed she had a damaged ureter and her right kidney (same side as damaged ureter) had water on it from reflux. Last week she had a renal scan b/c she has been to the ER four times in the last year with similar symptoms. They ruled out any blockage and said her surgery 8 years ago was successful, but she still has to go to a GI Dr. for more testing.

 

I second the Pedi. Urologist opinion.

[tibbyl]

If she has recurrent kidney infections, your pediatrician should have referred her to a pediatric urologist to be tested for vesicoureteral reflux.

 

One of my children had to have corrective surgery for reflux. You mentioned surgery; was the surgery to repair the ureters?

 

Is she on a daily prophylactic dose of broad spectrum antibiotic to prevent infection? This reduced bladder and kidney infections in my reflux kids.

[Cricket]

Thanks everyone. My dd has been seeing a pediatric urologist for about 1 1/2 years now. He did the test for reflux as well as something else. He's done CT scans and ultrasounds. Last December she had surgery because they found her ureters were very narrow where they emptied into the bladder. She had hydrophrenosis (dilation of the ureters) because they were always filled with urine since they couldn't drain into the bladder properly. We were hoping the surgery would also solve the problem with her infections. At a followup appointment this past December the hydrophrenosis was almost completely gone and all the dilation in her kidneys was completely gone. The only other thing the urologist can think of is that she isn't emptying her bladder properly so we've been monitoring her more closely when she uses the restroom. That's why I'm surprised she got another infection. Hopefully they can figure something out! I'm going to try to get a referral to a kidney specialist tomorrow. Maybe he will have some new ideas.

[Ottakee]

Is she on a low dose prophylactic antibiotic? My dd took Bactrim daily as a preventative and that really worked. We did that for about 1 year and no infections since then.

 

I would push for the nephrologist or at least a 2nd opinion from a specialist.

[Laura Corin]

Does she drink anything with Aspartame/Nutrasweet in it? It rarely (and in my case) causes irritation in the bladder, which can cause the symptoms of urinary infection, or can make the system more likely to pick up bugs. Is there artificial sweetener in the cranberry juice, or in anything else she takes in?

 

Good luck

 

Laura

[Ria]

Thanks everyone. My dd has been seeing a pediatric urologist for about 1 1/2 years now. He did the test for reflux as well as something else. He's done CT scans and ultrasounds. Last December she had surgery because they found her ureters were very narrow where they emptied into the bladder. She had hydrophrenosis (dilation of the ureters) because they were always filled with urine since they couldn't drain into the bladder properly. We were hoping the surgery would also solve the problem with her infections. At a followup appointment this past December the hydrophrenosis was almost completely gone and all the dilation in her kidneys was completely gone. The only other thing the urologist can think of is that she isn't emptying her bladder properly so we've been monitoring her more closely when she uses the restroom. That's why I'm surprised she got another infection. Hopefully they can figure something out! I'm going to try to get a referral to a kidney specialist tomorrow. Maybe he will have some new ideas.

 

Good luck, Christy, and please give us an update. I know this must be very scary for you. I'll keep you and your dd in my prayers.

 

Ria

[Cricket]

Is she on a low dose prophylactic antibiotic? My dd took Bactrim daily as a preventative and that really worked. We did that for about 1 year and no infections since then.

 

I would push for the nephrologist or at least a 2nd opinion from a specialist.

 

She was on an antibiotic from April 07 to Feb 08. No infections during that time. Then she didn't get another infection until Nov 08. I hate having her on that stuff daily but it worries me that her kidneys may get damaged from multiple infections.

[Cricket]

Does she drink anything with Aspartame/Nutrasweet in it? It rarely (and in my case) causes irritation in the bladder, which can cause the symptoms of urinary infection, or can make the system more likely to pick up bugs. Is there artificial sweetener in the cranberry juice, or in anything else she takes in?

 

Good luck

 

Laura

 

No, she doesn't. My mom also had read something about that. My mom thinks that may have caused her own several UTIs last year. I've never let the kids eat or drink artificial sweeteners.