N.P. asks from Novato, CA on November 15, 2008
My 9 Month Old Has a Kidney Infection
Hi Moms
My daughter recently had a bladder infection that went untreated (I had no idea) and the infection went into her kidneys. She's been on antibiotics and is recovering well, but I'm curious if this has happened to any of you out there...feeling rotten that I didn't realize how crummy she was feeling as her symptoms were so similar to teething aches and pains.
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S.J. answers from Redding on November 17, 2008
Yes, I recently had the same experience with my 6 year old and also felt really bad. She ended up running the highest fever I'd ever seen. 106! But she has recovered fully and there is no use in continuing to feel bad. These things happen.
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D.H. answers from Sacramento on November 20, 2008
Hi N.,
I have some info to share about preventing future problems.
You can give your baby a nutritional juice drink called Genesis that is great for the kidneys and can also function as a natural antibacterial and antifungal agent. If you would like more information about the many health benefits of Genesis, you can call me and go to www.symmetrydirect.com/dhendon to check it out. I have spoken with a kidney specialist who highly regards this product for active kidney disease and many other health issues. One of the "miracle" molecules in it is called resveratrol. There is a lot of scientific evidence telling us about what resveratrol can do for us and this is the only antioxidant drink that has standardized it. Check it out!
Savings lives one ounce at a time,
D. Hendon
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M.P. answers from San Francisco on November 17, 2008
just a quick note~ be sure to give her a round of probiotics after those antibiotics. go see a holistic doctor if you need more guidance.
S.K. answers from San Francisco on November 17, 2008
First of all, your daughter can't tell you what body part hurts, or is uncomfortable and we don't expect infants to have bladder infections - so don't beat yourself up.
Because of your daughter's age, she may have uretal reflux - where the urine backs up from the bladder into the kidney. It is very common in girls and in most cases resolves itself and requires no treatment. You daughter is probably not wiping herself yet, so fecal matter getting into her urinary tract is possible, but not likely and bubble baths are not good for little girls.
Our daughter, now 9, had a kidney infection at 3 weeks and was diagnsosed with high grade uretal reflux that needed treatment. My brother is an urologist and said that the VCUG should be standard on any girl younger than 2 that presents with a bladder infection. Our dr ordered on as soon as the kidney infection was diagnosed via urine culture(on his own, my brother didn't call him).
It's worth a call to you doctor to see what they think.Too many kidney infections, while treatable, is not good.
J.C. answers from San Francisco on November 17, 2008
I totally agree with Lara C. you should ask to have a VCUG done to make sure everything is ok. Don't feel about it, my daughter was only 6 weeks old when she had her first infection and the only reason I knew something was wrong was because she woke up with a fever of 104, she ended up in the hospital for about 8 days since they found out she had a bacteria in her blood. They did ton of test to find out why and they found that she only one kidney and that kidney had a reflux. Now a year later she just had surgery to correct it and is doing better still drinking antibiotic till a few months to let her kidney get better. So really don't feel bad but please have it checked out to make sure because a fever was the only symptom My daughter had.
S.J. answers from Redding on November 17, 2008
Yes, I recently had the same experience with my 6 year old and also felt really bad. She ended up running the highest fever I'd ever seen. 106! But she has recovered fully and there is no use in continuing to feel bad. These things happen.
L.C. answers from San Francisco on November 17, 2008
Hi N.-
As mentioned in an earlier post, request to get a VCUG on your daughter! She shouldn't be having any UTI's and VU Reflux is a prime cause for UTI's. My daughter had many undiagnosed UTI's and it finally took switching to a new pediatrician to determine that she had a severe underlying kidney issue (Grade IV VU reflux). Unfortunatley, my daughter was 2 by the time she was diagnosed. I hate to think of the damage that was done during her first 2 years. The VCUG is a rotten exam (the child needs to be held down while a catheter with contrast material is injected into her urethra). The child must be awake during the procedure. The good news is that your daughter is young enough, she won't remember. The up side is that it's better to have a correct diagnosis than permanent kidney damage (my daughter now has Stage 3 Chronic Kidney Disease). Good luck!
p.s. don't beat yourself up over this. At least they caught it 'early'!
J.N. answers from Sacramento on November 19, 2008
Please don't feel bad. It happens, I have 2 children (15 & 4) and when my youngest was 2 he had a "tummy ache" that I put off as growing pains. One night he wouldn't sleep so I took him in and found out that his appendix was leaking. He was in surgery within 30 minutes of it being detected. We are human and kids don't come with instruction manuals. We do the best we can, and it sounds like she is doing well, so you are doing great!
N.K. answers from San Francisco on November 17, 2008
I read this and wanted to let you know that a few years ago I had a bladder infection, but did not have any symptoms, but I did end up with a kidney infection, because the bladder infection traveled to the kidneys and went undetected. So, it is possible to have a bladder infection and not know, so don't feel too bad, because your daughter may not have been in any pain until it reached the kidney infection stage. Hope this helps.
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