Utis Tests

Hello C.,
My 1 year old daughter had to have the same test when she had her first UTI at 2 months old. She was 3 months old when she had the test. I was also worried, but she did fine. The test werent too much worse than the cathater they have to give to diagnose the UTI in the first place. She cried while the VCUG was being done, but I was in the room and able to comfort her immedietly after. Her test came out clear and she has had 2 more UTI's since then. I am glad I did the test so that I didnt have to worry with the following UTI's if there was something far more serious going on. I would reccomend getting them done because if something is wrong it'll be so much easier to correct/fix if you get it done now. Best of Luck!

I would definately get a second opinion. If she is with a specialist sometimes they go overkill. I was a high risk pregnancy, with a specialist, and if it was up to them they would have done EVERY test possible. I did not do alot of them and we were fine. I think alot of it was for liability purposes and they were afraid of getting sued if anything did happen. I am not an expert, but a second opinion from a specialist will not hurt. Good luck and I hope your little one is better soon.

oh im so sorry! we had to go thru the same thing when my daughter was 3 months. the tests are invasive, and i wont lie, it was hard because my baby cried and it was obviously uncomfortable for her - which breaks a mamas heart, but the alternative is the risk that you dont catch something more serious. they actually discovered an unrelated ovarian syst while doing this test. my only suggestion is if you are breast feeding take someone else with you to stay with her during the xray - you cant be with her because of the radiation and i honestly dont think i could have dealt with that if her dad hadnt been there. i know its hard, i trust our doctor though and wanted to make sure nothing more serious was wrong.

my daughter also has kidney issues!
i have lots of info for you, my 8month old baby is about to get a VCUG done and we are on our way to the Nefrolagist right now.
email me and i will send you all the info i have.
ps, i'm from ECUADOR!! :)
____@____.com

Hi C. :)

I read your post and, although I am not a nurse, I can tell you to please TRUST YOUR INSTINCTS WITHOUT EVER GIVING THEM A SECOND THOUGHT! The more you listen to your intuition, the more you will be able to rely on it!!

I would say that unless your daughter's uti is severe, she keeps getting them, or has had major problems, what you said the doctor wants to do seems very extensive to me also. I would think the doctor should be able to tell from the weight of her diaper if her urine flow is normal. They did that in the hospital when my son was first born when he was having reflux issues. Blood and urine tests tell a lot. Has he gone that route and ordered those tests at all? However, if this is her first uncomplicated UTI, there doesn't seem to be a reason for all this. My daughter has a UTI right now, as a matter of fact. She was given antibiotics (Amoxycillan)for 10 days and she's doing better. She's had UTIs before with the same treatment. Not once did I ever hear about her having to experience what this doctor you're seeing wants to do to your little girl. That is why what you're saying seems over the top to me.

If your baby girl is your first child, you may not know this pediatrician very well. I would simply ask around to your friends, or even here on Mamasource, to recommend a great pediatrician in your area, and go there for a second opinion. At least get that done before your baby has to experience a catheter :(.

I hope everything turns well.

Love and Light~
J.

C.
I am an X-ray tech and perform cystourethrograms very often. It is my opinion that if this is her first UTI, I would not have the cystourethrogram done. If she keeps getting them then I would reconsider it at that time. The doctor wants to make sure there is no reflux in the kidneys. ( that is that the urine does not go back up into the kidneys.) Girls get UTI more often than boys, She could have gotten some bacteria from a dirty diaper or someone just wiped her the wrong direction. If it is reoccurring then there might be a problem but I wouldn't put her through that over just one UTI.
The test involves putting a very small tube up into the bladdeer. If you have ever had a cathader you know that it is uncomfortable when it is going in, after that there is no pain. we let the bladder fill with contrast and wait to have her pee all while watching under x-ray.
Good luck to you and I hope you daughter is feeling better soon! S.

Hi C.. My daughter had a UTI at around 11 months and also had to undergo the kidney/bladder ultrasound. It was a pretty routine test for a child that age, and it was over pretty quickly, although she of course squirmed and screamed the whole time! Because that test came back normal, we didn't have to do the other cystourethrogram. I am guessing that because of your daughters young age, the doctor wants to be 100% sure it's nothing anatomical. Don't worry, the tests are always done on girls this age and are just used to rule out anything more serious and usually come back normal. Luckily your little one won't remember it and I can tell you at least the ultrasound is painless and over fairly quickly. Not sure about the other test. Good luck, I'm sure it will be okay.

We are having these exact same tests on October 1 for my daughter. When are you scheduled?

Here's what our Dr said (btw, it's Dr. D'Andrea in Camarillo):

He said that since DD's 1st UTI was when she was really little (we were at a different ped's then in St. Louis), if it had been him, he would have ordered the tests right away. She was about Mia's age when she had her 1st one.

Since then she's had 2 more since moving to California. Dr. D'Andrea didn't know about the first one, otherwise he would have ordered the u/s and VCUG right then. But I didn't think to tell him at the time. Just last week she got #3, and we talked for a while about it. He learned then about her 1st one as an infant. He advised that because of the repeat UTIs he believed the tests were medically necessary to rule out kidney issues, bladder not emptying all the way, uring flushing back up into the kidneys, etc.

He said that if he had been her dr at 5 months, he would have ordered the tests immediately then since a baby that age shouldn't get a UTI. He said that it's important to do these tests now to see if there's something going on since kidney damage over time can be really serious.

Does your family have any history of repeat UTIs or kidney issues? DH had some sort of kidney thing when he was a kid in Colombia, but he doesn't remember what it was.

When are you guys scheduled for? Let me know. If it's after us, I can give you the run-down on how it went. It will be different for us since she's a toddler, but it might still be helpful.

It is fairly routine for the doctors to order a VCUG after having a UTI so young. The doctors want to make sure your child doesn't have reflux. If your child does have reflux and develops another UTI, then there's a possibility it can cause damage to her kidneys. So it's pretty important to do the tests. My son has to have ultrasounds every 4 months on his kidney's and they're super easy. It's the same thing the OB did to your belly when you were pregnant, there's no pain or discomfort at all. The hardest part is to just have the kid lay still. My son also had a VCUG when he was 1 day old, and he did fine. I know the tests sound scary, but I'm sure your daughter will do fine too. Good Luck!!

Has she only had one UTI? I am surprised the doc is doing all that after only 1 UTI....I would get a second opinion just for peace of mind. The baby may not remember the experience, but I just figure that if it isn't really necessary why put them through it in the first place? Go with your instincts. Doesn't hurt to double check.

It's pretty common in infants who are diagnosed with a UTI to have these 2 tests. It is not common for infants to have UTI's so these tests determine if there are any other causes for the infection. The ultrasound is not invasive and causes no pain. The cystogram looks at the flow of urine through the kidneys and bladder to see if there is any reflux in the kidneys. If so, this could be the cause of the infection. Most kids are put on antibiotics and will grow out of the reflux later in life.
I would recommend having them. Good luck! Hope all goes well! :)

My little guy had this at about 3 months old to make sure his flow of urine was working correctly...I have to say, it was pretty traumatizing for me. I would make sure it is absolutely necessary...the reason we did it is that if an infection develops in a baby's kidneys that young it could cause far more serious injuries in the future...so, we felt we would rather be safe than sorry. Good luck!!!

HI C.--
My daughter went through all of the tests you listed. She had her first VCUG at 6 weeks. She has had two others VCUGs, a renal scan, and several ultrasounds. It was a procedure that she absolutely needed. I know many people have responded with hesitancy about the tests, but you need to do the tests to rule out any problems. The doctors can help if they know what is causing the UTIs and it is usually NOT because you are cleaning incorrectly.

Please feel free to email me through mamasource if you have any specific questions. My biggest suggestion is (if possible) have Children's hospital do the procedures. They are experts with the procedure with small children. We have been VERY happy with the doctors, nurses, and technicians at Rady's. We did not have a great experience at Palomar hospital.

Please feel free to contact me as I know how hard this is for you.
Love,
J.

Hi- I understand your hesitancy and you are very smart to ask questions and determine for yourself if the tests are what you want to do. That said, I would absolutely do them. The ultrasound is NOT invasive- at all. It's about 5-10 minutes of your child laying on a table (with you) and having the wand on their tummy. Not a big deal.

The VCUG is invasive, yes. But, your daughter is at a fairly easy age for it. She will not remember the procedure and will have no long or even short term effects.

Before kids, I was a Child Life Specialist - we are trained and certified professionals who work in hospitals to ease the trauma for children and families. I have seen MANY vcugs and can tell you that they generally go very smoothly and quickly. I highly recommend calling the hospital where your daughter will be having the procedure- ask to speak to a Child Life Specialist who will walk you through it.

In addition to my professional experience, I also have a 10 month old daughter who just had a VCUG a month ago. She was dx with a UTI at 9 months. The VCUG showed grade 2 reflux. It's important that we know this, b/c now she is on a daily low dose antibiotic to help prevent another UTI. The VCUG will be repeated in about 9 months to see if the reflux has corrected itself. If so, we're done.

If she had had a more severe reflux, surgery would have been involved. A UTI in a baby this age is uncommon. Reflux is a very common reason and if a baby has reflux, they are at risk for kidney infections. You don't want to risk not having this information.

Hope that helps!

My daughter went through those tests at about 18 months and was diagnosed with urinarty tact reflux. She was on a daily dose of antibiotics for about 6 months and then went off and never got another UTI so the dr assumed that she grew out of it ( most kids do). She is now a perfectly healthy 12 year old! I think this is pretty common and nothing to worry about.

I sure wouldn't do it.

Are you cleaning her correctly? Avoid letting any poop get into her girl parts. Make sure the wipes you are using are natural, non-irritating -- or better yet, use water.

Do not let her sit in wet or dirty diapers. Change frequently. Natural diapers are best. I recommend cloth or Tushies. www.tushies.com

Make sure she is completely dry down there after a bath.

Let her have lots of naked time to air out.

Use this diaper balm: http://www.motherlove.com/product_diaper_rash_relief.php

If you are breastfeeding, keep at it. Breastfed babies get fewer UTIs.

Maybe you can consume 100% cranberry juice to enrich the milk. Don't know if this will work.

Give your baby supplemental bottles of water to flush her out. My daughter was and still is crazy for bottles of Pellegrino mineral water. You might try it.

Best of luck!

C.,

I can only tell you that if you trust your doctor follow his advice to have peace of mind.
I am in L.A. and my family is in Venezuela too. If you want to chat or get together feel free to write me an email ____@____.com

Best of Luck,

V..

Hello - My daughter had all those tests done when she was 2.5 months old. Everything came out normal and she has only gotten that one UTI in her 7 years. My sister had some Kidney complications when she was little so we wanted to rule that out. They put my daughter in the hospital for 5 days and this is when they ran all the tests. I was with her the whole time except for when I had to leave the room for the xray, but could see her thru the glass. My only complaint was that they nurses couldn't get the catheter in and had to try like 5 times. Yikes, I couldn't stand it and made them stop. Then I bought her down to the xray machine that nurse put it in real quick and had no problem. The ulta sound was easy and quick. Good luck. Hope everything turns out fine.

My son has had these tests. the catheter wasn't so much fun...I'm sure you can imagine. You don't say where you are, or who is doing them. I am not a big fan of orange county pediatric urology. the dr's are fine, and so is the nurse practitioner, but the staff so bad i wont go back, ever. So, now we see the same Dr at UCI.