6 Yo Girl Possible Urinary Tract Infection

Hi VM...

Sorry to say, but in MY experience, cranberry juice can help 'keep' a UTI from coming one...(maybe)...but NOT cure one.

They are going to want a 'clean catch' urine specimen I suspect...IF you have a sterile cup...with a lid...you can try to 'catch' one right prior to doc appointment...BUT might be better to have them 'catch' one there...they have the cups...and one type for kiddos that has an adhesive around the cup to help with a sterile 'catch'...

But at six...maybe give fluids right prior to appointment (or on the way) and do NOT let her pee til she gets there...

Best Luck!
michele/cat

Great that you are going to urgent care tomorrow.

You've received good advice about the cranberry juice-- and not getting the sweetened stuff. The sugar actually feeds the bacteria.

One thing to tell you is that some people who post might suggest having your daughter take AZO for the pain of the suspected UTI. What you need to know is that the AZO should not be taken until a clean-catch sample has been given to the doctor; AZO somehow interferes with the test. (I actually got this from AZO's site: "This product can interfere with laboratory tests including urine, glucose (sugar), and ketones tests."...even though their blurb suggests taking it while waiting to get to the doctor, this is contrary to logic.)

And yes, antibiotics are the best way to deal with this. UTIs can be incredibly painful, so be prepared for a kid who needs lots of rest and do ask the doctor what to do about the pain. I hope she feels better soon.:)

My daughter (now 10) has had two or three UTIs and they have a plastic device at the clinic that fits on the toilet to catch the urine and then you can pour it into the cup so you don't have to deal with peeing in a little cup. They run a test and then they soon know if it is a UTI or something else.

In our experience, a "stings when she pees" may or may not be a UTI. Frequency and urgency of the need to pee are other symptoms they will ask about.

Cranberry juice is somewhat of a preventative, but will not cure a UTI in progress. What we've learned also is that getting her into the habit of drinking extra water every day is the easiest preventative to getting these infections. She was also getting migraines, and extra water, even one glass per day, has minimized these, also.

Urine in a cup. She may be holding it too long and yes too much juice, soda etc and not enough water can cause them. Cranberry juice can clear it up, but it needs to be actual cranberry juice. A lot of what they sell in stores is a blend and has a good bit of sugar in it. If you read the label it may say only 10 percent juice and that may be cranberry and something else. Straight cranberry juice is very tart. I don't know if she will drink it. A little sugar won't hurt or mixing a little, say 100% apple juice, no sugar added to cut the sharpness. Have her drink more water as well.