My daughter is 4 1/2 years old and has a UTI. She had one about 6 months ago and this weekend appears to have another one. She is going to the bathroom lots and only peeing a little (for the most part). Since the doctor's office doesn't open til in the morning, I wanted to ask if anybody out there knows of a natural alternative to treating a UTI?
I really hate to take her back to the doctor for this same issue because last time he was concerned about her getting a UTI so young (so was I). He said that if she got another one fairly soon, he'd want to run several tests. I don't want her to go through that if she doesn't have to.
So if you know of a natural treatment that has worked for you or someone you know, please respond to this request ASAP.
Thanks!
D.
10/28/08
My daughter's doctor appt went well. Their initial urine test (in office) shows a possible UTI. If the results come back from the lab that she for sure had a UTI she will stay on the antibiotics for the full 10 days. After that she will go back in to pee in the cup to confirm she is all clear. The doctor said if the results confirm a UTI that she will want to have a sonogram and dietest done on Chloe...at Cooks Children Hospital in FTW. I will update again later.
Thank you so much for all your responses...especially those who have children who have been thru this. And I would rather her go thru tests now then have permanent damage later in life.
Thank you again! God Bless!
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10/27/08
She's on cranberry juice and water only for beverages right now. She's doing better today than yesterday. She has a 12:45pm appt with the doctor today. I'll let you all know what happens in the next day or so. Thank you for all your suggestions and comments.
Take her to the doctor. UTIs don't go away on their own, they get worse. It can cause a kidney infection. Pain meds don't get rid of the bacteria just the pain. As someone who suffered through them my whole life please help her now while she is young.
You can try giving her cranberry juice. Be sure to get one that DOES not contain high fructose corn syrup. You can also start giving her a good probiotic, daily. My kids like Nature's Way cherry chewables. You can find them in the refrigerated section of Whole Foods or order them at www.vitacost.com.
You can also try giving her grapefruit seed extract (GSE brand can be found at vitacost.com too) mixed in the cranberry juice or mixed in oj. It is very bitter in water so I don't recommend that! It is a natural anti-bacterial& anti-fungal. It is actually very powerful. I have a friend who used it to treat a MERSA staph infection on her son and husband, successfully. You can also give your daughter a bath with tea tree oil and some of the grapefruit seed extract in it.
Be sure she's not getting bubble baths since she's prone to uti's.
If she isn't better in a couple of weeks or if she's already really uncomfortable, I'd go ahead and take her back to the doctor for treatment. All of the things I've mentioned can also be used as a preventative & won't interfere with the doctor's treatment. I really encourage you to look up the uses for grapefruit seed extract, tea tree oil and probiotics before you use them. GSE has a website.
Good luck. I hope your little girl is better soon.
Adaptogens are a natural way to help the urinary system by decreasing inflammation and in some cases, protecting the kidneys against drug-induced damage. To learn more and watch "The Story of Adaptogens Documentary" 10 minute video, go to VitalHealth.TunguskaMist.com
The Immune Tunguska Mist formula contains the following adaptogens to support the kidneys and urinary functions: Amla, Astragalus, Holy Basil, Licorice, Lycium, Reishi, Schizandra and the herb Grape Seed Extract.
I also highly recommend an incredible book titled Adaptogens: Herbs for Strength, Stamina, and Stress Relief by Winston and Maimes. From the book "There is a category of herbs called adaptogens that help the human body adapt to stress, support normal metabolic processes, and restore balance. They increase the body's resistance to physical, biological, emotional, and environmental stressors and promote normal physiologic function".
God Bless!
As a former little girl who had the same problem, PLEASE take her to the doctor and then the uroligist. There is a very good chance she may have a bigger issue. MY urethra was out of wack and pushing toxins into my kidney. They had to replace my urethra and one kidney is now damaged permanently.
If this is caught early, medication can fix it.
I am all for natural but this is case I would bring to the doctor. Feel free to email me if you have any questions.
As a person who suffered from recurrent infections and a mother of a child who had VUR PLEASE let her have the tests done! A small amount of very brief pain can eliminate the torture of the UTI and possible PERMANATE damage that can make her inable to have children in the future. The risk really is very severe... If she does have VUR there is a very simple procedure that can cure it- or she can be on a low dose of antibiotics until she has outgrown it. Just letting it go is truly a dangerous thing that can change the rest of her life- and the problem is so simple to fix- that would be a horrible shame.
Definitely take her to the doctor. Natural remedies may get rid of it, but not completely. Also, NO bubble baths. My daughter (now 8) got about 4 of them in one year when she was younger and I never knew that bubble baths can cause them (especially in girls with sensitive skin). As soon as I stopped bubble baths they went away...Havent had one since! Even those J & J night time baths and things like that we couldnt use (anything with soap, etc in them). I hope she feels better!
Drinking lots of cranberry juice (nonsweetened) and of course lots of water is supposed to help, and there are also cranberry tablets and urinary tract pain relievers at the drug store to hold her off until you can see the doctor. Unless I'm mistaken though, the only thing that will make it go away if she really has an infection is antibiotics.
Hi D., I have to agree with Lisa on this! I started getting them very young and ended up in surgery at the age of 3 to get my urethra enlarged. With her being so young there is a good chance she has a bigger problem unless she is not wiping herself properly(back to front instead of front to back)always wearing clean panties, or taking bubble baths which are a big no-no! If she has an infection; she needs the antibiotics now to clear it up. Then, go the natural way for prevention.These infections are not only painful, they are damaging and could become very serious if not treated.I let one get so bad when I was 17 and living on my own, that I had to be carried into the ER. The Dr. told me then that I could have died that night because your kidneys them trigger the heart! Not to freak you out, just to let you know it's not something to play around with. Good luck, I hope she feels better soon because they are no fun:(
I agree, definitely take her to the doctor! She needs antibiotics. I definitely know that it is a scary thought, them running tests on her, but it is soooo important. My son was born with an obstucted kidney, so we have had our fair share of tests (and surgery, for that matter!). You don't want to risk a kidney infection or possible kidney damage. I am very sorry your little girl is having such a problem.
I definitely agree that the tests, if recommended by your perdiatrician, are very important to rule out a more serious condition. My daughter had her first UTI at age 1 1/2 and had the VCUG test which showed she had a reflux condition where urine was being pushed back to her kidney's. She was on a low dose of antibiotics for a year to avoid further infection. A re-test at the end of that year showed she had outgrown the condition which was good news for us. You need to be aware that the condition exists to avoid kidney infections and possible damage to her kidneys. The tests are not fun but they are important.
Hopefully it is a simple case that she just needs more careful when she wipes or she may just have to avoid bubblebaths.
Densie,
Hope your kiddo is on the mend. I have read the responses from the moms that their kids had urinary reflux. (when the urine backs up into the kidneys.). Both my daughters had urinary reflux disease. One grew out of it in a year. They had the VCG test. My oldest did not outgrow the reflux and had a surgical procedure which corrected the problem. I guess I am getting ahead of myself, what I wanted to impart to you, if you do need to have these tests run, please look into Cooks in FT Worth. My oldest had 7 of these tests each year and they were wonderful. Also we hooked up with a pediatric urologist. who was wonderful. His name is Jeff Pugash and is located in Ft Worth. Hopefully she wont have one again, let us all know how she is feeling.
