UTI, High Fever, Not Eating or Drinking...etc..

Hi,
I just read in the paper this morning that studies are finding that toddlers are not getting enough water and too much salt resulting in kidney stones. now I don't know if there is blood in her urine or if her urine is cloudy, but I just thought I might tell ya what I read... :)
A.

Make sure you stay on top of this. A guy I worked with had a daughter about the same age that ended up having a lot of problems becase his daughter had reoccuring UTI's. It had gone untreated properly too long so when she would go over her perscription, it would come back. She had to have an extisive antibiotic treatment to really get her back to square and even then, she continued on medication for some time. I certainly don't want to alarm you, I have seen this treated by a physician as if it weren't a big deal and it certainly can turn into a big deal if they aren't. Best of luck to you... I certainly hope your little angel is feeling better sson!

I haven't ever gone through this but my guess is the medicine is not working or it's not treating the real problem. I've never heard of someone not willing to eat due to a UTI. I would have her checked again, either by a different doctor or the same. Since you live in Indiana, you could call 338-KIDS and it will connect you with a nurse at Riley/St. Vincents (can't remember which one) and she can also answer some of your questions regarding what to do or what it could be. Good luck and I hope she gets well soon.

My three year old had a UTI not to long ago. She had a fever and cried everytime she went pee. Her appitite never changed though. It was about a week after we started her meds that she finally quit saying it hurt to go pee, but we could tell after a few days that it wasn't as bad. If she isn't showing any signs of improvement, I would take her back in. If they never got a sample it could possibly be something else. I honestly don't know. If your doctor has a afterhours nurse, call them. They can tell you what signs to watch for. Best of luck. A.

I'm glad to here your lil girl is feeling better but I just want to let u know and the other readers know that UTIs can get bad. I had to deal with it from the time i was born til I was about 13 or so. It took a few yrs for the drs to realize what was going on at first because the problem started when i was an infant and could explain that it hurt when i peed. Now that I have a daughter I see what my parents go through. Recently my daughter spiked a 103 fever and we took her to Kosair because she was also complaining of side pain. They did a culture at the hospital and it came back negative. I took her to the dr a few days later when the fever didn't go away and while i was at the dr the er had called. They sent it off to be cultured also. That's when it showed she had a UTI. Alot of drs will go with they're guts when it comes to UTIs because all u can really do is give an antibiotic and lot's of fluids. Most of the time they'll prescribe a sulfar antibiotic as I call it. (I can't remember the actual name) Sometimes it will come right back even after the antibiotic. So keep a close eye on her after she finishes the meds. I had to be on low dose antibiotics for a mth to get rid of mine. Well i hope all goes well. IF I can help just message me. Sorry to ramble on so much but I know how hard it is to deal with UTIs.

S.,

Hello, I also have two little girls ages 6 and 2. I am a pediatric ICU/Er nurse. Actually, it is not uncommon in little ones to spike high fevers and not want to eat with UTI's but if she has been on her antibiotics for 3 days and has shown no improvement then I would call back you pediatrician and see if he wants you to be seen in the ER or his office. It could have went into a bladder infection or she could just have a virus on top of it, but regardless I think I would definately want my child seen, and as a nurse I would also suggest she be seen. Also things to think about is does she seem like it hurts with urination or cries and tries not to go. If not it could be something else. If she does try cran grape juice and lots of water it will help with the burning. I hope this helps and I hope she feels better soon.

Call your pediatrician, I think this warrants a re-check. It could move into a kidney infection, which is more serious.

I have dealt with UTI's, kidney infections and bowel problems with my daughter since she was a baby. She's 12 now and still deals with it. She's had many high fevers with few easily recognizable symptoms. We've mistaken her infections in the past for stomach viruses and other illesses that were going around when she was very young. As she got older and into school, we still had some trouble recognizing her illess as a UTI or kidney infection. She never complained of pain in her back or side. She never complained of pain when urinating, or any other symptom usually associated with a UTI or kidney infection. She would usually have a headache, nausea (sometimes with, sometimes without vomiting) and a high fever anywhere between 103 and 107 (which was extremely frightening, by the way!). She usually wouldn't eat or drink unless I made her try.

It wasn't until she was 5 and put in the hospital that we discovered she had kidney reflux. We began seeing a urologist regularly and she was put on a preventative antibiotic. We were told she'd have to stay on that until she grew out of the reflux (which involved getting the VCUG test every year), but she had developed a diverticulum and needed to continue the antibiotic even after the reflux was gone. She's been off of it for a couple years now, but she still gets at least one infection a year.

Over the years, we've learned to question every symptom as being more than it appears. One week-long stay in Kosair Children's Hospital was more than enough! We learned how to handle the high fevers, have used many home UTI tests (even though her dr. doesn't accept the results), and make sure she gets started on an antibiotic right away. There were a few times I remember having to get a different antibiotic (usually an injection the second time around) because she wasn't getting better. We saw the 105-107 temps when the infection had moved into her kidney.

I hope that helps a little, and I hope your little one gets better soon. I hope she's not one who will be prone to infections like my daughter. I know how awful it is. Our thoughts and prayers are with you!

JUST TO BE SURE I FULLY UNDERSTAND.....YOU TOOK HER TO A DOCTOR....HE WANTED A URINE SAMPLE FROM HER FOR YOU TO GET AT HOME...THEN WHEN YOU COULDNT AND CALLED HIM OVER THE PHONE....HE CALLS IN A RX ..WITHOUT EVEN SEEING HER AGAIN????? IF THAT IS ALL CORRECT, GET A REAL DOCTOR!!!!! HE SOUNDS LIKE A QUACK IN THE LEAST. FIRST OFF, IT TAKES ABOUT 2 MINUTES FOR A CATHETER TO GET A SAMPLE...(DID IT ON MY YOUNGEST WHEN SHE WAS LESS THAN A YEAR) SHE HATED IT BUT IT WAS NEEDED. AS FAR AS YOUR DOCTOR NOT EVEN SEEING HER AFTER YOU CALLED BACK (IF I UNDERSTOOD CORRECTLY) THAT IS A HORRIBLE JUDGEMENT CALL AND LACK OF ETHICS THAT COULD HARM PATIENTS. IVE DEALT WITH A UTI IN MYSELF AS WELL AS MY YOUNGEST WHEN SHE WAS A BABY AND ALSO THEY WERE NEVER THAT BAD. IF IT WERE ME I WOULD TAKE HER TO THE ER...BC IT COULD BE SOMETHING SERIOUS OR HOPEFULLY SOMETHING MINOR THAT COULD BE CAUGHT NOW SO YOUR LITTLE ONE DOES NOT HAVE TO SUFFER ANYMORE.....ITS SAD WATCHING A CHILD BE SICK, ESPECIALLY WHEN YOU DONT KNOW WHAT TO DO....YOU SEEM LIKE YOU ARE DOING A WONDERFUL JOB WITH HER. I HOPE SHE FEELS BETTER SOON!!!!

Sibil,

My daughter is dealing with this right now as well. I took her into the ER and they sent me home with tylonal. I took her back 2 days later and she was has to stay in the hospital for 3 days. When I took her in they gave her a cathader to take the urine. If the bag isn't working I would have them take the urin the same way. It is more advasive but she is more than likely dehydred at this time. I don't want to scare you but after many tests we found that my daughter had a grade 2 reflux. That means that her blatter is not voiding all the way and some of the urin flows back into her kidneys. (somewhat comen in girls) If it is not treated could lead to kidney problms but if this is what she has she should grow out of it in a few yeras. I have to take my doughter to a kidney specilast to make sure she is ok on the 9th. If you want to contct me with more info of support my email address is ____@____.com I hope everything goes well. Trust your momma instinct!

Take her back to the doctor! If a baby girl has a high fever with no other symptoms (cough, sneezing, etc) they have to do a test to rule out a UTI. If it's a UTI they need antibiotics. UTI are very dangerous for babies/toddlers if left untreated. Sometimes it can take a few days for improvement with antibiotics. Sometimes they can tell by the urine sample which antibiotics would be most effective. If you can't get a urine sample with that bag thing (they never work!) than the doctor should've offered to get a sample via a catheter. They aren't much fun but it's the only way to get an accurate diagnosis.

The3 antibiotics may not be working; on the other side of that, the antibiotics may be working just fine and she could very well have something viral on top of that.

In either case, you need to get her back to the doc ASAP, or take her to the local emergency room. Last time my son was admitted for pneumonia there was a girl in the room next door who had gotten a bad UTI, and had been in the hospital for a couple days while the docs ran tests and kept an eye on her, got her hooked up to an IV to keep her hydrated and all that.

The doctors aren't always right; I was mad because my son had viral pneumonia and they were pushing antibitotics through his IV (he's pediatrician was not too happy either). If your daughter has had other illnesses, like my son who had taken all kinds of antibiotics, you build up an immunity to them. Plus with viral issues, no antibitotic in the world is going to help.

Atr the very least your doc needs to decide if a stronger antibitotic is in order or if she needs to get some more tests done.