I think my 3-yo has a UTI--call now or tomorrow?

WBs_Bride

This is the first suspected UTI either DD has ever had. She's complained twice now that her pee is burning when she goes. Should I call the on-call ped now or wait until morning when they are in the office?

britanyd

I'd call the on-call pedi.  I have UTIs and they're painful and really suck!

I suspected my 3 year old had a UTI and got her in right away.  My pedi had me bring in a urine sample, and it looked and tested "cloudy" so they started her on antibiotics while they waited for the culture to come back.  About 3 days later, the culture came back negative and we stopped the antibiotics.  In the mean time, we pushed clear fluids and lots and lots of cranberry juice.

I learned from the doc that it's very difficult to get a clean urine sample from a child, so they almost always prescribe the antibiotic while they wait for the culture.  If this is the belief your clinic holds too, they may call something in for you tonight and have her seen tomorrow.

FWIW my 3 year old ended up having severe urine burn from not wiping properly.  We got her flushable wipes and used A&D for a few days and the problem hasn't reoccured (yet).

WBs_Bride

Thanks! I thought this was a call-right-away thing but wasn't sure. She's already in bed now so any sampling would need to be tomorrow anyway.

I think her problem is she hardly ever pees. She pees like 2-3 times a day total. I know she should probably drink/go more but she always tells us when she's thirsty and when she needs to pee, so I didn't want to fix what wasn't broken. I was afraid this might become an issue with her. I guess we'll see!

britanyd

Increasing water intake might help.  At least it would dilute the concentration.  If it is urine burn, it could be worsened by super-concentration.

I got each of my girls a water bottle and make water available at all times.  I know I don't drink enough, so I figured I'd get started on it early!  I try to offer water with snacks too, and always always bring water when we go outside.

Good luck, hope it's nothing!