My 16 month old toddler went for an MCUG scan 3 weeks ago in August. As expected, Baby remembered the procedures room in the pediatric ward - wailed the second she was placed on the bed. She also remembered the X-ray room super vividly. The moment we stepped into the cold room with ginormous machines, she bawled!
At the procedures room in the pediatric ward, it was yet another traumatic moment for Baby when the doctor inserted the IV line onto her hand for the antibiotics jab to be administered. She screamed her lungs and throat out when the doctor inserted the catheter into her down under. Baby clung on to daddy and me like a koala bear each time we carried her. She looked exactly like how she looked like when she was hospitalized after her surgery in May - a face that was paralyzed with fear, eyes red and swollen and a face devoid of a smile.
In the X-ray room, she struggled. Good thing this hospital allowed me to be with her in the X-ray room and procedures room, unlike other hospitals that have rules of not allowing the mother/father in. My presence, singing and talking to Baby throughout her ordeal did help allay Baby’s fears.
After 2 hours of anxious waiting, I finally heard the best piece of news from Baby’s surgeon thus far. When he told me “the result is fantastic”, I could not believe those words. In fact, the good news still hasn’t sank inside me yet. Praise the Lord Jesus, He is really great. After going through 14 months of agony and nightmare with Baby, it feels surreal that Baby is finally well now. I think I need time to accept the good news LOL! I can’t believe that from today onwards, I don’t have to go through the gruelling process of feeding Baby her prophylactics antibiotics anymore every night. I hope that Baby will not get anymore UTI attacks ever again, ever. Our next appointment with the surgeon and for Baby to do an untrasound scan (to monitor her kidney) is in December this year.
Saturday, September 12, 2009
UTI Preventive Measures
1. Drink plenty of fresh clean water and barley water, up to 10 glasses a day if you can. Drinking plenty of water will flush out the bacteria and other micro-organisms which can cause bladder cystitis and chronic UTI. Barley water is very good in cleansing the bladder. My baby drinks barley water everyday after her Ureteral Reimplantation surgery and thank God, she has not gotten any UTI attacks.
2. Don’t resist or ignore the need to urinate! If you need to go - then go! Holding it back can lead to Urinary Tract Infection symptoms. Potty training your baby/toddler at an early age will help reduce the risk of UTI. Also train your child to 'double pee' or double micturition each time he/she pees. The lesser the urine in the bladder, the lesser the risk for bacteria to breed.
3. (Ladies in particular) Avoid douching with scented sprays which irritate and lead to recurrent bladder infections. Do not use baby bath / shampoo to wash your baby's / kids' genitals. The chemicals in the shampoo will irritate the genitals. Also try to avoid using wet wipes on your child's genitals.
4. Wash your genital area before and (particularly) after sex. Also try to urinate before and after. This can avoid the transfer of UTI bacteria between partners and could flush out any bladder cystitis bugs that got through
5. (Ladies in particular) Take a shower instead of a bath, this prevents the possible entry of bacteria into the urethra (a cause of Chronic UTI / Cystitus)
6. (Ladies in particular) After a bowel movement, always wipe yourself from front to back, this prevents the entry of bacteria from the anus into the vagina and thence into the urethra.
7. (Ladies in particular) Avoid tight, thick underwear, as this creates the perfect hot and humid atmosphere which bladder cystitis bacteria need in order to breed.
8. Avoid known bladder irritants such as citrus fruits and juice, tomatoes, mature cheese, chocolate, spicy foods, alcohol or nicotine. These are all known irritants.
9. Avoid caffeine - most commonly found in coffee, tea, carbonated drinks, chocolates etc…
10. If you feel the onset of urinary tract infection symptoms or bladder cystitis, take vitamin C as a drink or a tablet. This increases the level of acidity in the urine, which some urinary experts believe helps in reducing the number of chronic uti bacteria in the urinary tract.
11. If you have a painful urinary tract infection or chronic cystitis infection, and cannot immediately obtain urinary tract infection treatment, you can ease the pain by applying a hot-pad, a hot water bottle, or something similar to your abdomen.
12. Spices like cinnamon or juniper can act as natural UTI antibiotics for a mild bladder infection, and can also help to flush out a urine infection from kidneys and bladder.
2. Don’t resist or ignore the need to urinate! If you need to go - then go! Holding it back can lead to Urinary Tract Infection symptoms. Potty training your baby/toddler at an early age will help reduce the risk of UTI. Also train your child to 'double pee' or double micturition each time he/she pees. The lesser the urine in the bladder, the lesser the risk for bacteria to breed.
3. (Ladies in particular) Avoid douching with scented sprays which irritate and lead to recurrent bladder infections. Do not use baby bath / shampoo to wash your baby's / kids' genitals. The chemicals in the shampoo will irritate the genitals. Also try to avoid using wet wipes on your child's genitals.
4. Wash your genital area before and (particularly) after sex. Also try to urinate before and after. This can avoid the transfer of UTI bacteria between partners and could flush out any bladder cystitis bugs that got through
5. (Ladies in particular) Take a shower instead of a bath, this prevents the possible entry of bacteria into the urethra (a cause of Chronic UTI / Cystitus)
6. (Ladies in particular) After a bowel movement, always wipe yourself from front to back, this prevents the entry of bacteria from the anus into the vagina and thence into the urethra.
7. (Ladies in particular) Avoid tight, thick underwear, as this creates the perfect hot and humid atmosphere which bladder cystitis bacteria need in order to breed.
8. Avoid known bladder irritants such as citrus fruits and juice, tomatoes, mature cheese, chocolate, spicy foods, alcohol or nicotine. These are all known irritants.
9. Avoid caffeine - most commonly found in coffee, tea, carbonated drinks, chocolates etc…
10. If you feel the onset of urinary tract infection symptoms or bladder cystitis, take vitamin C as a drink or a tablet. This increases the level of acidity in the urine, which some urinary experts believe helps in reducing the number of chronic uti bacteria in the urinary tract.
11. If you have a painful urinary tract infection or chronic cystitis infection, and cannot immediately obtain urinary tract infection treatment, you can ease the pain by applying a hot-pad, a hot water bottle, or something similar to your abdomen.
12. Spices like cinnamon or juniper can act as natural UTI antibiotics for a mild bladder infection, and can also help to flush out a urine infection from kidneys and bladder.
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