urinary tract reflux... anyone else's baby diagnosed with this?

Mary - posted on 04/27/2010 ( 2 moms have responded )

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My son left the hospital without a circumsicion. I was really mad but they wouldnt do it. they said he was too small. ( he 5 lbs 14 oz)
he's actually going to get it done at 7 months. and what a disaster!
about a month ago i had to take him to the hospital bc he had a mild fever (100.8F)
they did a urine culture and it came back positive for bacteria. He was diagnosed with a urinary tract infection.
apparently 1% of uncircumcised infants get UTI's. so we set up a consult with a pediatric urologist.
they set up some tests. the 1st one was a kidney ultrasound to check for kidney damage. he'll have to have a more accurate one (with dye) done again in a few months.
then they did something called a VCUG which is where they put a catheter in and pump his bladder full of fluid and dye until he pees it out. when he pees it out they watch to see if the "pee" ends up going back up throught the tubes and into his kidneys (called reflux.)
Reflux is graded on a scale from 1 to 5, 5 being the worst. Caden has Grade 2 reflux. and they're not sure if the UTI's are causing the reflux or if the reflux is causing the UTI's.
there are a few things that can cause reflux.
1: infants are very small, which means that the valves in his tubes are small. he has to grow a little in order for the valves to grow and keep the pee from backing up.
2: it might be hereditary. a few GIRLS on my dad's side have UTI'S and reflux, so maybe... but he's a boy. i dont know if that matters....
3: he also has phimosis, which is a tight foreskin. it could be trapping bacteria, causing the UTI, which causes reflux.
they're going to circumcise him in July, which is what i wanted in the first place ::sigh::
but in the meantime, until he grows out of the reflux, he has to take an antibiotic everyday in order to prevent more UTI's.

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Mary - posted on 04/27/2010

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they said six months for mine too, but he was born 4 weeks early so he'll actually be 7 months. if i have another boy in the future i'm going to demand the circ. to be done right there!
all our future children have to be tested for reflux too.

Alison - posted on 04/27/2010

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Hi I have a little girl who has the same my first baby had no probs but susanah has been on antibiotics and all. I hear you on the circumsicion I asked how it would work if I had a boy and they said 6 months. Crazy Thats in Australia