Tuesday, April 1, 2008

E.coli anyone?

The results are in...

Eliza does in fact have a UTI caused by E.coli bacteria. Can you say yuck, ew, and gross? The fact that anything is growing in urine is disgusting. The ultrasound that was done on her kidneys did not show any abnormalities- thank goodness. I was so worried about damage to her kidneys. I started reading about things that can go wrong yesterday and burst into tears. The word relief does not even come close to describing how I feel. If left untreated UTI's can cause kidney damage- especially in children under 6.

On the bright side we were released from the hospital today. At first when my husband told me I thought it was an April Fool's joke. Now that would have been cruel. We met with our pediatrician this morning and he wrote a scrip for us. I will administer oral antibiotics to her for the next 7 days. We also made an appointment to see the doc on Thursday for a check. I want to be SURE she is getting better.

How the heck did she get this UTI? That is the questions people keep asking me and I don't really have an answer. Sometimes I say poo poo in the choo choo, sometimes I say day care is the devil, and sometimes I say I haven't the foggiest idea! Of course I have looked into what caused this infection but have not really found any clear answers. I did find that it is most likely not caused by poo in the choo- as many have told me. It is important to wipe from front to back-but if that were truly the cause the rates of UTI would be even higher.

I never would have guessed she had a UTI. The symptoms in an infant are unexplainable fever and urinary findings suggestive of a UTI. I am so happy they chose to catheterize her and take a sample. At the time I was ready to scoop my baby off of the table and rescue her from the men and women torturing her in the E.R. I am so thankful that I let them get the sample. If I had not discovered it as early- I don't even want to to think about that. The only other symptoms were stinky urine and scrunching up of her face and hands. Yes! I originally thought that was caused by the oatmeal but now I think it was discomfort from urinating.

To read more about UTI's and infants check out this site.

I go to the doctor tomorrow. I am hoping it is nothing serious.

We are also looking into alternatives to day care.

Come back tomorrow to see my list of things I learned during my hospital visit.

12 comments:

Dana said...

So glad you're home!! Love you all!!
xoxo

Lori said...

glad to hear you are home and that Eliza is feeling better. I hope the infection clears up quickly. I'm sending you all good night vibes as I'm sure you all need a good night's sleep!!

Rebecka said...

Aw. that deff stinks.
I hope everything clears up.
Thanks for the comment. I'll add you to my blog roll when I have time to do more than a post.
Go down a few on my posts and comment Ashely. Shes new in the bloggy world.

Pam said...

So glad that you are home! I'm sorry to hear about the E.coli.....wow! That is scary! I am so glad that the doctors found it early and E is treated and getting better. Good luck with the alternatives to day care. I have my children in an in home day care. Only 6 kids! So I feel like it is a good compromise....much more individual attention, less kids = less germs, but still a chance to be around others. Maybe you can find something like that or someone to watch her in your home. The good news.....only a little over 2 months until summer and then you can be home with E again. I'll be thinking of you and praying for your family!!

Christy said...

Thank goodness she is on the mend.

Mamarazzi said...

so glad to hear y'all are home. hopefully this will be the beginning of healthy years ahead. poor little sweetie!

Anonymous said...

So glad to know what it is and that it can be treated and leave no permanent "scars!" Keep us posted on alternatives to daycare!

Andrea said...

Whew! I'm glad you're home and they figured out what was wrong before anything more serious went wrong!! I hope she gets better REALLY quickly now that they know what the problem is!

Laski said...

OK, so a UTI can't possibly be any fun for a baby, BUT, at least it is manageable . . .

AND,

You are safe and sound at home!

Take care!!!

Anonymous said...

Oh, I hope she gets better soon. She's such a sweet looking kid. Thanks for commenting on my blog. Sorry if it was only now that I was able to return the favor since I wasn't feeling very well during the past week.

Tracy said...

So glad to hear you are home! You can always move down here so I can take care of Eliza. LOL! Sorry I didn't mention my blog earlier. I wasn't sure if I would stick to it but I'm hooked.

My Delicate Mind said...

I sincerely hope they did not try to put even a baby on antibiotics. :(