Uninary Reflux
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Category: Have A Baby?
Forum Name: First baby? Second or more?
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URL: https://www.ohbaby.co.nz/forum/forum_posts.asp?TID=31421
Printed Date: 29 August 2025 at 5:16pm
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Topic: Uninary Reflux
Posted By: Brenna
Subject: Uninary Reflux
Date Posted: 05 February 2010 at 7:39pm
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I've just found out today Ellie has a urine infection and my doctor said something about Urinary reflux. She's on some anti-biotics and I'm taking her back to the GP on Tue. My SIL is a paed nurse and she was saying today that babies diagnosed with this should have an ultra sound scan to check for damage. I googled it and came across the Kidney Kids website.
Is this a 'serious' conidition that I should be worried about? The website mentions being on anti-b's for about 1 year - 18 months. This seems crazy!!! Has anyone else's child had this?? What happened? It's quite lucky that we've got our derm/paed appt next week for Ellie's head anyway so I'll ask more Q's then, but I'd never heard of it before so would like some insight as to whether or not this is a big deal...... Thanks  -------------  My beautiful 2 girls...nearly 4 and 13 months
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Replies:
Posted By: blondy
Date Posted: 05 February 2010 at 8:02pm
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no real help here, but we're getting the same thing checked out atm - Nat's had 3 UTI's since mid- ecember, and although they've cleared up quickly with the ab's, they've come back within 2 weeks of finishing the course of meds.
we've been referred to get an ultrasound done, but seeing as it's going through the public system, we're still waiting a couple of weeks on.... I think if it shows they do have urinary reflux, then one treatment option can be prophylactic antibiotics, presumably until the reflux improves? -------------  
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Posted By: Brenna
Date Posted: 05 February 2010 at 8:03pm
Thanks  I'd never even heard of this before...I learnt a hell of a lot in the past 5 months!!!------------- My beautiful 2 girls...nearly 4 and 13 months
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Posted By: blondy
Date Posted: 05 February 2010 at 8:04pm
and can I just add: how much more can your wee poppit (and you!) handle  you certainly all have some good luck owing!-------------
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Posted By: Brenna
Date Posted: 05 February 2010 at 8:06pm
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Hmmmm.... a winning lotto ticket would be lurvly....
I'm so confused...I have no idea what's up but I'm so used to there being something that I'm not really surprised about another 'thing'. Surely it wont be a major.... It's just good timing about our appt next week ------------- My beautiful 2 girls...nearly 4 and 13 months
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Posted By: blondy
Date Posted: 05 February 2010 at 8:15pm
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You probably know this, but..... I think like anything, there are varying degrees of seriousness, and the risk of long term damage comes from infected urine travelling back up to the kidneys (and the urine becomes infected from the bladder not being able to empty properly due to *crappy* valves where the ureters enter the bladder).
From what I've read, as the child grows, the mis-functioning valves tend to repair/fix themselves, and it tends to be self-resolving with time. Good luck for your apt next week - at least you'll be getting your money's worth!  -------------
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Posted By: Brenna
Date Posted: 05 February 2010 at 8:23pm
lol, well the tax payers money worth!! Even though we have medical insurance, everything with Ellie's head is under the public system and we don't have to wait!! Have got the best of both worlds ------------- My beautiful 2 girls...nearly 4 and 13 months
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blondy wrote:Posted By: Kellz
Date Posted: 05 February 2010 at 8:27pm
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Im pretty sure thats what Emma's Mercedes had/has and was on long term antibiotics. Hopefully she will see this thread and comment.
Good luck for the appt. |
Posted By: Joscia
Date Posted: 06 February 2010 at 9:46am
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DH had this when he was a kid. Was on antibiotics for years apparently, but it was under control and eventually cleared up, with no long term consequences... ------------- http://alterna-tickers.com"> 
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Posted By: EmilysMum
Date Posted: 06 February 2010 at 8:48pm
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Hi. We're going through this with my DD who has just turned 1. She had 3 UTIs quite close together starting at about 6 months so was put onto low dose antibiotics, which she is still on until shes old enough for a cistogram. Recurrent UTIs can be a sign of bladder reflux, where the urine travels back up towards the kidneys. They grade it in severity from 1 to 5, with 5 the most serious. They did an ultrasound of DDs kidneys to check for any damage, which can be an indication of serious reflux (4 or 5) - DDs looked fine so hopefully if she does have reflux it isn't severe. The only way to diganose reflux for sure though is a cistogram, where they insert a catheter into the bladder, fill it with liquid and do an x-ray to see where the liquid goes. My DD will be having one hopefully next month, until then she'll stay on low dose antibiotics. Its a very short surgical procedure and she'll be knocked out for it :o( They don't like doing cistograms on babies under 1 year as their bits are so small it makes things a bit tricky, hence the wait. I try to put a positive spin on it - at least the low dose ABs are keeping every other bug at bay!
If it's grade 3 or under reflux, they won't do anything as they usually grow out of it. If the cistogram shows she has grade 4 or 5 they'll apparently need to operate. I'm not sure what this entails, we'll cross that bridge if we come to it! We're hoping that the cistogram will show that she doesn't have any reflux and she'll come off the antibiotics, fingers crossed! Hope this helps. You'll probably be referred to a urologist, we have been and he's been great. |
Posted By: Kalimirella
Date Posted: 07 February 2010 at 9:54am
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Hmm. just to help out, I had my Kidney taken out at 13, and one of the possible causes, though they couldn't prove it at the time, was urinary reflux but I never got the UTIs when young I just had Kidney infections. The cistogram didn't show anything but at the age they caught my kidney in imminent failure its quite possible the cause? urinary reflux wouldve healed.
If you/ your child only have to take antibiotics and it will help clear it up trust me its better than being diagnosed later in life and having major surgery to take the kidney out :D ------------- Kiara is 3 and Teagan is 2, now we're expecting our long awaited 3rd! http://lilypie.com" rel="nofollow"> 
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Posted By: blondy
Date Posted: 07 February 2010 at 11:30am
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In ironic timing, it looks like Nat just got her 4th UTI . So hopefully our referral comes through soon!
I would be totally happy to have her on prophylactic antibiotics, given how grumpy and hot she is right now! That and of course, anything to avoid long-term damage! -------------
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Posted By: Maya
Date Posted: 07 February 2010 at 8:09pm
Grrr Blondy, I hope it's just an unfortunate coincidence  . But in your situation, even if there is no reflux it might be worth considering short term prophylaxis to stop Nat getting any more infections. Fingers crossed you guys won't be joining Weegee and I at next year's Kidney Kids Xmas party....
Hugs Brenna - this is soooo not what you need right now! Close Kellz - it's Sienna with the dodgy kidney  .
Emilysmum - I'm not sure why you were told Emily wasn't old enough for a cystogram (MCU), they can do them pretty much from birth. Sienna had her first MCU at about 6 weeks, following a series of rather dodgy-looking ultrasounds. They generally don't operate for urinary reflux, even in the more severe grades the usual treatment is prophylactic antibiotics and regular monitoring. It usually resolves itself with time. Sometimes tho the reflux is caused by a structural problem, such as damage to, or a blockage in, the ureter (the tube which drains urine from the bladder to the kidney). If this is the case, it may be fixable with surgery. My Sienna had an obstructive ureterocele (fancy name for a blockage) in her right ureter which caused Grade V reflux, and when she was 8 weeks old she had surgery to remove it. While she was in hospital, she also had a test called a DTPA to check her kidney function. This showed that her right kidney wasn't working properly, but her left was making up for it. She's still on prophylactic antibiotics three years later, but subsequent ultrasounds and MCUs have shown an improvement in the reflux and no damage to her kidneys so we're hopeful that the function will improve in her right kidney with time. I can't rate Kidney Kids highly enough - the general info on their site is really comprehensive and if you email them, they will help out as much as they can with deciphering the medical jargon - Sienna's official diagnosis was Pylocalcyeal dilatation of the right kidney caused by obstructive ureterocele and Grade V vesico-urinary reflux and I had NO idea what any of that meant but they helped break it down so I could undertstand it. ------------- Maya Grace (28/02/03)
 (02/01/06)
The Gremlins:Sienna Marie & Mercedes Kailah (14/10/06)
Lil miss:Chiara Louise Chloe (09/07/08)
Her ladyship:Rosalia Sophie Anais (18/06/12)
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Posted By: Muz
Date Posted: 08 February 2010 at 10:14am
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All my three girls had their MCU before the age of 6 weeks also - I did have to push for it tho.
I have duplex ureter (have 2 on left kidney instead of just one) and reflux too - still ongoing, I had surgery at 3 years but my kidneys are scarred and a bit dodgy, hence why I insisted the girls get screened before any damage could be done. DD1 had reflux so was on ab's for 2 1/2 years and is now fine (age 7) DD2 has duplex ureter also and reflux - so ab's for her too - she is still having the odd infection but seems ok (age 6) DD3 .......... NORMAL KIDNEYS!!!! yipee!! Kidney kids is a fab support - i cant reccommend them enough. It can be a serious condition - but if it is treated (prophylactic abs) then long term outlook is great! Hope you get all your answers at the paeds, good luck!! ------------- http://lilypie.com"> 
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