Urinary tract infection + MCU

jaslyn74

New Member
I urgently require info from mommies who had the same experience with this topic.
My newborn was admitted to hospital when he was 20 days old due to high fever at 40.5. Doc immediately says it must be UTI even before the urine test.
They gave him paracetamol to bring down the fever,The 2nd dose already stablized the fever the next morning.
They do urine and blood test.Blood test is ok but urine test showed there was a germ by the name of E Colai.None of the report showed UTI though the doc says so.
So were admitted for 5 days on IV.Antibiotic given twice a day by injection through IV.Doc sent him for ultrascound on kidneys and reports came back the both kidneys are normal.
Now the doc schedule him to do MCU on 5th nov.I would like to know from mommies who has the same experience.I was told MCU is performed on young kids esp infants if urine test couldnt find any other source of bacteria beside UTI?But since the 1st test showed E colai,2nd test showed no bacteria,can he dont do the MCU cos I also read some negative side on this procedure from this forum.
I need advice please.
 


hi jaslyn

Ecoli is a bacteria, normally there shouldn't be bacteria in the urine. Since ecoli is found, this means UTI.

My boy had uti when he was abt 6 mths. But he wasn't admitted. He had only slight fever for one night. He had oral antibiotics n also went for kidney ultrascan n mcu. Uti can happen 1)bacteria from faeces enter the urinary tract or (2)there is abnomalities in the urinary system which causes the backflow of urine. MCU is to check for (2). If a baby is born with that condition, he may get recurrent uti, which may cause scarring of the kidneys.

MCU is uncomfortable n may be traumatising
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But we did it for peace of mind. AT least we know that if he gets UTI again its not due to condition (2). A friend's daughter had that condition, n she had to take antibiotics everyday for 2 years to prevent an infection.
 
maybe i can offer some help on this. my elder dd had diarrhoea and fever which just refused to subside when she was ard 9 mths old. pd immediately did urine test and urine culture was done and was diagonsed as UTI. MCU was followed later and we discovered she got reflux which causes the backflow of urine...long-term of this back-flowing will result in kidney failure.

elder dd was on antibotic for 2 yrs and mcu was done again when she was ard 3 yrs old. as she grew older, the backflow stopped as the 'hole' closed by itself..according to PD/SBCC/Dr YYYip at Gleneagles. Now she's 7 yrs old and has been completely free from UTI since she stopped the antibotic.

Maybe u wanna seek a second opinion on the above.
 
hi mom2x

So sorry to hear abt ur dd... at least now she's totally fine!
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My ds sees Dr Ong EK at SBCC TMC.

DS had only mild fever at night. I read that uti in infants, sometimes there's no symptons so u won't even know if ur bb has uti! Thats y we did the mcu to rule this out.
 
how exactly MCU is done?I really dont have the heart to do this on my son.I was going crazy when they put drips on him in hospital.I can hear him scream 20rooms away...
I read on another thread that this mother was sharing her ordeal about MCU that her son has blood urine after MCU cos of some abrasion caused during the procedure..further put me off this idea..
I really need alot of info...how painful it is to the baby...how neccessary it is...
 
If i tell u e details u would be put off even further. Maybe u should ask the pd to tell u more.

I wouldn't know how painful it is to the baby. Think its uncomfortable for baby but more traumatising for the parents. My boy didn't cry at all, I did.

I also read that thread n didn't wan to go thru it. But my pd said u need an mcu to check for reflux problem... if tnot treated may cause kidney damage in the long run.
 
I havent been able to sleep or eat at all lately.
My PD keep telling me that its a must.
My eldest girl has UTI when she was 2plus and we were in Germany but the PD there didnt tell her to do even any test at all,only antibiotic...
do they even sedate the baby?How do they sedate the baby?I just dont believe it wouldnt be painful for the baby ...I m sure it would be million time more painful for the mother
 
hiyee...

my second dd sees Dr Ek Ong too!

anyway, when elder dd did her first MCU, she was given the medicine for her to de sedated but she vomitted out the medicine and Dr Yip said to go ahead with the MCU...yes, she screamed and struggled throughout the ordeal (she was 9 mths old then) but i think it was more of uncomfortable rather than pain.

For the second MCU, she was once again sedated and slept throughout...the only thing she did during the MCU was "mummy i want to shh shh" when they injected the dye, making the bladder full. For both times, there was NO blood urine after the test.

To me, it's definitely necessary as u need to know whether it's due to reflux that is cauing recurrent UTIs that can result in kidney failure in the long run.

hope the above helps...

ask your pd for more details..he's in a better position to tell u more
 
So it means MCU have to be done more than once if it showed reflux?
My son is seeing Dr Ang Poon Liat at TMC..some friend told me to go to KK for a cheaper fee but I m not sure.I need it to be less pain ordeal for my son.
How long the procedure takes?Parent is allowed to be presence?I guess I will go crazy if my son scream and cry...so meaning the sedative will make the baby sleep?I recalled PD gave my daughter sedative medicine red in colour when she was 2 yrs old for a long flight.Instead of go to sleep,she became hyper,jumping throughout the whole flight.
Piggy,was your son sedated before the MCU?
 
yup...to see whether there's any improvement over the years. reflux is graded...1 to 4, the higher the grade, the worse it is.

the procedure is pretty fast...hmm..about 20 mins?...can't really recall as it was done 4 yrs ago. i did mine at gleneagles. yes, a parent is allowed to be inside with the kid. sedation supposed to make the baby go to sleep
 
my babu was detected UTI sometime aroud 3 months and underwent the MCU as well. BB will be sedated but not fully asleep. parents have to be around to hold the bb cos he needs to be still when they put in the tube. bb is uncomfortable but not pain, as what the paed said. mine is also Dr Ong EK from SBBC. I was at first reluctant to undergo the MCU as well and from what I know KKH does not practice MCU for first instance of UTI, only recurrent cases. Hever, Dr Ong told me that MCU would rule out Grade 1 and 2 reflux which kidney scan can't tell and if there is reflux and we don't know, kidneys may be scarred. after weighing the consequence, decided to go for the MCU as kidney disease is no joke... it's a long draining kind of disease. Anyway, he is tested ok but need to send for urine culture every 3 mths since some UTI has got no symptoms. He was also warded at TMC for three days on the first UIT onset.

Hope the info helps!
 
Hi,
Just came about this post. My daugther (13 mohts) just had UTI over the public hols. it was traumatising for us parents...went to KK on deepavali cos other clinics not open... when fever went down she had such bad rashes on hari raya.. went to KK again and founf out the rashes was result of the UTI and not drug allergy ... still recovering now.. and waiting for the urine culture results... then i'll ask her pd from SBCC for the follow-up cos my dd already going SBCC for her congenital heart problem...

want to find out what does MCU stand for??? I think my heart will break if i find out she has congential kidney problem as well as heart problem ... already feel like i'm a lousy parent for causing her to get UTI ... is it cos I don;t make her drink enough water??
 
yym
you should not reprimand yourself.Its destiny.I also reprimanded myself for not making my baby drink more water but if it had happened,you just have to take good care of it.
MCU is a procedure they must do for kids under 2 or 4 yrs old when they have UTI to check if the there is reflux in the kidneys.
You should get your PD at SBCC to explain to you
 
Hi Jaslyn Loo
Thanks for the advice... turns out that my girl did not get UTI..so no need MCU.. but cos of her high fever, rash, high count of white blood cells in the urine test & her existing heart condition.. the pd suspected it may be kawasaki disease.. anyway he asked for more tests to be sure... after one night of worry while waiting for the test reports.. turns out to b prob inflammation and not this disease... thanks goodness she's ok and getting better...
 
my son has UTI just over this weekend. He is still in KKH. I came home to rest for the night, while my hubby took over. Tomorrow will be his 3rd day on the drip + antibiotics, and we will get to see the results. Apparently, if the germs are in the urine, it is not so serious, and he can start oral antib tomorrow, and then go home, and follow-up later on. If there is germs in the blood, he might have to stay up to 10 days.

He is still having fever (ups & downs)
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Is UTI common ? I never heard of it until 2 days ago.
 
lilipit,
How old is your son?
kieane was in hospital for 5 days but his fever subsided the same night after they gave him a dose of paracetamol.Doc says if the bacteria is in the urine,its less complicated but if the bacteria is in the blood,it would be complicated as it needs even longer stay and longer term of agreesive antibiotic.
I didnt really know UTI till my baby gets it too and nobody able to tell how they gets UTI.After that,the doc would tell you to do kidney ultrasound and then MCU.Some even have to do nuclear scan and blah blah blah...
Hope your son gets well soon.I went through that just not long ago...I can understand
 
hi jaslyn, thanks.

we are back from the hospital just today. DS is near to 4 mths old. He underwent US scan and it showed a slightly swollen left kidney. The doc explained that this means he definitely has to undergo MCU later on. Next visit is in 3 weeks' time. In the meantime, it is antibiotics every day.

sigh ... my poor DS...
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Has your son recovered already ?
 
Hi Lilipit
So sorry to hear about your son...hope he's getting better soon..like jaslyn i know what it is like when not sure what's wrong with BB and everything the doc tells me just makes me more anxious...

from what i understand UTI more common in girl babies than boys cos of the proximity of the anus to the urethra and also cos of the way girls are cleaned when poo poo.. should always clean from front to back so minimise this... if not bacteria may get to the urethra and so may end up with UTI..

doc explained to me that there can be many reasons for getting UTI.. one of them is the bacteria from the poo mentioned above... could also be BB not drink enough water so there is always some urine in the bladder that does not get removed from body... or could be a congenital kidney problem, i.e. born with the problem but only showed up later..the more serious one is the congenital kidney problem.

personally, i prefered to seek a second opinion.. or at least hear from a doc i can trust... that's why from KK children's emergency i went back to see my girl's pd at SBCC just to be sure.. in the end for my girl's case it was not UTI tho she had up & down high fever for at least 5 days & the initial urine test at KK indicated UTI.. had 38-39 degrees fever even after antibiotics... the subsequent urine test done at SBCC showed no UTI...
my pd's stand was if really suspect UTI better to do all tests necessary to be sure and so that parents no need to wonder and worry for so long.. he did warn of possible MCU required asap if the urine test showed bacteria or if the ultra sound shows anything not good.. so as parents we decided to be sure ...luckily for my girl all ok now...
not sure if it helps you.. but thot just share the recent experience i had with my girl...
 
My son seems ok now although I m still very paranoid.I give him over 200ml water everyday,be it I added with glucolin or gripewater...I just want him to drink as much as possible...I change his diaper as long as its wet.I get panic as long as I dont see poo within the day...I check his temperature 3 times a day (use to be every hr) and when he cries nonstop,I sit there crying too wondering if its UTI recurrence again.
The result of all these is due to I m not willing to bring him for MCU... I just couldnt do it at all...he finished his last dose of antibiotic last week.Apetite is good,pee is clear..poo regularly so far...just wanted to be carry all the time.I give in to him cos he was ill at such a young age and I feel so bad about it...
 
Hi Jaslyn,

My son who is about 2mths old also contacted UTI 3 weeks ago and was hospitalised for 5 days. He was oso on drip and antibiotics. Though 2nd time of urine test showing no UTI, PD said he had to go through MCU in mid dec. However, we are reluntant to bring him to do MCU, hehehehe still considering....after this incident, have also force my son to drink more water, and change diapers more often
 
windi
sigh...this MCU thing is really driving crazy.Altho I know if dont want to do,we would always be paranoid of everything as he wouldnt be given a clean bill of health by the doc.But I really couldnt do it... thought about going to KK then one mommy told me in KK they dont sedate the baby,they strap the baby at the machine and dont allow mommy to see...so cruel isnt it?
I thought about bringing him to do MCU only if there is recurrence but then the thought of whether he has reflux or not really killing me
 
yym, thanks for the info. Glad that your gal is ok now.

the doctor i have at KKH is Dr FAbian Yap. He is quite good from what i see, and is very patient explaining the details, just that I am still hesitant about MCU...it sounds so cruel. Already my DS suffered from the drip. He didnt like it, and kept shifting and kicking, and the needle shifted causing him much pain. In the end, they took it off, and injected the antib into his leg. Luckily it was already his 3rd day in hospital, and with his fever subsiding, he was allowed oral antib. He got discharged on 4th day.

Jaslyn, how odl is your son? At least the scan didnt show up any swelling on his kidneys, so that's a consolation
 
lilipit
my son is now 6 weeks old.He was 19 days old when he had UTI.2nd urine culture showed no UTI although the first one showed E colai exsisted.
The kidneys ultrasound showed perfect normal kidneys with no residue in the kidneys.
Thats why I really reluctant to do the MCU...
 
Oh dear, that is so young. he must have looked so small on the hospital bed. Glad that he is ok now
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I find catching of the urine so difficult. I have to get his sample for his next review at KKH. But I do know my son tend to pee when we are changing him (very naughty !)...so gotta pretend to do that...the 1st urine culture at the KKH showed there was E Coli bacteria
 
I have to be admtted with him together.He sleeps in the cot and I have to take care of him.
Dont they give you a urine bag to catch his urine?That one you can stick to his private area and then remove it when he pees so you can collect his urine.You can email me at [email protected]
 
Jaslyn,

In the end , do u bring ur bb to do MCU? cos PD schedule my ds mcu to be done in 2 weeks time, still considering leh cos scare got side effect after doing. Need ur advise. Thanks.
 
hi my gal gal also kana uti when she was 3 months then went mcu show tt she got reflux in both her kidneys since htne on antibiotics... now she reaching two so her next mcu appt in end dec... really hope she gets a clean bill.... the only thing i worry is galgal feel uncomfortable n the possiblity of the tubing breaking her hymen... coz tt's where the tubing will be insert in.... really hope the sedation works on her... she very active one...
 
sheris, your BB really take antibiotics for so long...?

my DS (now 4 mths) on antib for 4 weeks..next review is early Dec... oh dear...i didnt know it's gonna be so long-drawn
 
lilipit

ya at first me also dun know the thg so serious but my pd told me no choice can't risk anymore infection otherwise may scar the kidneys... i rather no take the risk of kidney failure....

jx have to take antibiotics once a day then dun know if it is due to the medication she not as big size as her brothers
 
no,I didnt bring him for MCU.My GP agree with me that its traumatising for the kid and mother to go through this.I m monitoring my baby very closely.Checking his temperature 3 times a day,recording down the amount of water and milk he drinks.I make him drink alot of water now and change diaper every max 2 hr and make sure he clear his bowel max once every 2 days if he cant poo everyday.Its mentally very straining but I really couldnt bring him for the MCU
 
hi windi

pls listen to your pd... I was told there's a 20-30% chance that uti is due to reflux. Recurrent uti will cause scarring to the kidneys. Even if the kidney scan is ok now doesn't mean there's no reflux problem, cos the scar may take some time to appear. And sometimes uti may not hv any symptons, so a child may be having uti without your knowing... until he develops kidney damage! Can you take that kind of gamble?

actually its better to do mcu when the child is younger, get it over and done with... If no reflux then u don't hv to worry! If yes then at least u can control the damage done to the kidneys.

I hardened my heart and my boy went through it... At least now when he has fever I don't hv to worry is it reflux causing uti?
 
hi piggy,

You give a valid point. shall consult my PD again then i will decide if i wana my bb to go through all this. Thanks
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My daughter was in & out of KKH 3 times when he was barely 2mth old. Keep on having high fever.

Brought to PD, was advised to send her to KKH immediately. At KK A&E, doc told us that she need to be hospitalised cos they need to do tests to determine the cause.

The 1st time was terrible for both baby and parents. Doc did not do anything since we admitted to the ward. Just ask us to sponge her. Only when her fever reach a highest peak of 40.2 degree, the doc then take her urine, blood for test. As we are new parents, we are so at a lost... was stunned and shocked to see our precious going thru so much. We can oni stay outside the treatment room and hear her cries. My husband cried with her. My heart sunk...

1st time, all results were negative, so after antibotic, she was discharge after on the 3rd day.

1 week later, the fever came back again, same procedure again.... admitted for another 3 days. No reason/ explaination again this time.

3 days later, again the same thing happen. Re-admitted to KKH. She had the same high fever during midnight, quickly rush her to KKH A&E, her heartbeat was beating real fast, was send to Special Care ward, I had the fright of my life... almost fainted.

Was transfer to the normal ward the next day, then the results for Urine culture was back on the 3rd day, found bacteria in her urine, hence diagnosed with UTI. As the bacteria was very strong, doc say she need to be on Antibotic for 1 week. During that 1 week, she was brought to do a ultrasound on her kidney and found that 1 side is slightly bigger.

Doc hence deduce that it might be Reflux. Was arrange to come back for MCU few weeks later.

She was discharge after 1 week of stay at KKH, it was the most traumatising period, I spend the whole week in KK to acompany her and look after her.

She has to be on Long-term antibotic, but no choice right, i ask myself, do i wan her to be hospitalised again, go thru all the needle pokings again....

So i urge mummies here, pls follow doc instruction and let your precious go for MCU to determine the causes, 1 time pain is better than few weeks of suffering... Can MCU be more painful than needle stuck on their tiny vein for days and weeks....
 
After the MCU, she was found to have reflux on both side, 1 side GRade 2, the other side Grade 4. According to our doc, most kids will outgrow this when they reach 2 years old, in the meantime, just have to take antibotic once a day to help prevent infection.

We just have to be careful when she came down with fever. We will send her to KK if she has fever so that they can do the urine culture for her.

Nw she is almost 8mths old, her UTI is kept under control by the antibotic.
 
My girl went for her MCU last week and thank god the doctor call a few days later to inform that she is alright and now she is no longer on antibiotic.

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Hi gals

My boy got UTI & after taking the antibiotics, his subsequent urine tests showed clear bill. However, his PD advised us to send him for kidney scan & MCU to rule out the possibility of kidney prob or reflux.

Like many mommies, I am also very reluctant to send him for all these tests but I guess I wouldn't have a peace of mind if I don't.

Hubby is now getting the referral letter & trying to schedule an appointment. By the way, can I check how much is the charges for these tests under private? Not sure if I should get polyclinic referral instead but the problem is my boy has to be assessed by the their doctor again & usually polyclinics are super long queue...
 
hi folks,

my boy just went for MCU (he is now near to 6mth old). the MCU was done at KKH. i was at first quite reluctant to send him for the MCU, cos he seemed fine so far after the UTI episode, but after reading some of the mommies' advice above, i decided to let him go thru with the MCU.

quite torturous to hear him cry and cry inside the room (i didnt go in. my hubby went in, cos the doc doing the procedure say they prefer if the mother stays outside as the radiation is not so good for women, esp if in case the mother is preggie again).

but i am glad to say he has been given a clean bill of health !
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no reflux problem. at least i dont have to keep wondering (if he didnt do the MCU).

At KKH, the rates for the MCU was a total of $197.67 (after GST).

my boy was admitted to kkh in early Nov, and then went for 1 follow-up to check urine in Dec, and today is the so-called 2nd follow-up. Think the timing quite fast lah.
 
hi lilipit
Your boy was not given any medicines to settle him down before the procedure?

My boy's apptmt is scheduled tomorrow & his PD has prescribed him a syrup, cant recall the name but is for him to take abt 30 mins before the procedure.
 
no lei there wasnt any syrup for him to take before the procedure. he was not sedated either.
but cry and cry and cry....not sure if it was due to the procedure, or that he didnt like being strapped down. even after he came out, he was sobbing...had to calm him down before we change him out of the hospital robe.

but at least, after the MCU, i know he is okay now...
 
reading so many experiences here really set me thinking again.. my gal, now 6 mths, was suggested by pd to hv the MCU. She was on antibiotic till end of the mth before the MCU and in the meantime, gave us some time to consider. I really hesitant to let her go thru it.. anyone sought chinese physician's view on this?
 
how long will the procedure MCU in KKH take? anyone can share with me? any kind soul to tell me steps of all procedure for MCU or DSMA? thank you v v much
 
Hi SunnyBeach,

The whole MCU procedure only takes abt 20 min. they will ask you to bring your child in, explain to you the procedure and ask you to put him down on the bed. after that they will ask you to leave the rm while they insert the tube. when they are ready to take the x-ray, one of you can go in to keep the child company.
Just a note of caution, my child developed fever one day after the MCU and later it was confirmed that he had another round of UTI. the doc say could be due him struggling when they insert the tube but they cant be sure. so just be watchful after the procedure.
 
my boy's MCU wil be done in KKH next Fri, anyone have their kids' MCU done in KKH? when will the results be known? does the radiologist tell u the results on the spot? it's killing me bec my results will be known on 12 april when we see doc, have to wait so long? any other way to know MCU results on the same day or few days later?? any one can help?
 
my bb was diagosed with UTI with E colai. so now every nite have to take antibiotics. was told that the antibiotics have to be taken on empty stomach which is 2hrs after milk.
currently her vagina area is swollen.. she had never had diaper rash before so is thsi diaper rash or wat? anyone noes whether is it alarming?
actually i dunno how diaper rash looks like but i read that ppl say its on the baby's bottom, so not on the front part is it?
 
my bb also had to stay at KKH for abt five days and the stay was very hectic for me. cos i stayed at a six bedded ward so there was alot of disturbances. my bb nor me couldnt sleep well.. my bb is one who sleeps liek 10 to 11hrs straight per nite but at the hospital, she was waking up like every half hr and a bad habit of rocking was cultivated there.. phew.. hospital stay was terrible.. i ended up with vomiting, coughing n flu.. and im still coughing n having flu although its been 3wks.. i was lucky that my hubby could take leave n took care of bb most of the time.. PHOBIA! i dun want to send bb to hospital anymore..
 


Hi Sunny Beach

I just took my bb to MCU test on 15th Mar. He got fever the next am
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Luckily it went down yst.

After the test,the radiologist told me my bb got reflux. But my next appt to c doc is on 07th Apr.. Like u I also veri anxious to knw.
 

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