Conference moira::parenting

    Sounds like a kidney infection to me, don't mess around with it, take
    her to a doctor.... today. 
    
    Jeff

    I'm taking her at 11:00 - What is a kidney infection?  I mean is
    it *serious*?  How do they treat it?
    

    You should have taken her already so this answer will be after you know
    the answers.
    
    IF it IS a kidney infection it would be treated with antibiotics I
    expect.  Any kidney infection is POTENTIALLY serious... but with
    modern medicine and antibiotics I think you will find the doctors get
    it right under control.  I wouldn't be overly worried.  Its nothing
    to fool with either, follow the doctors advise.
    
    So, now that your back, how did the appointment go and what did he say
    was wrong, if you care to say.
    
    Jeff

    > kidney/urinary tract infection
    
    The kidneys are two organs that are usually thought of as being on
    both sides of the lower back, under the rib cage.  Their function is
    mostly to filter impurities out of the blood and produce urine.
    When there is a urinary tract infection (which is very common) sometimes 
    it spreads to the kidneys as well, which requires even more immediate
    attention.  The kidneys fulfill a very essential function and if they
    shut down from an infection (very uncommon unless it goes completely
    untreated), _then_ there is then an urgent problem.
    
    Probably treated with antibiotics.  If it is an infection, that is.  
    Likely the doctor will try to get her to go to the bathroom so they can 
    test her urine.  Urinary tract infections are not at all uncommon, and 
    nothing to panic about, but it _must_ be treated as soon as posible 
    because it can get much worse if left untreated.  If the doctor is 
    unavailable, don't delay, take her somewhere else.  Hopefully, things are 
    well under control by the time you read this !
    
	At worst, if it is a very advanced infection, they might want to 
    observe her in a hospital for a short time and give IV antibiotics and 
    monitor her urinary output.  This is not cause for alarm, it is just
    a precaution.  
    
    								todd

    The other thing you could/should do is push fluids, be it juice
    (cranberry is good, but it can be hard on little tummies), water,
    Gatorade or popsicles.  Watch the diapers, too, the urine should be
    pale yellow and should not smell fishy or otherwise "off."  Keep her
    quiet for a day or two, if you can -- a little "Mommy-ization" goes
    a long way with sick kids.
    
    Good luck, let us know what happens.
    
    Kate
    veteran of kidney infections

    Sammy doesn't have a kidney infection....She does however have what
    the doctor referred to as an ECHO virus.  (most common being Coxackie
    (SP))  So, she had a very high fever all weekend and is now completely
    covered with spots.  (Her fever broke yesterday - the doctor said
    that if the fever was gone, she would not be contagious?)
    
    Anyone ever heard of this group of virus'?
    
    -/Andrea

    Yes, my daughter had an "echo" virus, which was a bout (3-4 days if
    I remember) of a viral "bug" thing, felt fine for a number of days,
    maybe 4-5 then the same "bug" again, hence the name echo.  The eerie
    thing was that our pedi warned ME that if I got it to watch for
    a UTI, women seemed to get UTI if they caught the echo from their
    children, came true all right.  I don't know if there are different
    symptoms of the actual virus, only knew what went around at that time
    was the feeling better for a few days, then same exact virus all over
    again, YUCK.

    Thanks but, what's UTI - I think I'm ready for a medical book - I get
    lost after the 'common cold'..
    
    -/andrea
    

    Andrea,  A UTI is a Uranary tract infection.
    
    My brother just found out Saturday that his daughter has coxsackie(sp)
    deasie or Hand, foot and Mouth deasie as the pedi put it.  she was fine
    but a littel cranky and had a hard time sleeping for a few day and then
    all of a sudden on Saturday she woke up covered with spots.  My neice
    is 28 months old and my brother has a 5.5 month old son.  The pedi told
    my SIL (sister-in-law) to try and keep the baby away from my neice for
    a few days until the fever goes away.  I also looked this up in a book
    I have called "Your Baby, Your Child" which has about every childhood
    deasie that a kid can catch in it and is also loaded with very good
    information on how to bring up a child from birth to 5 years.  I'll
    tell you this book has come in handy some many times I would reccommend
    it to any one.
    
    Liz

Note 205.* discusses coxsackie, as well as several other diseases.
Please continue your discussions of those illnesses there.

    Carol duBois, PARENTING co-moderator

    RE; .09  I think you mean disease, not deasie ...
    
    ;)

Shruthi ( 2yrs 9mo) was complaining this morning when she woke up that her back
was hurting.  She cried a bit - had me massage her back a little and then she
seemed fine.  I asked her if it continued to hurt and her answer was yes,
although she seemed to be ok.  She has complained about her back hurting like
this a few times before - I kind of just dismissed these concerns - made the
appropriate sympathetic noise and hugged/cuddled her a little bit more, but
after reading this note, I am curious.

Why did everyone suggest that the basenoter's kid might have a kidney infection
or a UTI?  My assumption was that it was because the kid was refusing to go to
the bathroom.

Shruthi has no trouble going to the bathroom -so could her back pain be related
to a kidney infection/UTI?  I hope not!!  Anyone else seen something similar??

--Chaya.

ps:  I should mention she has a very bad cold  and  this morning she was
beginning to cough a little bit.

    My 9 year old woke up the same way yesterday morning.  The little girl
    who lives upstairs from us had the same thing last week and it turned
    out to be the flu, body aches and all.
    
    Roberta