I am pretty sure that oldest girl has a UTI. She has complained off and on about a burning feeling when she urinates and she has had a low grade temperature on and off since last night. Is it really necessary to take her in to the doctor or is there something (besides cranberry juice) that I can do to treat her from home? I hate to take her in for antibiotics if there is another option. Is it dangerous though to not take her in?

Another question I have is that no matter how many times I tell her and show her that she HAS to wipe front to back she still will try and get away with either not wiping at all or she will wipe back to front. Dh and I are on to her all the time and have even told her that she will get sick if she doesn't wipe properly. Are there any suggestions on ways to get her to wipe properly? I try and watch when she does go but there are times when that is not possible.

Help!

I started having UTIs at a very young age and have them continually, they are awful! I did have a UTI that tuned into a staff infection which can be fatal if not treated properly. This isn't real common but is one of the things that can happen if it isn't treated promptly.

That said I've talked to lots of women who have had success treating them at home but I never have, I've always ended up miserable and getting antibiotics anyways.

As far as the wiping issue I don't have much advise, it was enough for me for mom to tell me it will make me sick to wipe incorrectly.

Hope she gets better soon, poor thing!

I'd avoid antibiotics if at all possible. Treating a uti with ab can cause them to reoccur and be more difficult for your body to fight alone so then you end up dependant on them. :( You do have to watch her though because they can get serious. Watch that fever and watch for blood in the urine. If it is getting bad she will feel unwell so just watch. Are you giving her 100% cranberry juice already or were you saying "other then" because she wont drink it? My doc recommends powdered Vitamin C in a high dose for a day or two but I found it was harder to get my 2yr old to drink it then it was to get her to drink the cranberry juice.. they are both very bitter. Drinking a lot of water will also help clear it up.. don't offer her any juices with sugar or milk.. just the cb juice and water. You can also try boosting her immunity by feeding her right. There are some natural antiobitics in garlic (fresh raw) and oregeno oil. Try slipping them into salad dressing or spahgetti sauce.. even pizza. Feed her lots of fresh fruits.. berries are especially good, and veggies. And make sure shes getting plenty of sleep. All these things will help her body to fight it naturally and hopefully avoid the need for ab. HTH

Thanks girls. That helps. She said it wasn't burning today but I did notice that her urine was still a bit cloudy. I have been giving her cranberry juice and lots of water. Didn't know about the milk though so I will cut that out for now. We eat lots of fresh vegs and fruits so at least we have that going. Thanks so much for your responses. I feel much better about just trying to get it to clear her system.