Is this a UTI? need advice....help!

[girlsmamma2]

Hi everyone. My ds is 2.5 and intact. About a week or so ago he had a tummy bug with diahrrea a few times a day. One particular diaper change I noticed he had poop all over his diaper area, all over his foreskin, so much so I just decided to pop him in the shower and rinse him off. So, now yesterday I noticed the tip of his foreskin is really red. I know he's not usually like this, he is more of a uniform flesh color. There isn't any discharge, pus and he seems to be peeing fine but it's hard to tell any of the other symptoms because he's still in diapers. Could this have happened if he was in the messy diaper for too long before I could get to him and he had poop all over his foreskin, especially the tip? Could this be a UTI? It hasn't gotten worse over the last day, he hasn't spiked fever yet or anything. I"m just super worried because we have a 12 week old, also intact, and his older sister was in the hospital for 3 days when she was 3 due to a UTI that I didn't figure out until it was too late. I'm hesitant to take him in with no other symtoms because I worry the doc will try and catheterize him, how in the world can I get a sample instead?, and I dont' want to do the hospital thing if I wait to long wondering why his foreskin is red. I don't know what to do and I'm worried.

any help much appreciated.

[fruitful womb]

I don't know how much help I can be but I will try.

The tip of the foreskin, known as the lips, is suppose to be a pinkish red color. All inner mucosa membranes is this color: inner eyelid, and inside of the mouth, and of course the female inner folds of her genitals.

What you're describing sounds to me like the foreskin is just doing its job to protect him. It looks more puckered up now because it could very well be reacting to the acidity in the diahrrea.

If there isn't a fever and he is peeing alright, then I wouldn't worry .

[Dabble]

Sounds pretty normal to me. Remember that a urinary tract infection is just that - it affects the urinary tract, which is internal. You likely would see no redness externally, and he likely would be complaining/crying when he urinated if it was hurting. Remember that his foreskin is there to protect his penis from dirt and germs, so it did its job in keeping the yucky stuff out.

I would say give him a nice soak in the tub - no bubbles/soap, and don't scrub at his penis. The irritation may have been just from a vigorous washing when you were trying to get all of the diarrhea off.

If you have a doctor you can trust not to retract him, it wouldn't hurt to go in to get him checked out, but if you're not 100% sure of your doctor's foreskin-friendly status, I would probably take the wait and see approach. Obviously if you don't see improvement in the next couple days or if it looks worse you will need to go in. They can get a urine sample without catheterization using a taped-on urine bag, but some doctors will use any excuse to retract, so you would need to be on your toes.

Keep us posted!

[txgal]

I agree with the PP's sounds like the foreskin did it's job and he is just a little inflamed from the acidity of the diarrhea. At 2.5, I am sure he would let you know if he was in pain.

[glongley]

I agree with the others that you're probably just seeing a local reaction to the poop. A UTI is not going to show as redness on the outside. Here is a list of symptoms of UTIs in children from: http://bladder.emedtv.com/pediatric-...-children.html

Urinary Tract Infection Symptoms in Infants and Young Children
If your child is an infant or only a few years old, the signs of a urinary tract infection may not be clear, especially if your child cannot tell you exactly how he or she feels. Symptoms may include:

* High fever
* Irritability
* Loss of appetite
* Low-grade fever
* Nausea
* Vomiting
* Not thriving.

If your child's urine smells unusual or if your child has a high temperature and appears sick for more than a day without signs of a runny nose or other obvious cause for discomfort, he or she may need to be checked for a bladder infection.

Urinary Tract Infection Symptoms in Older Children
Symptoms of a urinary tract infection in older children may include:


* Pain in the abdomen and pelvic area
* The need to urinate often
* Pain under the side of the rib cage, called the flank, or low back pain
* Crying or complaining that it hurts to urinate
* Producing only a few drops of urine at a time
* Difficulty controlling urine (urine may leak into clothing or bed sheets)
* Urine that smells unusual or looks cloudy or red.

Gillian

[MCatLvrMom2A&X]

Having a UTI will not show on the external genitals it is interneral. I agree with pp's that he has irritation from the messy diaper. Put some diaper cream on it like you would if it was on his bumm.

[girlsmamma2]

well, thanks so much as usual. I don't know what I would do without this forum! It was so reasurring to read it seems normal. I was so worried this morning when he woke up, I almost didn't want to look. That hospital experience will always be a traumatic memory for both my dd and I! He seems to be back to normal color today! I was so happy! He is just the usual pinkishness. Sometimes with the new baby and running low on time, I have just swapped a dry diaper for one that has been wet with pee and not rinsed him off with water and maybe I was doing too much of that. So I'm going to be better about rinsing him off like I have always done. The redness was just really red for a couple of days and I got really worried when it was just staying like that. Hopefully it was just a reaction, like pp said, and he's done with that. It just freaked me out because I'm over the top with worry right now having a little one in cold and flu season so I'm reacting to everything I think. But he was really red and hopefully now it's passed. Thanks so much everyone! I really really appreciate it! My poor ds kept asking me when I was changing him and intensely looking at him "what's wrong mamma!?". poor guy with the neurotic mamma!

[eepster]

Sounds like a diaper rash, perfectly normal.

[robertandenith]

Every time I get a messy poopie diaper I spray my baby boy's parts with a solution I made with vinegar diluted with water. It's a tip that works wonders and neutralizes the odor too. I also do this at least 3 times a day just to help with odors or any unwanted bugs. Just make sure is well diluted but not so diluted