yeast or UTI?

[bensonbarnes@ev1.n]

OK, my son is feeling the frequent urge to urinate even though his bladder is not full. We took a peak at his penis and it just looks pink, not red or crusty. He is 5 years old.

We've had some yeast issues around here recently (me and my 2 year old nursling), so I am somewhat suspicious it could be yeast. Or, worse yet, a bladder infection. We are going to try cranberry juice and acidopholous to see if that helps and if it doesn't, we'll try the pediatrician.

At 5 years old, my son's foreskin only partly retracts. Maybe 1/3 of the tip is exposed. I've just read some of the other posts on the board it seems like this is in the range of normal, but not necessarily considered in the range of normal by all doctors. It doesn't seem like the foreskin is still adhering to the glans, but the foreskin just seems tight. I'm wondering if he should try to loosen it up or we should just let it be.

Since his dad is mr. bathtime and is not intact, I don't think he has been careful enough about rinsing in the shower or bath.

Are there any other things we should be doing besides cranberry juice and acidopholous? I will be looking out for signs of infection like fever or fatigue.

Thank, Robin

[coloradoalice]

I would try cranberry pills instead of cranberry juice. It is much more concentrated. You can open a few up and put them in a glass of water. You want to limit sugar if you think he has an infection because sugar feeds bacteria. So using cranberry juice can be somewhat counter-productive.

Also- don't mess with his retraction. Just leave it be. It will move with time. That is not what is causing his issue.

Hope he feels better soon!!

ETA- sugar also feeds yeast, so either way uti or yeast, limit sugar

[FrozenMommy]

I know that garlic is very helpful for yeast infections. For women/girls you are supposed to mash up a fresh clove, wrap it in cheesecloth and insert it in the vagina for 6-8 hours....I don't know quite what to do for a boy, maybe wash his penis in a garlic rinse?!?

I also agree on the cranberry pills vs. juice, the juice has so much added sugar to make it palatable for the general market that you might as well just drink Koolade. Get a very concentrated, high-quality pill, you can also take frozen cranberries, chop them up and put them in foods like muffins, oatmeal, etc. That works well too.

[bensonbarnes@ev1.n]

thanks

I just went out and bought some cranberry juice that isn't very sweet but he won't drink it. I guess it's out again to get cranberry pills and some dried cranberries. A friend of mine also recommended a vinegar rinse, so we'll try that too.

I'm hoping to avoid a doctor's visit so hopefully we'll get this under control soon.

-Robin

[Lula's Mom]

I think PPs are confusing cranberry juice with cranberry cocktail. The cocktail is full of sugar and other types of juice besides cranberry, but the juice is definitely good for UTIs. It's harder to find though.

I like the capsules for myself, but not sure how a child will take to them. If he will drink a smoothie, mix the contents with some yogurt (yay, probiotics!) and whatever other fruit he likes.

eta: oh
I posted right after you.

[bensonbarnes@ev1.n]

update

Well, it looks like none of the above. My son was still experiencing very frequent urges to urinate this morning so I took him to the pedi to rule out a UTI. The initial urine sample work-up did not show elevated red or white blood cell counts which makes it unlikely he has a UTI. They'll still run a culture to be sure. But, he also had a red throat and was running a very low fever. He tested negative for strep. So, it looks like he has a virus. The pedi said that strep and some viruses can lead to urinary tract discomfort.

And, now that I look back on it, we were exposed to Fifth's disease not too long ago and one of our friends who had it was also having the frequent urges to urinate. She's younger so she was repeatedly wetting her pants even though she's been out of diapers for some months. We'll wait and see if the rash shows up and stay away from pregnant women.

Thanks for the suggestions. I'm sure the cranberry with all the vitamin C is helping with this different problem.

-Robin