I have three sons and never have I dealt with UTIs with them… until now. I woke up and found my oldest child (almost 13) on the couch chilling with a blanket. This is super rare for my preteen since he sleeps like a teenager already. I asked if he was ok and he replied he was fine.
It didn’t take very much longer for him to explain that he was feeling a “stinging” sensation every time he urinated and I immediately thought of all the times I’ve had to tackle UTIs myself. I immediately wanted to take him in to see the pediatrician because the mom in me always thinks “what if it’s not a UTI and it’s something worse?!?!?” But, I took a moment to collect my thoughts and a deep breath before deciding (based on his symptoms) that we still have an opportunity to treat this at home and at least attempt to clear it before rushing to the doctor.
I offered my kiddo a cup of water with a teaspoon of baking soda to neutralize the stinging and he refused. This is after all, my super picky eater so I didn’t expect any other answer. Since he refused, I explained the outcome of waiting to treat and he promptly agreed to head to the local Sprouts to get some 100% Cranberry Juice and some probiotics. I have the boy taking in as much water as possible as well to help his body flush out the bacteria that may be lingering and I plan to give this a couple of days. If we don’t see improvement, I will be sure to take him over to our favorite doctor.
His regimen will include eating wholesome foods and no fried or fast food. No carbonated beverages. Plenty of water, a dose of probiotic per day, and cranberry juice as well. Wish us luck! I will be back to update how this turns out and whether we ended up heading to the doc too.
Update:
One week after the symptoms started, we are now in a better place! My guy was hesitant to take the probiotic because “they taste funny.” He also wasn’t a fan of the cranberry bitterness. Overall, he was compliant and is feeling much better these days. His symptoms actually subsided after 24 hours of changing his diet and adding the juice and probiotic but we kept at it for a week to make sure we cleaned his system of the lingering bacteria. He feels so much better and I do too. It’s never easy to have a sick child at home but I was glad that I found a natural alternative to rushing in to a doctor’s office.
~Norm
***Of course, I will be vigilant for any returning symptoms and be sure to take him in if need be, but we really try to limit our trips to doctors to avoid conventional medicine. Our choices don’t always mesh with everyone else’s but sometimes mother nature just needs a little boost to have this amazing body self-heal through rough patches. I am in not a doctor and don’t recommend you try anything you’re not comfortable with. 😉
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