3 Yr Old Had 2 Uti's, Dr. Ordered VCUG

Oh geez.... I am so sorry. I had a similar procedure done as an adult, and it nearly scarred ME for life! I'm so sorry your little one had to have this done. I do think eventually she will forget about it. I think you are doing the right thing by explaining it to her (in terms that she can understand).

The good news is, that as a result of the tests I had, they were able to learn why I was having frequent UTIs, and then treat accordingly. So hopefully your daughter's tests will also result in helpful information. Take care of yourself and give her a hug for me. Poor thing.

I had the same test done when I was 3 for recurring UTIs. I do remember it because yes, it's unpleasant, but I wasn't "scarred" from it. It'll just fade into her memory, along with things like having blood drawn, getting stitches and having teeth filled - not pleasant, but necessary to maintain health and not traumatic.

Anyway...I don't think they found a smoking gun that explained the infections so I was put on a preventative dose of Bactrim (sulfamethoxazole or something like that is the generic) for several years. I outgrew the bactrim by the time I was in elementary school and had a few occasional UTIs throughout later childhood, then they came raring back when I became sexually active later on. I did have the VCUG repeated when I was in college to rule out anything that could have benefited from surgery. There was nothing, so I was on antibiotics for a long time again and eventually things settled down and I only get one every year or so now if I don't pee after intercourse (TMI, right)?

Some of us are just more susceptible to these than others. There are probably other preventative measures that you can take if they rule out reflux or any anatomical problems. Concentrated cranberry really does help support kidney and bladder health so that might be an option.

Don't beat yourself up over this - I remember that my mom was more upset by this than I was (she had to leave the room at one point). Your little girl will be fine!

I think if she hasn't already forgotten about it, she will soon. Kids seem to recover from things far quicker than we do!!

My daughter had this procedure done at 5 months old and while that was pretty traumatic for me, I am grateful she was too young to remember. I think what J.B. said is correct....it will just fade away eventually and she'll be fine. :)

My daughter had it done too. She will be ok... kids are so resilient! It's an important test though and necessary to make sure they aren't doing damage to their kidneys. The kidneys don't heal once they are damaged from my understanding. So the VCUG will show if your daughter has urinary reflux which-- if she does-- would mean a UTI could damage her kidneys. If she doesn't have it, then all you need to do is worry about the UTI itself. The VCUG told us my daughter had grade 3 reflux on one side, grade 1 on the other, and they wanted to put her on antibiotics as a preventative for UTIs. We decided not to but were ultra-careful about her getting the UTIs. No long baths (we really only did showers or 2 minute baths), no one else allowed to wipe her but us, limited pool time, drinking lots of water and no holding pee, rushing her to the doctor at any sign of fever, etc. It was kind of stressful, but I didn't want her to be on meds for years. Anyway, she grew out of the reflux with no visible damage to the kidneys, thankfully. You did the right thing and your doctor did what is standard procedure for young children who get UTIs. She will forget about it very soon and hopefully there is no reflux!

She is definitely not scarred for life! I'm sure it was uncomfortable for her, but she'll get over the experience quickly -- probably already has.

My SD had recurring bladder infections and had this test done around age 7. The test didn't find anything wrong. We switched to all Free&Clear detergent, she washes only with Cetaphil and showers every single day, got her looser underwear with no exposed elastic, we retaught the proper way to wipe, and eventually the infections stopped. I'm not sure which (if any) of those things helped, or if she just outgrew the problem! Just sharing what we did.

I don't have advice (yet) but a big thank you for you and the mama that referred me to read your post, as my almost 6 year old will have one soon. Best of health to your daughter.