3 Yr Old Maybe Has a Bladder Infection?

Don't wait until the doctor is back in on Monday. Does your town (or a neighboring one) have "urgent care centers" also known as "doc in a box" medical offices? These are the places that have doctors and nurses but aren't hospital emergency rooms; they have weekend hours and take walk-in patients. You do not have to have been there previously for them to see you. These businesses have become more common even in smaller towns in recent years and we've certainly had to go to them when traveling over a weekend. Most insurance companies will cover visits there if your regular doctor is closed -- at least, ours will, and they're pretty fussy about what they cover.

If there is no urgent care center, does your pediatrician have any kind of "advice line" or a way to call the doctor to ask if this should mean a visit to the ER? Every decent pediatrician should have some form of after-hours advice phone service.

I wouldn't let it wait in case it is indeed an infection; it could spread and there are a lot of hours between now and Monday. If your son needs to start an antibiotic, you would lose two days before even getting him started on it, if you wait until Monday. Check out whether there are urgent care centers, call the doctor's weekend number, and/or go to the ER (last choice but it's there if you need it, and they do process kids faster than other patients).

I wouldn't wait. Have you ever had a uti??? They are horrible I rarely get them (once every few years) but they go from bad to worse very quickly. I'd bite the bullet and take him to the er I would never make myself suffer through one that long let alone my child.

I would give him lots of cranberry juice (well, cranberry cocktail, mixed with apple juice or something, for taste). Give him as much as he will drink. If that doesn't clear him up in a day, then a trip to the dr for a prescription Monday morning. If he starts complaining of stomach pain or has a high temp, I would take him to the ER. Could be a bad UTI or kindey infection if he has those symptoms

You can call the doctor's office. One of the doctors should be on call, and there should be someone there 24/7 to answer the phone. You could also try prompt care or urgent care. Most communities have those, and our insurance charges the same copay as a doctor's visit ($15 as opposed to $200 for an ER visit).

I would call the doctor's office first. The nurses are pretty good at asking all the right questions and helping you to decide whether he needs to be seen now or can wait until Monday.

Encourage lots of fluids. If he will drink cranberry or blueberry juice, even better, otherwise any liquids are great including jello and popsicles. Check his temperature at least a couple times a day. If he develops a fever, becomes lethargic, or the pain increases, you might need to seek out an Urgent Care Clinic or an ER. Sometimes children develop urethritis (inflammation of the urethra) and it will get better without an antibiotic. However, if it's a bladder infection, you run the risk of the infection spreading to his kidneys which is more serious. If your child is circumcised, it's VERY uncommon for him to develop a UTI, but slightly more common in an uncircumcised male.

If no fever or other symptoms it could be just that the PH balance is off and it is causing irritation. Give him cranberry juice, that should help get the PH balance back in check and help alleviate the discomfort. If he has a fever, take him to the urgent care because he will need antibiotics, and it's best to start them ASAP.