What! Another UTI!

We had several days nearly a week or more of pretty good days, not too many vomits. We made three days with no vomiting, yay for the blended diet. Faith had days where she was full of energy and just ever so bouncy and playful, it just made me want to keep playing and not doing any other household tasks but play and play and she loved it. But then a day ago she pulled her legs up and cringed, a bad pain cringe, maybe she was straining, or maybe it was something else. But that night after Faith's bath we decided to do her catheter and test for a UTI. We have found a system that works well for us and we have found it pretty reliable.

We use a multistix to test for nitrites and leukocytes. Both nitrites and leukocytes may be an indication of a UTI and in Faith it generally is. We have found with Faith her urine is clear of these when she is well and then when we suspect a UTI and have done a multistix test we send some urine off to be tested in a lab it usually is confirmed. She usually has other symptoms like the tummy pain, increased sweating on generally one side of her body but sometimes overall sweating. She doesn't seem to get a temperature since we started the blended diet, she doesn't get as much vomiting but still some. I think the blended diet eases her extreme tummy upset though it appears she still struggles with that to lesser degree. Her weight also remains stable which is blessing as last year she would just lose more weight when she got sick at least now we can maintain it.

Since it wasn't that long ago Faith had a UTI we decided to take her to the local GP and he sent some urine off and did exactly what we usually do, start her on a course of nitrofurtoin. The test results take at least 3 days so it is best to treat the UTI before it gets worse. I guess I didn't expect him to do anything different to us but it is good to have his opinion. We haven't had too much vomiting just a couple of times a day and she has been a bit sad and quiet at times but then bounces back at some point through the day to impress us with some new trick or skill she has learnt. Now we just have to wait it out until her body heals from the infection.