infections and constipation

[lisamidsy]

Hi, my first time posting. I have a 5 year old who has had 10 urine infections in 12 months which cause her to lose control and continually wee herself. the doctors continue to give her antibiotics to treat this but state that she is also constipated (she continually has runny and very smelly poos) shes been on movicol for nearly 4 months now with no signs of improvements... and the urine infections keep coming back. she is wearing nappies at school and no matter what we try to do she continues to wet/poo herself a few times a day. Has anyone else had both problems , any advice would be appreciated! I am at my wits end , its genuinely taking over our lives !

[Cath88]

Hi Lisa,

My now 9 year old had issues with both, recurrent UTI’s ( monthly) and constipation. The second issue most likely starting the first. Once the bladder wall is damaged due to the first few UTI’s it is significantly easier to get another bug. You need a good run of no infections so the bladder can heal ( minimum 6 months of prophylactic antibiotics) treating each infraction as it comes is unlikely to break the cycle. Also add a good probiotic and possibly something like d mannose. The UTI’s are more likely to happen if she is having soiling accidents and if she is constipated. When constipated the bacteria sits in the bowel longer and multiplies. Also the pressure on the bladder from the poo can mean it doesn’t empty properly so doesn’t flush bacteria away from the urethra. For peace of mind I would ask for an abdominal x ray ( go private if they won’t do it on the public health system) this will confirm one way or another if she is constipated. If she is the runny, smelly poo is likely overflow ( see the poo video on this site), you may need to pull her out of school for a week and disimpaction her. If she’s not constipated they need to find out why she is having runny poo’s ... perhaps dairy or gluten intolerant.

Please feel free to ask me any questions. We have been through this for 6 years now and I am happy to share my experiences, good and bad. It does get easier to manage, particularly when you understand what’s causing the issues.

All the best,!

Cath