Dealing with Escherichia coli infections

I have a question regarding my little girl..

She is 3 years old and has grade 1 vesicoureteral reflux—basically, urine flows back into the kidneys through small dual channels once her bladder is about 90% full. This caused an E. coli infection, though thankfully just once, and it hasn't returned yet.

The problem is Escherichia coli.

She had her first bout last summer (August 2009). She took Clavulin syrup, but then suffered a relapse two months later. We went back on Clavulin, then finally saw an excellent nephrologist who discovered the reflux issue. He saved the day by prescribing a prophylactic antibiotic—just a small dose of Cephalexin before bed.

So, she has been on this preventative regimen for 4 or 5 months now, and she needs to stay on it until at least October of this year—essentially until the reflux is gone.

Now, I am trying to find alternative options to act as that "shield," so my daughter isn't exposed to antibiotics for an excessively long period.

I tried using Cranberry extract syrup and lemon juice to acidify the urine, but the moment we stop the antibiotic for even a couple of days and switch to these natural remedies, the urine starts getting that nasty smell characteristic of the bacteria, and the urine culture comes back at 10^4—right on the doorstep of an infection. I have to jump straight back to the antibiotic immediately. It seems like cranberry and Vitamin C help manage the E. coli, but they don't do a damn thing against the other strain.

I’ve been scouring the internet looking for tea recipes. I saw that uva ursi isn't recommended for kids this young, so I'm wondering if this recipe I found online is actually any good:

"Take two large tablespoons of Iceland moss and boil them in half a liter of water. Boil it down until only two deciliters remain. Always measure out the two deciliters first, then use a ladle to mark the level in the pot you are using. Watch it while it boils; once it hits that level, it's done. Strain it, let it cool, and then mix in half a kilo of honey—any kind, but local, 100% pure honey is best. You will get a syrup. Keep it in the fridge and give the child one spoonful three times a day. It will definitely help."

Some other people swear by acacia plants..

Reading about that horrible bacterium, I saw that in some cases, it can actually form crystal structures inside the kidney. As soon as it "smells" that the antibiotic is gone, it goes on the offensive. It's disgusting.

So, I am asking you: does anyone have a specific recipe for flushing the kidneys to clear everything out of the system and kill the bacteria?

Or at least, is there a herbal tea that can cleanse or cure her so she doesn't have to be loaded up with antibiotics for a whole year?

It is unbelievable that in this day and age, with all the medical advancements available, the infection returns the second the antibiotic stops.

Is there any solution?

Thanks.

Anyone got some advice?
My 8-month-old just tested positive for Escherichia coli in his urine. Two months ago, he had Klebsiella pneumonia. What should I do? I’m cleaning him every single time we change a diaper—about 6 times a day.

Susan Kern46 said:Can anyone give me some advice?
My 8-month-old son just tested positive for Escherichia coli in his urine. Two months ago, he had Klebsiella pneumoniae. What should I do? I'm cleaning him every single time we change his diaper, like 6 times a day.

Looks like nobody's replying here. Maybe try looking through some parenting forums or subreddits, there might be a thread about this somewhere

Here’s another mom dealing with the reflux struggle (bilateral, grades 1 and 2)... my little one has been on prophylaxis for a month now—basically a month of Piyloseptyl and Cephalexin—but every single time we run a urine culture, Escherichia coli shows up. Honestly, neither her pediatrician nor the nephrologist thinks it’s a huge deal, which leaves me feeling totally lost. The ultrasound came back clean, too; no scarring at all except for one spot from the E. coli. From what I can gather, the main thing is just keeping everything under control since the reflux makes it impossible for her bladder to stay sterile—those bacteria basically have a free pass because of the VUR... so, I'm not entirely sure if I've actually wrapped my head around how this works. If I've got it wrong, please, someone set me straight. 🙂

holloweagle6 said:Here’s another mom dealing with the reflux nightmare (bilateral, grades 1 and 2)... my little one has been on prophylaxis for a month now—Piyeloseptyl and Cephalexin—but every single time, the urine culture comes back positive for Escherichia coli. Honestly, neither our pediatrician nor the nephrologist thinks it’s a big deal, which leaves me completely lost. The ultrasound was fine; no scarring at all, just that one spot from the E. coli. From what I can gather, the main thing is keeping everything under control since the reflux prevents the bladder from staying sterile... those bacteria just take advantage of the VUR. I’m trying to wrap my head around all this, but if I’ve misunderstood how the whole process works, please, someone correct me. 🙂

Who actually uses the USA standards here, you guys or the nurses?

vividsailor7 said:So, who’s actually the one taking the meds here, you or the nurse?

We’re basically just hauling around standard urine samples and culture results, plus we get bloodwork done every two months. Everything comes back totally fine, except for whatever keeps popping up on those urine cultures.🤷

holloweagle6 said:We’re doing the standard routine—regular urine samples and cultures, plus we're getting bloodwork done every two months just to stay on top of things. Everything comes back perfectly normal, except for that one persistent thing showing up on the urine culture.🤷

The nurse needs to be the one to collect both the urine sample and the bloodwork if we want any hope of an accurate result. Otherwise, we’re just playing a guessing game with potential contamination.

vividsailor7 said:The nurse needs to collect the urine and the sample from the USA if you want to actually trust the results. Doing it this way just leaves too much room for contamination.

My little one is 3 and a half. It’s been just under a year since her VUR was flagged, and we’ve just been bringing in regular urine samples and doing cultures ourselves. We bring our own little containers since she ditched diapers last summer... a nurse has never actually collected a sample from her. Maybe they only do the formal collection for tiny babies?

holloweagle6 said:My little girl is almost three. It’s been just under a year since her VUR diagnosis, and we’ve just been bringing in standard urine samples and cultures ourselves. We use collection bottles because she stopped wearing diapers last summer. A nurse has never actually had to collect the sample from her... maybe they do that for smaller babies?

I don't know which hospital you guys are going to, but over at Children's Hospital, the nurses in the nephrology clinic handle all of that for you.

Can someone tell me if a *Proteus mirabilis* infection can actually be fatal? My dad is dealing with an infection right now, and he’s already gone through several rounds of antibiotics—he still has three more left to finish. He's currently in the hospital... I’m just so incredibly scared. Is this something people actually die from, and if so, how quickly does it happen? Please, if anyone knows, I really need some answers...