How to Collect Urine Sample for Urine C and S test

Urine check is a way of determining so many diseases. When I was pregnant, I have a urine check every now and then to determine if I have diabetes and monitor for a urinary tract infection.

When my little Keona was 4 months old, she was having UTI. It is becoming recurrent that her pediatrician suspected there might be physiological problems in her urinary tract and not just mere hygienic reason that she often has UTI. She referred us to a Nephrologist- a doctor specialist of kidney diseases. We had her undergo ultrasound which reveals that she is having ureteral reflux. Then she had to undergo VCUG- vesico-urethrogram to determine the grade level of her reflux.

The result of VCUG revealed a grade 3 reflux which does not necessitate surgical intervention and just a regular antibiotic which acts as a prophylaxis to keep the bacteria in a lower level so as not to have an infection which can result to damage kidneys. In spite of her prophylaxis, she had outbreaks and she keeps on getting an infection that we finally decided to have her undergo surgical operation.

After the operation, we have to monitor Keona's urine through Urine C and S test or urine culture and sensibility. It a test wherein we have to submit a urine sample to the laboratory and they will incubate it for 48 hours to see if there will be bacteria that will grow. If there's bacteria, there are corrsponding list of antibiotics that the laboratory people will determine if the bacteria growth will be susceptible or resistant. It means that those antibiotics that the bacteria is susceptible can cure the said bacteria while the resistant one's cannot cure it.

Lately, we have urine cs test and we are very sad because there's a bacteria growth on Keona's urine C and S test. Our doctor said that there might be a problem with the collection of the urine sample that we have submitted to the laboratory and he wanted us to have repeat urine culture and sensibility test. Indeed, the second urine cs test has no bacteria. The pediatrician is indeed right, it was the way we collected the urine sample.

To avoid getting trapped with the same problem and to avoid unnecessary expense on urine c and s, here are my tips on the proper collection of urine sample especially for baby girls like our little Keona.

1. Clean the vagina of the baby properly. Wash it with water.
2. Include the labia in cleaning your baby.
3. Use the cellophane urine collector if the baby is still infant or cannot manage to sit down yet when urinating. If possible, use a newly purchased baby urine collector and not an old stock one.
4. You can may use the plastic sterile urine collector if the baby can be instructed to sit down and collect urine properly.
5. Bring it or submit it right away to the laboratory, not later than 1 hour after collection.

That's all for now folks. Have a great day. Stay blissful, blessed and healthy everyone:).

Happy Start of the Week

It's a beautiful Monday and I'm back to work again. I don't feel very good today. My pharyngitis is getting worse so I'm taking antibiotics now. Good thing I don't have to talk a lot anymore at work because I finished the orientation last week. Have a great day friends:)

Urine Culture for the third Time

It's time again for Keona's quarterly monitoring through urine culture. This is the third time that she has urine culture after her operation and the first urine CS that she's not been taking antibiotic. I got the result yesterday and was very thankful to God that there was no bacteria for the third consecutive time.

We will wait again for another 3 months and we'll have urine SC again plus the renal scan which will determine the functionality of her kidneys. I hope and pray that everything will turn out okay.

We had a check-up yesterday and as usual, she's afraid to get inside the elevator. I can't use the stairs because her doctor's clinic is on the 8th floor. Currently, Keona is having cough and colds so I make her drink ambroxol (Ambrolex) for her cough and Disudrin for her colds as prescribed by her pediatrician. I'm praying also for her fast recovery because her appetite is affected although she remains enthusiastic and playful.

Have a great start of the week friends. Take good care everyone:).

Just a quick update

How's everyone doing? It's been quite long since my last post for this blog and I miss visiting my online friends. I'm glad that Keona's poop is back to normal and the many times she pooped last Wednesday could be just viral or caused by her teething. Well, I can only surmised and the most important thing is that it was not caused by a bacteria like amoeba which I really dreaded. The thought of Keona being admitted again for the nth time in the hospital makes me sick.

I can stay up late today since it's a Sunday tomorrow. Grandpa will have his birthday on the 24th but he wants to celebrate it tomorrow since it's a Sunday. We'll be eating out again and gonna go swimming at Maryknoll Resort. Happy Saturday everyone and enjoy your weekend guys:).

No More Bacteria for the Second Time

Wohooo! Hubby and me got Keona's laboratory results yesterday. I was literally trembling when hubby got the result of the urine CS because I thought, what the information desk officer printing was the urine CS result and I saw lots of things written there. I know that when there's no bacteria in a urine culture, the result is clean, only few are written because there's no testing of antibiotics that reveals if the bacteria growth is resistant or not. To my relief, it was the CBC result that the girl was printing! Yesss! this is the second time in a row that there's no bacteria in Keona's urine CS. We'll go to her pediatrician this afternoon and he'll have the final say if we'll discontinue her prophylaxis that my little girl learn to like than her vitamins. Well, it tastes like her Nan HW milk which is a little bitter but yummy:)

Chickenpox Vaccination

We visited Keona's pediatrician/nephrologist yesterday to have her scheduled chickenpox immunization. We waited for quite long since we are number 6 patient in a row. As usual, my little girl was very energetic and full of enthusiasm shouting, dancing, running in the 8th floor of the medical tower building. But when she saw her doctor upon entering the clinic, she started crying out very loud even before the vaccination is being administered to her. Doctor Mike even bribed her for a lollipop candy but failed. She continued crying. Doctor Mike said that it's good that we have her immunized since many are afflicted with the disease nowadays due to the hot weather.

It's been 3 months already since we have her urine culture and we are doing it again now. Hopefully, there will be no more bacteria so my little girl can stop taking her daily low dose of antibiotic as prophylaxis since it's been already six months after her operation. She also had her CBC to check her hemoglobin so we can shift to another brand of vitamins. Have a great day friends:)

Here comes the fever again

Just when I rejoice of Keona's KUB (Kindney, ureter, & bladder) ultrasound result, she's having fever again. We brought her to the pedia and her doctor said that it might be just viral infection because there's no bacteria growth in her urine culture which we just did few days ago. If it's just viral, fever will be gone in 3 days. Today is her third day, and so far, she has no fever since midnight. Hopefully it will not go back today.

What an indescribable feeling!

Keona's surgery was scheduled at ten o'clock in the morning. So i was the one carrying her towards the operating room. She was really crying so hard upon seeing those people clad in scrub suits wearing face masks. So I had to figure out how to make her stop crying! Then there were student nurses who kept on entertaining her, and she finally stopped crying. I was asked where is her VCUG plates and told the anesthesiologist that it's in our house. He told me that the surgeon needs it so I requested one student nurse to tell my husband to get it home.

The VCUG films finally arrived at around 12:00 noon and the team of doctors were complete at 12:15. The anesthesiologist instructed his assistant to put some medications through intravenous and asked me to place my baby on the operating table. I was really anxious and the feeling is indescribable. Then the doctor said " Ma'am you can go out now". Upon hearing it, I right away looked at the wall clock. It's 12:30PM, start of Keona's operation. Then I walked, took off the scrub suit that i wore and get out of the operating room. At that point, I can't help myself but tears really fall on my face in spite of really trying to keep myself strong. Then I see hubby at the entrance of the OR. When he saw me, he asked "How is Keona?". "Her operation has just started", I replied. Then we went straight to our room at the fifth floor.

We right away take our lunch and just stayed put in our room so that if there were things needed, we can right away attend to it. Few hours after, a voice promt from the nurse station echoed in our room "A doctor's call for Keona's watcher, please go to the nurse's station". Upon hearing it, I was literally quivering in tension and nervousness, my mind asking what must the doctor needed from us in this time when the operation is on going. I rushed to the nurse's station and the nurse handed me the phone. "This is Dr. Bermejo, are the VCUG plates already in the operating room?''. "Yes doc", I said. "Ok, thank you. Then the line went dead. I was relieved that the resident doctor was just making a follow-up regarding the VCUG plates. I went back to our room and told hubby that Dr. Bermejo was just asking Keona's plates.


We tried to relax in the room, scanned through the different channels on cable TV. Then at around 3:30, there was another voice prompt from the nurse station. "Watcher for Keona, Dr. Manalaysay is on the phone, please go to the nurse's station".When I was approaching at the nurse station, the nurse who was holding the phone, covered the speaker and asked me in a low voice "Ma'am, your patient is a girl right?". Yes, she just looked like a boy because she has short hair and she doesn't have an earrings, I replied. Then she said, Dr. Manalaysay (Keona's Nephrologist) is on the line Ma'am. Just talk to him. When I talked to Dr. Manalaysay, he told me that he just wanted to ask permission from us, since our baby is already in the operating room, they might as well just circumcise our baby. To my surprise, I told him "Doc, our baby is a girl! There's nothing to circumcise!". " Oh, sorry, I just wanted to inform you also that the operation went well. I took some photos of it, I'll go to your room later, in a few minutes". To which I replied, " Thank you". I now understand why the nurse asked my baby's gender and as if there's a question in her face while handling to me the phone.LOL

After around 5 minutes, Dr. Manalaysay went to our room, smiling at us. He showed us photos of the operation, explained to us that it was good that we decided to have surgical correction because Keona will never outgrow her reflux because of the placement of her ureters. He said that the operation went well, we just hope that the recovery will be good also.

At around 5:00PM, a nurse went to our room and told us that the operation was already finished and 1 watcher is needed in the recovery room. I right away went to the recovery room and there, I saw Keona lying, groogy, opening her eyes every now and then and would cry a little saying "Momma". Attached to her are machines i don't know. All I know is that they are there to monitor her vital signs. After 1 hour in the recovery room. The personnel In charge there said that her vital signs are already stable and she would be transferred already to our room.

Breakthrough Infection Again

Today, I got the result of Keona's urine culture and sensibility and I'm really sad. The result reveals that she's having a breakthrough infection again. The bacteria is called proteus mirabilis :((

No More Amikin?

Whew! My baby is having fever again due to"breakthrough" of bacteria. Ureteral reflux, yes she has. But she already has a prophylaxis. A daily low dose of antibiotic to keep the bacteria at a minimum level so it will not reach to her kidneys to avoid infection. The pediatric nephrologist explained that it is calleda "breakthrough" because in spite of the antibiotic that she's taking, still the bacteria infected her. Hopefully her UTI wil not reach three times in a year or else she will need surgical intervention which I really dreaded. The thought of it makes me sick!

Based on her Urine culture and sensitivity, the cefixime antibiotic, an oral drop that she takes is just an Intermediate cure, meaning its not really the ideal one that will cure the bacteria. The only antiobiotic in which the bacteria is susceptible are injectables, nothing is available in oral drops. The doctor prescribed a medicine called "Amikin" a brand name for Amikacin. So, off me and hubby went to the drugstore to buy for it. But we've been to several drugstores already and its unavailable. Alas, the doctor is out in his clinic already and we don't have his contact number! So we just went to DDH emergency room for they are the ones who will administer the injection and ask the resident physician if it's OK to have amikacide instead of amikin. To our relief, she said yes. Anyways, it is still amikacin, the only difference is the brand name. Our day ended with tired legs going to several streets having drugstores looking for that elusive amikin. But relieved that we have something for Keona's medicine.