“Aww, Mommy!” That was what my son said when he peed in the toilet this morning. I thought he was just joking. When I was giving him a bath, however, he flinched when I started cleaning his genitals with wash cloth. “Is it painful, baby” I asked. “Yes.” he said. That’s when he asked me to go to Makati Medical Center to see his doctor.

Because he had two incidents of urinary tract infections (UTIs) in the past, one in November 2009 and another in January of this year, I wasted no time in texting his pediatrician who advised me to have the following tests done: routine urinalysis and urine C&S (culture & sensitivity). We will know the result of the routine urinalysis tomorrow, while it may take 3 to 4 days for the result of the urine C&S to come out.

While in the taxi on our way to the hospital, my son leaned his head against my chest and charmingly said he wanted to eat certain foods after his tests. Because I wanted him to feel better, I just said yes to anything he asked.

Justin: Mommy, I’d like to eat pizza later.

Mommy: Okay, baby. (All the while, I was muttering to myself, that’s a lot of calories!)

Justin: I also like French fries.

Mommy: Alright. (More calories!)

Justin: And Dilly Bar.

Mommy: Okay. (My diet plan will definitely be ruined today. I think I’d be needing a lot of quick weight loss tips later.)

Just when I was ready to give in to all of his requests, he changed his mind quickly.

Mommy: We can have pizza at Pizza Hut here in the hospital.

Justin: Okay.

Mommy: Then, you can have French fries at McDonald’s outside.

Justin: Mommy, I’ll just have Dilly Bar.

Mommy: You’ll eat it here or in the taxi?

Justin: Here.

Mommy: If you want, you can have Dilly Bar at Robinsons Galleria.

Justin: Okay.

Mommy: (In the taxi) Justin, you’ll attend afternoon class later because you missed your morning class. If we buy Dilly Bar at Robinsons, you might be late for class. Is it okay if we buy your Dilly Bar when you go home after school?

Justin: Okay, Mommy!

My son’s an easy kid to deal with, well, sometimes. I just hope his test results will be normal.

Justin underwent VCUG (voiding cystourethrogram) at Makati Medical Center last Saturday. That’s because he was diagnosed with urinary tract infection (UTI) again. This is the second time in two months that he had UTI, and his pediatrician told us the last time we consulted her that Justin might need early circumcision if he experiences recurring UTIs.

We were referred to a pediatric urologist this time, and a kidney ultrasound of my son was also requested. The results were normal. Upon closer inspection, the urologist told us that Justin’s urethral orifice (the part through which urine is discharged) is too small. This causes urine retention, which is one of the reasons he could have gotten UTI. He suggested the VCUG done last Saturday. VCUG is an x-ray procedure that enables physicians to check for problems in the structure or function of a child’s urinary system. The results were also normal.

The doctor prescribed an antibacterial ointment for Justin for 2 weeks in addition to the oral antibiotic that Justin’s pediatrician gave earlier. Hopefully, this ointment could somewhat enlarge Justin’s urethral orifice due to its steroid content and prevent him from having UTIs again. If this doesn’t work, then circumcision is our next best option.

The past two weeks have not been good for my son. Last October 31, we went to my sister’s place in Laguna. We met at Festival Mall where Justin had eaten Auntie Anne’s pretzel and dirty ice cream (inside the mall) in the afternoon and had refills after refills of gravy at Kenny Rogers’ Roasters come dinner time.

At the height of typhoon Ramil, November 1, Justin woke up at 3:30am and started throwing up. I hurriedly called up his doctor--never mind if it was the wee hours of the morning--and asked for help. She asked if we had Motilium syrup. Of course, we didn’t.

It was Justin’s first time to throw up six times (and that was in the morning only) in close succession. Good thing my husband is taking Motilium tablet. I had to dissolve half of that tablet in water and give it to my son. We also had to buy Losec in the morning that he’d take for one week.

Justin was okay by Monday morning (Nov. 2). In the afternoon, though, he started having loose bowel movement (LBM). I texted his doctor to ask for medication. He was fine the next day, but on Friday night (Nov. 6), he started passing out watery stool again. That got me really worried. On top of that, he also found it painful to pee.

We submitted urine and stool samples for laboratory testing last Sunday (Nov. 8). His urinalysis revealed he had UTI. It took two days of drinking an antibacterial suspension before he would be relieved of his discomfort. His LBM took longer to treat, and his doctor suspected he had amoeba. His routine stool test and stool culture and sensitivity test were both negative. Thank God!

Justin’s doctor said he might just have eaten something that upset his stomach. Because of that, his food absorption is affected, making his intestines unable to absorb even his milk. We had to find a lactose-free formula for him, which he did not drink at all. He did not drink milk for four days, which made him cranky and unable to sleep in the afternoons. This is the first time in five days that he drank Sustagen again, and he couldn't be happier.

I really hope the worst is over.