Normally, urine (pee) is made in the kidneys and flows downward in tubes called ureters to the bladder. It's stored in the bladder until a person is ready to urinate (go to the bathroom).

Sometimes, though, pee flows back into the ureters and up toward the kidneys. This is called vesicoureteral (ves-ih-koe-yoo-REE-ter-ul) reflux, or VUR. During ureteral reimplantation surgery, the way the ureters connect to the bladder is changed so that pee flows in the direction it is supposed to, rather than back to the kidneys.

After surgery, your child might have:

• a catheter in the bladder to drain it, which usually is removed a day or two after surgery
• tubes called stents in the ureters to keep them open as they heal from surgery. The surgeon will remove these later in a brief procedure using a small scope in the bladder while your child is under general anesthesia (asleep and not feeling any pain).

While recovering from the surgery, your child may have bladder spasms (cramping) and feel the need to pee more often. Your health care provider can prescribe medicine to make your child more comfortable. You also may notice a small amount of blood in the pee.

• Follow your health care provider's instructions about:
  • giving your child any medicine, such as antibiotics (if your child took them before the surgery) or pain relief medicine. Don't give your child acetaminophen (Tylenol^® or a store brand) along with prescription pain medicines without talking to your health care provider or pharmacist first.
  • keeping any dressings or bandages clean and dry, and changing and removing them
  • how long your child should avoid baths, swimming, and hot tubs
  • when your child can return to school, gym class, sports, and other activities
• Give your child plenty of fruits, vegetables, and caffeine-free drinks to encourage regular bowel movements.
• Schedule a follow-up visit with the health care provider.

Your child has:

• cloudy or foul-smelling pee
• blood clots or you see more than a little blood in the pee
• tenderness, redness, swelling, or pain around the incision site
• bleeding or drainage from the incision
• a fever of 100.4°F (38.0°C) or higher
• pain that is not helped by the recommended medicine

Your child:

• develops a cough or fast breathing
• is constipated

Your child:

• is vomiting and can't keep down food or liquids
• is not peeing
• shows signs of dehydration (not enough water in the body) such as dizziness, drowsiness, a dry or sticky mouth, sunken eyes, increased thirst, peeing less than usual, or crying with little or no tears
• has trouble breathing

Why is it important to treat vesicoureteral reflux? Untreated VUR can lead to long-term problems. Backed-up pee that reaches the kidneys can cause infections and scarring, leading to:

• high blood pressure (hypertension)
• protein in the urine
• problems with how the kidneys work or kidney failure