The test went okay today - Children's was not only running on time - they were even early! Our first appointment was the renal ultrasound, which was the warm-up:
On to the fun part of the day...mind you, before heading to Children's, we did an early visit to the chiropractor for Paul's bulging disc - bulging was painful, but then he sneezed...Our chiro now fears he herniated the disc with the sneeze, so he's getting an MRI tomorrow and is in constant excrutiating pain...fun way to spend the holiday weekend?
Anyway, below are pictures of McKenzie playing in our room, without a clue of what lay ahead...ignorance is bliss, isn't it?
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So we ended up changing our mind and opting for the nitris form of sedation - the main selling point to me was the amnesia factor, as she is so close to being done w/potty training, I really didn't want this to set her back, and she's been so traumatized by the tests already, I did not want more. Anyway, it really didn't seem like it did much, she fought her little heart out and it took four of us to hold her down - and two weighted pillows, but, with the promise of goldfish at the end, she made it thru...
Unfortunately the results don't appear to be what we had hoped. The radiologist said bi-lateral reflux (both sides) and grade 3 - so NO improvement over the last year. The nurses were wonderful with her - they always are there - but they did recommend we get Mason tested (not the first time this has been recommended to me...sigh) but also predicted Dr. Holmes will want to do surgery and that they would see us back for a post-op repeat test after the first of the year....ugh, my stomach is in knots just thinking about it.
Our appointment with the urologist, who is actually "the" vesicoureteral reflux specialist at Children's, had to be bumped from today to next Thursday - so not only to we have to wait for final results and discuss options, but Paul is working in Irvine that day, so McKenzie and I get to go it alone, too. I think we'll deserve ice cream afterwards.
Anyway, we had so been looking forward to this nice long weekend...but its not getting off to the start I was hoping for...might be time for a mojito about now????
Cheers!
Btw, in case you don't know or don't remember, here is the urinary reflux sitch in its simplest form:
Vesicoureteral (ves-ih-koe-yoo-REE-ter-al) reflux is the abnormal flow of urine from your bladder back up the tubes (ureters) from your kidneys. Normally, urine flows only down from your kidneys to your bladder. Children with primary vesicoureteral reflux are born with a defect in the valve that normally prevents urine from flowing backward from the bladder into the ureters. (McKenzie is primary)
Most commonly a condition of infancy and childhood, vesicoureteral reflux increases the risk of urinary tract infections. Untreated, it can lead to kidney damage.
Kidney damage is the primary concern with vesicoureteral reflux. The more severe the reflux, the more serious the complications are likely to be. Complications may include:
* Kidney (renal) scarring. Untreated UTIs can lead to scarring, also known as reflux nephropathy, which is permanent damage to kidney tissue. A backup of urine exposes the kidneys to higher than normal pressure, which can lead to scarring over time. Extensive scarring may lead to high blood pressure and kidney failure.
* High blood pressure (hypertension). Because the kidneys remove waste from the bloodstream, damage to your kidneys and the resultant buildup of wastes can raise your blood pressure.
* Acute kidney failure. Loss of function in the filtering part of the kidney may cause waste products to accumulate rapidly. This condition may require emergency dialysis, an artificial means of removing extra fluids and waste from your blood, typically by an artificial kidney machine (dialyzer).
* Chronic kidney failure. In this extremely serious complication, the kidneys gradually lose function. Kidney function at less than 15 percent of normal capacity indicates end-stage kidney disease, which usually requires dialysis or a kidney transplant to sustain life.
Like I said, time for a mojito, I think!!!
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