Tuesday, February 16, 2010

We Figured it out... well mostly

So after lots of doctors visits and even a trip to Phoenix Children's Hospital we finally figured out why Nellie got so sick. It isn't a normal occurrence for babies as young as Nellie to get a urinary tract infection or in Nellie's case a Kidney infection. My pediatrician was worried that there could be something more serious going on and that was causing her to get the infection and it turns out she was right.

We went to Phoenix Children's on Thursday last week to have a few tests done. One was an ultrasound to check to make sure her kidneys weren't damaged from the infection and the other was a VCUG to figure out what the heck was going on. The VCUG is a really cool procedure (it would have been so much more fun to watch if it wasn't my baby on the table) What they do is insert a catheter into her bladder and fill it up with contrast material. Then they take periodic x-rays to see how things are flowing in there. It turns out that Nellie has vesicourital reflux a condition where her urine backs up into her kidneys when it isn't supposed to. Fortunately it wasn't a severe case only being on one side and it was a level 2 out of 5 for severity. So our treatment is preventative antibiotics for 6months! Then they redo the VCUG to see if she has grown out of it yet. I'm so excited that the fix is so simple and easy just 3/4 of a teaspoon of medicine at bed time but I'm seriously worried about my baby being on antibiotics for 6 months. And if she ends up getting another kidney infection while she is on the medication they might have to do surgery. Yikes! Lets hope it doesn't come to that.

Ok the bad news isn't over yet it gets worse... So I got the most terrible call from my doctor yesterday. She was taking a closer look at Nellie's x-rays from the vcug and she noticed something wrong with her hips. She apparently has pediatric hip dysplasia. My niece Emma is actually having surgery next Tuesday to correct the very same thing. I found out that is a genetic trait that runs in families in baby girls. I'm trying my hardest to look at this as a blessing. Since we had the test done for a different problem we were able to detect the hip problem early so she hopefully won't have to have surgery like Emma. We don't know the full extent of it yet we don't have our consult with the pediatric orthopedic surgeon until next Friday. Funny enough we are seeing the same doctor Emma is.

I'm sure everything will work its self out (at least thats what Steven tells me) but i'm sure your prayers wouldn't hurt. I'll keep you all updated as we see doctors and learn more.

At least she is still as cute as ever

9 comments:

Natalie said...

Ugh! I'm so sorry! But its great that its treatable. Poor Nellie :( I hope everything works out.

Heather said...

I am so sorry! One of my friend's daughters had that and I believe she just had to be in braces while she slept or something. I am sure it will be fine, but we will keep you in our thoughts and prayers. That is scary! I am glad you figured out what was wrong though! If you need anything please let us know. Even if you just have a long day and want dinner or something.... don't hesitate to ask!!!

Marianne Gappmayer Thayne said...

The reflux is what Blaine had (very rare in boys--didn't find it until he was 11 and at Phoenix Children's hospital too!) and I sure learned fast. He did have to have the surgery after a year of antibiotics. I hope it goes well. Sounds like your little cutie is in for some fun the next few months of life. Good luck with it all.

The Hills... said...

I'm so glad they were able to figure out what's wrong. But still...poor baby!

Here's to a good week for us! Let's shoot for 5 days!

Chelsea said...

We will be praying for Nellie too!

Belle n Kent said...

SO glad I stopped by your blog for a quick peek! Oh, sweet little Nellie! We'll pray for all of you! So glad you're finding out everything pretty early on! Love you guys!!

Elizabeth said...

I have a friend who had a similar problem with her baby getting UTI's early...she ended up having to have surgery to redirect the urinary tract...so count your blessings that hers only needs antibiotics! And what a blessing to discover the hip displasia so early!

Amy F. said...

Oh, poor baby!! You guys are in our prayers. Babies are so amazingly resilient! Hang in there, even though your heart is breaking!

Alicia Phelps said...

I had to take Tanner in for a VCUG when he was a baby too. The hardest part was watching them put the catheter in. I'm happy to hear they have found out what is causing her trouble and detected the other issues early so they can help her get better. You will all be in our prayers for sure.

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