Iowa City

This week we headed to Iowa City for Brady’s VCUG.  I have been dreading this trip because I have nothing but awful memories from his previous experience.  There is nothing worse than watching your child be strapped down to a board, swaddled in a papoose, and seeing their eyes gaze up at you as they cry for help – only to find yourself unable to do anything.  It’s an awful, awful feeling and I am just thankful that Brady is young enough that he shouldn’t remember any of this.

Both David and I were in the room during the procedure.  I was considering staying in the waiting room but when it came down to it, I just had to be in there with Brady.  I chose to stand to the side this time and had David be the one gowned up to assist.  Luckily, this VCUG only lasted about 25 minutes so the torture for all of us was over much quicker than we anticipated.

The other great thing is that we were able to get initial feedback from the radiologist right then and there and meet with our specialist shortly thereafter.

I did leave out some information in my last post that would be beneficial as I explain his most recent results.  Brady’s right kidney did not grow as his other one did.  It is quite small.  Because of this, it only does 25% of the work while his left kidney, which is of average size, does 75% of the work.  Obviously it would be ideal for them to be sharing the work 50/50 but at least they are both functioning.  That being said, here is what we learned:

·         Brady’s right kidney (the small one) showed no reflux during the VCUG.  Both doctors are confident the issue has resolved on its own as Brady grew.

·         Brady’s left kidney is still showing Grade IV relux.  Because this kidney is doing the majority of the work and the dilation occurs very early as the bladder fills, this is still a big concern.

·         From here on out, all high fevers will require a urine test to rule out UTI infections.  It is quite possible that with all Brady’s recent illnesses that an infection was being masked and later resolved due to being prescribed antibiotics for other symptoms.  If Brady has a UTI prior to next October (one year from now), it sounds as if he will be having surgery. 

Overall, this was a very positive appointment since his right side showed such improvement.  We can only hope as Brady continues to grow that the left side will also resolve.  Here’s to healthy kidneys and no infections!

So Tuckered Out After It All