Nationwide Children's Hospital Visit

(Samantha watching the nurse during her ultrasound.)

(Samantha trying to look at the computer screen!)

(Samantha fast asleep for her NM Renal Ultrasound. See the tiny IV in her foot?)

(She was left one hand out so she could suck her thumb, but she slept the whole time.)

Early this morning we had to take Samantha to Children's for some more testing on her kidneys. First we had a "jelly on the belly" ultrasound...which Samantha thought was hilarious! This is such an easy test because there is no pain involved. And Samantha enjoyed looking around at everything! She kept craning her neck to see the computer screen. It was like she wanted to know what was going on with her kidneys as much as we did.

Then we went to Nuclear Medicine to have her Renal Ultrasound. This is a really tough test on her b/c not only do they have to put a catheter in but they also have to put an IV in. This time they were able to get the IV in on the first try, but it took them about 15 minutes to find the vein they wanted to use. Finding her veins was hard on her because she hated, I mean HATED, it when they would put the rubber band around her arm or leg. It must have just been really uncomfortable for her. As soon as she was all set up and wrapped up she fell asleep for the whole 45 minutes during the actual testing.

After both test were complete we went up to her Pediatric Urologist office for a post-testing diagnosis. After waiting for nearly 45 minutes we met with Dr. Jayanthi. There is good news and bad. She still has her reflux of the lower right kidney. We were hoping that she had grown out of that. And her upper right kidney is draining to the wrong place. The upper kidney should drain to the bladder just like the other two kidneys but it is draining right at the opening between her bladder and urethra. They call this an ectopic ureter, which just means the ureter is draining at the wrong place.

So from here we just have to wait. We will go back for a VCUG in 6 months and if she has grown out of her reflux of the lower right kidney then they will only have to correct the upper right kidney. If the reflux is not better then they will have to fix both the reflux and the ectopic ureter. Either way she is looking at surgery some time next year, but both surgeries are pretty routine and we are just praying hard she will have grown out of the reflux within the next six months!