Today was a very hard day for all of us. We had to take Samantha to Nationwide Children's Hospital to have a few test run. We got there about 1:30 for our 2:00 appointment and it is just a depressing place. There are sick kids everywhere. And while I know that it is a great place of healing it is still a sad place.
We had to wait for about 30 minutes until they called us back for the first test in Nuclear Medicine Renal Imaging. The test is called a Cystogram. (A radionuclide cystogram is a special imaging tests called a nuclear scan that involves placing radioactive material into the bladder. A scanner then detects radioactivity to check bladder and urinary tract functions.) To complete this test they had to put a catheter in which did not bother Samantha too much since they did numb her down there. But she took this time to poop...not once, not twice, but three times! Then she would push the catheter out and they would have to put it back in. Once the catheter was in they had to get an IV in. Since Samantha had to be all swaddled they wanted to put the IV in her foot, but after two tries in her left foot and one in the right foot they finally got it in her left hand. She really REALLY hated the tight rubber-band they would put around her before trying to get the IV in. Luckily they had Soothe-Ease, a sugary liquid that Samantha LOVES. She also had this same sugary stuff when she was in the NICU. So every time they would get ready to stick her or put the rubber-band on her we would dip her pacifier in the Soothe-Ease and it would help calm her down. Once they had her all situated and the machine could start taking pictures Samantha fell asleep. The way the test works is that for the first 20 minutes they just put a saline solution in her IV while taking pictures. Then they put the Radiation Medicine in her IV and take pictures for another 20 minutes. (They took the IV out after they put the Radiation Medicine in...which was nice for Samantha...she loves to have her hands free!) After that 20 minutes was up there was still a significant dilation of her right kidney so Jeff had to hold her upright to see if gravity would make a difference on the drainage of her right kidney...then the camera took more pictures for another 3 minutes. All of those images will be sent to the Pediatric Urology Department and we will get the results on July 7th. ***The pictures above are from this test. The little cup that looks like a little apple juice you would get in a cafeteria is the Soothe-Ease.***
Next we had to go to Fluorolgy Department for a VCUG = Voiding Cystourethrogram. (A children's (pediatric) voiding cystourethrogram (VCUG) is an x-ray examination of a child's bladder and lower urinary tract that uses a special form of x-ray called fluoroscopy and a contrast material.) The plan was to roll up the catheter into Samantha's diaper from the last test and go to "Fluoro" but she had pushed it out before we got there. So the nurse had to re-cather her. Since there was only one nurse and Samantha was moving all around they asked me to help hold down her legs...this was really hard for me to do since Samantha was so upset and crying. But we got the cather back in and the Doctor came in to administer the test. They basically put a solution/dye into her cather which goes into her bladder, take lots of pictures, roll her around a bit and take more pictures (x-rays). From what I understand this is to see if there is reflux from the bladder back into the kidneys. The Doctor will again send these results to the Urology Department but she did say that there is some reflux and it seems like there is a "Duplicating Collecting System."
Again, we will not really know all the details of what is actually wrong with her until the 7th, but I think that she might have the same problem I had when I was little. My dad said that I had a Duplicating Collecting System too. I am just praying that she will not have to have surgery or have to be on anti-biotics for the rest of her life. We are really hopeful that she will grow out of this problem like I did.
~Lauren
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