Something...or, Nothing

Ever since my 20 week ultrasound with Keith we have been hearing these words about the excess fluid in his kidneys. It could be something, or nothing. Over and Over. We kept hoping and praying for "nothing" but bracing ourselves for "something".

Well, this week we finally got our answer. It did not come easy. Our sweet little guy was strapped down to a board, arms, legs and waist held down by small sandbags, pocked TWICE to get an IV, and a cathader inserted, and rolled into one of those full body scan tubes. And laid like that for 45 minutes. I have never in his life heard him cry like he did during the IV insertion and I hope never to again!! He doesn't normally cry much, but he was absolutely histerical. Thus the need for the sandbags. You can imagine how my heart was breaking for him. I was nearly breaking down myself--It's a good thing I had David there to hold my hand. The Dr performing the test tried to reasure us by saying "he'll forget this as soon as it's over. YOU'LL remember it for the rest of your life!" Then he inserted a radioactive material mixed with a fluid that the kidney's naturally filter from the blood stream into him. Radioactive!! My six week old!! The machine then took a picture of the radioactive stuff every 15 seconds for the whole 45 minutes, creating a movie of how his kidneys empty and then drain. Whew! We were releived when that was over! For the whole time we were watching the screen the left kidney was obviously bigger and brighter than the right. We braced even harder for "something".

Then we went to X-ray. They left the cathater in and after we doned our lead vests (and commented for about the third time how grateful we were Belle was NOT with us), they filled his bladder with a dye that they could watch where the fluid in the kidney travelled--to find out if there was any reflux from the bladder back up into the kidney. This time the radiologist informed us this tested out normal. No reflux--good news.

Friday we took another trip to Primary Children's, this time to see the Urologist and get the answer. Bitting our nails we waited for the Dr. She came and took the utrasound film we brought with us from the Tooele hospital, and came back in a few minutes later...and pronounced him completly normal!! We couldn't beleive it--WHAT?? We asked "What about the left side being obviously bigger than the right?"
Here's the answer: Keith's left kidney fills and drains at the same rate as the right. Meaning there is no obstruction in the drainage, etc. It just happens to be, well, bigger. The kidney has a slightly abnormal SHAPE, making the cavity that holds the fluid larger, and causing all this concern that there might be an obstruction preventing it from draining...cutting off blood flow...causing dead spots in the kidney...but HOORAY!! none of that to worry about!!
No more amoxicillian (that he had been on since he was six days old), no more ulrasounds! No more pocking and proding and making him cry!

It makes all that poking seem so much less dramatic, and makes me feel 100 pounds lighter, to finally know that the answer is...it's NOTHING.
Thank you for all your prayers. They were answered.