Seven days down. Only a few more to go! This picture makes her look like she's in baby jail. It's just her nice hospital crib!
Today Lily had her VCUG procedure and she did great. We went down to radiology at 10 a.m. Lily got the necessary catheter, drank a bottle, and only fussed a little bit. Then she promptly fell asleep. Dr. Lee said she was easily among the most stoic and relaxed newborns he'd seen. (Dr. Lee obviously didn't recognize that Lily was the same sweet angel now as the explosive screaming hell-raiser he'd battled with two days earlier during an ultrasound.)
Dr. Lee began the VCUG with 65 cc's of an iodine contrast solution. Once her bladder was full, they began to take several x-rays of her abdomen. The images revealed that BOTH of Lily's ureters on the right side were refluxing into her right kidney when her bladder contracted. Fortunately, the solution that refluxed into the kidney when the bladder contracted also drained right back out afterwards. This was one thing Dr. Lee wanted to see - if one of her ureters contained an obstruction it might not have drained promptly and would be more damaging. Luckily, the kidney drained just fine.
The VCUG also indicated a lesser degree of reflux in her left kidney, something that will likely clear up as her ureter grows and the valve gets stronger. Kidney reflux is graded on a scale of 1-5. The reflux on her right kidney was graded a 4. The reflux on the left was graded a 2.
Now we just have to wait until we meet with a pediatric urologist after Lily is discharged to see what our next move is, because the right kidney will require some ongoing medical care. This will likely be with preventative antibiotics, but possibly more.
Today Lily had her VCUG procedure and she did great. We went down to radiology at 10 a.m. Lily got the necessary catheter, drank a bottle, and only fussed a little bit. Then she promptly fell asleep. Dr. Lee said she was easily among the most stoic and relaxed newborns he'd seen. (Dr. Lee obviously didn't recognize that Lily was the same sweet angel now as the explosive screaming hell-raiser he'd battled with two days earlier during an ultrasound.)
Dr. Lee began the VCUG with 65 cc's of an iodine contrast solution. Once her bladder was full, they began to take several x-rays of her abdomen. The images revealed that BOTH of Lily's ureters on the right side were refluxing into her right kidney when her bladder contracted. Fortunately, the solution that refluxed into the kidney when the bladder contracted also drained right back out afterwards. This was one thing Dr. Lee wanted to see - if one of her ureters contained an obstruction it might not have drained promptly and would be more damaging. Luckily, the kidney drained just fine.
The VCUG also indicated a lesser degree of reflux in her left kidney, something that will likely clear up as her ureter grows and the valve gets stronger. Kidney reflux is graded on a scale of 1-5. The reflux on her right kidney was graded a 4. The reflux on the left was graded a 2.
Now we just have to wait until we meet with a pediatric urologist after Lily is discharged to see what our next move is, because the right kidney will require some ongoing medical care. This will likely be with preventative antibiotics, but possibly more.
WOW! It sounds like a blessing overall, but what a way to get a blessing. We are thinking about you everyday. Cornells
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