August Already?!
Since our last post we became true parents. We accomplished the first month of normal parenting; we endured sleepless nights, fed Peter, burped Peter, changed several diapers, washed many loads of laundry, bathed Peter, and so forth. We also overcame major “new parent” hurdles like – Solo mission to the doctor, solo mission to the mall, how to take a shower everyday when solo parenting, how to tag team a really gross diaper change, how to tag team a really awful sleepless night, and so forth.
I have always known how wonderful Kurt is as a teammate and husband. From very early on in our relationship we’ve been on the same team. (We even have a secret teamwork cheer. I have said too much already.) Through the pregnancy he shone like a white knight in armor. For example: He helped me put on my socks, he would give me a boost up the stairs at night when I was so winded I couldn’t do it alone, he would help me do everything we needed to do when my ankles were so swollen and I had nothing short of cankles. BUT NOW, he has turned it up a notch. He is an amazing father. I absolutely adore his willingness for whatever. Our teamwork continues to be one of the things I am most thankful for daily. And hey, I know it is a mutual admiration society over here.
Now to the not so great part… Peter’s kidneys. So since his birth and our stay in the hospital at Hoag and also at CHOC, Peter has gotten another renal ultrasound, and had another visit to the pediatric urologist. We are waiting for the blood work to see what the kidney function is at this point and where we will need to from here. We have a team (really) of doctors who are working on this with us.
The thing is called Bilateral hydronephrosis with hydroureter and he is stage 4 on the right and stage 5 on the left. The good news is that there is no reflux, meaning that the fluids do not go from the bladder back up into the kidneys. The ureters are very distended as well. At this point we have not had the nuclear medicine scan this may be necessary in the near future because ultrasounds are not very good at describing the health/function of a kidney – it is really only a picture of the kidney. According to the medical professionals, very swollen kidneys can still have relatively good function. At this point, they still aren’t exactly sure the cause and/or the cure. This is very common and in fact very treatable. In fact, it is still possible to resolve on its own. The largest fear right now is infection. If Peter were to get a UTI and it were undetected within 1-2 days, he would likely lose the left kidney. This is very scary. They have him on antibiotics prophylaxis (just in case).
So please keep praying for Peter.
We are taking our refuge in Christ. He alone has the power to heal. He alone can calm our fears. He will not abandon us. He will get us all three of us through it.
James 1:2-4 “Consider it pure joy, my brothers, whenever you face trials of many kinds, 3because you know that the testing of your faith develops perseverance. 4Perseverance must finish its work so that you may be mature and complete, not lacking anything.”
Above is a picture of the best baby ever(…sorry everyone else’s babies).
*more ~NEW~ pics on Flickr
August 17th, 2009 at 14:03
Thanks Becky for a beautiful post. What a handsome baby you have and what a blessing your boys must be in your life. Sounds like Peter’s doctors are top notch and that he is in good hands. (So glad hes on the antibiotics.) Thinking often of you guys and praying for healthy kidneys and restful nights of sleep for all of you. Keep us updated friend.