Caution...LOOOOng version of the story!

Ok, so here is what is going on with Seth. It all dates back to when I was pregnant with him. During our 10 week ultrasound they noticed that his kidneys were dialated (larger than normal). They continued to do ultrasounds-about 8 during the course of my pregnancy. An Ultrasound when he was born showed they were still large. So they did a renal scan with mag 3 when he was 6 months old. Thats where they injected him with radioactive dye and watched it go through his system. At 2 they did another ultrasound and told us that the problem was going away.

Well aparently they were wrong. About 2 months ago Seth started complaining that his back was hurting. We didn't think anything of it. It went on for about 4 days and then he started complaining about having a stomach ache. So much so that it kept him up at night. I went and did a little research on the computer and everything I read said that if a child is complaining of back pain you should be concerned. I sent him to school the next day and called his Dr. They werent too concerned so I didn't worry about it until I got a call from the school. Seth was checked on during recess and was just sitting up against the wall and wasn't feeling well. I made an apt for half an hour later and took him in to the Dr. They tested his urine and found blood and protein (kidney infection or UTI).

My pediatritian was stumped. I guess if a boy gets a kidney or urinary tract infection it is usually a sign of a bigger problem. So they cleared up the infection and started this whole process of testing over again. We did an ultrasound, and a VCUG. The radiologist, in between the procedures, just said that it came back??? what??? He said that his kidneys are as severly dialated as they were when he was an infant. Great, panic setting in! They did the VCUG and the radiologist wouldn't tell me anything. He just said "you will probably want to get him into a pediatric urologist". Fortunately we already had the one from when he was a baby.
We went in to see her and she was also stumped. They were looking for reflux back up into the kidneys and didnt see any. They were also looking for a blockage in the ureters (tubes between kidneys and bladder) and they didn't see anything. What they did see is what they call Hutch Diverticulum. Its 2 balloon like things on the back of his bladder right where they ureters attach. Another issue she discussed with me is that he doesn't drain his bladder all the way when he urinates. There were a lot of worst case scenarios being thrown out that were not pleasant sounding. We are still hoping for the best.

So the Dr. ordered another renal scan with mag 3 to see how his kidneys are functioning. What they saw is that the fluid comes down his kidneys and down his ureters and then stops. Thats when the kidneys start to fill up. During the scan they noticed that his kidneys didn't ever come back down to 50% full. Our next appointment with the dr is when we were told that he needs surgery. What she thinks is happening is that the fluid fills up the diverticulum first which fill so full that they pinch off the ureters. Then the kidneys have to fill so full that it builds up enough pressure to force the fluid through to the bladder. What we are hoping is that this will also explain him not being able to drain his bladder all the way. He might be draining it when he urinates and then when he is finished, the diverticulum drain, which puts a little bit of fluid into his bladder.

I am being told that this is a pretty major surgery. They are going to cut him open just like a c-section. They will remove both diverticulum, cut the ureters where they attach to the bladder and re-attach them to the bladder. While in there she will scope the urethra and make sure there is no blockage there.

We got a second opinion and were told almost down to the tiniest detail exactly what our Dr. told us. And we were also told that if we do nothing, that he would eventually lose kidney function. So we feel very confident that this is the route we are supposed to take. We also have a few friends in the medical field around here who work closely with our urologist who have said that they would let her operate on their child any day. We really feel like he is in great hands and are very hopeful that this will clear up all of the problems that he is having.

They say 1-3 nights in the hospital, and 4-6 weeks of recovery. Anyone want to come and play some quiet games?