Tuesday, January 06, 2009

all things medical

Some of you may recall way back in the day of 20-week ultrasounds, they found an irregularity in the baby's kidney. Well, that baby turned out to be Theo, and the irregularity still exists. We just went to a pediatric urologist hoping to have him wave us a way saying "see? I told you it would resolve by itself..." But no, Theo has Grade 2 (1 being best, 5 the worst) hydronephrosis of the left kidney and needs a VCUG, which is a catheter inserted into his penis, dye injected into his bladder, all on ultrasound so they can see which way the fluid is moving. Hopefully, not toward his kidneys. I know this will give us an answer once and for all if anything is wrong, but I don't want him to go through this. hmph. 

On another note, he's covered in patches of an excema-like rash. We have a call into the pediatrician. It doesn't seem to bother him, but it's all over his belly, spotty on his back, the back of his knees, his neck. Poor little doodle. We've been spreading Aqu@phor on him pretty liberally. My worry is that it is a sign of food allergy. We started rice cereal on Christmas - he was 5 months and sooooo ready. That kid was born to eat. 

Oh yeah, 19lbs2oz. Big doodle.

Any advice, experience, concerns????

14 comments:

V. Wetlaufer said...

Poor Theo! Thinking good thoughts for all of you!

Re: the eczema--I had this when I was a kid and it wasn't a food allergy (or if it was, I grew out of it and built up a tolerance to it). I just had sensitive skin and it went away eventually. As long as it's not bothering him, he's probably fine.

femalehusband.wordpress.com

Amanda Hanzlik said...

aww. Theo. :(

Well...could just be the dry weather...change of climate, conditions from your vacation?
Were his clothes laundered in new detergent on your trip?

California Baby Calendula Cream worked wonders for us...it's pricey, but worth every penny. ALso, you could try mixing some "omega oils" supplements for babies into his formula...I think both of those helped us greatly.

Good luck - I am thinking of you, and praying for healthy kidneys!

AJ said...

Well unfortunetly those areas described are classic eczema areas, but since it coincides so well with the start of food I would make the trip to the allergist. It i sbetter to be sure than not. We just did Sam;s and he did not even wake up, and we have definite answers. As for the kidney's I hope all goes well.

Lo said...

Our friends dealt with severe eczema with their son....it did turn out to be food allergies in his case. I hope it isn't for Theo, but if it's looking that way please let me know and I can get you in touch with each other. They have amazing resources and are a storehouse of information.

As for the kidney, no info, just commiseration. J. goes in for surgery on Thurs. and I am NOT looking forward to it. I'm holding both boys in my heart!

Anabelle said...

Most food alergies look more like a chicken pock or a hive.. not eczema... I'm sure th pede will have more advice for you. Can't hurt to stop the rice cereal until you hear back from the doc.

Anonymous said...

poor baby...sending much love.

Team Serrins Springfield said...

Hey there. Sorry to hear about the kidney. Hopefully it will be a really easy procedure.

Our baby had a rash like that and it lasted months on and off but wasn't allergy related. We used Calundua (sp) cream and it really helped. We also found that temperature changes and getting upset really made her's worse.

Anonymous said...

Oh, gosh! Baby Boy Theo!!!

Anonymous said...

very sorry to hear about the kidney issues and impending procedure.

as for the eczema- we battled it for months and months. Our pedi gave us all kinds of Rxs, I went on a dairy/soy free diet and non if it worked. IN the end a daily bath in Aveeno Oatmeal bath (or the CVS brand of the same) has made it go away. Now in the dead of winter E is a little itchy, but that is to be expected - but he does not have anymore open sores or infections. We follow it up with the oatmeal lotion (also CVS brand).

Good luck!

ajs4ever said...

Our son has Hydronephrosis too. They found this at the early ultrasound as well and watched it throughout pregnancy and then again when he was a few months old. He had the test you are talking about and it really wasn't a big deal for him. He was really good throughout all three tests he had. The results came back that his left kidney was only working at 10% but his right kidney is doing great for the both of them. Actually we go back for a checkup with the pediatric urologist in two weeks to make sure everything still looks good. HE is 8 months old now and is doing great! There are many people that have only one good kidney and live a long healthy life. If you have any questions, feel free to ask. Your little Theo is in my thoughts and prayers!

Anonymous said...

So sorry about the catheter situation. That can't be comfortable for anyone involved.

I can speak to the eczema, though. Trucker has the same thing. One would think a baby should be soft. They do have that reputation. While Truck feels a little reptilian. His doctor says it is "winter" and he prescribes "mosturizer." At least some things in life are simple.

Tell me this, what the heck is the difference between Aquafor and Vaseline, besides what seems like 8 bucks?

CD and SP said...

Aquaphor is mostly mineral oil and petroletum, not petroleum, though i haven't a clue what the difference between those 2 are!

Anonymous said...

hey-- I am a longtime reader and I would love to hear a bit (if you don't mind) about your decision to do a SET. We're starting our first IVF cycle and I am leaning toward a single transfer, but it would be really helpful for me to hear more about the thought processes of others who had been there (since most people I know IRL have done the double). I know you are both busy, but if you are so inclined, you can drop me a line at saralewis1004@gmail.com.

Thanks!
Sara

Anonymous said...

you sure it's just not roseola? just a thought..