VUR

For the record:

Hannah has had 3 urinary tract infections since December.  We can always tell when she gets a UTI because she starts wetting herself and her bed.  She has never wet the bed since being potty trained and rarely wet her pants, so we knew something was wrong last December when she wet the bed 4 times in one night!

When children have frequent UTI's often it is because they have a condition called Vesicoureteral Reflux (VUR), so any kid who gets more than one UTI is screened for the condition.  VUR causes some urine to back up into the kidneys, causing an infection and potentially causing kidney damage.  It is important to diagnose and treat this condition to avoid kidney damage.  Yesterday we spent the morning at Primary Children's Hospital where Hannah was given an ultrasound to check for kidney damage (she did not have any damage) an x-ray of her urinary tract to check for VUR.

The x-ray techs inserted a catheter and then injected contrast into her bladder.  If you know Hannah, she is quite dramatic so having a catheter inserted was an ordeal.  The first time they put it in she thrashed around so hard that she yanked it out.  The second time it took four people to restrain her and one of those people was basically laying on top of her to keep her still.  Then she screamed for the entire 20 minutes while they took x-rays.  And I mean SCREAMED.  I had to hold her arms down the whole time while she yelled, "I hate these ladies!  Get me outta here!"   When it was finally over they offered her a prize from their prize basket but she said, "I don't want your prize!" and marched out of the room with her arms folded and a glare on her face. She's nobody's fool, you can' t just poke and prod her and then expect to win her over with a measly Beanie Baby.  Today she looks like she has two black eyes because all of the capillaries around her eyes are broken from straining so hard.

For the most part I felt sorry for her, but part of me was really trying not to laugh at her dramatics.  Am I a mean mom or what?

The results of the x-ray showed that she does have stage 1 (the mildest form) VUR.  Likely she will outgrow it in a few years and in the meantime she will be given prophylactic antibiotics to prevent future infections.  We have also been told that she can no longer take baths, which so far has been pretty hard on her (she loves to play mermaids in the bath).

Today we went to the lab again to give another urine sample.  She proudly told all of the geriatrics in the waiting room that she was going to pee in a cup (something she has gotten quite good at doing) and also that she had diarrhea this morning.  Can you say TMI?

We are grateful and relieved at this outcome and that she doesn't have more serious problems. We are also grateful to have the best pediatrician in the world who has gone well out of his way to help us out and has even called me personally to check up on Hannah.