Max Has Healthy Kidneys

Today’s story has a happy ending: Max has been cleared of any concern for his right kidney, hydronephrosis, or vesicoureteral reflux. As we detailed in some of our earlier posts, (see here and here) one of Max’s routine prenatal ultrasounds yielded a measurement that “may be” something that requires future observation. All is resolved now that we have discussed this with our Obstetrician, Pediatrician/Primary Care Doc, a Maternal Fetal Medicine Specialist, and a Child Urology Specialist. The long story short is that his kidney is fine and that we have likely had him on Amoxicillin since birth for no reason other than to participate in some defensive medicine. Max didn’t seem to mind as he enjoyed his am and pm “strawberry milkshakes.”

The first of his tests Monday was another ultrasound, which was fairly noninvasive and showed two very normal and healthy kidneys. The next was a very invasive Voiding Cystourethrogram (which was painful physically for Max and emotionally for his parents.) The results of this test, in which a catheter is inserted into the penis and fed into the bladder to inject a dye read by an X ray machine, was that Max had no signs or symptoms of vesicoureteral reflux. All good results, but  it was a very difficult experience to hold a child down while he is poked and prodded on a cold radiology machine. It was amazing, however, to see the X-rays of Max and how every little part of his tiny human body worked in coordiantion with each other.

If any parents find this online by Googling some of these terms, I will be happy to answer any questions for you. You can contact us here for some info and words of encouragement.