Follow Up

You might recall a few months back I mentioned we had an ultrasound performed on Berlin that showed her right kidney was severely dilated. As I mentioned in this post, we discovered, while Berlin was in utero, that her kidney was dilated, but we were told it was a condition that often repaired itself within the first year of life. However, after reviewing the ultrasound we were referred to a specialist to decide if even further testing was needed. Upon meeting with the specialist we were told that we did indeed need more testing and unfortunately we were to undergo the most invasive set of tests for this condition; a VCUG & Kidney Renal Scan. I won’t go into specifics of these tests in great detail, but let’s just say it involves an insertion of a catheter (you can only imagine my fears for Berlin).

The initial consultation with the specialist was rather disturbing and left me feeling even more frightened than previously. While the doctor was extremely comforting and confident the issue could be resolved, he felt strongly, the only solution was going to be major surgery.

Three weeks later we returned for the dreaded tests. Although there was little conversation between Ryan and I , it was clear we were both anxious for the results and nervous about how Berlin would hold up for the duration of the tests. When we arrived a young staff member armed with books & toys approached us and informed us both he would be joining in during the testing as both support to ourselves and Berlin. He was warm, upbeat and good-humored and immediately put Berlin at ease. It was the most amazing service I’ve ever seen a hospital offer. He answered all our questions, distracted Berlin during the testing and stayed with us the entire afternoon until the results came in. If there was a yelp review for this kind of service, I would have been all over it!

During the initial test, a catheter was inserted, and while Berlin was not particularly pleased with this, she handled it quite well. From there they took extensive x-rays and then we were shuttled to the next building (catheter and all) for the second round of testing. The next test began by placing an IV in Berlin’s foot, however after several attempts and a few bruises later they had to (with dismay) move the IV up to her arm instead. As a parent, watching my daughter endure this procedure, this part of the process was the most painful. Watching her strapped to the bed while they struggled to get a large needle inserted in her frail little arm was more than I could bear. It was utterly heartbreaking hearing my daughter cry “mama, mama” with tears streaming down her face.

Once the final round of tests were done we returned to the doctor’s office and waited for the results to come in (mind you this was over five hours later-it was a long, exhausting day). Moments after being taken into his office, the specialist entered the room with a huge grin on his face (much to our surprise). He was stunned and beyond pleased to announce that while Berlin’s kidneys were severely dilated they were functioning at a normal level. While the results baffled us all, we were overjoyed with the outcome. So after one painstakingly anxious month we waited to get the testing done and one grueling day of unpleasant testing, that was it. The outcome is she is a happy, healthy toddler.

While we will have to perform ultrasounds from time to time to ensure her kidneys remain healthy, we couldn’t be more happy with the results. I have a new found appreciation for any parent who has to endure extensive treatment for their child, it was the scariest experience to date of my time spent being as a parent and I can’t imagine the pain a parent goes through when their child is born with an illness. My heart goes out to anyone that has gone through such a circumstance.