Friday Morning

Think of Lindy tomorrow, Friday morning, as she has a morning full of appointments to check on her kidney reflux. They discovered in the NICU that she had Grade 3 kidney reflux. Urine normally flows in one direction—down from the kidneys, through tubes called ureters, to the bladder. Vesicoureteral reflux (VUR) is the abnormal flow of urine from the bladder back into the ureters. It was most likely caused from the urinary tract infection she had while in the NICU.

The great majority of children with reflux outgrow this over the course of several years. Reflux is divided into grades I, II, III, IV, and V. In children with grades I and II, 80% will resolve spontaneously by school age. Spontaneous resolution is progressively less common in grades III and IV (only about 10% of grade IV involving both sides), and rare in grade V.

Tomorrow Lindy will have the following done:
1.)Kidney and bladder ultrasound: This test shows shadows of the kidney and bladder that may point out certain abnormalities.
2.)Voiding cystourethrogram (VCUG): A test that examines the urethra and bladder while the bladder fills and empties. A liquid that can be seen on x rays is placed in the bladder through a catheter. Pictures are taken when the bladder is filled and when the child urinates. This test can reveal abnormalities of the inside of the urethra and bladder. The test can also determine whether the flow of urine is normal when the bladder empties.
3.) Blood drawn.

The ultrasounds are easy (she had that done about 6 months ago). Having blood drawn and getting her to lay still for the VCUG will not be so much fun.

Think of her tomorrow!!