Living with Pediatric Urology Issues

My daughter had numerous Kidney Infections by the time she was only 1 year old. We went to 5 pediatricians and none of them seemed concerned, not until one of the long nights spent in the ER that a pediatrician (that was on call) stepped up and said he would like to run some tests to make sure that everything was ok. He then took her in for a VCUG and ultrasound of the kidneys. Within a couple of days I received a call stating that there was some concerns about the tests and they would like to see us at the childrens hospital.

They got us in right away and she was diagnosed with stage III reflux in both kidneys. They put her on profolactic antibiotics, Miralax (due to complications with constipation from the reflux), and Ditropan to help strengthen her bladder. Since then she has stopped the Ditropan as her bladder seems to be stronger (no more bed wetting!). We follow up with the pediatric urologist every year for testing, with the hopes that she will outgrow the reflux.

Last year, they stated that the tests showed the reflux was gone on the right side, however remained on the left side. Since then, she has had 4 breakthrough infections on the right side so I am worried what we will find this year. Is it possible that the reflux may have just not shown up during that one VCUG but still exists? That is what I hope to find out this year. We plan on talking to the specialist about the surgery options available to her at the next appointment. If we don’t get an answer this year, we will be seeking other opinions.

My daughter is now 6 years old and has been a real champ through all of this. There are some mornings she will wake up and can hardly walk due to the pain from yet another infection or the constipation problems, but you will never see her without a smile on her face. This is tough to get through and when you are a parent finding out that your child has been diagnosed with Kidney Reflux, it can be a really scary ordeal. I hope that there are parents that will read this and feel inspired that there are other parents out there that are struggling through the same or similar situation. My advice for parents of children that have kidney/bladder infections at an early age is to pick up the phone right now and schedule an appointment with a pedatric urologist Also, if your child is put on a profolactic antibiotic, make sure they take it every day! I know as a parent of three beutiful children, you may forget some days… but it is very important that they get the antibiotic ALL of the time. There have been several occasions when I have had to wake up my daughter and give her medication to her, due to getting too busy and it escaping me.

I hope this helps someone out there! Have a great day and smile for that little bundle of joy that was given to you