Living with Pediatric Urology Issues

Our youngest child, Jared, JJ for short started getting high fevers at the age of just three weeks old. He had every test imaginable run, but no answers. He constantly cried and periodically would run fevers. I would take him in saying there was something wrong with my child and the doctors would tell me I was just over protected. J.J. Eventually seemed to grow out of what was bothering him. He was fully potty trained at about 19 months old and no longer needed a pull up at all. Everything had seemed to smooth out.

Then at age four he started wetting the bed again and complaining of stomach pain. I took him to his pediatrician many times and she kept telling me he was just regressing and a little constipated. J.J. was so frustrated about wetting the bed he would cry, he was a big boy and didn’t wet the bed! We tried everything from cutting off liquids two hours before bed to waking him in the middle of the night to go potty. I trusted his doctor since I was working for her, even though something inside of me thought something was wrong. His pain got worse and she continued to tell me the same thing.

In March of 2005 My sister and I were looking at houses with the kids when J.J. started screaming uncontrollably, my back and stomach hurt! I took him into the ER and he had a fever of 103 and right side pain. They thought it was appendicitis and ran lots of scars and blood work. They eventually sent us home saying it was the flu. By the next morning his fever with tylenol was 105 and he couldn’t walk because he was in so much pain. Then he started throwing up and became very lethargic. I rushed him back to the ER and said he did not have the flu there was something really wrong.

I was right there was something wrong he had a horrible kidney infection. The addmitted him and started an IV. Three days latter he was going in and out of consciousness and not getting ant better. I prayed to God do not let me loose him! It was so hard to watch him suffer and not get any better! My heart broke and I was afraid we might loose him if something wasn’t done fast.

My husband and I then demanded he be transfered to children’s hospital in Seattle. After the transfer to children’s we stayed another five days and descovered he had urinary reflux on both sides. We learned more from children’s in two hours than we did in four days at the local ER. He also had a very rare bactiria in his kidneys. J.J. also has a bladder that is three times biggar than normal. He was released with a profolctic antibiotic, to help him from getting UTI’s until surgery.

J.J. is quite the trooper! We have been through countless tests and two minor surgeries. He still has some reflux, but he no longer has to take a preventative antibiotic. The surgeries were pretty sucessful. Children’s hospital has been awesome! We just found out his right kidney is smaller than the left and has permenant damage due to the reacurring UTI’s that went un treated. He was just started on a meddication to help him stop wetting the bed and hopefully take away the scar tissue in the bladder.

We have learned from JJ that when you know something is wrong with your child and the doctors keep telling you no, don’t give up! You do not need a medical degree to tell your child has a problem! Keep pushing! You are the only advocate your child has! I learned how to take a stand and be aggressive if that is what it took! Now nothing get’s by me know. My beautiful boy taught me to go with my motherly instics, God gave then to us for a reason.