It's just not like me to forget.

Pichu is 2 yrs old now, but when he was just 2 weeks old he became sick, and quickly, and ended up in hospital for a few days.  

He had been asleep for a few hours, and Coder started wondering if that was ok?  (we have never had good sleeping babies).  I didn't want to wake Pichu up by checking on him, especially if he was just starting to have longer sleeping sessions.  But Coder was adamant (he is a worrier), so I did check on him, only to find this:

So of course we freaked just a little.  How does vomit get all the way over there?  And why is it bright yellow and frothy?!  So I rang the Health Direct number and they told me to take him straight to the ER.

Unfortunately, because of his size and they weren't sure what was going on with him (he was very lethargic) they took us straight to the resus room.  Can I say, that I really hate that room?  Instantly I am transported back a year when Oshawott almost died. He had chronic pneumonia in both lungs, which ended up actually being Pertussis. 

Maybe a little gross now, but that photo helped the doctors, in their diagnosis of hydronephrosis.  They had to collect a urine sample, from a 2 week old!  Oh joy.  I am not sure what it is called, some kind of bladder tap?  They put a needle into his lower abdomen to draw out a urine sample.  

Hydronephrosis is the swelling of the kidneys when urine flow is obstructed in any of part of the urinary tract. Swelling of the ureter, which always accompanies hydronephrosis, is called hydroureter. Hydronephrosis implies that a ureter and the renal pelvis (the connection of the ureter to the kidney) are overfilled with urine.


He was admitted. 

Our Little Jean-luc Picard look-a-like.

After a course of IV anti-biotics and an ultrasound we came home with an appointment scheduled to have another ultrasound 6 weeks later.

Thankfully, it had cleared itself up. 

Now here is the part where I am forgetful. At the second ultrasound they told me it was just something that would need to be done every 12months (an ultrasound).  Opps.  He just turned 2. It was only at his Paediatric appointment last week (for his chronic constipation.. sigh) when the doctor mentioned it, asking if we had had an ultrasound done.  I could have slapped myself on the forhead.

It is important to keep checking in case it returns, as even though it may not show any symptoms, it could be affecting his kidney, scarring it.  It is something that may not be detected until he is a teenager, and it's certainly not ideal to find out that you only have one functioning kidney when there is nothing they can do about it.

I blame the complete lack of sleep in those early weeks, I had immediately thrown that little bit of info to the deep dark overtired reaches of my mind.

So today, he has an appointment for an ultrasound.  I really hope we can be thankful for a positive result.



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