Annual Ultrasound

In April Ammon had his annual ultrasound to check up on his kidneys and then we have to go to Vegas to follow up with his pediatric urologist.  Luckily, not much has changed since last time.  For the right kidney to only be functioning 20% it isn't causing any problems for the other one.  It's only half the size of the other one.  But, everything seems to be doing fine so far.   

Mom & Ammon on our annual Date to the Doctor :)

Trying not to be scared, he still gave me a thumbs up :)

Ammon's Checkup

Ammon had his routine renal Ultrasound a couple weeks ago and then we went to his Pediatric Urologist in Vegas this week for a follow up on his Ultrasound. It has been 6 months since his last one.   He did so great.  He is gettting so big and didn't even cry or move around so much to make it impossible to get any good images.  He did great this time! Good Job Buddy!!

 We tried to make it a fun outing, just Ammon and Mom.

 Laying so still getting his Ultrasound.  So happy this isn't a "hurt" kinda test. I'm done with the poking and traumatic experiences. I don't know how other kids and parents do it that have more severe life threatening problems. My heart goes out to them.

 When his test was over he just had to ride in the elevator one time. :)

 Then, he wanted a Happy Meal with chicken nuggets and chocolate milk :)

We are so proud of you Ammon, you are getting so big and so tough!!

Both kidneys have grown slightly since last time, which is good.  The Right Kidney is still significantly smaller and only functioning 21%, but isn't causing any kinks or infections and things seem to be flowing smoothly through out.  So, that is good.  Ammon has been complaining a lot about stomache aches lately and it's hard to tell if it's something with his kidneys or just a regular stomache ache.  The doctor said that since the ultrasound shows everything is working and there is no blockage then its probably just a normal tummy ache, but just to watch it closely as usual as things can change quickly. But, we don't have to go back for a YEAR! Yay!! A whole year!! So happy!

Reminder of diet: No Soda, No extra salt, No acidy things, No large amounts of protein

Written report from Renal Ultrasound 4/1/11:

Findings: The right kidney (pelvic kidney) measures 5 cm in length.  The left kidney measures 8.9 cm in length.  The right kidney is pelvic in location and appears anomalously rotated.  The right kidney is asymmetrically smaller than the left.  There is no hydronephrosis seen on the right.  There is minimal grade 1 left hydronephrosis present.  No ureteral dilatation observed.  Urinary bladder is incompletely filled., but demonstrates no evidence of wall thickening or ureterocele.  Neither ureteral jet could be confidently observed.  

Impression: 1. Right pelvic kidney, asymmetrically smaller.  No hydronephrosis present on the right.

.  2. Grade 1 left hydronephrosis seen.  This has not significantly changed compared to prior exam.

Ammon (or should I say "Batman")

Well, Sorry no pics at the moment! But, I wanted to write a little about Ammon.  He is quite the Character.  I can't keep track of the millions of funny things he says everyday.  He has quite the personality and imagination.  He can be a little stinker somedays, but he is the coolest and funnest little kid ever! 

First, I wanted to remember the results of his last Kidney tests.   His recent tests on his Kidneys were just a couple weeks ago, it had only been a few months since the last one, but the Doctor wanted to do a test every 3 months to keep a closer eye on things. They can change fast. So, we had his routine Ultrasound, which is starting to get Way to hard to do. Every since his Mag 3 Renal Scan he does not like going to the Doctor...who can blame him! He is starting to realize how not fun it is when he has to go to the doctor and he his starting to be really difficult and cries and doesn't want to do it and it just ends up being exhausting and I am just holding him there, trying not to let him move so they hopefully can get some good Ultrasound pics and measurments they need. So, not a fun thing to look forward too. Thank Goodness the ultrasound tests aren't as painful as the others, just uncomfortable. The Doctor was happy with this last test. Not too much change and the Hydronephrosis had gone down a little in both kidneys, which is at least good. Nothing else had really changed. The Right (Ectopic/Pelvic) Kidney is only functioning 21% but with the Hydronephrosis going down I guess it doesn't look like it is causing too many problems for the other Kidney as of now. He said we don't need to come back this time until 6 months. (Ammon's last test & results)

Here are the written report results of the most resent ultrasound.

Findings: The right Kidney measures 4.4 cm in length. The right kidney is located within the pelvis. There is malrotation of the right kidney noted. The previously described cystic lesion of the right kidney most likely represents the renal pelvis which has significanly decreased in size compared to prior examination. There is mild prominence of the right renal pelvis.

The Left Kidney measures 8.5 cm in length. Mild left hydronephrosis identified. The bladder has a normal appearance without mass, deverticulum or calculus.

Impression: Right pelvic kidney, which demonstrated mild hydronephrosis which has significantly decreased compared to prior examination dated May 28, 2010. Mild left hydronephrosis which has also decreased compared to prior examination.

*He is 2, he'll be 3 in December. 

*He is loving Joy School and loves his friends. 

*He loves Nursery & his Awesome Teachers! 

*His Best Friend is probably Sydnee.  They just love eachother and it is so cute.  He calls her Honey and tells her he'll miss her when she leaves.  They are just so cute with eachother and they think they are so big!

*He can count to 13 and knows his colors pretty well.  He always tells me his favorite color is Yellow.  One night he requested that his P.j's had to be Yellow!

*He loves puzzles and does so good at them, even harder ones, once you show him a couple times he can then do it on his own. 

*He loves to look at books and I always catch him tracing each letter with his finger. 

*He loves to play the Wii or Computer games.  He loves to play Starwars and He likes to play Playhouse Disney, Starfall  and do the ABC's (love this one especially because he is learning a lot when he plays).

*He thinks he's batman...haha, he always pretends he is Batman.  My good friend, Natalie (Sydnee's mom), made him a Batman cape and he loves that thing, for the first couple weeks he wore it all days, to bed, to the Doctor...everywhere! Of course he is going to be Batman for Halloween and we just got his costume and he never wants to take it off.  He wears it outside and pretends he is fighting off the bad guys, He told Syndee he would save her from the bad guys...LOL.

*When he's asking a question to somebody he'll ask the question and then say "Huh, Punk?"  (Nice, where do you think he got that???  Daddy!)

*Okay, this is bad...haha, but he says "Damn" like Waaayyyy too much!  It just flows naturally out of his mouth! haha... So Sad! :(

I'm sure there are so many things I am forgetting to right down.  I need a digital video camera to record his funny's!

We love you so much Ammon, you are such a Joy to have in our home!!

Ammon's Test Results

We went to Vegas & got the results of Ammon's test today. The Right (Pelvic) Kidney is only functioning 21%. The Left Kidney still has a little bit of Hydronephrosis, which means its holding onto too much liquid. This could be the right kidney causing the problem for the left. But, there is no real blockage yet, so no surgery is needed at the moment, because it could cause too much scar tissue to cause even more problems right now. Over the next 3 months if it gets worse, then it will mean surgery. He has to be closely monitored, any fever, pain after drinking too much liquid, etc. and ultrasounds every 3 months now instead of every year because things can change fast.  We'll just continue to keep a close eye on him as always and wait for what changes show on the next Ultrasound in October. 

Ammon was so stressing today at the Doctor.  Thank goodness it was only results and nothing more.  He suddenly remembered his recent experience with doctors and he was very scared.  He didn't want to be there and kept asking if we could go home.  Poor little guy.  It makes me sad to just think about our next Doctor experience and if it may be surgery or what.  We are just taking it one thing at a time and hoping for the best! 

Ammon's Tests: Mag 3 Renal Scan

We had the most recent test done on Ammon yesterday at Summerlin Hospital in Las Vegas.  I really liked Summerlin a lot better than Sunrise, maybe just because the horrible experience we had there before with this same test.  Anyway, The nurses: Nurse Wyly, doctors: Dr. Vovan & Radiologists were all great! We tried to get the test as early as possible because Ammon couldn't have anything to eat or drink for 8 hours before.  I knew it would be sooo hard to not let him have anything.  Artie, Shannon & Randon gave him a blessing the night before and I know it really helped especially for the not eating or drinking.  He didn't ask about it one time, I was shocked.  He usually has something right when he wakes up and he drinks liquid like no other.  He didn't say one word.  Thank goodness for that part!  I didn't want him to start crying about that....that's not even the hardest part.  Anyway, so we got there and checked in and they took us to his hospital room where he got into his hospital gown and right away they had this childlife specialist come in, her name was Jody.  She was great.  She brought books, bubbles, cool toys that light up and spin.  She is there to help make the process a little easier.  It definietly helped.  She tried to distract him while the other nurses were playing with his arms prodding his veins, and I was hugging him tight trying to get him not to look that way.  The nurses had to try both arms...they coudn't find a good vein it seemed.  But, then they tried again in the left hand and it worked....It's always hard when he's screaming at the top of his lungs and I'm hugging him and trying to make it okay.  But, there is nothing I can do to make it okay.  Anyway, I'm soooo glad they got the IV in okay.  That was one of my worst fears...again, because of our experience LAST TIME when they poked him 8 different times, 2 in each arm, 2 in each leg and about to go to his head....ARGGHHHH.  I'm so glad it worked THIS TIME! But, he did not like that thing in his arm and then they wrapped it all up and taped his arm to this little pillow thing so he couldn't get it off.  He kept saying, "Can we go home now....pleeeaaasse." =(  We then had to wait to be taken down to Radiology.  He got to ride down on his bed and then they transfered him over under this big machine scanner thing.  He was nervous and scared and he didn't want to lay there.  It was sad because he doesn't understand why the heck we are doing all of this and why he has to lay there while they poke and prod him.  The doctor didn't want to have to Sedate him if they didn't have to, but they ended up sedating him pretty good because he was crying and there is no way he would have laid there for 30 minutes for the Scan.  It's sorta scary watching them inject the medicine and then seeing his eyes roll back, not a fun part!  They then put the cathider in and proceeded with the Scan.  He is under this big machine and it shows his kidneys on the screen.  We just watched him lay there for 30 minutes and watched his kidneys on the screen while they did the Scan.  Half way through they gave him Lasix, not really sure what that does.  And they had to give him quite a bit of liquid through the IV because during the Scan his Blood pressure was dropping.  We don't know anything yet, we go back down to Vegas July 1st for the results of the test (*crossing fingers*). This scan shows exactly how good the kidneys are working and if there are any problems.  So, I hope we get all the answers next week.  The Pediatric Urologist said that if the Right (pelvic) kidney is causing problems for the left it will have to be removed.  After the scan was over, they stopped the Sedation (Propythal) and Ammon came out of it pretty fast.  We then moved to recovery and finally they took out everything on him..IV's and such and he got a popcicle.  After we left the hospital he seemed to bounce back so fast.  I know it's because of the blessing he had and it's almost like he forgot everything that just happened.  He didn't say one thing about it until this afternoon he looked at his hand and saw the bruise from the IV.

I took a few pictures from the Hospital on my phone but can't seem to get them onto my computer...oh well.  But,  I want Ammon to see what a brave strong boy he has already been in his life!

Ammon's Yearly Ultrasound

It was time for Ammon to get his yearly Ultrasound on his Pelvic Kidney.  It's so much better going every year now.  And now that he is a little older he is a lot less wiggly on the table and easier to get good pictures of his insides.  It is nice that we can get the Ultrasound done right here in Mesquite.  So, just him and I went and as we were getting in the car he said, "Are we going to Disneyland?"  Dangit, I wish buddy, I wish!Hospital BandTrying to make a fish faceJust chillin' in the waiting roomAmmon & MomHe did so good, I always hand him a sucker when we go because it helps a little to keep him still. At least this test doesn't hurt at all.  It was taking so long he actually fell asleep.  The ultrasound tech was like, "so, he probably won't be able to play contact sports, huh."  awww...lady, don't remind me =(  he is such a sporty boy and I sure hope he is allowed to play at least baseball...We'll get to that when it comes I guess.  Anyway,

 This time I also got a report of the test which I wish I had for every time, from now on I'm gonna remember to ask for the printed report.  This is what it says on the report from the Ultrasound:

Findings:  The right kidney measures 4.9 cm in length.  The right kidney is significantly smaller in size compared to the left and is located within the right pelvic region.  The left kidney measures 9.3 cm in length.  There is a rounded, hypoechoic structure seen adjacent to the right kidney, measuring approximate 3.4 x 1.2 x 2.9 cm.  This may represent an exophytic cyst.  There is mild to moderate hydronephrosis of the left kidney, which was not seen on the prior examination dated May 29, 2009.

So, the right pelvic kidney is definitely significatly smaller (which we pretty much already knew) and it has a cyst like thing that is just about as big as the kidney itself.  We then had to followup with his Pediatric Urologist in Las Vegas.  He took a look at the films and wasn't real comfortable with the left kidney and the hydronephrosis. It could be a sign of blockage of one of the kidneys or the right pelvic kidney causing problems for the left.  So, now we have to go get that darn Mag 3 renal scan test done that we tried to do Before and had a horrible experience with.  But, he said that since he is 2 they will more than likely sedate him to make the process so much easier.  This test should tell us so much more information which will be very good to know. We will get that done in the next couple weeks and then again followup with the Urologist to find out the results.  A lot of trips to Vegas lately which I don't like, but I hope we find out a lot of answers. 

More Tests for Ammon

Well, Last Wednesday, the day before Thanksgiving Ammon had to do a VCUG and a Renal Ultrasound again. (These are described below, if you are wondering). He has to be checked every 6 months for now to keep a close eye on the kidneys. I hate having to do these tests, because it is just like torture for my Poor little Ammon. It makes for a horrible day, starting out with the VCUG, having to be held down and then get a cathider in and fill his bladder up with yucky dye stuff, then holding him down and turning him at the right times to get the best pictures of the kidneys. The Renal Ultrasound isn't so bad, but he does not want to lay back on that table after the first tests trauma, so he has to be held down again, and he can't stop screaming for the tech to get some good pictures. Anyway, we got that over with & finally today we had to go to Las Vegas to the Pediatric Uroligist to find out the results of the tests. So, it was pretty good news for now. He said they seem to be functioning just fine and the pelvic/ectopic kidney is smaller, but he expected that. The last Ultrasound we did showed some sort of growth or dialated ureter attached to the pelvic kidney. But, it is not there anymore. There is no reflux & he said we shouldn't have to try to do another Mag 3 Renal Scan (the thing we tried to do a few months back where we had a horrible experience trying to get the IV in-you can click here if you liked to read that post) Anyway, so yeah....I don't want to try that again. He said we'll do another Renal Ultrasound in 6 months and we won't even have to do the VCUG next time unless a problem occurs. And then if the next ultrasound is good then we can go a year before we have to do anymore tests!! Yeah!! He has to keep getting checked though, because with the pelvic/ectopic kidney there is more likely for problems. But, I think Ammon will be just fine!! Yeah! Good News!

So, I put a little more info for myself so I can remember all this junk for the future...and for any of you who may be interested.

What is an ectopic kidney? An ectopic kidney is a birth defect in which a kidney is located in an abnormal position. In most cases, people with an ectopic kidney have no complaints. In other cases, the ectopic kidney may create urinary problems, such as urine blockage, infection, or urinary stones. Researchers estimate that ectopic kidney occurs once in every 1,000 births.

What causes an ectopic kidney? During fetal development, a baby’s kidneys first appear as buds inside the pelvis, near the bladder. As the fetal kidneys develop, they climb gradually toward their normal position near the rib cage in the back. Sometimes, one of the kidneys fails to make the climb. It may stop after making part of the climb. Or it may remain in the pelvis. Rarely does a child have two ectopic kidneys. An ectopic kidney may remain in the pelvis, close to the bladder.
What are the possible complications of an ectopic kidney? When a kidney is out of the normal position, drainage problems are likely. Sometimes, urine can even flow backwards from the bladder to the kidney, a problem called vesicoureteral reflux, or simply reflux. Abnormal urine flow can set the stage for a number of problems. -Infection. Normally, urine flow washes out bacteria and keeps them from growing in the kidneys and urinary tract. When a kidney is out of the normal position, urine may get trapped in the ureter or in the kidney itself. Urine that remains in the urinary tract gives bacteria the chance to grow and spread.
-Stones. Urinary stones form from substances found in the urine, such as calcium and oxalate. Urine that remains too long in the urinary tract increases the risk that these substances will have time to form stones. Symptoms of urinary stones include extreme pain in the back, side, or pelvis; blood in the urine; fever or chills; vomiting; and burning during urination.
-Kidney failure. If urine backs up all the way to the kidneys, damage to the kidneys can occur. As a result, the kidneys can’t filter wastes and extra fluid from the blood. Symptoms of kidney failure include swelling in the legs or abdomen, feeling very tired, headaches, or nausea. If total kidney failure occurs, you will need dialysis or a kidney transplant. Total kidney failure happens only when both kidneys are damaged. One ectopic kidney, even when it has no function, won’t cause kidney failure. The body can survive with one kidney.
-Trauma. If the ectopic kidney is in the lower abdomen, or pelvis, it may be susceptible to injury from blunt trauma. People with ectopic kidney who want to participate in body contact sports may wish to wear protective gear.
Ammon has a little bit of Hydronephrosis, where one of the kidneys is dialated. The Pelvic/ectopic Kidney is smaller, so the other kidney has Hydronephrosis, meaning it is dialated. Normally, urine flows from the kidneys down through the ureters and into the bladder. But, if there is some kind of a blockage that prevents urine from draining properly into the bladder or out of the bladder, the kidney overfills with urine and hydronephrosis occurs. The blockage may be partial, letting urine pass, but at a slower rate and with increased pressure.
Tests
-Voiding cystourethrogram (VCUG) - a specific X-ray that examines the urinary tract. A catheter (hollow tube) is placed in the urethra (tube that drains urine from the bladder to the outside of the body) and the bladder is filled with a liquid dye. X-ray images will be taken as the bladder fills and empties. The images will show if there is any reverse flow of urine into the ureters and kidneys and how well the bladder empties. It is also used to determine if there is obstruction in the urethra.
-Renal ultrasound (RUS) - a non-invasive test in which a transducer is passed over the kidney, producing sound waves which bounce off the kidney and transmit a picture of the organ on a video screen. The test is used to determine the size and shape of the kidney, and to detect a mass, kidney stone, cyst, or other obstruction or abnormalities.
-A renal (kidney) scan (MAG 3 with lasix) - This scan provides very sensitive quantitative information regarding kidney function and drainage characteristics. Along with the IVP, it is particularly helpful in identifying and assessing the degree of blockage.

If you are wondering What's Going On...

So, I know a lot of you have been asking what we do next with Ammon.... We had a follow up appointment with the Pediatric Urologist in Vegas last thursday. It was suppose to be the follow up appointment to see the films from the test we were suppose to have done, but even though we were unable to get the test done he still wanted us to come to the follow up appointment. So, he told us we will wait to see what stuff looks like on his next ultrasound when he is 1 year old. We will also have the VCUG test done again at that same time (he had the same thing when he was 1 day old). He has to get a cathider for that and they put fluid in he stomach and watch what the kidneys do, they check for reflux of the kidneys to see if all the fluid/pee is going out the way it's suppose to. Anyway, I really wanna know what the suspicious looking thing is that is attached to his pelvic kidney... it kinda worries me. Then the doctor said we will probably do the Mag 3 Renal scan again but we will wait until he his probably 2 or so. As long as he has no infections or blood in the urine the doctor seems to think all will be okay! I hope he is right! I hope the "suspicious area" doesn't grow.... I wish it would just go away!

NO MORE TORTURE PLEASE!!

Well, today was the day we had to take Ammon to Sunrise Hospital In Las Vegas to get a test on his kidneys. The test is called a Mag 3 Renal Scan. Anyway, we were told he needed to be well hydrated and sleep deprived when we got there. He doesn't take a bottle, he won't even suck on it, no way no how, so we kept giving him water through a medicine dropper on the drive down to Vegas. He did pretty good staying awake, I stayed in the back and played with him and stuff. By the time we got to Vegas he was done, he was sooooo ready to fall asleep, but we kept him awake and he was not happy. We finally got to the hospital and had to go to admitting and get all set up and then we made our way to Radiology. The nurse in Radiology was very good and so nice. She explained everything to us and we were ready. He needed to get an IV because they would be putting radioactive fluid in his body and the camera could watch everything that was going on with his kidneys. So, the pediatric nurse came in to do the IV and Cathider :( it all went haywire from there. She was one of the top nurses that do IV's on little babies all the time, but it was not working on Ammon. She tried the IV in his foot. It looked like she was in the vein but blood was not coming out. She tried for a minute and still it was not working. So, she took it out and found a good vein on the other foot. Poked my poor baby again, blood was coming this time and they started to thread the tube on and it wasn't flowing, it wasn't working again. So, they pulled it out again. My poor baby was already screaming by this time. They called the other top nurse in pediatrics and she tried in each hand, still not working. They then called on other departments IV people and the pediatrics Boss man. Nobody could do it. My poor baby. After the fifth time of getting poked they gave us a break and told me to nurse him. I nursed him and his little body was just shaking and shaking. I almost broke down right there and started crying, but I held it in. They tried 3 more times after that. One nurse who did it kept prodding the vein, she first stuck it in and then it wasn't working, so she pulled it slightly out and then put it in a different part of the vein, she kept doing that pulling out slightly and then putting it in, I seriously wanted to slap her! Sorry! 8 IV tries all together, 2 in each hand, 2 in each foot and they still couldn't do it. After calling all the different departments and then they called the "IV team." The Radiology nurse told us if we wanted to be done we could just come back a different day. She gave us a minute to talk about it and I just held my little Ammon and tried to calm him and tell him it was going to be okay. After 3 hours of this craziness, he fell asleep on my shoulder exhausted. Artie and I discussed for a minute what to do, if we should have the "IV team" give it a shot one more time or just call it a day! Ammon fell asleep exhausted on my shoulder and I said, no more! I couldn't let them do it again! I really didn't want to have to say that we'll come back again to try, but I really didn't want to put him through anymore. I wish we could just get the results of the test and know whats going on with his kidneys... I'm really not sure what to do, I don't wanna go back and do that again! But we really need to do this test! As we put our Ammon into the carseat to head home he woke for just a minute and started to cry in a panic, he probably thought we were laying him back on that table so they could strap him down and try again. :( My poor little guy, I so wish I could have gone through all of that for him, I wish they could have poked me 8 times instead of him. I wish he really knew how much we hate to see him go through all of this and want him to be comforted and be okay. I hope he knows we don't want him to hurt. My heart just hurts so much! I'm not looking forward to next time!

An update on our sweet Ammon

So, every 6 months for now Ammon has to have an ultrasound on his kidneys. So, he just got one here at the hospital and then we took the film from the Ultrasound down to Vegas to the Pediatric Uroligist. On the ultrasound it showed that the Pelvic Kidney has not grown much and it is half the size of the other kidney. The Pelvic Kidney also has something attached to it that could be a cyst or it could be that the ureter tube is enlarged there. The cyst looking thing was just as big as the Kidney. So, we have to go down to Sunrise Hospital in Vegas and have more tests... we'll be doing that June 27th. So, our little Ammon will have to have an IV :( and have medicine put into his body and a camera machine thing will scan his body for about 45 minutes and will be able to watch the medicine in his body and it will be able to tell us also what his kidneys are doing exactly. It will also be able to tell us how much work each kidney is doing and if the cyst or whatever it is, is creating some sort of blockage and not letting the pelvic kidney function properly. We will be able to know how much work each kidney is doing whether the left is doing 70% and the right is doing 30% or if the left is doing the whole 100%. Hopefully it all goes well. We'll keep you updated! **Note to self- As Ammon get's older he cannot have soda pop, no added salt, Acidy things, no large amounts of protein. Basically a very well balanced diet with NO POP OR ADDED SALT!