The problem has to be fixed...

It all started about a year ago, with Avery getting a horrible kidney infection. She had a temperature that was unreal and wouldn't break and she was extremely sick. We took her in to the doctor and he recommended scheduling Avery for a VCUG (Voiding Cystourethrogram) and Ultrasound just to see what was going on with her kidneys and bladder. What a horrible experience for a 3 year old. The procedure consisted of injecting her bladder with dye through a catheter and taking multiple X-rays to see where the dye went. Next, they took X-rays while she was emptying her bladder. We were told then that Avery has a Grade 3 Reflux in her left kidney. The valve where her left ureter connects to the bladder wasn't working correctly. This is something that happened during her development. With Reflux of the Kidney, there are 5 grades, 1 being the mildest and 5 being the worst. Grades 1 and 2 children grow out of, Grades 3, 4, and 5 children most generally do not grow out of. Our next step was to put Avery on an antibiotic for a year with the hope that she may grow out of it and/or let her body grow a little bit before they performed surgery to repair the valve.

This year a week before Christmas, Avery got really sick again. As soon as the fever hit and wouldn't break, Jeff and I knew what was going on, another kidney infection. We took her back into the doctor and a kidney infection it was. It was bad enough for 3 days of I.V. antibiotics. We then took her to Pocatello for another VCUG and Ultrasound with the same results as the tests a year ago. But, this time they told us the the reflux was a Grade 3 possibly as bad as a Grade 4.

Today,we met with her Urologist, Dr. Norman, to discuss her condition in more detail. He showed us the X-rays and explained her situation and treatment. The reflux is causing her left ureter to dialate 2 times the size of a normal ureter for a child of her age. It is also causing her kidney to dialate which will eventually erode her kidney. In this situation, her kidney would no longer function.

Here is a picture of what we saw when he was explaining all of this to us.

Jeff and I figured that Avery would have to have the surgery and were planning on doing while I was on my maternity leave from work. But today the doctor gave us some news while we were there. He will be retiring from surgery after 30 plus years on February 24. My maternity leave probably won't be until April. We really like this doctor. About 5 years ago, he did surgery on Jeff and helped us with some fertility issues so we could have our precious little Avery. The doctor did tell us that he could refer us to Salt Lake if we would rather wait. I know that they would do a great job in Salt Lake but I would rather be close to home if we can.

Long story short, Avery is scheduled for surgery on Monday, February 1st. She has to be in the hospital for 2 days, best case scenario, and Dr. Norman told us the success rate of the surgery is extremely high. We have been really lucky to have some great doctors, our families who help us out over and over again, and good friends who support us. Wish us luck!!!