I have no good title for this post, because it's going to be a hodgepodge of updates :).
First off, I talked to the urologist and because Madi is non-symptomatic for a UTI, he doesn't want to treat her. I have learned over the years that you don't start antibiotics unless the urologist thinks you need to. Doctors and hospitals look for signs of infection often times without taking cathing, and the bacteria introduced there, in to account. There have been numerous times we were told to treat her UTI and then her urologist reviewed the results and said not to. I figured as much, which is why I didn't fill the antibiotic prescription the hospital gave us when we are in on Friday after the seizure/headache/projectile vomiting from Madi. And on that topic, I really, honestly, just believe her getting better was a miracle. Once when Madi was a baby, we'd gone through heck with her shunt. We had an infection just a few weeks after we were out from the hospital that landed us back in the hospital for almost 3 weeks. That cleared and the new shunt clogged. That was another 3 day stay for them to revise it. About two weeks later, Madi was showing signs of shunt failure again. I took her in, Dr. Moss checked her shunt, and he said that it was definitely not working again and would need to be revised again. We spent the night and Madi went NPO for surgery in the morning. The morning came and revision time came, but when Dr. Moss checked her shunt (as he always does before surgery), it was working again, so we got to go home. I really think that's what happened this time too. Madi was so very miserable. She had the seizure, she didn't want to open her eyes, she kept holding her head saying it hurt, she was projectile vomiting, and she kept drifting in and out. Right before the CT scan, it was as if a light switch was thrown. All of a sudden, she was her normal happy self. It was crazy! I really believe God cleared that shunt for us!
Today we headed back down to Phoenix Children's Hospital. We were there twice last week (once for each girl) and will be there twice this week (for Ramya). We are nearing the end of the testing she will need done (for now) and I can't wait! PCH is an amazing hospital, and we are very thankful for the care they have given our girls, but I am growing weary of the 30-40 minute drive a few times a week, and the number of hours we spend there. Today Ramya had a VCUG to check and see if Ramya still has renal reflux. The good news is that it does not look like she does! YES! That means the surgery (well, half-surgery ;)) she had in India was not a complete waste. It did correct her renal reflux. That is awesome! The test also showed that she did not have the augmentation surgery when they did her mitrofanoff surgery, which is a bummer. If Ramya is going to be "socially continent", it's a surgery she will need. It's not a fun one, and it is usually done with the mitrofanoff surgery, so it's too bad that it will mean another surgery. Boo. I am very thankful that when and if the time comes for that surgery, though, that I will be able to be with her and make sure she is comfortable and well cared for. That is something worth celebrating for sure. My little girl will never go through surgery alone again!
On Friday, Ramya and I head back to PCH for a urodynamics test that will give us a better picture of how much fluid Ramya's bladder can hold, if it is rigid or spastic, and how quickly it leaks. After the test, we will see the urologist to go over our recent testing and get a better picture of what we need to do. We know she may need the augmentation surgery, we need to deal with her granulation tissue on her belly button that is driving her nuts, and that the MACE procedure she had done in India isn't looking right (placed right) and needs to looked reviewed as well.
Attachment is chugging along. I still hold Ramya quite a bit, though much less than in the beginning. She still prefers to sit on my lap and have me feed her, so thatly is something we do most of the time. She also still prefers to be rocked to sleep and sleep in our bed, so that's what we do! I have been tired lately (and seriously need to go to bed now) and haven't been as cheerful and full of life with the kiddos lately and I need to get myself caught back up on sleep. Thank God for coffee!
Ramya's time-ins and times where she just gets in a funky and can't get out of it have been decreasing, which is nice, though they can still be pretty intense. Yesterday we had a melt-down that lead to a time-in. She was very upset and yelling at me and told me "me no like you, momma!!". I wasn't sure if I should laugh or cry. I told her I'm sorry she feels like that, but I still love her very much. She wasn't too fond of that answer, but it's the truth :). I know she was just upset at me for enforcing rules she didn't want to follow, and I know that she does enjoy spending time with me, but it still made my heart a bit sad to hear those words.
Ramya's English is getting better. She is understanding more and more every day and is expressing herself more and more. She has just discovered a love for salad and asks for "tiny bites" of mine all the time. She still loves eating beans and meat, and could eat them all day long! She's also discovered a love for peanut butter and jelly sandwiches, which is really nice since it's a snack I can easily bring when we are on the go.
I'll be back later to update with Easter pictures. All the kiddos loved Easter. Conner told me that in Church he learned that Easter isn't about eggs and candy. It's about Jesus dying on the cross for us because he loves us so much. He talked a little about what exactly that meant too. I was quite proud of him for expressing what he learned (we had talked about it at home as well, but I wasn't sure if anything sunk in), though he still woofed down the candy and was giddy about the egg hunt ;). Madi loved the hunt but wanted nothing to do with any of the candy. Ramya loved the hunt, loved the boiled eggs, and thinks the purple jelly beans are pretty nice as well.
I think I about covered it all for now! I'll be back with photos and more urology updates soon!
First off, I talked to the urologist and because Madi is non-symptomatic for a UTI, he doesn't want to treat her. I have learned over the years that you don't start antibiotics unless the urologist thinks you need to. Doctors and hospitals look for signs of infection often times without taking cathing, and the bacteria introduced there, in to account. There have been numerous times we were told to treat her UTI and then her urologist reviewed the results and said not to. I figured as much, which is why I didn't fill the antibiotic prescription the hospital gave us when we are in on Friday after the seizure/headache/projectile vomiting from Madi. And on that topic, I really, honestly, just believe her getting better was a miracle. Once when Madi was a baby, we'd gone through heck with her shunt. We had an infection just a few weeks after we were out from the hospital that landed us back in the hospital for almost 3 weeks. That cleared and the new shunt clogged. That was another 3 day stay for them to revise it. About two weeks later, Madi was showing signs of shunt failure again. I took her in, Dr. Moss checked her shunt, and he said that it was definitely not working again and would need to be revised again. We spent the night and Madi went NPO for surgery in the morning. The morning came and revision time came, but when Dr. Moss checked her shunt (as he always does before surgery), it was working again, so we got to go home. I really think that's what happened this time too. Madi was so very miserable. She had the seizure, she didn't want to open her eyes, she kept holding her head saying it hurt, she was projectile vomiting, and she kept drifting in and out. Right before the CT scan, it was as if a light switch was thrown. All of a sudden, she was her normal happy self. It was crazy! I really believe God cleared that shunt for us!
Today we headed back down to Phoenix Children's Hospital. We were there twice last week (once for each girl) and will be there twice this week (for Ramya). We are nearing the end of the testing she will need done (for now) and I can't wait! PCH is an amazing hospital, and we are very thankful for the care they have given our girls, but I am growing weary of the 30-40 minute drive a few times a week, and the number of hours we spend there. Today Ramya had a VCUG to check and see if Ramya still has renal reflux. The good news is that it does not look like she does! YES! That means the surgery (well, half-surgery ;)) she had in India was not a complete waste. It did correct her renal reflux. That is awesome! The test also showed that she did not have the augmentation surgery when they did her mitrofanoff surgery, which is a bummer. If Ramya is going to be "socially continent", it's a surgery she will need. It's not a fun one, and it is usually done with the mitrofanoff surgery, so it's too bad that it will mean another surgery. Boo. I am very thankful that when and if the time comes for that surgery, though, that I will be able to be with her and make sure she is comfortable and well cared for. That is something worth celebrating for sure. My little girl will never go through surgery alone again!
On Friday, Ramya and I head back to PCH for a urodynamics test that will give us a better picture of how much fluid Ramya's bladder can hold, if it is rigid or spastic, and how quickly it leaks. After the test, we will see the urologist to go over our recent testing and get a better picture of what we need to do. We know she may need the augmentation surgery, we need to deal with her granulation tissue on her belly button that is driving her nuts, and that the MACE procedure she had done in India isn't looking right (placed right) and needs to looked reviewed as well.
Attachment is chugging along. I still hold Ramya quite a bit, though much less than in the beginning. She still prefers to sit on my lap and have me feed her, so thatly is something we do most of the time. She also still prefers to be rocked to sleep and sleep in our bed, so that's what we do! I have been tired lately (and seriously need to go to bed now) and haven't been as cheerful and full of life with the kiddos lately and I need to get myself caught back up on sleep. Thank God for coffee!
Ramya's time-ins and times where she just gets in a funky and can't get out of it have been decreasing, which is nice, though they can still be pretty intense. Yesterday we had a melt-down that lead to a time-in. She was very upset and yelling at me and told me "me no like you, momma!!". I wasn't sure if I should laugh or cry. I told her I'm sorry she feels like that, but I still love her very much. She wasn't too fond of that answer, but it's the truth :). I know she was just upset at me for enforcing rules she didn't want to follow, and I know that she does enjoy spending time with me, but it still made my heart a bit sad to hear those words.
Ramya's English is getting better. She is understanding more and more every day and is expressing herself more and more. She has just discovered a love for salad and asks for "tiny bites" of mine all the time. She still loves eating beans and meat, and could eat them all day long! She's also discovered a love for peanut butter and jelly sandwiches, which is really nice since it's a snack I can easily bring when we are on the go.
I'll be back later to update with Easter pictures. All the kiddos loved Easter. Conner told me that in Church he learned that Easter isn't about eggs and candy. It's about Jesus dying on the cross for us because he loves us so much. He talked a little about what exactly that meant too. I was quite proud of him for expressing what he learned (we had talked about it at home as well, but I wasn't sure if anything sunk in), though he still woofed down the candy and was giddy about the egg hunt ;). Madi loved the hunt but wanted nothing to do with any of the candy. Ramya loved the hunt, loved the boiled eggs, and thinks the purple jelly beans are pretty nice as well.
I think I about covered it all for now! I'll be back with photos and more urology updates soon!
