Update on Ella

I want to first THANK everyone who prayed for my sweet girl today.  She was so brave and tough and is doing well tonight.  Daddy is sleeping over tonight.

Some asked what was going on....so here goes.  I sometimes wonder about sharing too much, too soon since it was a LONG process that got us here and it was hard to keep up with myself.  While I don't ever want anyone to go through this, maybe some other parents out there are pulling there hair out and need someone to point them in the right direction for help.  We are finally getting ours....I hope!

We have been potty training Ella for 2.5 years (she will be 5 next month).  She was still having frequent accidents and so this spring we took a step and her doctor started digging for answers.  Tests revealed that she had reflux on both sides.  Urine normally goes from kidneys to the bladder.  Reflux is when urine from the bladder flows back up into the kidneys, often causing urinary tract infections, with high fever (she does 105 type fevers all the time).  Repeated infections can cause scarring and damage to the kidneys.

While she has some scarring of the kidneys, the over all function is fine and nothing to worry about. 

Further testing also revealed that she had double ureters (tubes connecting kidneys to bladder) on BOTH sides.

Only way to fix it all was surgery....so this morning we got up at 4:30am and heading down to the hospital with sister Emmie in tow!

watching cartoons

We registered and got a good work up and then headed down to the Holding Room.  I didn't know that Emmie couldn't sit with us back there, or  I would have had Woody bring her later, so the Child Life Specialist, sat with baby while I sat with Ella.  (Woody took kids to school on his way in.)

They gave her "goofy juice", to keep her calm and relaxed for the hand off.  And in light of this, I had to take pictures of the light fixtures in the holding room, because no one was gonna believe her when she told them about the FLYING DOG when she woke up!  It was the last thing she saw before surgery....and the first thing she asked about after!!!  "Hey....where'd my flying dog go!!!!"

Light above her bed:)  Cool huh!

They let her watch a movie while she waited.  That combined with the juice....she barely said goodbye to me when I had to leave her....which was sad and good all at once.

Beauty and the Beast

I explained the whole procedure to her.  I thought that only fair....it is her body and she will have to recover.  Her one and only question this morning.....When can I have a popsicle?:)

What should have lasted TWO hours....took FOUR and a HALF.  To say we were getting worried was an understatement!  Apparently she also had a weak bladder wall that they had to repair!  Nothing is every routine or easy for my girls at this hospital.

Good news:  She is ALL GOOD.  Everything is repaired and she should be fine.  She has a three inch incision  that is going to need some healing, but we look forward to much happier days to come now!

She has been sleeping most of the day and been pretty groggy.  Tonight she got some visitors to her room.

Hopefully she "behaves" tonight and is a model patient so she can come home in the afternoon.  Pray for a smooth night.