Some unexpected bad news

Today I received a phone call from the wonderful spina bifida nurse at the Shriner's Hospital. We visited Shriner's 2 weeks ago, and they tested Emma's urine as part of her appointment with the urologist. Emma had a bladder infection this summer, and it was all cleared up in August. But then I got a phone call this morning that the bladder infection is back again. No one wants a bladder infection, but we REALLY don't want one for one main reason: if Emma's bladder isn't fully emptying, bacteria could be growing, and we will have to start cathing (slang/short for catheterizing) her. I just can't even go into all that is involved with that (not that you'd wanna know all the details). I guess I didn't think we'd have to cath her this soon.

They believed the last bladder infection was caused by all the loose baby poo in her diaper; however, all that has changed since Emma started eating baby food. Now it's not as gross as it used to be. In case you're eating a snack while you read this, I'll try to keep it clean. There are some things going on with her poop that could possibly be attributed to teething, and these things could, conceivably, result in a UTI. The nurse pointed out that the last UTI was clear at the end of August, but that was still a couple weeks before Emma started baby food. So there's a chance that it could have come back in that end-of-August to middle-of-September time period...which makes me feel like a horrible mom because that means that my child has had a UTI for over a month, and I've done nothing about it. Then I thought that if she's had a UTI for that long, wouldn't she have developed a fever by now? Nurses, any answer? (I didn't have this thought while I was talking to Jean, of course.)

So the plan for now is to put Emma on a twice daily antibiotic for a week and then have her on a lower dose once a day inevitably. She goes back for a renal ultrasound and some other test in November, so they'll test her then to make sure the bacteria is gone. I'm pretty sure we won't see the urologist that day. But then they won't make a final decision about the daily antibiotic vs. beginning to cath until she sees the urologist again. To be honest, I'm not exactly sure how they'll make that decision, nor when we're seeing the urologist again. One visit at a time - November is what I need to worry about next.

Perhaps this is the reason that Emma has been a little cranky lately, ESPECIALLY at nighttime. We've also even said that her fussiness isn't always that long, drawn-out whine (moms, you know what I'm talking about); sometimes, it's a very sudden, loud scream like something really hurts. Yes, I want Emma to feel better, without a doubt. I just pray that it's a routine UTI and nothing more at this point.

I have to remember that God is good and that He is looking out for our little girl. Some days are harder than others to feel this in my heart. I think as long as I have that notion in my head, I'll be ok - let's be honest: some days it's harder to believe in our hearts that God is good. I'm not ashamed to admit it because I know that ultimately God's GOOD will will be done; some days it's harder to accept the path that we're on in fully receiving His will. I've gotten myself all worked up over this phone call, and it could just turn out to be a small hurdle that really wasn't a big deal. Then again, in my world, my child is a big deal.

Tonight we went to the Young Life banquet. If you're not familiar with Young Life, you need to be. It's an incredible outreach organization to mainly high school kids, but middle schoolers, too. Although I grew up going to church, I completely attribute my personal relationship with Christ to Young Life. I became involved in Young Life in high school and then became a high school leader when I was at Furman. Now my best friend Holly works for Young Life here in Greenville, and I'm happy to stay tied to the ministry in some way. Russell and I have hosted a table at the annual banquet for the last several years. This year we needed someone to watch Emma, and that someone was first her beloved Aunt Ally and then Mama Jane and Granddaddy. In other words, Emma was completely spoiled rotten today.