This afternoon we received a call from Dr. Myers, the Pediatric Nephrologist at the University of Iowa Hospitals and Clinics. He told us that the blood tests that they ran yesterday all came back within normal limits. Praise God!
He informed us that his urine culture results will not be available for several days. They watch to see if any bacteria grows in his urine culture over several days. He wants to make sure that all of the e.coli bacteria that was in Noah's body while he was in the NICU is gone.
The urine sample they took via the catheter did not supply enough urine to send to Mayo Clinic for testing. This test would've been used to rule out Cystinuria, which is a cause of persistent kidney stones. It is a disease involving transport of cystine and dibasic amino acids in the kidney and intestine, and is one of many causes of kidney stones. Dr. Myers informed us that he doesn't believe that Noah has cystinuria, but he wanted to rule it out to be on the safe side. He explained that we will get another sample at his next appointment or we can request Dr. Auron to run this uirne test when we take Noah to see him on Tuesday.
Dr. Myers also explained that he met with a urologist to seek his opinion on the kidney stone on the left kidney. The urologist believes that the spot isn't a free floating kidney stone, but yet another part of nephrocalcinosis. In nephrocalcinosis, calcium deposits form in the kidney tissue itself. Most of the time, both kidneys are affected, which is Noah's case. He explained that the calcium deposits on the kidneys should disappear over time. These calcium deposits can occur in premature babies.
We return to Iowa City in six months for another check-up. We will also meet with Dr. Auron at Blank Children's Hospital on Tuesday.
Praise God for the normal test results thus far. Please continue to pray for Noah and for his urine culture to come back within normal limits and with no e.coli present in his body.
Thanks for your continued prayers. We are truly blessed!
Saturday, March 31, 2012
Friday, March 30, 2012
Noah's Trip to Iowa City
Today, we took a trip to Iowa City so that Noah could see a Pediatric Nephrologist. This all came about a couple of weeks ago, Friday, March 16, when Noah became sick with the stomach flu and became dehydrated as a result. That morning, Darci noticed blood in Noah's diaper. She immediately took him in to see Dr. Cooper who conducted urine tests via the u-bag and through a catheter. That night, we had to go to the Mercy ER because the doctor couldn't obtain a urine sample. While at the ER, they ran a whole host of tests, including a renal ultrasound, a chest and abdominal x-ray, a urine sample via catheter and blood tests. They confirmed through the ultrasound that there was a moderate amount of blood in Noah's urine and they saw shadows on both of his kidneys. We were released to go home with instructions to keep in touch with Dr. Cooper due to Noah's dehydration due to the flu and have Noah further evaluated by a Pediatric Nephrologist.
On Sunday, Dr. Cooper admitted Noah to the hospital due to dehydration and an elevated blood pressure. She was worried about hypertension. During Noah's stay at Mercy they rehydrated him via IV fluids and consulted an adult nephrologist since the pediatric nephrologist was out of town. Dr. Buchsbaum was covering for Dr. Auron while he was out of town. The nephrologist ordered a CT scan for Noah and they confirmed that Noah had multiple kidney stones on both kidneys. We were released to come home on Wednesday night, four days later after monitoring Noah closely.
On Thursday and Friday that week, Noah wasn't eating well, so we went back to the pediatrician's office. His heart rate was dropping down and he wasn't eating very well. Dr. Stoll confirmed that Noah had strep throat through a strep culture and advised us to go to Iowa City for further evaluation regarding Noah's kidneys. She made arrangements for us to see Dr. Myers the following week.
We went to Iowa City today to see Dr. Myers, a pediatric nephrologist. They ran another renal ultrasound and conducted blood and urine tests. Dr. Myers initial consultation stated that Noah's kidney stones aren't all kidney stones. Premature babies can get calcium deposits on the tissue of the kidneys due to the use of lasix in the NICU. These look like kidney stones, but it is actually called nephrocalcinosis, a disorder in which there is too much calcium deposited in the kidneys. This condition is common in premature babies. Dr. Myers confirmed through the CT scan and the renal ultrasound that Noah has a kidney stone on the left kidney and this is a cause for concern because it is 3 mm and this is pretty big for a baby his size. He ran many tests and will consult with a urologist and members of his practice to confirm the cause of the stone. At this point, they are using today's blood and urine tests to rule out any disorders or infections that may impact Noah's kidneys. We will obtain some of the test results tomorrow and other test results will come back in a couple of weeks as they are being sent to a lab at the Mayo Clinic. Although this situation is scary and worrysome, he did reassure us that this is not anything catastrophic. He stated that Noah's kidneys must be monitored regularly to ensure they are functioning properly. He also recommended that we consult with a local pediatric nephrologist regarding Noah's care. It is always better to have numerous eyes on the same medical issue. We have an appointment with Dr. Auron on Tuesday at Blank Children's Hospital.
Please pray that Noah's test results come back within normal limits and that there are no lingering problems. Also, continue to pray for the medical team as they continue to evaluate Noah and his test results. Praise God for a very thorough and comprehensive appointment in Iowa City today. We are thankful to have such great medical professionals evaluating our baby boy.
We will keep you posted once we know more test results. Until then, we would love for you to continue to pray for Baby Noah. The power of prayer is amazing!
On Sunday, Dr. Cooper admitted Noah to the hospital due to dehydration and an elevated blood pressure. She was worried about hypertension. During Noah's stay at Mercy they rehydrated him via IV fluids and consulted an adult nephrologist since the pediatric nephrologist was out of town. Dr. Buchsbaum was covering for Dr. Auron while he was out of town. The nephrologist ordered a CT scan for Noah and they confirmed that Noah had multiple kidney stones on both kidneys. We were released to come home on Wednesday night, four days later after monitoring Noah closely.
On Thursday and Friday that week, Noah wasn't eating well, so we went back to the pediatrician's office. His heart rate was dropping down and he wasn't eating very well. Dr. Stoll confirmed that Noah had strep throat through a strep culture and advised us to go to Iowa City for further evaluation regarding Noah's kidneys. She made arrangements for us to see Dr. Myers the following week.
We went to Iowa City today to see Dr. Myers, a pediatric nephrologist. They ran another renal ultrasound and conducted blood and urine tests. Dr. Myers initial consultation stated that Noah's kidney stones aren't all kidney stones. Premature babies can get calcium deposits on the tissue of the kidneys due to the use of lasix in the NICU. These look like kidney stones, but it is actually called nephrocalcinosis, a disorder in which there is too much calcium deposited in the kidneys. This condition is common in premature babies. Dr. Myers confirmed through the CT scan and the renal ultrasound that Noah has a kidney stone on the left kidney and this is a cause for concern because it is 3 mm and this is pretty big for a baby his size. He ran many tests and will consult with a urologist and members of his practice to confirm the cause of the stone. At this point, they are using today's blood and urine tests to rule out any disorders or infections that may impact Noah's kidneys. We will obtain some of the test results tomorrow and other test results will come back in a couple of weeks as they are being sent to a lab at the Mayo Clinic. Although this situation is scary and worrysome, he did reassure us that this is not anything catastrophic. He stated that Noah's kidneys must be monitored regularly to ensure they are functioning properly. He also recommended that we consult with a local pediatric nephrologist regarding Noah's care. It is always better to have numerous eyes on the same medical issue. We have an appointment with Dr. Auron on Tuesday at Blank Children's Hospital.
Please pray that Noah's test results come back within normal limits and that there are no lingering problems. Also, continue to pray for the medical team as they continue to evaluate Noah and his test results. Praise God for a very thorough and comprehensive appointment in Iowa City today. We are thankful to have such great medical professionals evaluating our baby boy.
We will keep you posted once we know more test results. Until then, we would love for you to continue to pray for Baby Noah. The power of prayer is amazing!
Sunday, March 4, 2012
Noah's Big Day Out
What a wonderful day! We found out on Friday that Noah could start going out of the house.
His pulmonologist said that he is getting big enough and strong enough to go out in public.
We still have to be very cautious about exposing him to germs, so we aren't letting others hold him or touch him without thoroughly washing their hands. We want to protect him from RSV. He has his last Synagis shot at the end of March...yeah! We were nervous about his day out, but it went extremely well. It went so well it tuckered him out this afternoon. He took a three hour nap, which is very rare for him. Taylor and Ian had a great day today as well. They loved taking their lol' bro to church. They also had a wonderful time going out for lunch as a family and then off to the Iowa Energy game this afternoon with Grandpa and Grandma Lantz and their cousin, Addie. They had a great time! Thanks for taking them, Grandpa and Grandma Lantz!
Noah gained 6 oz. this past week, which was great news! He has now gained weight three weeks in
a row....Praise God! We are praying that he continues to gain weight and that his reflux improves or ceases completely. His reflux has improved, but he still has some reflux and has an oral aversion.
We are working with an occupational therapist to help him with his eating.
Noah's big outing today was to Lutheran Church of Hope for worship and then to Bravo for lunch.
He was fascinated by it all. The music was especially captivating. He loved it and his eyes were as big as golf balls. It was wonderful introducing Noah to his Hope family. We couldn't wait to show him to all of the wonderful people that have so faithfully prayed for him. We have an amazing church and are so blessed by all of the prayers, love and support. Please keep reading more below.
A cute story from today...Pastor Mike saw him and pointed out that his shoes were the color of the Chicago Bears. Noah already made his first big impression on Pastor Mike. Now we'll have to have Noah follow the Bears on a regular basis. I guess we know who our family will be rooting for during the next NFL season...Go Bears!
Thanks again for all of your prayers and support. Noah is getting stronger each day and we praise God for all He has done for our little boy. Please check out the video of Noah attached to this blog.
His pulmonologist said that he is getting big enough and strong enough to go out in public.
We still have to be very cautious about exposing him to germs, so we aren't letting others hold him or touch him without thoroughly washing their hands. We want to protect him from RSV. He has his last Synagis shot at the end of March...yeah! We were nervous about his day out, but it went extremely well. It went so well it tuckered him out this afternoon. He took a three hour nap, which is very rare for him. Taylor and Ian had a great day today as well. They loved taking their lol' bro to church. They also had a wonderful time going out for lunch as a family and then off to the Iowa Energy game this afternoon with Grandpa and Grandma Lantz and their cousin, Addie. They had a great time! Thanks for taking them, Grandpa and Grandma Lantz!
Noah gained 6 oz. this past week, which was great news! He has now gained weight three weeks in
a row....Praise God! We are praying that he continues to gain weight and that his reflux improves or ceases completely. His reflux has improved, but he still has some reflux and has an oral aversion.
We are working with an occupational therapist to help him with his eating.
Noah's big outing today was to Lutheran Church of Hope for worship and then to Bravo for lunch.
He was fascinated by it all. The music was especially captivating. He loved it and his eyes were as big as golf balls. It was wonderful introducing Noah to his Hope family. We couldn't wait to show him to all of the wonderful people that have so faithfully prayed for him. We have an amazing church and are so blessed by all of the prayers, love and support. Please keep reading more below.
A cute story from today...Pastor Mike saw him and pointed out that his shoes were the color of the Chicago Bears. Noah already made his first big impression on Pastor Mike. Now we'll have to have Noah follow the Bears on a regular basis. I guess we know who our family will be rooting for during the next NFL season...Go Bears!
Thanks again for all of your prayers and support. Noah is getting stronger each day and we praise God for all He has done for our little boy. Please check out the video of Noah attached to this blog.
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