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!
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