Earth Shattering News..well at least for me.

So Eliza has been plagued with UTI's ever since August (she has urinary relfux).  We finally got her into the specialist a couple of months ago.  She did so great for the ultrasound and was delighted with the new stuffed animal given her by the tech, but the second part of the testing was totally horrid, which included me standing out in the waiting room crying listening to Eliza screaming her eyes out and her daddy trying to soothe her. 



POOR Eliza!

But let us not dwell on the negative. She was a trooper. After the testing, we had a very enlightening talk with the pediatric urologist specialist. He denounced two concepts that have been pounded into my head every since I was a little girl!

1. The direction a girl wipes has no correlation to increased cases of infection.

2. Bubble baths increase risk of infection.

Dr. Martin Kaefer sited the following examples; First, infants and toddlers wear soiled diapers for anything length of time, literally sitting in their refuse and do not have an increased risk of infection. Two, when has soap ever given some any infection? Irratation yes, infection? Not likely.  (I am sure there was also scientific info to back that up too, but that is what I remembered!) He maintains the #1 cause of UTI's is individuals holding when they need to go and not expelling completely when they do.  In addition, he informed us one of the biggest problems for Liza was her constant constipation. (We saw the xrays-poor girl!) Hence the reason Liza hasn't had any problems until after she started potty training. Hence her being on Miralax daily for the next two years of her life in addition to the daily low dose antibiotics. 

So why am I including this in my blog entry? This was earth shattering news to me!!  And I feel like shouted it out to the world! Especially to you moms who have daughters!  I was born with an absessed right kidney and dealt with painful UTI's and kidney infections throughout my enitre young childhood.  No one knew until I got so toxic and sick they had to remove my kidney and ureter when I was 6 years old. 

(There's a cool story about how we discovered it was my kidney making me sick-should I digress and tell?

"Going potty" had always been painful for me, I didn't know anything different and never said anything to anyone.  I also always felt like I had "to go", but again never raised any red flags for anyone because it was always that way.  I started complaining of stomach aches in 1st grade.  But didn't make much of a fuss about it and my parents weren't sure if I was jsut nervous about going to school full day etc.  It wasn't until my skin color actually turned greenish and purple that my parents got scared.  My dad immediately went to his room and knelt in prayer. "Check her kidneys" was the first thought that came to his mind.  He came out and asked me where my tummy hurt. I pointed to my right side over the kidney and was quickly taken to the hospital.  I believe my kidney was removed within days of my father's prayer. Dad, fact check on that? I was in the hospital for two weeks and out of school for about two months.)

  So, needless to say, Eliza dealing with Urinary Tract Infections now is really personal for me.

  

I've held the above beliefs for decades and to have them all disregarded in a day, well...

 it was a bit liberating!  

Liza was so exhausted by the time we got home from her appointment (heck we ALL were) we went straight to bed.  BUT! The very next day, we went out and celebrated by buying a bottle bubble bath of her choice and having a bath party!  At first the kids didn't want to put the bubbles on their heads etc (it was Eliza's first bubble bath remember), but it didn't take long for them to catch on to the fun. 

 We were all in high spirits that night and we had a camera on hand, so some post bath party pics were in order!  You are TOOO CUTE Riza Roo!!

Now the kids request a bubble bath every night. So here is to bubble baths! May you all enjoy one too!