...the poor gal can't catch a break!
I'll recap quickly...lots going on...
First, thanks for all of your sweet comments from the dedication! Yall sure know how to make a "10-pounds-of-pregnancy-weight-left-2-go-no-time-to-work-out-mother-of-six-month-old-quads" BLUSH! SHEESH! JEEZ...
The cranial band appointment went as well as expected (just VERY tiring)! A HUGE THANKS TO PEGGY AND LARRY who came along with Joe and me for the madness! We left our house at 1:00pm- drove 35 minutes to Dallas...all FOUR kids were measured, photographed, and re-casted with plaster molds (screaming much? YES!) Oh, and during this whole time, Savannah had been running fever since the night before (101.3 to 102.9) and was projectile vomiting her meals...she had NOTHING in her stomach. She felt TERRIBLE! Crying nonstop! Pooooooor baby.
So, we FINALLY got home at 4:30pm and I call the pedi. Five minutes later, I load Savannah back up in the car and book it to the office before it closes. By this time her fever is 103.2. They ran a battery of tests (the whole time I'm thinking, "OH PLEASE LORD, do NOT let it be the flu!" And I started planning out in my head, what tha heck I would do with FOUR babies with the flu!) Thankfully, the flu test was negative, her ears were clear, next up...a cathether.
So, it took a while to cath the princess (she was SO tiny, it was difficult to find the...well...you know) and bam....out flows murky, smelly, cloudy, mustard colored urine. BINGO! Urinary tract infection. They went ahead and drew blood to make sure she didn't have a systemic infection or that it was a kidney infection. They also gave her a intramuscular injection of antibiotics into her thigh. WE DID NOT GET HOME UNTIL 8PM. HOLY COW. EXHAUSTED.
Lets recap:
---Within 24 hours, my baby girl had projectile vomited 3 of her WHOLE meals, was running fever anywhere from 101 to 103, was held down for photographs/head measurements/and cranial plaster molding, was given a bath to wash off plaster from head and neck and well..all over, was catheterized (after several attempts), had blood drawn from her arm, and had an injection with a LONG needle into her thigh.
oh. my. gosh.
She is better today. We were worried that we would have to take her to the hospital for an IV for rehydration...but she is taking about 1 to 2 ounces at a feeding every hour. Her fever has stayed around 99. The antibiotics are giving her diarrhea, but her color is coming back. I actually got a couple of smiles and chuckles out of her today.
Also, I'm sure there are plenty of you who have dealt with this, but usually when infants get UTI's (urinary tract infections) it is because of a "structural deformity"...you might have heard of renal or kidney reflux? So, as soon as she if finished taking her 10 days of antibiotics, we will have to take her for a renal sonogram/ultrasound to take a look at her plumbing. POOR BABY cannot get a break!
I have lots and lots of pics from the last day at the cranial technologies center...will post them as soon as I can! Promise! Gotta go feed the Misses again...
Friday, February 15, 2008
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50 comments:
I don't know how I came across your blog, but I've been following things. You're amazing! I wanted to tell you, though, my daughter had a UTI at about 18 months, and we had to have the ultrasound and a VCUG test. Nothing was found, just precautionary. They can get random UTIS... On the other hand, my son was found to have kidney reflux before he'd ever had an infection. His "plumbing problem" was noted on a spinal ultrasound to rule out any problems. He's never actually had a UTI, but takes a low-dose antibiotic everyday to prevent it. It's not been a big deal at all. I hope everything is fine! Please don't hesitate to email me if you have questions!
Longtime lurker, first timer poster.
Poor Savannah! I had kidney reflux as a child. Luckily, if she does have it, she's so young, the horrible procedures won't be remembered. I grew out of it, Praise God! I was pre-school aged or already in elementary school when I was diagnosed. The catheters were the worst part ever and I had to take medicine, but like I said, I grew out of it.
Aw, poor little Savannah! I'll definitely be praying that she feels better soon and that things are okay with her insides. Can't wait to see the pics of their round little heads!
Totally unrelated...just wanted to let you know that I have been reading your blog for awhile now. I heard about y'all about a year ago through a friend of a friend of yours...anyway, I am starting Clomid this week, and the journey of infertility, as you well know, has been heartbreaking. I just wanted to tell you that reading your blog gives me hope! I know that conceiving on the first round of Clomid isn't common, but any hope I can grasp onto right now is very helpful!!
I love your posts, you have such a beautiful family!!!
Thanks again!
Suzanne:
I read your blog occasionally and love your sense of humor. For your daughter, it might be something pretty simple...have your doctor look at her vaginal area and see if her labia is fully opened. My daughter's was not, but they usuallly don't find it until they start walking and spend more time upright. This can be caused by a bigger birth weight, breech presentation or, in your case, a crowded womb. The treatment for it is a little hormone cream until it opens up. If you find it now, that will make potty training easier. Urine can pool up there, creating 'accidents' which leads to frustration for everyone. Good Luck!!
So sorry you are going through this with the princess. Praise God that she doesn't have any type of contagious infection that the boys could catch. This mother hen was worried about you taking the kids to church. But the dedication is so important. Anyway, hope all is well and you have a great weekend!
Poor Savannah. Bless her heart and yours! My sister had kidney problems as a child and they had to replace her urethras(spelling) with plastic ones. She is in her 30's now and doing wonderfully. Praying Sav's is only a minor deal that can be corrected without anything major being done!
Sorry you are having these troubles! What a positive attitude you have.
When my daughter had diarrhea from antibiotics, the doctor recommended probiotics (acidophilus). There are several out there. I just put it in her food (or you can add it to milk, yogurt, etc). It really seemed to help. I'm not sure if it's different with preemies, but it is the stuff that's in yogurt.
Anyhow, you can by it at the grocery store or GNC in capsules and just break them open and dump them into food/drink.
After the first round with 10 days of diarrhea, I wish somebody would have told me sooner!
Good luck!
Poor little Sav! And poor mommy! Will be praying for her and for YOU! Sounds like you may need a vacation after all that!
Praying for Miss Sav!!
I have a Savannah (but she is 9 and not a quadruplet! just a one of four siblings) She, too, had at UTI and had to have the Renal Sonogram (no big deal) and the VCUG (okay...big deal no fun) She was diagnosed with kidney reflux and had to take preventative antibiotics for a year-and-a-half and then she outgrew the problem. Hopefully, it is just a UTI with no structural problems and you can get on your merry little way, but if it IS the kidney reflux, there are lots of treatment options and as the urologist told me (through my tears) in the big picture, it is not that big of a deal. (it is to a mom though!) You are gonna get all kinds of input on this one...be ready. And, it is funny how people assume that "reflux" is only referring to acid reflux and that it is the same thing....wrong end! Praying for "no big deal" for your little Savannah!
Wow, your days are filled with all sorts of things, huh? I hope little Savannah will get better real quick! We'll be looking forward to more pictures! :-) And no, we don't believe you that you still have pounds to take off. You look fantastic for a Mom of quads! Plus, you have such a great sense of humor and fun. It's fun to read about your kids and their parents' adventures! :-)
I am so sorry to hear about your little girl. We went thru it with our 9 year old 1 day before her 1 year check up. They were afraid she would need surgery and weren't very optimisit. One side was worse than the other. We went thru the antibiotic every day and then the 3 month check-up for any liver damage from the anitbiotic and 6 month complete check up and blood work up and dye test again. Then we did it all again at 1 year 3 months. She was perfect. No more medication or doctor visits for the reflux. She has never had another urinary tract infection. So.... we are sending prayers and happy thoughts your way from Alabama.
It is time for sweet baby Savannah to catch a break! At least they found out what was causing it! So glad that she does not have to go the the hospital for IV fluids!
Feel Better Savannah!
Elyse Hahne
Poor baby! We send our love!
Suzanne,
Whew, I am exhausted just reading about your day. I am sitting here feeling sooooo sorry for Savannah. I just hate when my babies are sick. I will pray for her, that there is nothing else wrong and this was just a one time thing. I will also say a few prayers for you not to get too stressed taking care of her! :-) It's a tough job being a mommy, but even in the tough, exhausting times it's still the best ever.
Much love to you and all the babes,
Devin in Illinois
Suz - not that you have time to read this - but keep your chin up! There is nothing more taxing than having a kid who is sick and having tons of test done... make sure to take a break to just cry - it is so scary when the very things that are so precious to us are sick - sometimes we hold it all in and it makes us sick! Praying for you in Phoenix - Lisa
Well thank goodness they found out what it was. At 4 years old, we found out that my son had an undetected UTI when he was little and now has a scar on his kidneys that causes high blood pressure. He is fine now, but it was pretty scary. I'm glad they found out so soon with Sav though! She will be in my prayers!
OH MY! Poor little thing!Am praying that it ends up being just a UTI.Can't wait to see their cute little heads....
Poor Savannah! Well, my little man has had several ultrasounds of the abdomen, to see the kidneys, liver, spleen...He's also had one of the brain and several of the heart. They never bother him, so atleast it's not an invasive procedure that will hurt. I hope all is well!
Bless her little heart. Hopefully things will get better soon for Miss Savannah-and there will be no problems they see w/the sonogram.
What a busy day!!!
another long time lurker, 1st time poster. I'm with anon from 1:36. Both my daughters had labial adhesions. My older dd had UTI problems until hers was finally completely opened. My pedi's protocol is to give them until they're a year or 18 months (been too many years for me to remember that detail) before doing the steroid cream. They'd never say that it was what caused the UTI, but every woman I've talked to who knows her dd had adhesions also told me they had UTI problems.
Good luck with it all . . . .
I'm so sorry to hear about poor Misses! Being a girl is not always so fun - with all our plumbing.
I love the updates! I can't imagine having 4 at once, but you are handling it beautifully! :)
Hey girl- I am so sorry that Sav has been so sick. We will send up extra prayers than usual for each one of you this weekend. I loved getting to finally see them in person-it was all I could do not to Squeeze them all!! I asked Kevin to get the computer tech stuff together so that I can send you the pics-he just hasn't been home any night this week to do it.
Will you have any family reinforcements his weekend? Side note-their was an ad for the View on the blog today-I thought at first glance that they had called you and you were on your way to the big time!! Maybe someday-should we call Oprah?
Love you all-Lace
Poor Savannah...I am sure she is fine. I have heard of LOTS of little baby girls who have gotten UTIs and everything was just fine. Caused from the hassels of being female.
Poor lil baby heart! It's hard work being a baby diva! We send our love!
suz....you probably know this but probiotics only work after treatment or else you are just wasting them. It takes 6 motnsh for our bodies to recover all the good bacteria in our intestines that get killed with antibiotics...so definitely use it! hope she feels better soon.
There is a great ped urologist in dallas named Dr Linda Baker....good luck!
my son had all the same tests when he was 5 weeks old after filling a blood stained nappy along with high fevers. he was a very unwell little boy, but all the tests proved it was a uti and mild uriary refux(not that common in males), he had a few episodes of uti's but grew out of it around 20months. good luck with Sav, hope all goeswell. grab five for some R&R when you can. leonie
So sorry about Savannah!
My daughter and my friend's daughter both had UTIs before they were two months old. They BOTH went through blood draws, VCUGs and spinal taps to rule everything out. Their plumbing ended up being fine, it was just a fluke.
Praying that it's just a fluke for little Sav...may she never have another urinary issue.
awww i am so sorry for your poor baby girl..
Poor baby girl! (and poor momma! Nothing worse than seeing your baby in pain)
Praying that she gets better soon and that she's just having a UTI and nothing more serious.
Good luck with Savannah's tests. I hope it's nothing bad.
Mommy of five
Good luck with Savannah's tests. I hope it's nothing bad.
Mommy of five
Looks like you and Joe are doing such a great job parenting, and most importantly having FUN doing it! My #4 was born 8/8, wasn't that just yesterday? You are an inspiration. The Steece 5 are in our prayers. Tell Sav to hang in there. God Bless.
Poor baby!! I feel so bad for her. My littlest has UTI's and they ran the gamut trying to find out the cause. Nothing was ever found to indicate a physical cause for his UTI's. I hope the same as true for poor Sav. Girlfriend's gotta catch a break.
Oh, and FWIW, since Jack had his VCUG done he hasn't had another UTI.
Good Luck!!
Sorry Steece 7, forgot to count Joe and Shiloh!
Poor Savannah! As I was reading I was hoping I wasn't getting to all 4 of them becoming sick. I am glad she is feeling better, poor little baby. I know several families who have had kidney reflux. Funny, the one family was the one who also had a baby in a hip cast for dysplasia. I pray it is just a random infection and she does not have reflux!
We'll be praying. Noah had to go through the same run of tests when he had a UTI in the hospital. Everything ended up negative for him and I will pray that Sav's tests will all come back negative as well. Hang in there!! -Mari
Suz, I had this exact issue when I was a baby. So did my sister. But it took until was over year old for the doctors to properly diagnose it and by the two major surgeries were involved before it was fixed. OOPS. I just realized I am being scary. Sorry. My point was that if she does have a ureter - reflux problem, it's very fixable and she will be FINE. So even if the tests show some kind of problem (they probably won't) don't fret - I had it and I am alive and well 37 years later. *hugs* to you and your beautiful family!
POOR Baby Sav!!! Ahhh Suz.. how are YOU holding up?? What a tough day.. I so get it! I hope you got at leat a little rest this weekend. I know, easier said than done.
By the way.. you are so BEAUTIFUL.. no need to blush! My kids are almost 2 and I STILL have at least 10 more lbs of baby weight to go.. let's not EVEN talk about my EXTRA skin! You look AMAZING!
Ohhh and I just about died when I read your comment about the "double pat-pat!" OH MY GOSH.. it used to DRIVE me crazy.. but now that the kids do it I can't help but smile. It's the little things.. ya know!?:)
Keep us posted on Sav... gotta go feed my four lunch!
XOX
Gen :)
Poor Savannah! She's in our prayers!
Sweet Savannah! What a day! I will be praying for a good recovery for her, and for you, too!
I'm so sorry that she's sick! Last year we had to do a catheter on my son who was 15 months old at the time. That was a nightmare! I hope that experience went more smoothly for you. We'll be praying that she feels better soon.
Yeah for being done with the bands!
So sorry to hear about Savannah. Poor baby. I hope she is feeling better. One of my girls had a UTI around this age and thankfully it was just a fluke with nor structural reason for it. I hope you find the same for Sav.
Oh der, poor little Savannah! Very sorry to read this, I hope she will be feeling better very soon and nobody else catches anything. Best wishs to you all.
I love your blog and read it all the time! I am so sorry to hear about Savannah--a UTI at that age is no fun! My daughter (she is 2 now) had a UTI at 6 months and had to have the ultrasound. It broke my heart to see her with the catheter and the dye injected into her bladder, but fortunately it was just a UTI and not reflux. I will pray it is the same for Savannah!
10 pounds to go at 6 months? I had 10 pounds remaining at 1 year and I only had 1 child.
I came across your blog through the Ross Quads in Indiana. You are a highlight of my lunch hour. Your faith and devotion is extraordinary and inspiring.
I am so happy to see your quads blossom. Makes me want more, just not 4 at a time.
Aww, poor baby girl! We just went through this with our 18 mo old, she was hospitalized thru Christmas with her UTI! We have not gone thru any testing other than an ultrasound because I'm pretty sure her infection was a soiling issue. At least Savannah didn't get one before 6 months, usually they get one earlier if its a severe defect.
I had kidney reflux as well, inherited from my grandmother. I had surgery to correct it when I was 8 years old. I am now 22 and since the surgery, I haven't had one infection, kidney or otherwise. The surgery is worth it, if you become faced with the dilemma.
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