Adventures in Urology...

I know it's titles like these that keep you coming back for more. Ha. And you know it's an extra creative night when I combine Fall pictures with fascinating urology talk. Hey, I like to keep you on your toes (or, it's just been a really long day). Since I'm not known for blog consistency lately, at least I can get some points for efficiency, right?

Yeah, that's it.

Hey, just be glad that I'm sharing old Fall pics instead of urology ones. :)

So we're a pretty popular family in the Pediatric Urology Department at St. Vincent Hospital in Indianapolis. You might remember that Jack and Tess were born with a genetic condition called urinary reflux. We spent several years following up with Jack's bladder and kidney health, until he finally had surgery to correct his reflux in 2005. With each baby, we thought we might encounter the reflux again (all of our kids statistically have a 1 in 3 chance), and we went through much testing during pregnancy and in the newborn stage to rule out any signs of the condition. Tess's reflux was a little more difficult to determine, was much less severe, and lasted a much shorter amount of time compared to Jack's. She successfully grew out of it in time (as many patients do), and we were released about a year ago from any further treatment for her, as long as symptoms stay at bay. Compared to so many other more serious health-related issues, we are so very thankful to have dealt with something completely fixable! Through years of treatment, we have actually enjoyed getting to know the amazing Dr. Rink and his staff. So many visits and phone calls later, his receptionist even refers to herself as "Aunt Trina" to our kids. We visit an office when upon entering we are humbled beyond words: where many children are there to treat urological issues that have resulted from things like spina bifida, brain injuries and the like. I don't think there has been an appointment that I have walked out of when I haven't been brought to tears. It's a powerful thing seeing such bravery displayed by such little ones. The office staff used to joke with us that they'd miss us until the next kid came along, and then surely we'd see them again for something. Funny joke, until it came true almost every time. :)

And just like clockwork, this Friday we'll go back for Chase, who will have surgery to repair an ascended testicle (uh, you can go back to looking at pictures now if you want). No kidding.

If I didn't feel so sorry for the guy, it would almost be funny. Seriously, what are the chances? He's five and a thinker. Just old enough to be scared because he knows what surgery is, and not quite old enough to know that he'll want to thank Dr. Rink someday for the opportunity to have everything in it's proper place and working like it should. So we're not telling him. Not yet anyway. He would think and worry and ask all the revealing questions all week long. He knows he has an appointment, and we'll share the rest of the news with him right after he drinks his loopy meds in surgery prep. Yes, that sounds like the perfect time to tell him. Thank goodness for loopy meds. And for that silly Theodore the Chipmunk stuffed animal that he's dying to have from the grocery store (that I'm going to pull out of my purse to distract him at just the right time when he figures the whole gig out). P.S. These hard working boys don't get paid an allowance on a regular basis (because don't you know, we're all family here), but for this pile of leaves? One dollar.

And a happy heart.