Caetlin Urology Update

We saw Caetlin's urologist today, and after discussing the options (which are essentially: 1. continue with a prophylactic antibiotic, only a different drug that may have better effectiveness against a wider variety of bacteria; 2. have a Deflux procedure done, which is the simple procedure I mentioned in my last post; or 3. have an open abdominal surgery done, in which the ureters are physically repositioned), we decided to have the Deflux procedure done. You can see a little more about it here. Basically, an endoscope is run up Caetlin's urethra to her bladder, and used to locate the ureters from the kidneys. When the ureters are located, an injection of the Deflux material is done to help with ureter positioning and one-way control of urine into the bladder. No incisions are necessary. She will have to be under general anesthesia, because of her age, but the procedure itself should not be any more painful than a typical catheterization. She'll be able to go home the same day.

Both the treating pediatrician at the hospital and Caetlin's usual pediatrician are very enthusiastic about this procedure, which gives me some comfort that it is the right choice. It is definitely less invasive than open abdominal surgery. This procedure is somewhat less successful overall than open abdominal surgery, but for reflux of Caetlin's grade (II on one side and III on the other), the success rates are comparable. (The Deflux is less successful at the higher grades, grade IV and V.) It seems a good compromise procedure, though the thought of general anaesthesia scares me.

It will not stop her from getting UTIs, to the extent that she is susceptible to them. It will stop those infections from spreading to her kidneys, which is a much more serious kind of infection than a simple bladder infection. It will allow us to stop the prophylactic antibiotics, which I have never really liked much; beyond the hassle of giving her a daily medicine, I am always concerned about drug-resistant bacteria and I don't want to do my part in creating them.

Anyway, I'm waiting to hear from the surgery scheduler to get it set up. Wish me luck that we can have it done prior to Segunda's arrival (which may or may not be timely).