Unexpected Turn of Events

The situation with Kelly and "Little Dude" has unfortunately gotten worse. At the ultrasound today the doctors noticed that the shunt is out and that the ureters between the kidneys and bladder are dilated to the point where they are allowing the bladder to force fluid back toward the kidneys. So the fluid is backed up like before, but now it is now spread across the bladder and kidneys instead of just the bladder. They also noticed that the kidneys are brighter and dilated (echogenic is the medical term used), causing concern for their long term future.

They consulted with the doctors in Cincinnati who do not feel like another shunt will be effective due to the situation with the bladder and kidneys, so another trip south is not in the plans.

With that in mind, and the fact that there is no amniotic fluid left, the doctors here have advised that Kelly be admitted to the hospital for the duration of her pregnancy (another four to six weeks). She hit 30 weeks yesterday, but they are concerned that he would not fare well if he were born now. She will check into Meriter tomorrow morning.

So, the baby is going to get some super special care the next few weeks and we will be consulting with doctors across more specialties than I can keep straight in my head. Hopefully we can come up with a good solution; it's unfortunately come down to a race against time.

I will update people individually with her contact information at the hospital; if you want to get a hold of her there, please e-mail after tommorow morning and I will let you know how to get in contact with her.

I will also update the blog daily, if possible, to keep everyone up to speed. Stay tuned; it is definitely going to get more interesting.