05 Feb Nephrology Clinic
First of all, thank you so much for your encouragement for the new site! We are so happy y’all are enjoying it as much as we are. I did want to clarify one thing, however. COTA told us this week that they cannot link to this blog from his DonorPage, and the old “cotaforkeeganh” domain will not direct people to the DonorPage either. Bummer. However, the button at the top right of the page will, and we can always be found through the “find a family” option at http://www.cota.org/. Not a big deal, just wanted to update about that because it was not how I understood it from them the first time.
On to other news, Keegan had a nephrology (kidney) appointment today. I don’t have a lot of information to share because we won’t have the ultrasound of his kidneys until next week. Keegan has one functioning kidney, as the other one atrophied after he went into acute renal failure as an infant. We check in with his nephrologist to ensure that his remaining kidney continues to grow proportionately with him from now on. His kidney labs, blood pressure, and red blood cell counts have stayed within normal ranges for Keegan. The doctor was also glad to hear that Keegan’s beginning to mount a slightly better response to the shots he receives for his white blood cell count. Until Keegan’s potty-trained (whew, don’t even get me thinking about potty training a boy with constant g-tube feeds and diarrhea!), the only non-invasive test we can run is a renal ultrasound. If this one shows no change from 3 months ago, we can stretch out the next one to six months, etc. The biggest concern for Keegan is to avoid kidney toxicity from his medications, so every good report is encouraging! We’ll update again after the ultrasound next week.
I had my 20-week appointment yesterday, and everything seems to be going well. We didn’t do the standard ultrasound this time since we’re doing so many other checks between the high-risk OB and fetal echos. Our first echocardiogram for the baby will be next Wednesday, and we’ll be sure to update about the results. Thank you so much for prayers for our little girl. We are hopeful and trying to trust in His plan, but it sure can be nervewrecking! I’ve been drowning in allergies with no voice at all for the last week. So not fun, but I’m doing ok other than that. Just trying to have as much fun with this little guy one-on-one while I can! Especially since he started saying “mama” for the first time this week! I’ve been waiting almost 2 1/2 years to hear it, and I have to say, it’s absolutely the best thing ever!
Please continue to keep our friends in your prayers if you don’t mind. Avery is home from the hospital but still battling fevers and coughing from her fight with RSV. We pray that she will stay home and continue to improve daily. Carter unfortunately is still inpatient. His parents are trying so hard to find the right course of treatment for his issues, and we pray for guidance for them and all the doctors involved to make the best choice possible for Carter and his family. Lastly, Keegan’s “girlfriend” Lainey caught a nasty case of bronchiolitis. She’s on the mend, and we pray she’s 100% soon! Thanks so much!