A Setback

We took Elijah back in to the ER yesterday (Saturday) evening because it had been at least 9 hours without making a wet diaper. I waited much longer than they asked me to, I really didn't want him to have the catheter again. I even made him drink a large glass of water hoping to get him out of it, but it didn't work. He let out a small amount, but not enough to avoid the inevitable. So we took him in after talking to his urologist on the phone, who insisted on us taking him in to be catheterized.

After waiting for four hours at the hospital while they searched for his size (5 french - the smallest size made) he suddenly doubled over and peed everywhere. However, they still insisted on putting it in or "we'd be back in tomorrow."

Because they couldn't locate the 5 french, they needed to use a 6 - not a big difference, but as they were putting it in, they encountered some significant resistance. This resistance is known as a urethra stricture, most likely as a result of scar tissue, perhaps from a previous surgery or cathertization. This made having the wrong size catheter a big deal, and in the end it took three nurses over 2 hours to get it in place. All the while, Elijah was in serious pain and screaming constantly.

Basically, this leaves us with the possibility of two problems. First, we still don't know what is causing the nuerogenic bladder and if/how it can be fixed. Second, we need to deal with the stricture. We'll be talking to the urologist tomorrow and throughout the week and formulating a plan for the short and long term.

This is really not where we expected to be. The decisions we'll be making will effect Elijah for the rest of his life. Please pray for wisdom and understanding and for healing.

Thank you to the Jones' for having us for dinner tonight and helping us relax a bit. We always enjoy your company. Thank you to all the friends at church who let us know that you'll be praying for us this week.