is an ear infection too much to ask for?

So, I was mistaken when I posted Monday that the Stomach bug had struck our house again.  I assumed it was the stomach bug since Becca threw up, but come to find out, I was wrong.  Tuesday she was fine and even went back to Nat’s, but early Wednesday morning she woke up screaming and was running a temperature of 103.  I called the doctor, and we went in for our appointment at 11:15.  Dr. G came in and did her examination, but couldn’t ‘see’ anything wrong, so she wanted to run some tests.  First, we did a strep test and that came back negative.  The next test was to see if Becca had a UTI, and just in case you don’t know, the only way to test for this is by getting a sterile urine sample.  What does that mean for an 11 month old?  Being catheterized!!!

This was horrible.  I was not emotionally or mentally prepared for this, and my sweet girl certainly didn’t enjoy it either.  The nurse was wonderful and it was over in less than a minute, but Becca was so upset.  I got her calmed down and fed her a snack while we waited on the results. 

When Dr. G came back in, I could tell immediately that something was wrong.  She started by telling me that Becca did in fact have a UTI.  She then went on to explain what ALL we have to do now.

First, we had to get a rocephin shot – two actually because they had to break the dosage into two shots.  One in each thigh:(  Then, as long as her fever went away (which it did) we could start on oral antibiotics today.

That didn’t seem so bad, but I wasn’t prepared for what she had to say next. Because of her age and the fact that she has a UTI, we now have to have tests run at Children’s Hospital to make sure she doesn’t have VUR - vesicoureteral reflux.  In layman’s terms, this is when your urine backs up into your ureter and/or kidneys. 

What tests are required to diagnose this?  An ultrasound of the kidneys and a VCUG - voiding cystourethrogram.  The first test is pretty self explanatory, but the second one, not so much.  The VCUG is where they catheterize the baby and then insert dye into their bladder.  Once they have done this, they take x-rays to see if the urine is going backwards – back into the kidneys.  Just the sound of this horrified me!  Dr. G told me not to worry about this yet, but I can’t help it.  I’ve been home with Becca the past two days, so I’ve had a lot of time to think about it.  I can’t read about it online anymore because the stories are horrific!

Please pray for us and the decisions we’re going to have to make soon.  Pray that Becca will be healed by the antibiotics, and that we will make the decisions that are right for her.  Pray that I can be strong for her.  Just pray!