I have a five year old - actually I have two, but just one who is having peeing issues. She was completely potty trained, and then last September started peeing at night, during the day all the time. And the worse part was she would not tell anyone, but walk around like that all day. When asked why she is peeing her answer is, "I don't know I think it is a problem with my brain." Anyway, after taking her to the Doctor in September to make sure she did not have a medical reason for this new sport, we decided to go back to pull ups and not make it a big deal.
Fast forward to February. Still peeing and I got a wild idea that it might be diabetes (I am not only a hypochondriac for myself, but my kids as well) Diabetes does run in my family, so I am not totally out there. Anyway, fasting glucose later no diabetes, but a referral to the renal center at Texas Children's Hospital.
TCH is not that close, and really not that user friendly for anyone who has had to take anyone there. Our first visit included two hours of waiting and a consultation with a Doctor who told me she would probably grow out of it, but we would do a few things to make sure. One of those things included a sonogram of her bladder - both full and empty to check things out. Of course after the long hours of waiting I then got to fight Houston traffic going home. All in all a fun trip, which I had the opportunity to repeat on Monday.
After showing up at TCH late because between the traffic, the construction and the full parking lots I almost lost my mind. We go in and of course, she has a full bladder and we are told to wait. Waiting with a full bladder when you are an adult is not easy - really not easy when you are a five year old with a peeing problem. Finally, we go in and they do the sonogram and she gets to go to the bathroom. Then we are done. The nice sonographer tells me it will just be a minute, the Dr. needs to look at the film. OK.
One hour later, while my two girls are "ice skating" in the small area between rooms, the doctor finally comes out to tell me she has "stuff" in her bladder. He does not tell me what this stuff is, but that it is consistent with a Urinary Tract Infection. He has been trying to get ahold of my Dr. at TCH. She is on vacation this week and apparantly no one is taking her calls. He wants to call my pediatrician, and is very surprised I know the number, hello mother of five here. Anyway, after discussion with her our plan is for me to go in tomorrow for a lab test and treatment for what he is sure is a UTI.
Of course, tomorrow (or Tuesday) is preschool and I hate to give up those precious hours at the Dr., but like a good soldier I go in, get her to pee in the cup, and wait. When she arrives the coversation goes something like this:
Dr: "Her labs look great and she does not have a UTI."
Me: "Great, so what is the stuff in her bladder?"
Dr : "I don't know, I do not have the results of the tests yesterday, so I can't tell you anything."
Me: "Do you think it is serious? Do people normally have stuff floating around in their bladder?"
Dr: "No, people do not usually have stuff floating around in their bladder, but I don't know anything because I do not have the test results."
Me: "So why was the radiologist so concerned that he felt I needed to get in here today, first thing?"
Dr: "I don't know I don't have the test results..."
I think you see the pattern here. So, after giving up my precious hour of preschool time, not to mention five hours of my day on Monday, we are no closer to solving the peeing problem then we were in September. For now, we will just keep using the pull up and wait for the problem to go away.
