This is my story, this is my song,
Praising my Savior, all the day long.

For almost a year we have been taking our youngest child to doctor’s appointments for what began as a UTI that kept coming back.  Because of the UTI, we were sent to a specialist and learned (after tests) that by the age of five, she had a large amount of kidney stones in her right kidney.  She endured an 8 hour robotic surgery in January to have them removed, then another procedure a month later in which she was asleep for 2 hours to remove the stent they had placed and to check to make sure every stone was indeed gone (they were).

A month or so later, during an ultrasound follow up visit, we were told she had hydronephrosis of that same kidney, which may or may not have occurred because of the stone removal surgery.  However, two of the doctors had also been questioning why that kidney ended up with so much stone and believed that she had an intermittent blockage and/or kink in the ureter.  So we went for more tests.  The MAG-3 (in which she was put to sleep) showed that the right kidney was at 14% function, while the left was at 86%.  We also learned from another test that she had reflux on that same side.  Therefore, another robotic surgery was necessary, to remove the part of the ureter that showed the blockage.  She had this surgery, which was about 6 hours long, on July 6.

A month later, we went in for another “magical sleep” so that she could have the stent removed which was in place after the surgery in July.  While talking to us afterwards, the doctor was optimistic, but very cautious, with her report– leading my very vivid imagination to imagine the worse (although hoping, in a very small degree, for a good outcome).

We got a call two days ago telling us that the doctor who performed Sarah’s surgeries had  left the hospital to pursue a private practice and I was absolutely floored.  We had formed an attachment to her and I never dreamed she would “vanish”.  I almost cancelled the follow up appointment because I didn’t want to see a doctor that was unfamiliar with our case.  There was an opening for next week with another doctor that we’ve seen many times before, but I was so anxious for the results of the appointment that I decided to go ahead with the unfamiliar Doctor.

It turned out for the best (God) because low and behold this Doctor had indeed been there for us–the very first time we had walked in the doors of the medical center with the “UTI” issues.  Although I did not remember her, she remembered us.  We had come full circle because this time, instead of passing us along to the Surgeon, she was able to give us much better news.

THE KIDNEY LOOKS AMAZING!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

She wasn’t able to see all the images from radiology, (which was the first time she had this “glitch”), but with shining eyes she showed us the one image she had — and also shared with us the words from the Radiologist who had studied ALL the images, “It looks so much better”.

I spent the rest of yesterday exhausted from so many months of anxiety suddenly gone.  Happily, tearfully, radiantly, thankfully, exhausted.  After the appointment, Sarah and I went, as is our habit, straight to the gift shop and the cafeteria right there in the hospital.  Then we went shopping at the mall where she selected things with sparkles and glitter on them.  We held hands.  I texted Rich, Mom, and Dave to give them the report, but I didn’t proclaim anything from the rooftops (so to speak) because the Doctor had said she would call me after she had seen the rest of the images, and depending on how she thought things looked we would be back in a month or three months.

She just called.

Everything looks great and we don’t have to go back for three months.

Everything really does look great!!!!!!!!!!!!!

((Will Sarah get another kidney stone?  Probably.  She is definitely a “stone maker” but with the kidney draining properly she is more likely to pass them before they get to be a big huge problem like last year.  She’s drinking a lot more and they also told us to give her an orange a day.))  

Sarah was nothing but a bouncing bubbling little girl after her appointment.  She’s only six but she knows happy news when she hears it.

I’ve been taking photos of these early fall days;

shades of light pink and deep pink

The whiteness in the berry cluster in the middle is a spider’s nest….what a nice place to live.

mushroom

brown moccasins & wool socks

the stream is low and shines like a mirror

Blessed assurance, Jesus is mine!
O what a foretaste of glory divine!
Heir of salvation, purchase of God,
Born of His Spirit, washed in His blood.

Perfect submission, perfect delight,
Visions of rapture now burst on my sight;
Angels descending bring from above
Echoes of mercy, whispers of love.

another creature home; is your door surrounded by lovely green moss?  I wish mine was!

orange rainbows on a dead log

food for the birds

chickadee on a sunflower

Perfect submission, all is at rest
I in my Savior am happy and blest,
Watching and waiting, looking above,
Filled with His goodness, lost in His love.

this is my story
this is my song
praising my Savior
all the day long

“He who gives you the day
will also give you the things necessary for the day.”
Gregory of Nyssa