Thursday, October 13, 2011



Yesterday Riley had an ultrasound and recheck at the urologist office.  This is my least favorite of the specialists offices so I went in with a bit of an attitude, I know who would have guessed that I'd have an attitude.  I must have asked at least 4 different times about this appointment and if there were any special instructions since we were having an ultrasound.  Oh no I was reassured over and over no need to drink anything special just make sure he's had enough that he can go to the bathroom.  Simple enough......  Seriously why do I schedule appointments in the morning and why oh why did I ever believe someone that told me I didn't have any special instructions before and ultrasound. 

We had a good morning and everyone had breakfast and then I chased Riley around with his large glass of milk that I was trying to get him to drink.  Just drink enough so you can go potty at the Dr office.  Once I gave him a straw we were in business.  He made Rex hold his glass for a period but other than that it was SUCCESS!  So we climbed in the car dropped Rex off at school and away we went.  As we checked in with the usual no nothing has changed still the same insurance routine I asked again.  Does he need to drink more?  Oh no he's good...  the nurse will be right out.  First thing out of the person's mouth that would be doing the ultrasound......has he had lots to drink?  Well he had a large glass of milk but that's it.  Well we'll have to measure and see if that was enough.  So after taking away his toys and stripping him down and smearing goo all over his tummy she announces that his bladder isn't at capacity so he'll need to drink more.  She hands me a glass of water...  sighs when I ask for a straw... and then announces she'll be back in 15 minutes.  Great!  Just how Riley and I wanted to spend our morning.  Crammed in a small room with him half naked and me shoving a straw in his face demanding he drink water so we could get out of this place.  45 minutes and two measurements by ultrasound later it was determined that he was at capacity and he need to go on the potty.  Well apparently this pediatric office has magical patients that must all be highly skilled at their potty techniques because the nurse was surprised when I told her that no he doesn't stand up to potty.  He had been naked from the waste down for the better part of an hour.  Seriously how exactly did you think he aimed that?  I can't imagine this is the first little boy she has seen with Down syndrome.  They aren't know for having big of anything.   She was less than impressed when I told her that we shopped for months for the froggy potty and its winning feature is the world largest pee guard.  When he sits on big potties he has to hold on with both hands which means I get the job of taking a huge wad of toilet paper and "catching" it.  This meant that she had to aim for Riley..  I don't think she thought it was a fun job.  I laughed and figured it was payback for making me sit in the room for so long.  I wish I could tell you for the sake of this story that he pee'd all over her but in reality it was just a little bit on her. 

The PA was much more organized and thorough today so that was nice.  The medicine that Riley is taking is to actually increase the capacity of his bladder and it is a smooth muscle relaxer that helps stop his bladder from contracting on its own.  It has been such a huge success with Riley!  They have to monitor with the ultrasound pre and post void to make sure there is no residual urine.  That is a common side effect of the medicine and can be an issue.  Riley has a tiny bit but I think it had more to do with his being on a potty that was too big with a strange nurse aiming for him.  The PA agreed and so we are back in 2 months for another check.  We should be off the medicine all together by February.  


The beloved froggy potty!


3 comments:

  1. I literally laughed out loud at the "how did she think he aimed that." So funny. I am so glad the meds are working and oh so hopeful, thanks for the info : )

    ReplyDelete
  2. If only there could have been that perfect ending... ( ;

    ReplyDelete

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