The way I see it...

A good report!

We had a great day in Iowa City last Friday!  I just felt like everything was going to be ok.  The sun was shining on the way down, I sent up a few prayers and I was just overcome with a huge feeling of positivity.

We started the day with an ultrasound of his bladder and kidney.  I feel like I should be able to read those things by now, but I’m certainly no expert.  I do know that I didn’t see any huge black masses, which is bad.  That means fluid and I have seen that awfulness before.

From there, we went to check his blood clot.  I just know when they light it up and there’s blue and red colors, that’s a good thing.  It means there’s blood flow.  I’m pretty scientific about my explanations, aren’t I?!

Then it was time for the urologist.  We had to see the resident first and he said he thought everything looked, “stable.”  I was slightly encouraged, but knew he didn’t have the final say, Dr. Kieran did.
Dr. Kieran came in and said his hydronephrosis (fluid around kidney) was stable to improved.  RELIEF!  I almost cried and I’m not even kidding you.

I love this doctor’s sense of humor and she just went off on a tangent that went something like this, “I don’t know how this could be!  I don’t know why he is able to pee.  He’s not supposed to be able to pee!  Maybe it’s because we used his ureter in the bladder reconstruction?  I don’t know.  This whole thing is just unorthodox, but I guess Blake is unorthodox, so let’s just go with it until his body tells us otherwise.  And I’m just going to say it, I don’t want to see you for six months.”

There was so much goodness in her rambling, I can’t even tell you.  I feel like maybe someday when she’s teaching her classes, Blake will be that one crazy urological case that she talks about.
From there, we headed for his iron infusion and to hear what hematology had to say.  That doctor said everything looked stable as well and unless he has another surgery, they would schedule a follow-up for six months.

Random selfie with my cute photo-bomber in-between appointments

Our kidney doctor couldn’t believe how tall Blake has gotten.  He is currently in the 70th percentile for height.  He used to be in the fifth percentile.  Blake is working his way up that growth chart.  Our doctor always used to say that if you give Blake a good kidney, eventually his good height genes would kick in and sure enough, she was right.

We are still doing labs monthly, but we are now seeing the kidney doctor every two months.
I think I was so emotional on Friday because I was thinking what kind of state Blake was in a year ago.  I mean, what a weak, sick, full of infection after infection kiddo he was.  And, here he was getting certain appointments spread out to six months!  Six months.  I can’t even explain to you how that feels.  After everything we have been through, it’s the biggest feeling of happiness and progress for that kid who has been through so much in his short life.

Slowly, but surely, we’re getting to a place I never thought we’d be and feeling so incredibly blessed to be here, but that’s just the way I see it.

 Blake picked this red nose out of the treasure chest after his infusion.  I asked him if he could give me thumbs-up for his good day and this is the awesomeness that he gave me. :)