Our Trip To The Urologist

Beau waited patiently for his turn with the doctor! Yes, he still loves those potato sticks!

Last week we took Beau to visit the urologist. I cannot say enough good things about our experience with Dr. Edwin Smith at Georgia Urology. We arrived a few minutes early to complete any necessary paperwork. Beau was happy to wait in the waiting room and watch other children play with the toys. After a few minutes, he actually wanted down to play. He sat in my lap and looked around and seemed to be comfortable in the waiting area.

We were called back to a room quickly and the nurse was very kind. I explained that Beau was very scared at our previous appointments with other doctors. She understood and allowed Beau to stay in his stroller while she checked his pulse. Beau did cry while she was touching him, but he quickly calmed down once she left the room. This is a HUGE improvement! While we were waiting on the doctor, Raleigh and I sang and played games with Beau and he did not cry. I kept him in his stroller facing the wall instead of facing the door. When the doctor came in, Beau could get used to hearing the doctor’s voice without actually seeing him walk in the room. This seemed to help and Beau didn’t cry until Dr. Smith examined Beau. Once the examination was over I was able to quickly calm Beau down again. What an answer to prayers!!

Dr. Smith had reviewed all of the files that we sent him prior to our appointment and was very knowledgeable about Beau’s condition. He also took time to review the images with us that were done in Korea. He was very kind and allowed us to ask as many questions as we wanted.

Dr. Smith feels that Beau’s UPJ obstruction needs to be repaired to prevent any further damage to his kidneys. Ureteropelvic junction (UPJ) obstruction is a blockage in the area that connects the renal pelvis (part of the kidney) to one of the tubes (ureters) that move urine to the bladder.

This is the plan for Beau’s treatment:

In the next week or two (we are waiting to hear back from the nurse about the exact date) Beau will have a MAG3 scan completed. This scan will allow the doctor to get a baseline for Beau’s kidneys and learn more about how they are functioning. We will meet with the doctor the same day that the scan is completed to discuss the results, so they said to expect this to be an all day event. This will be done at Scottish Rite in Atlanta.

After the MAG3 scan, the doctor will schedule surgery to correct Beau’s UPJ obstruction. The surgery will take place in 2 parts. During the first surgery, Dr. Smith will make an incision in the flank (an incision usually made near and parallel to the 12th rib) and will then insert a stent into the area that needs repairing. The stent will stay in a few weeks. I can’t remember if the doctor said it will stay in three weeks or six weeks. Either way, a few weeks later the doctor will perform a second surgery to remove the stent.

After both surgeries, Beau will have another MAG3 scan to again monitor his kidney function and to ensure that the surgical correction worked properly.

Dr. Smith was recommended to us by multiple people as a great pediatric urologist. Raleigh and I both feel confident in his recommendation. We knew that Beau’s UPJ obstruction would likely require surgery, so we were not surprised. I will keep you posted once we know the dates for Beau’s scans and surgery.