rp from high risk board: Growth u/s today not so great

CantWait2Be

I have gd which is currently controlled by diet so I had a growth u/s today.  I wasn't expecting any other news except the size of the baby.  The tech said he's weighing 4.8 lbs with margin of error at this point being 1/2 pound (a little ahead) but within okay range.  Then there's the BUT.  I saw the high risk doc immediately after as an add on appt because something isn't right with one of the baby's kidneys.  Aparently it was fine at our big u/s but since one of them has developed a blockage and is now too big as a result.  So receiving this unexpected news I'm now told I have to go in for another u/s in 3 weeks to check on his kidneys again (primarily the right one to make sure it's still working fine) and that the baby will immediately have further evaluation once he's born and they'll do an u/s on him and we'll need to see a urologist to see if it's something that can be fixed or if he'll have to have his kidney removed.  Not life threatening but still not something you want to hear.  Yeah people function just fine with one kidney but if he's starting out with only one then he's screwed if something happens to that one.

I have so many questions right now, could this be the sign of other problems, what could have caused the obstruction beween our big u/s and now, will something suddenly happen to the other kidney now that it is having to work harder etc.... I don't really want to google things because I think that will just make things worse for me but I do want to come up with a list to take to the u/s in 3 weeks so I can ask the doc questions then.  Anyone been through this or have suggestions of questions I should ask?

IdigDirt

I am so sorry, I hope your next appointment goes better. 

DreamChaser246

Ugh, lots of T&P that all will be ok! Take care! Stay away from google, it is dangerous in times like these.. =(

kate05

DreamChaser246:

Ugh, lots of T&P that all will be ok! Take care! Stay away from google, it is dangerous in times like these.. =(

This.  T&Ps that your next scan will be better.

jcsumm0

Sorry you are going through this stress!  It helps me to sit down and write out all the questions that are bouncing around in my head and then ask the doctor.  You could even call your doctor and talk to them before your next appt if it would ease your mind.  That's what the doc is for!  I've felt silly for calling mine once or twice but she always makes me feel better after having talked to her.

CantWait2Be

and if it weren't for me having GD I wouldn't have had this ultrasound so we wouldn't have known there was an issue with the baby, who knows when it would have been discovered.... concerning to me. 

OctoberCAPA

I'm so sorry for the bad news--thoughts and prayers to you.  I know that anything but good news sounds awful.

I've had a lot of growth ultrasounds, and I am fairly certain that if the doctors were really worried about your baby, you would be scheduled for a follow-up much sooner than three weeks.  How often are you meeting with your dietitian?  Do you have to go for NSTs?  In my experience, the more frequently they want to see you, the more likely they think something is to go wrong.  A three-week timeframe is AGES at this point, and it indicates to me that they don't expect much to change with your baby in that time period.  I don't want to downplay what would be really scary news to hear, but I think that if the doctors think that this problem is going to lead to more problems, they'd want you back for another ultrasound next week--not in three weeks. 

EmmysMom08

I'm sorry you didn't get good newws. I hope and pray that the next u/s will have better results!

cfisher2008

Oh my. T&Ps!

Baby4OT

OctoberCAPA:

I'm so sorry for the bad news--thoughts and prayers to you.  I know that anything but good news sounds awful.

I've had a lot of growth ultrasounds, and I am fairly certain that if the doctors were really worried about your baby, you would be scheduled for a follow-up much sooner than three weeks.  How often are you meeting with your dietitian?  Do you have to go for NSTs?  In my experience, the more frequently they want to see you, the more likely they think something is to go wrong.  A three-week timeframe is AGES at this point, and it indicates to me that they don't expect much to change with your baby in that time period.  I don't want to downplay what would be really scary news to hear, but I think that if the doctors think that this problem is going to lead to more problems, they'd want you back for another ultrasound next week--not in three weeks. 

I agree with all this! I know it's scary when anything isn't perfect, but I think they'd want you back much sooner to monitor things if it was a really big problem.

CantWait2Be

yeah that makes sense.  Thank you for that reassurance.  I don't see the nutritionist anymore, only did once for initial visit and a week later for follow up.  I have to fax in my numbers to the ob nurse weekly.  Today my regular ob said I wouldn't have any additional monitoring or nst or anything unless I have to start insulin which he didn't expect to happen.  Not sure if anything will change now that the kidney issue has been discovered, at this point I see my ob in 2 weeks like already scheudled then the following week u/s with maternal fetal medicine and meeting with doc there to go over what was seen, then following week regular ob appt again.

jellybeanjean

hi!  our baby has dilated kidneys (bilaterally) as well.  was first seen on u/s at 20w, and then was better but they were both still enlarged at 24w.  have another u/s next week at 32w.  i assume if it hasn't fully resolved by that point that they'll do an u/s on him after delivery.

don't google; google is not your friend.  i can tell you that working l&d i have YET to see a real problem from this.  it's almost always a boy thing (sonographer guessed boy before he even looked between the legs at my 20w u/s), and the sonographer said that there's really no way to pinpoint why it happens.  sometimes it's just that the ureter to drain the urine from the kidney to the bladder is kinked, and as they grow it stretches, alleviating the swelling.  if they aren't referring you to a perinatologist and just want a f/u u/s in three wks, i would try not to worry.

 i know positioning is key for kidney measurement -- perhaps they just didn't get an accurate measurement at 20w?  hang in there and don't worry -- the VAST majority of times, this turns out to be absolutely nothing.

bookkitten

I am so sorry you are having to deal with this stress. Thoughts and prayers that everything is well and that you get better news after the next scan.

DuckysDoll

Oh man, that has to be hard to take in! I am sorry your having to deal with this. My main advice, even though you have questions, DO NOT GOOGLE! I would just ask honest questions you are having.

amymark05

My son, now 3-1/2 y/o had a dialated kidney first detected at the 20 wk u/s and throughout the remainder of my pregnancy.  After he was born he went for further testing to test the kidney's function.  In his case there was a ureter (sp?) seal that was blocking it's complete function.  We consulted with a pediatric urologist right after he was born....he was put on an antibiotic for a few months....around 5 months old he had a procedure to rupture this seal.   It was a same day procedure that took about half hour.  Follow up testing found that after the procedure the kidney went completely back to norm.   Please try not to worry!!!

kmv68

My DD had huge kidney/bladder/ureter issues in utero.  One of the things they thought was that she had a blockage.  They told us that would be the easiest fix.  One quick surgery, a drain for a few weeks and then fine. She ended up having urinary reflux instead and the road was long, but she is now a healthy, happy 6 yr old.

Kidney issues can be markers for other problems, but normally they are not.

If you need to vent PM me.

GL

jgengo0

OctoberCAPA:

I'm so sorry for the bad news--thoughts and prayers to you.  I know that anything but good news sounds awful.

I've had a lot of growth ultrasounds, and I am fairly certain that if the doctors were really worried about your baby, you would be scheduled for a follow-up much sooner than three weeks.  How often are you meeting with your dietitian?  Do you have to go for NSTs?  In my experience, the more frequently they want to see you, the more likely they think something is to go wrong.  A three-week timeframe is AGES at this point, and it indicates to me that they don't expect much to change with your baby in that time period.  I don't want to downplay what would be really scary news to hear, but I think that if the doctors think that this problem is going to lead to more problems, they'd want you back for another ultrasound next week--not in three weeks. 

This exactly. Couldn't have said it better myself. In the high risk world 3 weeks is eons! Our baby A is perfectly healthy from what they can tell and they are still checking her growth via ultrasound every two weeks. I'd say you truly have nothing "major" to worry about.  Wishing you and your LO the best!

jgengo0

OctoberCAPA:

I'm so sorry for the bad news--thoughts and prayers to you.  I know that anything but good news sounds awful.

I've had a lot of growth ultrasounds, and I am fairly certain that if the doctors were really worried about your baby, you would be scheduled for a follow-up much sooner than three weeks.  How often are you meeting with your dietitian?  Do you have to go for NSTs?  In my experience, the more frequently they want to see you, the more likely they think something is to go wrong.  A three-week timeframe is AGES at this point, and it indicates to me that they don't expect much to change with your baby in that time period.  I don't want to downplay what would be really scary news to hear, but I think that if the doctors think that this problem is going to lead to more problems, they'd want you back for another ultrasound next week--not in three weeks. 

This exactly. Couldn't have said it better myself. In the high risk world 3 weeks is eons! Our baby A is perfectly healthy from what they can tell and they are still checking her growth via ultrasound every two weeks. I'd say you truly have nothing "major" to worry about.  Wishing you and your LO the best!

CantWait2Be

thank you ladies so much for the kind words and encouragement and sharing your stories.  This really helps me deal with the unexpected news.  Don't worry, I'm not going to google because I know there is just too much out there that would scare me or make me worry more un-necessarily.  I'm planning on making a list of questions to ask my regular ob hopefully tomorrow.  And I'll ask the high risk doc when I go in 3 weeks.  Yeah it does seem like eons and hard to wait but you are right that if they thought it was more urgent they wouldn't have me wait that long.

OpheliaChem

I haven't personally experienced this, but my cousin's second baby was born a few weeks ago with a blocked kidney. As far as I know, they didn't know it was blocked before he was born. The baby had emergency surgery to remove the blockage and he doing just fine now. I don't know if that helps but as PPs have said, if the doctors thought something needed to be done now, they would do it. I will keep you and your LO in my prayers!