Day 148: Kidney Function Concerns

This was supposed to be our off week. Last week we were at the hospital for the high dose chemo and this week was supposed to be just 1 check up to make sure his body was recovering well. Things have not gone according to plan.

Tuesday of this week we came in for the quick blood draw and following a brief conversation with the nurse immediately after we went home. Quick, painless, back to our lives. Not so fast. About an hour later once the actual blood test results came in the doctors noticed that Cristian was a little dehydrated and his Creatinine levels were elevated. These 2 things could be connected but they weren’t sure and called us back to the hospital. Once back at the hospital they took a urine sample and gave some IV fluids. After 30 minutes of fluids they did another blood test to see if hydration improved both numbers. Good news, the IV fluids brought his hydration numbers into a better spot and his Creatinine levels dropped 30%. This lead the doctors to believe the issue was hydration related and told us to increase Cristian’s fluid intake by almost 50%, then come back on Friday to confirm.

The next 2 days were all about drinking water or juice. Cristian’s wants a cookie, drink water first. He wants to get in dada’s car and go for a ride, drink water first. He wants some water, drink water first (kidding). Thankfully Cristian was a champ and gave no fuss throughout.

As we returned on Friday for the follow up things started as a repeat from Tuesday. This time we made sure to wait at the hospital for the results before going home just in case they had some concerns. Well the results came back and the numbers were slightly worse than earlier in the week. This caused some concern for the doctors as to why his kidneys were not behaving normally.

So we are now back admitted to the hospital for a who knows how many night stay. The doctors have engaged the kidney specialists to begin looking over the bloodwork as well as the results from an ultrasound we did of the kidneys and bladder today. Given that it was Friday afternoon before this discovery was made there is a good chance that we won’t see much movement over the weekend. Luckily Cristian has a view he enjoys.

The doctors didn’t give much indication to potential causes but did say that this isn’t uncommon for kids Cristian’s age going through chemo. This could be something as simple as lowering the dosage of future chemo to match the pace of his kidneys, or something more. We won’t know until the kidney doctors weigh in.

Adding insult to injury, as Maria went to take Leena out for some mommy daughter time this evening, the family vehicle wouldn’t start. We have access to transportation via Maria’s mom if critical, but not the best time for car issues.

We thank everyone for the concern, support, and prayers. This is a tough road, but the love from you all is helping us get through. We ask that all keep praying for Cristian’s quick overall recovery and that this kidney issue is swiftly dispatched.