Life Is Good: Urology and Potty Training

Thursday, May 5, 2011

Urology and Potty Training

Whew...what a day!

As many of you know (or may not know) we've been in the midst of potty training a very stubborn little 4-year-old for quite some time, but let me back up a little...

Per doctor's recommendation we were encouraged not to address the potty training issue until Ryan was at least 2-1/2 or 3. Well...2 1/2 and 3 came when I was on bedrest so it wasn't strongly addressed then. After Evan's birth the doctor recommended we not *push* the issue until Evan was at least 3 or 4 months old to lessen the stress around our house.

Sometime last fall we decided to start *introducing* the idea and encouraging the use of the toilet. We were met will every sort of opposition. Screaming, crying, yelling...everything EXCEPT willingness to use the toilet. After months of VERY STRESSFUL toileting trials we finally discussed the issue with our pediatrician. A friend recommended we set up a "Big Boy Day"...a day that Ryan chose to start using the potty. While we waited for that day to arrive our dr. suggested we consider an appointment with a urologist.

Well..."Big Boy Day" came and we were pleasantly surprised when Ryan suddenly decided that using the toilet was...well...okay. He started using the potty! Of course I know that potty training is a tedious, time-consuming, stressful challenge. I'm not fully convinced by the moms who "claim" their kid was trained in a week. I'm totally sympathetic with those moms who say they were ready to pull their hair out and spent many hours crying with frustration.

So Ryan started using the potty. We started with setting a timer every hour. Every hour we visited the potty. Well, from all my consulting with other moms I figured we would be going regularly/hourly for a couple of weeks but within a few weeks we could probably add 15 minutes and with more time add some more time. It didn't work. After many weeks an hour was all we could do. Every hour. Hopefully. Some hours weren't successful.

After consulting with our pediatrician again a urology appointment was scheduled.

Today was that appointment.

Ryan first had an x-ray of his med-section. Next he had an ultrasound of his bladder. After a thorough history & physical by the doctor here is what we found out today:

I'm not a crazy fanatical mom that needs to get a grip and just be patient...and more consistent...and whatever else (since some people had already made me feel that way it was nice to NOT be reassured of that by the doc.)
Ryan should be able to hold his pee longer than an hour but he is going to be one of those kids that timed bathroom trips will be the key for quite some time.
I'm going to need to find a good deal of patience because this process could take up to another year. Or more.
There doesn't appear to be any physical problems with his bladder.
The same nerves that innervate the feet innervate the bladder so the fact he walks well indicate good nerve function to the bladder.
The fact he can pee when asked is a good thing.
His x-ray showed his colon was completely full with plenty more poop forming coming through the pipes (large intestine)
Pooping is a big thing with peeing.
His overly full colon could be a big contributing factor to the inability to hold his urine because his bladder is being compressed by the colon.
Our first course of action is to deal with the pooping.
Basically until he is a good pooper we shouldn't expect him to be a good pee-er. However we should still remain vigilant in our hourly toilet visits and try to add time over time.
The only way to change the pooping issue is to first get it cleaned out (enemas, laxatives, stool softeners, etc....poor little guy.)
The only way to maintain the pooping progress is through diet changes.
His diet changes (not super strict...he can splurge from time to time) include: no caffeine, no carbonated beverages, very limited sugary food and drink intake, no citrus, limited red meat, limited refined flour products, limited dairy, limited fast foods like pizza, etc. (Ummm...cheese and pb&j sandwiches are his staples...what in the world are we going to do?)
Other diet changes: increased fruits and vegetables, whole grains and water.

So there's lots more info but that covers the basics. He has a follow-up appt. in 3 months. Now that I've had time to process all the new information I'm now ready to call the pediatrician and discuss HOW IN THE WORLD AM I GOING TO GET MY VERY PICKY EATER WHO ONLY EATS PEANUT BUTTER AND JELLY SANDWICHES AND CHEESE TO GIVE UP HIS DAILY SANDWICHES IN FAVOR OF MORE HEALTHY AND NUTRITIOUS OPTIONS? Did I mention he's strong-willed so I do expect that if he was only offered the healthy options he would eventually eat, but I also know him well enough that he may go a week or more without eating just out of retaliation.

1 comment:

Jodi said...: I just wanted to say I totally feel your pain. We are having such trouble with Olivia. We finally had to put her on Miralax to address one of the issues. She asks to go potty all the time, but she will not go when asked. She just will not go in the potty. It doesn't help that her preschool next fall requires you to be fully potty trained, which is stressing me out. It doesn't help when people say, "She should certainly be old enough to be potty trained." I've tried everything. Next week, we are going to cancel all appts and go without diapers. It is probably my fault that I have her in diapers too often. Anyway, just needed to vent I guess and tell you that you aren't alone. ((HUGS)); May 17, 2011 at 5:11 PM

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Brandy Danielle

Brandy is our firstborn, our precious angel baby girl. Her entry into this world wasn't without excitement. At 26 weeks I started preterm labor with contractions 5 minutes apart. With 10 weeks of strict bedrest, most of which were in the hospital, she made it to 36 weeks.
Brandy was diagnosed with "possible/probable" heart defect around 28-30 weeks gestation. After her birth she was whisked away to the NICU for monitoring and after a few days her defect was formally diagnosed and labeled...atrial septal defect and a cleft mitral valve.
Brandy, upon indications of failure to thrive and pulmonary hypertension, underwent her first of 2 open-heart surgeries at 4 months of age. A week after her surgery on the day of her anticipated discharge home Brandy coded for 13 minutes...a stoke.
From that point on Brandy's life was full of doctor's visits, endless crying, pain and suffering. She underwent another heart surgery, fundoplication and g-tube surgery, treatment for infantile spasms, and a mountain of tests and procedures. Her brain damage was extensive.
Upon counseling of our wonderful, most amazing heart surgeon, Dr. Christopher Knott-Craig, and many hours of prayer, we finally called in hospice and called off all of the extensive medical interventions and surgery needs that would prolong her suffering while possibly prolonging her life. Brandy, our precious baby girl...our angel...passed out of our arms and into the arms of her Saviour, Jesus at the tender age of 17 months.

Ryan Andrew

Ryan, our micro-preemie miracle, is a ball of life. After nearly a year of trying to conceive imagine our delight when we finally knew he was on the way. My pregnancy with Ryan was uneventful at first. It seemed perfect and with all of the precautions for preterm labor being taken and monitored we entered this pregnancy with cautious anticipation covered over by a whole love of naive excitement.
At 20 weeks we discovered our "Baby Peanut" was going to be a little boy. We began to make plans and began dreaming about the day we would meet our son.
Almost 2 weeks later everything changed in our lives. It wa a whirlwind of fear and emtions as I began to bleed, was sent for monitoring in L&D and eventually had an appointment with my OB only to find out that it was serious. I had incompetent cervix with hourglassing membranes. The doctor admitted me to the hospital immediately and an emergency cerclage was placed. The statistics were grim, but the hope was to keep our son inside for at least 10 more weeks. We only made it 10 more days.
Early in the evening of February 11, 2007 our son, Ryan, came into this world in emergency fashion at only 23 weeks 5 days gestation. He weighed 1 pound 8 ounces and was 12 ½ inches long. He was so tiny. All I could think of was “oh my goodness is he really that tiny? And is there any way he could actually make it?” I tried to hold on to hope, but in all honesty I had never met anyone with a baby born that early and that small that ever made it.
Ryan did make it! It was a long, hard road, but in the end he spent 90 days in the NICU. He was on a ventilator for 2 months. Finally on one fine glorious day in May we bundled up our 4 pound 4 ounce baby boy and went home...May 11, 2007.
Ryan is now a spunky, lively, strong-willed little boy. His laughter is contagious and his spirit is compelling. He is our miracle. There are no words strong enough to share our delight and joy that God has blessed us with this little boy.

Evan Alexander