April 8, 2006

In Sickness and in Health

When a newborn baby enters the world, we don't utter any vows. We don't have a ceremony promising, "...till death do us part." It is unspoken, possibly not even a conscious thought, but the commitment is there just the same. "For better or worse, for richer or poorer, in sickness and in health." We've certainly had our worses, as well as our betters. Probably more poorers than richers. The problem has been the sickness and health. There hasn't seemed to be much health for my little boy. Jaundice, feeding problems, eczema, a viral skin infection, life-threatening food allergies, and now THIS.

My heart is burdened, my mind is cluttered, my eyes are teary. I've been spending hours on the Internet searching for answers, but instead finding more questions. I've learned medical terms I never new before and never really wanted to know. I've learned about diseases I never wanted to know about.

What is THIS? During a routine physical exam, the dr. discovered red blood cells in Gavin's urinalysis. Twelve days later they tested his urine again, with the same result. They then sent it to a lab for microscope examination and they confirmed the result (often the office dipstick is over-sensitive and gives a false positive). The lab could not find any infection, which, oddly enough, is not a good thing. An infection could be cleared up with antibiotics, but if no infection is present, it often means there is a deeper cause. A few options? Kidney stones, IgA nephropathy (kidney failure), lupus, leukemia, and tumors in the urinary system. In rare cases it can be normal for someone to have red blood cells present, but again, rarely.

I somehow thought with all the challenges Gavin has faced there couldn't possibly be more. I've come to terms with his food allergies, not expecting him to grow out of them, but ready to be thankful if he does. We deal with the skin issues (he has a break out on his face right now) as if it is a normal part of everyone's life. I've often said, "I'd rather be dealing with food allergies than what many parents face with their children." Now I'm afraid I'm going to be one of those parents too.

Pray for us as we go to the allergist on Tuesday for Gavin's six month check-up. Maybe he can give some insight into this as well. Pray for the pediatrician as she determines what tests should be done next. Pray for the strength and grace we need to go through this, no matter the outcome. Pray for wisdom for all of us.