Vesicoureteral Reflux

This is something that my daughter, Sophia, has been diagnosed with earlier this year and they've now recognized it to be hereditary -which is kind of scary because I would like to have more children. Even Sophia will have to watch for this in her children!

Description:
When the ureters enter the bladder, they travel through the wall of the bladder for a distance in such a way that they create a tunnel so that a flap-like valve is created inside the bladder. This valve prevents urine from backing-up into the ureters and kidneys.
In some children, the valves may be abnormal or the ureters in the bladder may not travel long enough in the bladder wall, which can cause vesicoureteral reflux. Vesicoureteral reflux is a condition that allows urine to go back up into the ureters and kidneys causing repeated urinary tract infections. The reflux of urine exposes the ureters and kidney to infection from bacteria and high-pressure, which is generated by the bladder during urination. If left untreated, urinary infections can cause kidney damage and renal scarring with the loss of potential growth of the kidney and high blood pressure later in life

Anyway, God must have been watching out for me because shortly after this diagnoses while I was visiting my sisters church, a friend spoke up and mentioned that her cousin's daughter (Annie) also has this! I was so excited to know I had a friend, one who DOES know what I'm feeling and what I'm about to face. Someone I could talk too.

Annie is 9 mos old and has had VUR all her life. She has 2 ureters on the side that is messed up- one ureter has the reflux and the other doesn't. She's been on the antibiotics route for sometime, with no real success. However they were scheduled for reconstructive surgery as of Oct 8th. The idea is that they can go in a much smaller incision, take the bad ureter and implant it into the good ureter and all is right int he world again! I haven't talked with Natalie, Annie's mom, yet to find out how things went but I know God was watching over their family and will continue to do so day, after day. :)

Please pray for Ben and Natalie Colby and baby Annie!