Good news and bad news.
Good news is that the urologist didn’t see a direct cause for urinary retention on the ultrasound this morning.
Bad news is that the urologist didn’t see a direct cause for urinary retention on the ultrasound this morning.

They said that urine had not backed up into her kidneys and nothing looked traumatized or abnormal, which is certainly something to be thankful for (except there’s a little question about her gallbladder that they’re turning back over to her regular team to inspect).

It looks like there are two major possibilities. First, of course, it could be neurological compromise because of Krabbe. Though most families do NOT have to catheterize their Krabbe children, urinary retention varies and Karis might have just gone through an episode of extreme urinary retention that alerted us to what could be chronic urinary retention. The other possibility is that she’s retaining it for no reason we can pinpoint. The urologist explained that sometimes even typically developing children will stop urinating on their own and need to be catheterized without explanation.

Regardless of the reason, all we know is that it is best for Karis right now to catheterize her every 6 hours. This will give her a chance to void if she can, but will also empty her bladder to prevent infections or any other complications. So we’re adding another procedure to our regular routine, which is kind of overwhelming and really disheartening. We just really need prayer… especially Karis.

Speaking of praying for Karis. My sister and I were talking the other day and I mentioned to her that one way I pray for Karis is by going through each piece of her equipment and asking the Lord to remove her need for the equipment. Diane said she’d love to join me and asked me if I’d list it. I thought while I was at it I might as well share it with Karis’ prayer warriors. (It’s also a good tool to use while praying for healing on the 29th of each month.) Here they are, if you’re interested:

• Bi-Pap machine: Karis has sleep apnea, meaning that she has episodes of not breathing while she’s asleep. The bipap gives her constant positive pressure to keep her airway open so that she doesn’t have apnea. Pray for healing to her esophagus, for her airway to remain open on its own and that she would be able to take deep breaths, even while she’s asleep.
• Bingo:  Karis is unable to sit up without assistance and the Bingo chair provides the support she needs.  Please pray for healing to her spine and neck and strength for the muscles surrounding them.
• Catheters:  As you know, this is a recent development.  We insert a catheter into her bladder every 6 hours because her urinary sphincter is not relaxing on its own.  Please pray for healing of the muscles that control her bladder and that her brain would send uninterrupted signals to her bladder to make it relax.
• Cough assist:  This machine gives Karis a deep breath of air and quickly takes it back, producing the effect of a cough.  It hyperinflates her lungs in effort to prevent pneumonia.  Please pray for healing to Karis’ lungs, that they would be strong and she would breathe deeply enough to hyperinflate her lungs on her own.
• Diastat syringe:  Diastat is an emergency drug that we keep on hand in a pre-filled syringe in case Karis has a prolonged seizure that causes her to stop breathing.  Please pray that she would have NO MORE myelin-destroying seizures.  Pray for healing to her myelin.
• G-tube feeding supplies:  The muscles Karis uses to swallow have weakened significantly, to the point where it us unsafe to give her anything by mouth, for fear that she would aspirate.  Her g-tube, syringes, gauze, tape, etc. enable her to be fed completely through her stomach, bypassing her mouth and drastically decreasing the probability of aspiration.  Please pray for healing and strength to Karis’ tongue and all muscles involved in swallowing.
• Hand splints:  Karis has tone in her hands that cause her fingers to curl under a little bit.  It’s very difficult to use your hands effectively if there is muscle tone causing them to curl.  The splints straighten her fingers while she is sleeping and stretch out the muscles in her fingers and wrist.  Please pray for healing to her hands and that use of her fingers would be restored.
• Nebulizer:  The nebulizer delivers medication to Karis’ lungs when she is wheezing or has crackles in her lungs.  Please pray for complete healing and strength to her lungs, so that they would not need treatment.
• Oxygen condenser:  This is a constant source of oxygen that Karis uses when she has pneumonia and her blood is not getting the oxygen it needs to supply her body.  Please pray that Karis would not have any more episodes of pneumonia or respiratory congestion that would cause her to need oxygen.
• Pulse oximeter:  This machine measures her oxygen levels and heart rate.  Her O2 tends to be unsteady when she is having any kind of respiratory sickness or pain.  Her heart rate is all over  the place.  Sometimes it’s quite high and sometimes it’s alarmingly low.  Pray that her blood would carry as much oxygen as her organs need and that her brain stem would regulate her heart rate so that it would remain steady.
• Stander:  The standing frame allows Karis to stand completely erect, providing weight bearing to all of her bones (except for her arms).  Pray that the Lord would restore strength and function to her muscles, allowing Karis to stand up.
• Suction machine:  This is also an issue of esophageal weakness.  The suction machine is used to remove excess saliva from the back of Karis’ throat to prevent her from choking as she tries to swallow it back down.  Please pray for strong swallowing muscles.