Stone Results and an Award

Well, the doctor called us towards the end of last week to inform us of the type of Kidney Stones that our little guy (Archer) has... It is...

Cystine Stones. These are NOT the most common type (which I TOTALLY knew it wouldn't be!) Actually, this kind accounts for less than 3% of kidney stones. Of course, after the doctor called, I looked up information on this type to find out what I could about them. Below in BLUE is the most helpful info I've found:

Cystinuria is a condition passed down through families in which stones form in the kidney, ureter, and bladder.

Cystinuria is an autosomal recessive disorder, so you must inherit the faulty gene from both parents in order to have symptoms.

Cystinuria is caused by too much of an amino acid called cystine in the urine. After entering the kidneys, most cystine normally dissolves and goes back into the bloodstream. But people with cystinuria have a genetic defect that interferes with this process. As a result, cystine builds up in the urine and forms crystals or stones, which may get stuck in the kidneys, ureters, or bladder.

(BAD NEWS) Cystinuria is a chronic, lifelong condition. Stones commonly return.
(GOOD NEWS) However, the condition rarely results in kidney failure, and it does not affect other organs.

(info found at: https://health.google.com/health/ref/Cystinuria)

So yeah, it's a bummer deal because, not only is it Jeremiah and my fault (darn genetics!), but it's a life time thing. But it's good that we know what it is and what causes it. We will be meeting with a Nephrologist (kidney doctor) in a couple of weeks. And for now, he has had one more painful day (which most likely means another stone is on it's way out soon) but it wasn't as bad this time because we gave him the pain medicine when he starting complaining that he hurt...

So, ready for some happy news?

That cute, little guy is Archer at the school assembly last Wednesday. We got a call on Tuesday from his school saying that Archer was going to receive an award and they'd love it if we could come. So, because I have a great boss, I was able to take a long lunch and go see Archer receive an award for "Being Kind" to others. He was really excited to go up in front of the school and even more excited when he noticed that Jeremiah, Robyn and I were in the back taking his picture and giving him thumbs up. Unfortunately, we were far away and the camera's lighting wasn't ideal, so the picture isn't great. Because he is great at "Being Kind", they gave him a gift certificate for a free kids meal at both Wingers and Ruby River Steak House! But I think he was most excited about his "Being Kind" certificate. :)

Archer really is a strong, kind and good little guy and we love him a lot! We'll keep you updated as anything new happens.