{"id":2863,"date":"2018-01-24T16:26:16","date_gmt":"2018-01-24T16:26:16","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.osfhealthcare.org\/blog\/?p=2863"},"modified":"2018-04-26T14:20:38","modified_gmt":"2018-04-26T19:20:38","slug":"going-the-distance-for-exceptional-pediatric-care","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/osf-blog.live.imagescape.com\/blog\/going-the-distance-for-exceptional-pediatric-care\/","title":{"rendered":"Going the distance for exceptional pediatric care"},"content":{"rendered":"

\"MasonAt 19 1\/2 weeks pregnant, Niki Parker and her husband, Cory, of Salem, Illinois, were about to find out the gender of their baby at their scheduled ultrasound.<\/p>\n

What they thought would be an exciting day, discovering if their first born would be a boy or girl, turned out to be a day of worry. Niki\u2019s obstetrician thought the baby\u2019s right kidney looked enlarged.<\/p>\n

Niki\u2019s doctor sent her to a specialist.<\/p>\n

\u201cThe specialist ran a variety of tests and did an ultrasound,\u201d Niki said. \u201cEverything looked proportional to the baby\u2019s growth except for the right kidney. They threw out all kinds of things that might be wrong, but most likely wouldn\u2019t be able to provide an accurate diagnosis until the baby was born.\u201d<\/p>\n

To rule out any chromosomal conditions, like Down syndrome, they took a sample of Niki\u2019s blood. The test was negative for any chromosomal abnormalities. The test also confirmed the Parkers would be welcoming a son.<\/p>\n

For the next 20 weeks, the baby would be closely monitored.<\/p>\n

Creating a care plan<\/h2>\n

On March 18, 2017, Cory and Niki Parker welcomed their son, Mason \u2013 who was born full-term \u2013 at a local hospital in Effingham, Illinois.<\/p>\n

One week after Mason was born, the Parkers made the trip to OSF HealthCare Children\u2019s Hospital of Illinois in Peoria under the care of Dr. Churphena Reid, a pediatric urologist. The urology program is ranked in the Top 50 by U.S. News & World Report.<\/p>\n

\u201cOur specialist\u2019s office referred us to Children\u2019s Hospital in Peoria,\u201d Niki said. \u201cWe also have family in East Peoria, who have said nothing but wonderful things about the hospital. Those two factors made our decision to go to Peoria for Mason\u2019s care.\u201d<\/p>\n

Dr. Reid did an ultrasound and diagnosed Mason with hydronephrosis \u2013 which is when fluid surrounds the kidney. She also said his kidney and ureter \u2013 which is a small tube that connects the kidney to the bladder \u2013 were dilated. Additionally, Mason had a duplicating collection system \u2013 which meant Mason had two ureters from the right kidney and two from the left kidney.<\/p>\n

\u201cDr. Reid thought either the hydronephrosis was from an infection in the kidney or the organ wasn\u2019t functioning properly,\u201d Niki said. \u201cDr. Reid put him on antibiotics to see if that would help the fluids surrounding the kidney and resolve the issue.\u201d<\/p>\n

The Parkers continued to follow up with Dr. Reid once or twice a month. At Mason\u2019s 6-month appointment, Dr. Reid determined Mason\u2019s kidney condition wasn\u2019t related to an infection, and most likely had to do with his kidney\u2019s functionality. Mason also started to develop a cyst on the top of his right kidney. He would require surgery the following the month.<\/p>\n

A healthy kidney at last<\/h2>\n
\"While

While in Peoria for a follow-up visit, Cory snapped this picture of Mason looking out at the city from the window of OSF HealthCare Children’s Hospital of Illinois.<\/p><\/div>\n

On November 1, 2017, 7-month-old Mason underwent an intense four-hour surgery.<\/p>\n

\u201cI remember telling Mason when I handed him over to the nurses to be prepped for surgery, \u2018You come back to mama,\u2019\u201d Niki said. \u201cI lost it. That was the hardest part.\u201d<\/p>\n

Dr. Reid removed the cyst located on the top of Mason\u2019s right kidney. The additional ureter on the right kidney was free floating and wrapped around Mason\u2019s internal organs. Dr. Reid was able to detangle it and join it with his functioning ureter to make one.<\/p>\n

After the surgery, Mason was transferred to the general pediatrics unit where he stayed for the next two nights.<\/p>\n

\u201cEveryone at Children\u2019s Hospital from Dr. Reid to the nurses were absolutely amazing,\u201d Cory said. \u201cThey are all really great people.\u201d<\/p>\n

Niki agreed.<\/p>\n

\u201cThe nurses on the general pediatrics floor went above and beyond to make Mason and even Cory and I feel comfortable,\u201d Niki said. \u201cThe nurses actually listen to your needs and wants for your child.\u201d<\/p>\n

Today, Mason is a happy-go-lucky 8-month-old, crawling-everywhere baby. He will continue to follow up with Dr. Reid indefinitely to make sure his kidney remains healthy.<\/p>\n

\u201cYes, we drive to Peoria for one doctor\u2019s appointment where I know we could have driven an hour to receive care in St. Louis,\u201d Cory said. \u201cBut we wouldn\u2019t change a thing. It\u2019s worth the extra miles to have the peace of mind knowing that our baby is getting the absolute best care.\u201d<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

At 19 1\/2 weeks pregnant, Niki Parker and her husband, Cory, of Salem, Illinois, were about to find out the gender of their baby at their scheduled ultrasound. What they thought would be an exciting day, discovering if their first born would be a boy or girl, turned out to be a day of worry. […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":25,"featured_media":3362,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_lmt_disableupdate":"","_lmt_disable":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[118,116,223],"tags":[142,154,330],"coauthors":[690],"class_list":["post-2863","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-birthing-center","category-pediatrics","category-patient-story","tag-childrens-hospital-of-illinois","tag-surgery","tag-urology"],"yoast_head":"\nSalem family goes the distance for exceptional pediatric care<\/title>\n<meta name=\"description\" content=\"For Niki and Cory Parker, driving extra hours to care for their infant's kidney condition at OSF Children's Hospital is worth it.\" \/>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" 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