Back Into the Woods - Failing Kidneys

It seems like each time Eli is doing better we let our guard down to the possibility that progress is inevitably a bumpy process. We learned from the Nephrologist today that Eli is having severe kidney problems. We knew his kidneys were an issue, but we still weren't prepared for what the Nephrologist (kidney doctor) told us: That his right kidney has pretty much failed completely and that his left one is functioning only partially with very little chance that it will ever function at a normal level. An ultrasound shows that his right kidney is half the size it was three weeks ago and functioning only at 14%. The doctor says that it is essentially dying and there is really no hope that it will recover. His left kidney has grown slightly, but is still is only functioning at 86%. 86 percent seems hopeful, but apparently the kidney looks bad on the tests and the doctor is not sure whether it will grow along with his body. His creatinine levels are double that of a healthy baby and his BUN levels are also elevated. Eli's blood has turned more acidic with the breakdown of his right kidney which has caused his blood pressure to increase. Eli is not at the point where he needs dialysis but he could very well soon be. If both of his kidneys fail then he will need dialysis every day until he's about three years old at which time he would be eligible for a kidney transplant. We hope and pray that it will never get to that point. When Eli was super sick with his pulmonary hypertension his kidneys didn't get enough blood and so the cells started dying. Unfortunately his right kidney has continued to deteriorate while his left one has improved only slightly. We believe that Eli will pull through this. He is a fighter and he has gone through so much already. We have seen God work miracles in Eli's body and we will continue to pray that he will work another one. If Eli's left kidney is able to recover it could compensate for his failed right one and Eli could live a normal, healthy life. That is what we are praying for.