Technology sometimes shows what it can go

Erik's bladder was finally checked with some very fancy equipment. The x-ray-monitor showed very crisp, clear lines of all Erik's interior structures. It was clear that Erik has a mega-ureter. Finally, something evolved from my insistence that something had to be wrong beyond the fact that something has been wrong with Erik for over 36 year. As the nurse and I saw this mega-ureter, she was incredulous that this type of test had not been done on Erik before. A mega-ureter is ordinarily a condition that is discovered in the newborn. Thirty-six years of pain and suffering for Erik. Is there a remedy? I venture to say there is none. The doctors who cared for Erik then are probably dead, and the statute of limitations has run out. But what about those who cared for him in the last few years? They just didn't want to bother. A physician seems to be home free if he ignores the patient as long as the patient doesn't die. Erik may live a while longer.

The next test was a nuclear scan. It was amazing to see the flow of radio-active particles down from the kidneys into the bladder. One kidney looked completely discombobulated. That one was the one with the mega-ureter. That kidney has hydronephrosis. The other one seemed to work like what I had seen on the internet. What would I know without the internet? Erik's case looks like something that could show up in a textbook. Thank goodness for technology.