I must have missed the other updates to this thread--9/23 was our 10th wedding anniv. and it was a busy weekend!

Our meeting with the recommended pediatric urologist led us to choose antibiotic therapy for now. He indicated that if we saw no progress at all, that would mean doing surgery sooner rather than later. He said the chances that we will eventually do surgery are about 70% given her age and the level of severity, but still it is worth trying the antibiotics and watching for improvement first. If she ever has another infection while taking antibiotics, we will go straight to surgery. One concern is that if you correct it too early, the child's growth may necessitate another surgery later.

For the record, the urologist's reading of the x-rays was a grade 3 on one side and grade just-barely-4 on the other, slightly less severe than the radiologist's take. That was at age 20 mos., which is fairly old in terms of the improvement one would expect to see if we had diagnosed her at birth or shortly after. That's what makes the necessity of surgery seem higher than it would if she had been diagnosed with that degree of severity at, say, 6 mos.

It may be total coincidence, but several people have commented in months past about how much healthier Iris looks and acts since we started treating her with low-dose antibiotics. We have had no adverse reactions to the medicine. You do have to be absolutely 100% consistent about it. Inability to be consistent with the medicine is considered an indication for surgery.

I hope all goes well for you, Jenny. Please let us know how the procedure goes!

Shaun