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For most kids, going to the doctor ranks right up there with slogging through homework and cleaning their room — they’d rather be doing just about anything else. But 4-year-old Jake Gresis doesn’t mind traveling from his home in Virginia to see Dr. Richard Yu, director of the Robotic Surgery Program in the Department of Urology at Boston Children’s Hospital. “He always looks forward to coming to Boston,” says his mom, Wendy. “He’s well aware of what Dr. Yu has done for him.” …
Recurrent UTIs in boys: When should you worry?
We tend to think of urinary tract infections, or UTIs, as a predominantly female problem — and it’s true that they tend to be much more common in girls. This is largely due to their anatomy, which can make it easier for bacteria — typically E. coli from the colon — to enter the urethra, bladder and other parts of the urinary tract. Yet even though they’re much less likely to develop these infections, boys aren’t immune from UTIs. …
Private Parts II: More things parents of boys need to know
While it can be uncomfortable for parents to talk about issues with their son’s private parts, abnormalities in the testicles and scrotum are common and treatable.
One of my favorite parts of my job is sitting down with anxious families and being able to make the uncomfortable comfortable for them. I hope I can do that for you here in this guide to the most common testicular abnormalities seen in young boys. …
A ‘superstar’ homecoming: Julia’s journey for bladder exstrophy care
Julia Ryan was born on March 2, but her journey to Boston Children’s Hospital began months before her birth.
During Tori Ryan’s pregnancy, doctors near her home in South Carolina diagnosed her unborn child, Julia, with bladder exstrophy, a rare and complex birth defect where the bladder develops inside out and is exposed outside of the body.
“There were a lot of tears,” says Tori’s husband, Sean, of receiving the news about their daughter. “It was hard. We had to balance our own worry with the excitement our two older daughters felt about having a little sister.”
Their concern for their unborn baby led the Ryans to Boston Children’s. …