When it comes to accessing pediatric specialty care, the more appointment options, the better- especially for busy families caring for a child with complex medical needs. Beginning May 4, families living in the Plano area have another close-to-home location for connecting with Cook Children’s Health Care System and its vast network of pediatric specialty physicians.

Conveniently located just off the Sam Rayburn Tollway between Plano, Frisco, Allen and McKinney brimming with young families, Cook Children’s new multispecialty clinic gives patients increased access to pediatric physicians specializing in neurology, endocrinology, pediatric surgery, pulmonology, gastroenterology, nephrology, urology, plastic surgery and orthopedics. Cook Children’s physician specialists from the Prosper Specialty clinics will rotate through the clinic regularly, giving parents more choice and flexibility in scheduling appointments at a location most convenient to them.

“Patients requiring specialty care often need to see their specialist multiple times, and those with complex medical conditions may see multiple specialists across several departments regularly, said Teresa Baker, Cook Children’s vice president of Primary and Specialty Services. “In addition to the convenience of closer-to-home care, the new clinic increases appointment availability so busy families have more options when scheduling visits. The new location also provides additional space to add more physicians and advanced practice practitioners to meet the needs of families in the fast-growing communities of the region.”

This will be Cook Children’s seventh multispecialty clinic in the Metroplex. Others are located in Alliance, Denton, Hurst, Mansfield, Southlake and Walsh Ranch. The Plano clinic offers 10 exam rooms, including one that will flex as a procedure room, as well as an X-ray unit. While Cook Children’s physicians will rotate through the clinic, it will have full-time, on-site clinical staff, an X-ray technician and front desk personnel.

Damian Campbell, D.O., a Cook Children’s pediatric neurologist, will see patients at the new Plano clinic on Thursdays. He’ll have the ability to offer many of the same evaluations in Plano as in his primary office at Cook Children’s Pediatric Specialties Clinic in Prosper, with the exception of electroencephalograms (EEGs) and some concussion evaluations.

"We’re aiming to be available for patient families every week right from the start of this new project,” Dr. Campbell said. “We know that life gets busy, and juggling work and school can make finding time for appointments a bit tricky. Having more availability close to home is designed to help make that easier. Our goal is for this new venture to help make sure families have more access to the high-quality care and attention that Cook Children’s is known for.”

This new addition to the health system’s network is one more example of Cook Children’s keeping its Promise to the children and families in the communities it serves, says Kevin Greene, president of Cook Children’s – Prosper.

“Our Promise is to improve the health of every child in our care and our communities,” Greene said. “By opening this new specialty clinic in Plano, we are bringing that Promise to the doorsteps of the families we serve. We are no longer asking parents and caregivers to endure long commutes for specialized care. Instead, we are meeting them where they live, work, and go to school—ensuring every child has access to high-quality pediatric care and the opportunity to grow up healthy, regardless of their zip code.”

Your child’s urine colors can range from clear to dark yellow to orange, depending on how hydrated they are. But what about red, brown, green or blue?

Pink or red urine may be due to foods or drinks, such as beets or blackberries, but could also be from blood in the urine. Things like urinary tract infections, trauma, kidney inflammation, stones, malignancy, medications, and urologic problems could be the cause of bloody urine.

Brown urine, like cola-colored, could also mean there is blood present due to kidney inflammation. Liver issues or muscle breakdown from working out excessively could cause brownish urine.

Parents should take their child to the emergency department if there is pink, red, or brown urine associated with pain, edema or high blood pressure.

Different food dyes or medicines can cause blue or green urine. Some types of bacteria that cause urinary tract infections can also turn urine these colors. Rare genetic diseases can also lead to these color findings.

See a doctor if your child’s urine color is concerning. Your child may be referred to a pediatric nephrologist or urologist.

Checklist:

• Is my child taking any medicine that could cause the unusual color?
• Did my child eat something with food dye or coloring?

RELATED:

How to Tell if Your Child is Dehydrated (checkupnewsroom.com) 

What is lupus?

Lupus is a chronic autoimmune disease where a person’s immune system (the system that helps fight infections) attacks its own healthy cells by mistake. It can affect different organs of the body, including, but not limited to the skin, joints, heart, kidneys, and lungs. It usually occurs without warning and affects each person differently. Unfortunately, we don’t know the exact cause of the disease, but we know the immune system is involved; genetics, hormones, and the environment also likely play a part.

What are the signs and symptoms of lupus?

Its symptoms can mimic those of other diseases, which is why it’s known as “the great mimicker.” The intensity of symptoms varies and can come and go over time, but the most common include:

• Fatigue
• Fever
• Headaches
• Hair Loss
• Joint pain, stiffness and swelling
• Butterfly-shaped rash across cheeks and nose
• Abnormal blood clotting
• Anemia
• Pain in chest or deep breathing
• Sun or light-sensitivity
• Fingers and toes that turn white or blue when exposed to cold or during stressful periods

Who develops lupus?

Anyone from newborn babies to older individuals can develop lupus. It is most often diagnosed between the ages of 15 and 45 and is more common among African Americans, Hispanics, Asian Americans, Pacific Islanders and Native Americans.

Lupus is also more common in women.

How is lupus diagnosed?

There is no single test that can diagnose lupus.

Because lupus can present with vague symptoms and mimic other illnesses, it can sometimes take years to make a diagnosis. Medical history, symptoms, and various tests can help make the diagnosis. Instead, diagnosis is based on criteria that includes clinical findings and laboratory tests. Helpful tests look for autoantibodies (antibodies that attack a person's healthy cells) that are often found in the blood of lupus patients. As the kidneys are often affected by lupus, a kidney biopsy is also useful.

How does lupus affect the kidneys?

When the immune system attacks the kidneys, it leads to inflammation of the kidneys. This stops the kidneys from working properly to remove waste and toxins from the body. Patients may not have any symptoms but may notice darker, bloody urine or swelling in different parts of the body. An abnormal urine or blood test may be the only sign of disease. Because the kidneys are so important to overall health, lupus patients with kidney involvement generally need strong drug treatment to help prevent permanent damage. If permanent damage does occur, dialysis and kidney transplant are needed.

How is lupus treated?

There is no cure for lupus, but there are various treatment options to manage it. Non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs, steroids, antimalarials, and immunosuppressants are commonly used. As lupus affects patients differently, treatment varies between patients. One patient may also have to change medications several times during their lifetime as the disease evolves and changes. For patients with kidney involvement, blood pressure medications and stronger immunosuppressants may be needed.

For more information on lupus, visit:

https://kidshealth.org/CookChildrens/en/parents/lupus.html 

http://www.lupus.org/

http://www.lupusawarenessmonth.org/

https://www.lupusresearch.org/

“So I found out I needed to get a kidney transplant due to my Lupus and was recovering,” Gomez wrote. “It was what I needed to do for my overall health. I honestly look forward to sharing with you, soon my journey through these past several months as I have always wanted to do with you.”

With the news of Gomez’s transplant, we thought it would be a good time to talk about a kidney transplant surgery. Cook Children’s has been performing transplants for years. The most recent was just two weeks ago on a toddler. Robert Gillespie, M.D, is a nephrologist and medical director of the program.

To get a better idea of what is involved with a kidney transplant, we talked with Blake Palmer, M.D., a member of Cook Children’s Urology Program and a surgeon who performs the kidney transplant operations.

1. What is a kidney transplant?

Dr. Palmer:  kidney transplant is when someone whose kidneys are not working for whatever disease process (i.e. -Lupus for Selena) can be on dialysis for renal replacement therapy and do the job her kidneys are not doing to maintain her life and health or they can have a kidney transplant. A kidney transplant means we remove a functioning kidney from a donor (can be living or recently deceased) and surgically place the kidney in the patient. This requires connecting the artery and vein of the kidney to the patient’s blood system and connecting the ureter from the new kidney to the patient’s bladder so that the new urine the kidney makes goes into the bladder so they can pee again.

2. How is the decision made that someone needs a new kidney and what goes into the decision making process?

Dr. Palmer: First, you have to have poorly functioning kidneys to the point you need to be on dialysis because they have failed. Second, you have to be otherwise healthy enough to benefit from the transplant and be healthy enough to undergo the surgery and recovery process.

3. Who can receive a kidney transplant at Cook Children’s?

Dr. Palmer: You have to be at least 10 kilograms (about 22 pounds) and healthy enough with renal failure. We go all the way up to age 18. Kids who weigh at least 10 kilograms are usually 2 years at the earliest.

4. How long is the surgery and what is involved in the recovery period?

Dr. Palmer: Surgery is 4 to 6 hours long and as described above requires connecting the transplanted kidney blood vessels to person’s blood vessels and connecting ureter to bladder.

Recovery is 5-7 days in the hospital on average.

5. Selena Gomez needed an operation because of lupus. What are the main causes for children needing a kidney?

Dr. Palmer: Lupus is a rare type of renal failure cause and even more rare in the pediatric population. It is more common in adults. In kids, about 50 percent are due to urologic causes that they were born with like vesicoureteral reflux, posterior urethral valves or bladder anomalies. The other 50 percent are kidney problems and those can be congenital dysplastic kidneys to disease that come on later in adolescents that cause kidneys to fail. It’s usually very different types of problems for grownups, where the main reasons adults need a kidney transplant are hypertension or diabetes.

6. Selena had her best friend donate a kidney. How do we decide who the donor will be?

Dr. Palmer: It’ s very rare to have a non-family member donate. For most patients the donor will be a cadaveric, recently deceased donor. How the donor is decided goes through the UNOS matching system. LifeGift is our local organ sharing and procurement non-profit who coordinates this process for our region. 

7. What do you hope people learn from this news?

Dr. Palmer: Awareness that people in all walks of life and all ages are in need of donated kidneys. That it is a safe and common practice. That non-family members can donate kidneys as well. I have done two previous non-family member donations at a previous transplant program. Our goal is that 40-50 percent of our donations will be living related because our patients will do slightly better with a living donated kidney than a cadaveric. Although, they can do very well from both.

To learn more about organ sharing, visit the United Network for Organ Sharing.

Related Story: 8 Facts About Lupus

About Cook Children's Urology/Genitourinary Program

Cook Children's has opened the doors to a state-of-the-art pediatric urology center dedicated to treating kids with many different genitourinary conditions. Click to learn about this groundbreaking program. 

About Nephrology

Whether your child needs inpatient care, outpatient care, dialysis or even kidney transplantation, our nephrologists provide continuous care for children with kidney-related problems. Click to read more.

* Photo from Selena Gomez's Instagram.

Count your many blessings. See what God has done!"

- Johnson Oatman Jr.

I grew up knowing every word to the song, “Count Your Many Blessings,” but never truly appreciated the powerful message until this past summer.

Our daughter, Eliza, got sick June 19, 2015. It seemed like a typical stomach bug. But by the next day, we knew something was wrong. She was hospitalized at Lakeside Covenant in Lubbock, Texas a couple days later.

It was there that we received her diagnosis, Hemolytic Uremic Syndrome, or HUS, caused by E coli. They arranged for us to be immediately flown to Cook Children’s Medical Center in Fort Worth.

Three letters: H.U.S – that would change our lives forever.

Eliza’s kidneys began shutting down; she was exhibiting signs of neurological disturbances as well. We couldn’t believe our healthy child was going downhill so quickly. She was transferred to the PICU (Pediatric Intensive Care Unit), where we would spend the next 26 days.

The staff in the PICU started Eliza on dialysis right away. As a mother, it was my worst nightmare, to see my child unresponsive, lying on a bed with multiple machines keeping her alive.

Eliza wasn’t following the normal progression of HUS. She began having seizures, her kidneys still refused to work, she continued to have gastrointestinal bleeding, and was showing signs of extreme pain.

By this point, she had gone through several blood transfusions, plasma exchanges, dialysis around the clock, numerous MRIs, CAT scans, EEGs, and EKGs. She had a whole team of doctors and they were all stumped. We were constantly told that she wasn’t their typical HUS patient.

Thankfully, Eliza’s nephrologist, Dr. Jennifer Willis, kept researching and questioning Eliza’s unusual symptoms. This would eventually save Eliza’s life. She suspected Eliza not only had HUS, caused by E coli, but also atypical HUS, a genetic disease.

She approached my husband and I about running a genetic test on Eliza to confirm the atypical HUS diagnosis, but the results would take up to 8 weeks. In the meantime, she wanted to try a medication called Soliris. She warned us that it was very expensive and she was not sure if insurance would cover it.

We continued to pray, we asked for prayers, and decided it was worth the risk. We just wanted our Eliza back! This was the first moment I truly realized we might lose our precious baby. We had been so hopeful and optimistic the entire time, but my hope was gone. I pleaded with God to be with Eliza and her medical team and save her life.

He answered my prayers and the prayers of many who were praying all over the world for her. Dr. Willis was right, after two doses of the medication, we began to see dramatic improvement. Eliza woke up, began talking, and progressed more and more every day.

Fifty days after exhibiting her initial symptoms, we were released from Cook Children’s. During Eliza’s summer at Cook Children’s we became friends with all the employees. We knew the PICU nurses, the receptionists and Eliza’s specialists.

Cook Children’s became our home. Eliza now looks, sounds, moves, and plays like a normal 2 year old. The syndrome, atypical HUS, has long-term side effects on some of her organs.

Currently, Eliza’s kidneys function at 60 percent. She is on multiple medications for both seizures and high blood pressure. The atypical HUS diagnosis was correct, as genetic tests eventually confirmed. Eliza receives a Soliris infusion every other week. Our sweet girl is a model patient. She jumps on the scale, stands to get measured, picks an arm for the blood pressure cuff, and watches while her port is accessed.

We owe so much to all the wonderful doctors, nurses and staff at Cook Children’s, as well as family, community, and the countless people praying for Eliza.

Is it a normal life? No, but it is her life and we thank God every day.

“Count your blessings, name them one by one. Count your many blessings, see what God has done.”

Now she prays for Tre’s caregivers to make her son all better.

Tre, who is 9 years old, has been seen by the Rehabilitation Services team at Cook Children’s since his parents adopted him as an infant. Most of those issues centered on his articulation skills. Tre’s history with Rehabilitation Services started with audiology and other physician specialists; speech therapy services began at 7 years old working on articulation skills. 

Then about 15 months ago, Sara Adams, Tre’s speech pathologist, received a call from Jennifer to say her work with him would have to go on hold indefinitely.

Tre was involved in a horrible boating accident. He sustained a head injury and was in a coma at another hospital. But the miracle for the Faulkner family occurred and within two weeks, Tre was up and walking.

After his accident, Tre returned to therapy at Cook Children's Urgent Care and Pediatric Specialties – Mansfield and worked with Occupational Therapy, Physical Therapy and Speech Therapy to regain skills that were lost after his brain injury.

A year later, much of Tre’s care takes place at the Cook Children’s Rehabilitation Services at Mansfield. The focus is on Tre’s short-term memory loss and his severe ADHD, as a result of the injury.

“God has blessed us so much,” Jennifer said. “The Mansfield community has been with us since the beginning, I’m so thankful. I’m also thankful for the amazing care Tre has received since his injury. At Mansfield, Tre has really been helped in many ways, through his physical, occupational and speech therapy. They have helped him so much with his memory and his balance. It’s truly been miraculous.”

The rehab at Mansfield is working for Tre. Academically, Tre’s test scores are in the average range for a child his age. His mom says he’s learning and making strides every day.

And Tre’s doing very well physically. He recently received his gold belt in karate. Makes sense for a kid who has proven time and time again how tough he is.

“The progress Tre has made since his accident is truly remarkable,” Adams said. “Tre still has some struggles with his attention and memory that impact him every day. However, he continues to improve and learn how to work through these struggles. Tre’s sense of humor, determination, and supportive family are his greatest strengths. Tre is such a funny kid! He loves to tell jokes and riddles. One of his favorite jokes is: ‘Why don’t ducks tell jokes when they are flying? … They might quack up!’”

To see how far Tre’s come since his injury it’s hard not to smile at the miracle that’s occurred and the occasional duck joke.

For more information

At Cook Children's, we provide more than 60 pediatric medical and specialty clinic offices throughout Texas. Thanks to our skilled group of clinicians who support the leading-edge technology found among our specialty services, Cook Children's is the destination when it comes to taking care of your children.

Cook Children's Urgent Care and Pediatric Specialties - Mansfield is located at:

801 Matlock Road

Mansfield, TX - 76063

To make an appointment, call 817-347-8400.

Specialty services at Mansfield inlcude:

• Endocrinology and diabetes
• Gastroenterology and nutrition
• Nephrology and dialysis
• Neurosciences
• Orthopedics
• Pediatric surgery (inpatient/outpatient)
• Psychiatry and psychology
• Rehabilitation
• Urgent care