On the fantastic Little Four Eyes facebook page, a mom was discussing how her child was attracted to light - natural light and indoor lighting. Someone posted this great article that I'd like to share regarding Aphakic (remember - means no lens in the eye, having been removed post cataract surgery) children (and adults) and their ability to SEE UV light! Fascinating!
http://www.theguardian.com/science/2002/may/30/medicalscience.research
Tuesday, January 21, 2014
Monday, January 6, 2014
Miracles Happen!!!!
As you can tell from the title, we got the best news possible today. But first, here's how the day went. :)
Joel and I were without our usual grandparent team today, so admittedly I was a bit nervous heading into the appointment. (Not that I begrudge them staying home and not traveling in this bitter cold - it was .....today!) On what was supposed to be the first day back from school for Emma, she had another day off due to the cold temps, so off she went to Auntie Tiffy's house in MPLS to hang with her and cousin Addie.
We arrived earlier than planned and checked in at surgery registration to find our usual friendly face was not there! Off we went to get badges and up to the third floor surgery center. We weren't sitting for more than 5 minutes before we were called back, which was great considering Sadie YET AGAIN did not care for her Pedialite before the EUA. She finished her last bottle of formula at 6:30am and was allowed Pedialite until 10:30, but the stinker just flat out refused. That really is one of the harder parts of these appointments; when she cries, all I want to do is feed her, because that's all she wants. Poor gal.....
Look at her stylin' shirt! WE LOVE IT! Got it from Eye Power Kids Wear; they have the most amazing shirts for kids with glasses and these fantastic awareness shirts. It was bound to give us good luck! :)
Her hunger got pretty bad as we were nearing the time to go into the OR, so we distracted her with the usual light up toys. The nurses were all very helpful, and the staff is amazing at Amplatz. Dr. B and Dr. G both checked in with us, and her care team consisted of 4 specialists to check her pressures, examine the eye size and structure, check on the healing with both shunts, and measure the prescription for both contacts and glasses. This is the first time that she did not fall asleep before the appointment, so that was difficult.
She did, however, get to spend quality time with daddy! :)
When we got the go-ahead, it was actually 10 minutes early, much to our surprise and excitement. We said our goodbyes (never gets any easier and this Momma cries every time!), and went to the waiting room. Joel ran down to get us lunch; I never feel comfortable with leaving the 3rd floor.....just doesn't feel right for me.
Sadie's appointment was scheduled for 104 minutes, and after 45 minutes of not hearing anything, we got a little panicky. Usually a nurse (or Dr. B) comes out and lets us know the progress. We kept trying to console each other, saying it must be a good sign that no one said anything, because that meant there was no surgery. Right? Right??????????
RIGHT!!!!
After an hour and 50 minutes, we were called to recovery, and came in to the room to see our baby eating and tired......BUT WITH NO PATCH/SHIELD ON EITHER EYE!!!!!!!!!!!
Joel and I were without our usual grandparent team today, so admittedly I was a bit nervous heading into the appointment. (Not that I begrudge them staying home and not traveling in this bitter cold - it was .....today!) On what was supposed to be the first day back from school for Emma, she had another day off due to the cold temps, so off she went to Auntie Tiffy's house in MPLS to hang with her and cousin Addie.
We arrived earlier than planned and checked in at surgery registration to find our usual friendly face was not there! Off we went to get badges and up to the third floor surgery center. We weren't sitting for more than 5 minutes before we were called back, which was great considering Sadie YET AGAIN did not care for her Pedialite before the EUA. She finished her last bottle of formula at 6:30am and was allowed Pedialite until 10:30, but the stinker just flat out refused. That really is one of the harder parts of these appointments; when she cries, all I want to do is feed her, because that's all she wants. Poor gal.....
Look at her stylin' shirt! WE LOVE IT! Got it from Eye Power Kids Wear; they have the most amazing shirts for kids with glasses and these fantastic awareness shirts. It was bound to give us good luck! :)
We got the koala rocket ship pjs on, new blue socks (she's grown out of the infant white ones!), and the pre-op nurse took care of the stats.
Her hunger got pretty bad as we were nearing the time to go into the OR, so we distracted her with the usual light up toys. The nurses were all very helpful, and the staff is amazing at Amplatz. Dr. B and Dr. G both checked in with us, and her care team consisted of 4 specialists to check her pressures, examine the eye size and structure, check on the healing with both shunts, and measure the prescription for both contacts and glasses. This is the first time that she did not fall asleep before the appointment, so that was difficult.
She did, however, get to spend quality time with daddy! :)
When we got the go-ahead, it was actually 10 minutes early, much to our surprise and excitement. We said our goodbyes (never gets any easier and this Momma cries every time!), and went to the waiting room. Joel ran down to get us lunch; I never feel comfortable with leaving the 3rd floor.....just doesn't feel right for me.
Sadie's appointment was scheduled for 104 minutes, and after 45 minutes of not hearing anything, we got a little panicky. Usually a nurse (or Dr. B) comes out and lets us know the progress. We kept trying to console each other, saying it must be a good sign that no one said anything, because that meant there was no surgery. Right? Right??????????
RIGHT!!!!
After an hour and 50 minutes, we were called to recovery, and came in to the room to see our baby eating and tired......BUT WITH NO PATCH/SHIELD ON EITHER EYE!!!!!!!!!!!
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Needless to say, we were over the moon with happiness and excitement!!!!
We got word from Dr. G that her pressures were phenomenal! Left was at a 10 (a 10!) and right was 19, which is presumed to only get better over time. Both corneas looked crystal clear, and the cracks were no longer visible (although she knew they were there). Both shunts were/are healing quite nicely, and Dr. G removed 2 sutures in the right eye that may have been causing some discomfort recently. Her glasses prescription is not changing, but her contacts will change slightly. The new ones should arrive in 2 weeks, so she can wear her glasses in the meantime. Optic nerves look super healthy, to the point that they don't even look like Sadie ever had glaucoma!
It is a miracle - a full blown miracle. We were so overjoyed, and the tears were flowing. We called our family immediately and praised God above for his love, comfort, and care of our precious little one. Thank you, Lord, for seeing us through the last 7 months!!!
Although Sadie was tired, she ate like a champ, and the amazing thing was that she was not experiencing any pain.
After discussing the next EUA with Dr. G (not until March 10th - can you believe it?!), and thanking her profusely, we were cleared to leave a little bit early after the anesthesiologist checked her out. Before we left, we were also gifted with an adorable stuffed horse from Wells Fargo and $50 to spend at Chili's from Meals That Heal. We feel very blessed.
We got word from Dr. G that her pressures were phenomenal! Left was at a 10 (a 10!) and right was 19, which is presumed to only get better over time. Both corneas looked crystal clear, and the cracks were no longer visible (although she knew they were there). Both shunts were/are healing quite nicely, and Dr. G removed 2 sutures in the right eye that may have been causing some discomfort recently. Her glasses prescription is not changing, but her contacts will change slightly. The new ones should arrive in 2 weeks, so she can wear her glasses in the meantime. Optic nerves look super healthy, to the point that they don't even look like Sadie ever had glaucoma!
It is a miracle - a full blown miracle. We were so overjoyed, and the tears were flowing. We called our family immediately and praised God above for his love, comfort, and care of our precious little one. Thank you, Lord, for seeing us through the last 7 months!!!
Although Sadie was tired, she ate like a champ, and the amazing thing was that she was not experiencing any pain.
After discussing the next EUA with Dr. G (not until March 10th - can you believe it?!), and thanking her profusely, we were cleared to leave a little bit early after the anesthesiologist checked her out. Before we left, we were also gifted with an adorable stuffed horse from Wells Fargo and $50 to spend at Chili's from Meals That Heal. We feel very blessed.
Thank the GOOD LORD! Praise His name for His love endures forever!
Sunday, January 5, 2014
Tomorrow is upon us.......
Tomorrow is Sadie's 9th time under anesthesia......and we pray that surgery is not needed. She will have the pressures checked, and the docs will get a good look at her optical nerves, corneas, size of the eye, etc and measure her eyes to determine the prescription.
Prayers are appreciated for LOW NUMBERS and an easy day for our strong, brave, and amazing fighter!
Prayers are appreciated for LOW NUMBERS and an easy day for our strong, brave, and amazing fighter!
Wednesday, January 1, 2014
Monday, December 30, 2013
FIRST REAL PAIR OF APHAKIC GLASSES!!!!
Thanks to the generosity of fantastic friends and family, we were able to pick up Sadie's first pair of Aphakic glasses!!! We drove to the clinic in Edina to pick them up over Joel's lunch break. Drum roll please.......
She loves them!!! At the clinic she was staring at Joel, Emma, and myself with a big smile on her face. Tears of joy came down my face - they've been coming all day!
Admittedly, they are a bit shocking at first, since they are SUPER thick and magnify her eyes. I have been familiar with this in pictures of other little ones online, but in my own daughter.....it was jarring at first. But we're getting used to them QUICKLY since she has adapted so well and loves them!!! She seems to be seeing things for the first time in months.
Contact lenses are still the way to go, and we get that. But temporarily, while she can't use the CL's after surgery, it's so nice to have a back-up. Plus, if there's a day that we need to jet out of the house and can't battle the strong baby, then we can just try again later and still have the glasses so she can see God's good world. :)
Enjoy the pics!!!
Admittedly, they are a bit shocking at first, since they are SUPER thick and magnify her eyes. I have been familiar with this in pictures of other little ones online, but in my own daughter.....it was jarring at first. But we're getting used to them QUICKLY since she has adapted so well and loves them!!! She seems to be seeing things for the first time in months.
Contact lenses are still the way to go, and we get that. But temporarily, while she can't use the CL's after surgery, it's so nice to have a back-up. Plus, if there's a day that we need to jet out of the house and can't battle the strong baby, then we can just try again later and still have the glasses so she can see God's good world. :)
Enjoy the pics!!!
Friday, December 27, 2013
Sadie's Christmas presents
Our presents to Sadie for Christmas! Merry Christmas, darling!
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| Contact lens cases from the dollar section at Target. :) |
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| Because I'm too lazy to take a picture with my camera and then download it to my computer, I decided to take a picture with my webcam. Hopefully you can all read the backwards print. :) Yes, we did get her other items, such as toys, but these were glasses/eyes related. And super fun! |
Sunday, December 22, 2013
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