So once again he defies the odds!

Yesterday was our yearly check up at the Pediatric Ophamologist - something I go to every year with a total knot in my stomach because every year, we return 3 months later to measure the angle that the right eye "falls out" and every year we seem to miss the dreaded operation by the skin of our teeth. This year I am breathing much much easier - it seems as if his eye has stayed stable the whole year and as if he is reacting well, even better than expected to the glasses and the drops over weekends. So the great news is that we will have no operation and that he gets a lens that is a ,5 higher as the doctor thinks he is able to handle that. We have now moved from the initial -3 to a -4 and now a -4,5 (his eye is in fact -6!) So great news all round. We will be exploring the possible use of a contact lens for the eye next year.

I took my iPad along to possibly do some work while we wait (it is always a long wait there) but alas, a certain young man decided he wanted to play "Spotty horse" ( Make a scene farmyard) on my "iPerd"- his term for iPad (for the non Saffers a "perd" is a horse - so he was playing "Spotty horse" on my iHorse). He shared the game with a little girl that was also waiting and really, with over 2 hours waiting time between the doctor and the optometrist for teh fitting of  his glasses I was eternally grateful for taking it along and letting him play.  It must be the only place in the world where every kid they meet wears glasses - although wearing glasses was never an issue for him (I think because he was just a little baby when he started) it must be for those who get theirs later. There is always much talking and comparing of glasses between the little ones and the parents.

I had to smile - the doctor brought out a sheet with 10 alphabet letters for me to hold and stood at different distances, asking L to show him the letter he was holding. I did not expect him to be able to do this - not because he can not see the letters but because I did not know he actually had the skill to match so specifically (and not pictures). But he did! Faultless! Another bit of hope for us.

I also had another huge smile later at the Optometrist - as we walked in the receptionist had me completing the forms and then asked us to take a look around the frames while we waited for the optometrist. He ran straight for the colourful kiddie frames and as a pro (it is his 4th frame after all) he immediately started fitting frames and talking to himself : "Nee nie die een nie, waar's die blou ene? Die een is te klein" (No not this one, where's the blue one? This one is too small ) As much as both me and the optometrist tried to convince him that red or orange or green was cool, he was set on blue (once again) and choose a nice dark blue frame. At least a different shade and make. Photos to follow when we get it next week.

So all that done and dusted, we got home at about 5:20 after I left the office at 2:30 to pick him up. 

I am much much relieved and very thankful. So what was your Monday like?

So it all went well

yesterday. Or shall we say, the operation itself went very well, but the anaesthetic, not so much.

After checking into the paediatric ward and getting her little theatre gown on, she was in full on colouring in mode right into the theatre waiting area. She was really so funny  - high as a kite on the pre-meds, giggling about everything and thank goodness, went down calmly and smiling. The anaesthesiologist was really so good with her, talking calmly and making little jokes. It is always tough, that moment when they go down. So much easier if they do not go down fighting. I gave her a kiss, left her and her trusty Snoopy dog with the doctors and waited the time away with Hunter.

After about and hour and 45 minutes the doctor came to tell us that all went well and after another 10 minutes she was out and on her way to the ward - sleeping tightly. She came to calmly and Hunter said goodbye to her and she slept for about an hour. She woke up wanting water and sore, and saying she was hungry. The sister and I were both delighted and she was given some drops for the pain and told to drink a bit more water before we proceed to food. The next moment it was all out! And she continued vomiting and sleeping on and off until the anaesthesiologist was called to prescribe more for the vomiting as she was by now really not doing well. So after more meds and a nap, she got some pain medicine first and managed to eat a little bit before we were eventually discharged at 4:30 - we should have been out there by 12:00 if all went to plan.

I will admit that there were moments yesterday afternoon where I actually very briefly regretted doing this - it was so tough to see her so sick, knowing that she was 100% fine the morning we brought her in. But after she stopped vomiting, and when we got home, I was just relieved it was done and over with, and once again rested in our decision. It was the right thing to do. It was her very first operation, so now we know that she is one of the low percentage of people that have a violent reaction to it and will know to warn ahead of time in future. Apparently there is something they can give them in theatre to relieve this.

Thanks again for all your support my friends in the computer.