Today was a big day for my sweet little munchkin. We had an unusual morning that was far from her normal routine. I went in super early before she started her morning singing and offered her a bottle of juice. I'm sure she was thinking, "JUICE?!? Ok... Mommy must have gotten mixed up or needs to go to the grocery store cause this is supposed to be milk." All was forgiven because the juice was her favorite - diluted white grape juice. But then, at 5:30 the bottle was taken away (doctor's orders) even though there was still some left. Now that was less forgiveable, but when I told her it was a PJ day and promised lots of snuggle time, she smiled and said "I love you." At 6:00, we got into the car and went for a ride which was still unusual, but Emma always has fun in the car!
As I drove, we sang her songs the whole way there. It was her normal "singing time" so it was a mixture of "Itsy Bitsy Spider," "B-I-N-G-O," and "Head, Shoulders, Knees, and Toes." We arrived at our destination at 6:50, which was perfect. I wanted to get there before it was time for her epilepsy medication at 7:00 so I wouldn't have to stop somewhere along the way. Plus, that way we had plenty of time with no fear of being late. I got Emma changed and mostly dressed again when we arrived and we went inside to do her medicine before checking in. This is when Emma first started to get quiet. We had arrived at the surgery center for her eye surgery.
Emma's ophthalmologist diagnosed her with exotropia which is the form of strabismus where the eyes are deviated outward. She responded well enough to the patching treatment that she actually started using her right eye to examine items even when she wasn't wearing an eye patch. Her eyes didn't completely correct themselves from the patching treatment so it was time to consider surgery. When we discussed surgery to correct the alignment of her eyes, her doctor brought up how (for currently unknown reasons) performing the surgery where they detached both outer and inner muscles has been show to reduce or even completely clear up nystagmus (the eyes shaking back and forth). So we opted to have him perform the extra step in hopes that it would improve both conditions.
As I drove, we sang her songs the whole way there. It was her normal "singing time" so it was a mixture of "Itsy Bitsy Spider," "B-I-N-G-O," and "Head, Shoulders, Knees, and Toes." We arrived at our destination at 6:50, which was perfect. I wanted to get there before it was time for her epilepsy medication at 7:00 so I wouldn't have to stop somewhere along the way. Plus, that way we had plenty of time with no fear of being late. I got Emma changed and mostly dressed again when we arrived and we went inside to do her medicine before checking in. This is when Emma first started to get quiet. We had arrived at the surgery center for her eye surgery.
Emma's ophthalmologist diagnosed her with exotropia which is the form of strabismus where the eyes are deviated outward. She responded well enough to the patching treatment that she actually started using her right eye to examine items even when she wasn't wearing an eye patch. Her eyes didn't completely correct themselves from the patching treatment so it was time to consider surgery. When we discussed surgery to correct the alignment of her eyes, her doctor brought up how (for currently unknown reasons) performing the surgery where they detached both outer and inner muscles has been show to reduce or even completely clear up nystagmus (the eyes shaking back and forth). So we opted to have him perform the extra step in hopes that it would improve both conditions.
Knowing all of this, I was still nervous when we sat down after checking in. I knew I needed to keep my nerves under control so Emma didn't sense them and get nervous or uncomfortable as well. So we sang and texted a few family members that we had arrived there safely. Then, we went back to her room and spoke to the team that would be taking care of her during her surgery. They were all so wonderful and put me at ease because she would be in the best hands, as I expected. They gave her an intranasel sedation before taking her back so she would be relaxed and not stressed when she was wheeled away from me. She was pretty cute asking for "Itsy Bitsy Spider" repeatedly once it kicked in because she spoke much more slowly. They took her back at 8:35 and I went to the waiting room for what felt like way more than an hour.
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| SPI-DER! |
Once she was out and in recovery, her doctor came and told me that she had done wonderfully and the surgery went well. I was relieved and couldn't wait to hold my little bug again. But I had to wait another thirty minutes - not something any parent likes to do, but as Emma's mother, I feel I've become a master. I'm so grateful I got my mother's patience... My father is a wonderful man, but patience is admittedly not his strong suit. But the wait was worth it as all the stress melted away once I heard her say "Mommy" when I saw her and said "Hi munchkin." I was so proud of her for how well she did. She had no visible bruising and her eyes had very minimal redness, which was better than I had prepared myself for, so I was relieved. I gave her the bottle of her favorite juice I brought and she drank most of it. Shortly after she showed the nurse that she could keep her clear liquids down, we were discharged and were back in the car to go home.
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| Just after waking up from surgery |
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| Sleeping soundly after lunch |
I can already see some great improvements and am looking forward to seeing how her vision develops over the next six weeks as her eyes heal from the surgery. Until then, we'll just enjoy the journey of seeing the progress unfold before my very eyes.
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