The Allan update

We had a busy week with Allan. He had to have an EUA (examination under anaesthesia) on his eyes. As you may recall, we never really fully identified whatever-the-hell it was that was growing in Allan's eye back in November of 2006. He had it removed as well as the cataract that was there. In addition, they took off the calcium (?) deposits that were banding across his eye. He had a contact prescribed which we dutifully put in on a daily basis. In addition, we put drops in his eye because he has glaucoma (high pressure in the eye because of the scarring -- the fluid in his eye doesn't circulate like yours and mine does.) Because he can not be reasoned with, it is exceedingly hard to get a pressure reading on Allan (you know how they numb your eye and put that pokey thing on it when you get an eye exam? Well, try doing that to a toddler. The last time we tried it the doctor commented, my, he has strong eyelids. Tell me about it.) Anyway, to make sure that Allan's pressures are under control, that scarring isn't developing behind his eye, that the band keratopothy isn't recurring and to try to get an accurate prescription for his contact, we have to have an EUA. Which isn't exactly what any one wants to do with any one with Allan's history.

Honest to God, if I have to go through another pre-op anaesthesia consult about how "we may very well kill Allan doing this" I swear to you, I will go manacas.

Anyway, Big Al was a rock star. He didn't fuss or fight, he charmed all of the nurses and docs (naturally) and came through the procedure like a little trouper. The anaethesiologist was pretty funny -- he came to see us post-op and said, "They couldn't quit talking about what great hair he has!" Yes, thank you very much, tell his father to quit fussing about getting it cut.

At the end of the day, the pressures in Allan's eyes are fine. No scarring is developing. No sign of recurrence of band keratophothy, and we have a FAR, FAR different prescription for his contact.

As a side note, let me say that this last bit was sort of a justification. The doc doing the procedure was the one who has hassled me about patching Allan's good eye to strengthen his poor eye. Since Big Al has been making such improvements with his motor development, Jay and I elected not to patch him. For one thing, he doesn't like it and you try to keep him from tearing off a patch. For another, no one can give us much to suggest that he is ever going to have "real" vision in the left eye. Frankly, he is lucky to have light and shadow and every bit helps, but it isn't like he is going to be eligible to be an astronaut if we patch and a ditch digger if we don't. Now, we find out that however many months later, Allan's prescription really wasn't close to what it needs to be (we always knew it was a guess). I am entirely vindicated in my position: can you imagine blinding the kid in his one good eye and then not even getting his bad eye to the point at which its sight is maximized?????

We are now waiting to go back to get a new (200 dollar!) contact. And glasses to protect his good eye.

In other news, Allan is making progress on his oral feeding. We still are relying on his peg to maintain his growth, but he drinks out of a cup better than Griffith does (Griff still refuses to drink any thing other than bathwater from a cup).

Speaking of the peg, Big Al didn't have as great a Derby as the rest of us. About 4:30 a.m. after Derby, he cried. I got up and found him in a pool of formula. At some point between 10:30 and 4:30, the balloon that anchors his peg had burst and the peg had slipped out. It wasn't until he got soaked in formula and cold that he cried, though. Okay, no big. We have re-installed the pegs many times. In fact, this one had been in place less than a week. I tried to stick it back in. No luck. Got Jay up. He tried. No luck. It had already begun the process of growing back together. No kidding. They grow back that fast. So I text Dr. Joe. Ain't no way I am heading to the university ER at that hour on a weekend. Last time we were there we were stuck between two people who had been stabbed. No.Thank.You. Dr. Joe texted and tried to call around 6 (God love him.) But we were all asleep. By the time we hooked up and arranged to meet at the hospital it was nearly 10 a.m. and Allan's peg hole had sealed completely. So Dr. Joe got what looks like an ice pick, only smaller. A resident held Allan's legs. I held his arms and talked in to his ear and two nurses assisted while they basically cut the hole open again and stuck another peg in.

Guess it ain't a party until someone goes to the hospital. Big Al recovered nicely from that indignity, though. And has been a rockstar since.