Tomorrow's Appointment: The Glaucoma Specialist

Tomorrow we return to Casey Eye to go over the results of Luke's latest procedure. (And it is with that last sentence that I realized I never talked about Luke's last eye procedure).

Let's take a minute and review what happened :)  Luke was referred to Glaucoma Genetics several months ago.  The specialist referred us to a specialist (so I don't know what to call this specialist).  It is the type of appointment where they call you and "let YOU know" what days you will be coming, and you schedule your day around the appointment, not the appointment around your day.  So June 29 was the day.  We went up to OHSU on the hill (which I hadn't been to before).  It was pretty amazing!  An entire building devoted to Glaucoma!!! I felt a lot of things: nerves for what they were going to do, anger that Luke was dealing with yet an other issue and another procedure, and thankfulness that we live in a country and in area that has the best of the best when it comes to glaucoma and eye care.

After finally finding our way to floor 5, Luke was called back and we were explained what would happen.  They put some numbing cream on both of his hands and then wrapped them. Luke was going to have to get and I.V. for sedation for the procedure.  We waited another hour for the cream to take full effect.

I had been told previously that we were going to have to wait 30 minutes in a dark room after they dilated his eyes before the procedure could begin.  Silly me thought that a dark room  meant dimmed lighting, music and some comfy chairs.  OH NO...was I EVER WRONG on that one!!!! After they called us back again and  Luke was outfitted with the I.V. (by the way he was a trooper and no tears or anything), we (meaning Luke and I, because only one parent was allowed in the "dark room") were put in the "dark room".  Ya...so the dark room wasn't dimmed lights, music and the such. It was PITCH BLACK (couldn't see the hand in front of me) room.  It was two hard chairs and a bunch of pitch blackness. It took everything in me not to have a panic attack.  So for 30 minutes, we played silly games (like guess how many fingers I am holding up) and sang songs (like... "this little light of mine") until....(and here's the kicker) the anesthesiologist came through the according sliding door with a red flashlight, so that I could sign the consent that I understood the risks  associated with sedating my baby!  It was a moment that I hope never repeats again in my life, and if it does that it is Mark signing in the red light.  Oh...the things we do for our children.  They propped Luke up and onto the bed and told him that he was going to go to sleep now...only the I.V. decided that it wanted to have a kink in it and the medicine to make Mr. L happy and relaxed was not flowing through that I.V.  And so as they frantically (the nurse and the anesthesiologist) tried to figure out and rectify the problem, Mr. L started freaking out.  And when I say freaking out....I mean FREAKING OUT.  Screaming, crying, kicking, pleading with me to take him home...."Please mommy...I don't want to do this anymore.  I want to go home!!!!"  "I'm scared, I'm scared, I'm scared!" His chin and lip quivering and his feet kicking and then when they finally got the kink out, the medication burned going in so I heard, "Ouch, ouch, ouch,...make it stop".  Until finally he relaxed and I was asked to leave.  Two thoughts raced through my mind..."Where is MARK?" and "what did I do to my baby?"

I made my way to the corner of the large waiting area, where Mark was, and proceeded to completely lose it recounting the events that led up to this.  Mark later told me that he could hear Luke screaming in the waiting area and it took everything within his daddy's heart not to tear walls down to rescue his boy.  I no longer had calmed down when a white haired old lady decided that she wanted to butt into our conversation by asking all about what procedure he was having, telling me that I shouldn't have gone back with Luke, Mark should have gone because guys are tougher than mommy's (thanks) and that no matter how upset Luke was he has to have these procedures so just tell him that next time.  Again..thanks.  I wanted to RING HER NECK.  She then butted in further to inquire if he had an developmental problems.  OH MY GOSH.  Has she no tack?  That is when I got up and left.  I didn't need to take that on top of live though the next hour wondering if my guy was ok?

During the sedation they were preforming an ERG (electroretnogram) or a series of pictures to measure the rods and cones in the eyes.  The doctor also came and looked at the back of his eyes, they took blood and photography came up to take more pictures that are easier to do when a patient is sedated.  After an hour, we were called back, Luke woke up, had some juice and crackers, and after a wheelchair ride down to the car we were on our way home.  The ride home was joyous as he screamed the entire way that his eyes hurt.  I had to climb in the back of the car and restrain him somewhat as he hid his head under a blanket.  An hour later he was good as new, and the next day a trip to Target to pick out "Pop the Pig" (a thrilling game let me tell you).  All was well again.  Which leads me into tomorrow.....

I would be lying if I said that I wasn't nervous about tomorrow.  It is the unknown that scares me the most.  Not knowing what to expect.  The thing is I have absolutely no idea what they are even going to tell us or what they were looking for with his last procedure.  We will once again climb the hill to OHSU and ride up the elevator to floor 5 to hear what the doctor has to say.  Now...convincing Luke to come along with us...that is the difficult part.  Any prayers you can say on our behalf tomorrow would be greatly welcomed and appreciated.  Appointment at 8am pacific time, update to follow.  Thank you!