Wednesday, March 13, 2019

Eye surgery update......

I know everyone has been anxiously awaiting this update & rightfully so!  Last week when Jordan was in preop for surgery we were told that she would be back anywhere from 30-40 minutes to 2hrs.  The plan was to go work on the right eye(the good eye) and to POSSIBLY work on the left eye (the bad eye).  When Dr. Buckley came out a little over 2hrs later, he dropped the bombshell that he ONLY worked on the outer muscles of the left eye!  I was so shocked I couldn't even ask that many questions at the time.  He explained his reasoning was that he needed to see what all he could get out of the left eye before touching the right eye.  I understood and respected this decision but whew this was a hard thing to swallow after 2 previously failed attempts!  All I was worried about was telling Jordan this news.

As, usual she was a spitfire when she woke up!  The nurses thought she was funny and we amazed at how coherent she was after just having anesthesia! She immediately asked why the left eye was covered vs the right eye. She took the news as good as expected but was still foggy on the why of it. The one positive from this surgery was she had NO nausea and vomiting & we got to take her home pretty quickly after surgery! The eye had to stay patched for 24hrs and we had to continually put ointment in it until she was seen the next am. When we got her settled in at the hotel the shock started to set in that only the left eye was worked on. There were lots of tears shed and we all did our best to reassure her with some success. I was devastated and just wanted to take all of her pain away! If only Mom's could do that for our children! The next day we saw him in clinic and this time he explained to her why he chose to only work on the left eye.  He also explained that yes, he does still want to work on the right eye in the future. While Jordan respected this decision she has been very discouraged since that day. She has had many emotions and fear that that this surgery was again, a waste of time.  We have all tried to keep her reassured and Cory has done an excellent job taking care of her! So,to be honest I really have been procrastinating on a update until we had her follow here.

Today, we saw Dr. Bradley in clinic.  Jordan had prepared herself as best she could for the bad news that she just knew was coming & I had tried to prepare myself.   Jordan did all the normal tests and then the waiting to see Dr. Bradley began! This wait felt like forever! Finally, she came in the room and after catching up with us, she started her own testing.  To our surprise, she gave us POSITIVE news!!  She saw GREAT improvement, in her eye! She even told her that she could go without her glasses until she saw her again in the next few weeks and then she would retest her eyes and make any changes to the prism and lenses at that time! Oh, how the happy tears flowed & the surprise of NO glasses was HUGE!  So, prayers were answered!  Now, some of you are thinking does she still see double, and the answer is yes in that left eye but with lots of improvement!  Before she could not go without her glasses because the double vision was so bad it would make her sick.  Jordan hasn't wore her glasses since the surgery and has done well without them.  She told Dr. Bradley it was because she was in denial about the surgery! She is just one strong and amazing girl!

So, now our focus shifts to her follow up in Boston in April and the follow up apt with Dr. Bradley. Thanks again for all the thoughts & prayers!



Monday, March 4, 2019

Duke Eye Surgery....3/4/19

Oh what a road trip!!  We arrived in Durham yesterday and are so thankful to have Taylor & Cory along with us this trip!  Last night we got settled in, got some dinner and had some YUMMY Thai ice cream that was made right there in front of us!  I suggest if you are ever here to stop by the Snow Factory and check them out!
Today was surgery today and things went a little differently than planned. The plan was to work on her right eye (the good eye) and possibly work on the left eye. When Dr. Buckley came out to talk to us he said that once he started the surgery and looked at both eyes good, he decided to just work on the left eye.  He said that he made this decision because he needed to see what exactly he could get out of the left eye before working on the right eye.  I know that he did work on the muscle but not sure exactly what muscles he worked on.  Yes, this Mom had a weak moment and didn’t ask for clarification because I was not expecting to hear that news. While I was shocked by the news,  I so respect this decision and we are anxious to talk with him more tomorrow about this at her follow up appointment. 
We are so thankful that so far Jordan has NO nausea and vomiting this time around!  We are praying that this continues! At this time Jordan is resting well and her pains seems to be under control. Our main thing over the next 24hrs is to keep the eye good and moist!  This is important to help the eye heal since her left eye does not close all the way! We are hopeful to have a very quiet and uneventful night! 
Thanks for all of your thoughts & prayers!  Please continue to PRAY FOR JORDAN!