26.10.10

Eye-eye-eye

Yesterday morning I picked Brigham up from school and took him and Marley to our new eye doctor here in Atlanta. I built in a few extra minutes for my favorite ritual of getting lost whenever I drive somewhere new, and we were making good time until we hit I-285. I should mention that it was raining. Apparently in Atlanta that means we lose the ability to drive and traffic comes to a complete standstill. When there were five minutes till our appointment and my directions said we still had 14 miles to go I called to office to tell them our situation. They were wonderful and seemed unfazed so we continued creeping along.

When we arrived (45 minutes late) I remembered that I hadn't ever called our old eye doctor to have Brigham's records transferred. I called Lindsay in Durham to get the number and soon had instructions to fax them a release form along with a promise that the records would be faxed right back.

Meanwhile the doctor came in, sweating and looking stressed. I apologized for our lateness (I have to say I give pretty good lateness apologies, having had lots of practice) and again, he was totally understanding, because of the rain. He said everyone was late and he was just trying to catch up. Then he mentioned that his wife had just given birth last week and though I tried really hard to suppress the words I just couldn't help but say, "Bless your heart!". He did the drill that we've been used to having a tech do, put drops in both kids eyes and sent us back out to the waiting room.

Back in the exam room an hour later we raced through more pictures, charts and procedures, with Brigham cooperating like an old pro and Marley taking her sweet time, covering her face, playing peek-a-boo and hiding in my shirt. The mechanical clown clanged its symbols and Dr. Elliot waved his Donald Duck toy and I trilled and clapped and coaxed, until all the hoops had been jumped through and it was time to get to the bottom line.

Briggie's vision is the same as it was a year ago, despite how hard he's worked to wear his patch two hours a day, six days a week, just like they told us. I had a choice to make: either stick with the old plan and accept the fact that he'll never have better than 20/40 vision in his right eye, or to up the patching to 7 hours a day and see if we can get those last elusive 20 points.

I wanted to cry for him. Brigham has been patching almost every day since he was four and a half. He probably can't remember life before the patch. I thought back to when he was three and started closing his right eye all the time. At the park one day Lindsay gently suggested that we have his eyes checked. I wrote it off as a tick. Eric had ticks and it looked exactly like a tick to me. Then one day we were at McDonalds and Eric asked Brigham to tell him the letter he was pointing to on a sign. He couldn't read the letter without closing his right eye.

I know that patch is itchy, sweaty and horrible. I know it must be frustrating for Briggie to have to use his "fuzzy eye" when he's doing school work. I know kids look at him funny sometimes. I know he gets SO TIRED of answering the oft-repeated question, "What happened to your eye?". But he never complains. I wanted so badly to throw a patch-burning party, buy him a huge present and call it quits.

Then I thought of his happy little face when I pick him up from art class every Tuesday afternoon. I pictured him hunched in his bed at night doing origami by the light of a flashlight. I remembered the pride in his eyes when he told me his dragon picture had won the class vote and would be the design on their field day t-shirt. My heart told me that Brigham needs both eyes to be able to fully express the creativity that pulses through his veins. So this morning when I pressed the patch over his eye, making sure to close all the gaps, I reminded him not to take it off until he got home.

Back in the doctor's office there was more news to digest...Marley has differing degrees of farsightedness in each eye- what the doctor termed "a perfect set-up for what her brother has". We'll start with glasses and hope that's enough to convince her brain to keep using both eyes. I'm ready to pray like crazy for help in keeping the glasses on her head and in one piece. I know it's vain, but it breaks my heart to think of her beautiful brown eyes covered by thick lenses. But I am so, so glad we've caught it early and that we have the ability to help her.

So...more appointments, more patching, more time spent searching the house for lost glasses....

What can say except, bring it.

9 comments:

Kate Alexis said...

I will pray for a glasses free Marley, so her sweetness can shine freely.

Lindsay said...

Oh, Katie - I'm crying with you for Brigham. Thank goodness Brigham is Brigham and has a strong sense of independence and self-worth. While it will be frustrating for him, I don't see any lasting negative effects in his strong personality...teasing or not. If anything, he'll become even better at doing things he doesn't want to do - gracefully.

And, as for Marley, her beautiful eyes will STILL be beautiful under the glasses! I think she'll look absolutely adorable - and I can't wait to see her. I DO hope, however, that you can convince her that she WANTS to wear them...because if Marley doesn't want to, Marley won't. :)

Cindy said...

Oh Katie, I do so understand! I remember the heartbreak of convincing Jenna that her glasses were so beautiful while at the same time I was mourning how much they covered and distracted from her beautiful eyes.

(Which are so like my mother's.) Hopefully catching it this early will spare her going through what Brigham is going through.

PS--beautifully written.

PPS--can't wait to see you in November!!

Laura Oler said...

Katie, your post had me crying -- it reminds me so much of what we're going through with the dyslexia and speech problems. It's been almost more than I can bear to watch each kid have problems, and worse than the last, and then to have to work so hard with them, and not see progress, etc. You are so amazing, and so are your kids. I hope it all pays off for both Brigham and Marley. I always love pictures of Brigham because he just seems to march to his own drum and be so happy about it!

E B said...

Bless his heart, indeed. And Brigham's. And Marley's. And yours.

Kathleen said...

oooh Katie . . . poor Briggy, I don't know if it helps, but Benjamin will be joining the glasses-wearing-cool-club here soon. His last doctor's appointment showed a significant discrepancy, and with two parents in the same boat, we knew the day was probably coming . . . I think we're going to wait a little bit. He's already asking if he can have contacts (um, he's not wearing glasses yet)

As for Marley, I'm just envisioning her quizzical looks over the pair of amazingly fashionable rims, and it kind of makes me giggle. All the more personality to go with what she already has in spades!

Can't wait to see you guys again soon!
K

s g said...

Oh Katie...so sorry about the patching!!! I think I told you, the patching didn't help Lewis, but his vision has remained 20/20, he just has the crossing still and wears bi-focals.

Anyhow, something you might be interested in is Vision Therapy, my niece has the same thing as Brigham and patches every day as well, but they didn't really see results until she did Vision Therapy. It is pretty much exercises for your eye, you have to find an Optometrist who will do it, my sis'n'law found one at Wal-mart. She goes once a week and practices 30 min. a day. She said her vision has improved the most with that. Good luck!

team howey said...

Oh Katie! I am riding your emotional roller coaster! My good friend's little girl has beautiful big brown eye's covered up by glasses which only makes her even more adorable! And, I have had terrible eyesight my whole life so I know what it feels like to not see. Just the other day I said a silent prayer of thanks for living in an age where they can give me corrective lenses. Seriously. Good for you for taking them early and being so diligent. It WILL make all the difference.

DNCBulldawg said...

You are a great mother--braving the rain, persevering on I-285 and arriving 45 minutes late--for the tough news for Brigham, Marley and you.

I am with "s g" and find 9 doctors within 25 miles--one of whom is in your zip code ("zero" miles away)!

http://www.covd.org/Home/LocateaDoctor/tabid/69/Default.aspx?zipcode=30030&radius=25