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Thursday, March 15, 2012
"Normal" for a day
I am not exactly sure what constitutes being "normal," but I have learned that most people don't consider a toddler in glasses very normal based on the endless stares and questions we get anytime we are out. Of course, Jack is immune to it, and I pray that he remains that way for as long as possible. This past week, we had a sneak peek of some beautiful spring weather, so Jack and I headed to the park with his friend from daycare, who also happens to wear glasses. I was excited to have her come along because what's cuter than a toddler in glasses? That's right - two toddlers in glasses!! We did have two people ask if they were twins...while they are both beautiful children, they look nothing alike apart from the fact that they both wear glasses.
Anyways, that wasn't the reason that our trip to the park that day was so special. I heard a mom say, "Look, that little boy has glasses like you." I hear this a lot, but it's usually directed towards older children who wear very normal reading glasses or are wearing sunglassess, but today was different. I looked up to find another toddler wearing blue Miraflex frames! Well, if that wasn't exciting enough, we run to the other side of the playground and find yet another toddler in glasses. That means we are up to FOUR toddlers at the park in glasses. For once, kids stopped to stare at Jack's glasses because they were the same ones he was wearing! He got to look up and be face to face with kids that looked just like him. I know it didn't mean much to him that day, but it meant a whole lot to me that for one short afternoon, a toddler in glasses was completely "normal."
Monday, February 27, 2012
Holy growth spurt!
Today was Jack's official ophthalmologist check-up appointment (the other week was just practice!!!) I always get so nervous before these appointments, even though I really don't have anything to be concerned about, especially since we were just in there two weeks ago. But I have walked in there before thinking nothing was wrong and been knocked back a peg, so I can speak from experience.
Anyways, today's appointment was GREAT!! The doctor wanted to see him in his contacts first to check the fit, so that was really fun trying to get those in after 2 months of being in glasses only. I think we had the element of surprise on our hands, since it went fairly well. It was also an 8:15 am appointment so we caught Jack a little sleepy.
The most exciting part of the appointment was that Jack had a major prescription change. His contacts were decreased by 4...points, degrees, ???, whatever it's called. He was a +22 and now he's a +18. The glasses are down to a +16!!! We were really excited because this is proof that his eyes are growing and developing as normally as possible. His eyes are still normal toddler eyes, they just don't have lenses to correct his focus, hence the changing prescription.
So, back to the optometrist to get new lenses for the glasses. This could possibly explain why he was looking out of the corner of them last week. We may never know, but that's ok, because those are the lenses I'm getting replaced with the new prescription anyways.
No patching at the moment, but the doctor said we are not out of the woods yet and will probably have to patch eventually. Jack has defied a lot of odds up until now, so I'll just keep hope that we can evade that as well!!
If you've stayed with me this far, thanks for reading! As always, feel free to leave comments or shoot me a message.
Anyways, today's appointment was GREAT!! The doctor wanted to see him in his contacts first to check the fit, so that was really fun trying to get those in after 2 months of being in glasses only. I think we had the element of surprise on our hands, since it went fairly well. It was also an 8:15 am appointment so we caught Jack a little sleepy.
The most exciting part of the appointment was that Jack had a major prescription change. His contacts were decreased by 4...points, degrees, ???, whatever it's called. He was a +22 and now he's a +18. The glasses are down to a +16!!! We were really excited because this is proof that his eyes are growing and developing as normally as possible. His eyes are still normal toddler eyes, they just don't have lenses to correct his focus, hence the changing prescription.
So, back to the optometrist to get new lenses for the glasses. This could possibly explain why he was looking out of the corner of them last week. We may never know, but that's ok, because those are the lenses I'm getting replaced with the new prescription anyways.
No patching at the moment, but the doctor said we are not out of the woods yet and will probably have to patch eventually. Jack has defied a lot of odds up until now, so I'll just keep hope that we can evade that as well!!
If you've stayed with me this far, thanks for reading! As always, feel free to leave comments or shoot me a message.
Saturday, February 11, 2012
...and we're back!!!
Again, it's been too long since my last update. Don't worry, my New Year's resolution is to do better!!! Here's an update on Jack. We entered the world of patching for a half a minute. We were only supposed to do it for 30 minutes a day, so I ordered a felt patch from framehuggers.com that fit right over his glasses. I was hesitant to use the sticky ones only because it was for such a short time. We did great with it for a couple of days. I would put it on as soon as he woke up, and by the time he'd eaten breakfast, it was time to come off. We even did a sticker chart and he earned a giant Brobee pillow. After a week or two, it became a struggle, so we gave up and tried to patch with the contacts.
Ohhhhhh the contacts. I actually got them in all by myself twice!!! We were doing so well. We are still in the Flex Lenses, which seem to suit his eyes and don't cause the eye boogers we got in the Silsofts. They also were fitting great...but apparently Jack's eyes grew, because we lost 2 of them - one we owned for less than an hour!! We don't go back to the dr to get refitted until the end of the month, so we are strictly glasses now.
One concern I have is that Jack hasn't figured out that his peripheral vision is blocked in the glasses. He loses things in his line of sight when he's looking straight forward because he just moves his eyes up and not his whole head. Does that make sense?? It's not a vision issue, thankfully. He also seems to be looking out of the right side of his glasses all the time now, so we need to get that looked at ASAP to see if it's a prescription issue or a lens issue. Will update with that info!
Other than that, glasses and/or contacts have not slowed this kid down one bit. He even did an entire puzzle without his glasses on, which makes us go hmmmmm. It will be do wonderful when Jack can actually communicate to us what's going on! For now, it's just a guessing game, and that can get frustrating for all of us!!! He is just such a fun kid and we are so lucky that he has gone so unphased through all of this!!!!!
Ohhhhhh the contacts. I actually got them in all by myself twice!!! We were doing so well. We are still in the Flex Lenses, which seem to suit his eyes and don't cause the eye boogers we got in the Silsofts. They also were fitting great...but apparently Jack's eyes grew, because we lost 2 of them - one we owned for less than an hour!! We don't go back to the dr to get refitted until the end of the month, so we are strictly glasses now.
One concern I have is that Jack hasn't figured out that his peripheral vision is blocked in the glasses. He loses things in his line of sight when he's looking straight forward because he just moves his eyes up and not his whole head. Does that make sense?? It's not a vision issue, thankfully. He also seems to be looking out of the right side of his glasses all the time now, so we need to get that looked at ASAP to see if it's a prescription issue or a lens issue. Will update with that info!
Other than that, glasses and/or contacts have not slowed this kid down one bit. He even did an entire puzzle without his glasses on, which makes us go hmmmmm. It will be do wonderful when Jack can actually communicate to us what's going on! For now, it's just a guessing game, and that can get frustrating for all of us!!! He is just such a fun kid and we are so lucky that he has gone so unphased through all of this!!!!!
Thursday, October 6, 2011
Christmas is right around the corner...
...and what better gift to give than a 2011-2012 calendar by the Children's Eye Foundation. Jack and several of his Little Ambassador "friends" (the moms are all online friends now) are featured at the bottom of each month. While he's not an official picture in the calendar, all proceeds go to this wonderful organization! Check it out: Children's Eye Foundation calendar.
Don't forget to check out the bottom of May! :)
Don't forget to check out the bottom of May! :)
Tuesday, September 6, 2011
What a difference a day makes...
On September 6, 2010.../
On September 7, 2010
...life with an infant was starting to settle down./
...I found out my 10 week old had cataracts.
...I bought baby sunglasses because I thought they were cute./
...I had to order prescription glasses for my baby.
...We thought it was so cute that Jack always wanted to look at the lights./
...We learned that was because lights were all he could see.
...We were packing for Florida./
...We unpacked the Florida bag, and repacked for two overnight hospital stays.
...We had yet to venture into DC with our new baby./
...Our first trip to DC with him was to visit Children's Hospital.
...Someone sneezing in the same room as Jack had me running for the door./
...I don't think I noticed another human being.
...Jack wore his Virginia Tech gear as we all prepared to head to Fed Ex Field./
...Jack wore his Virginia Tech gear on his way home from the hospital after his second surgery.
...I couldn't watch anyone put contacts in./
...I became the person putting contacts in Jack's eyes on a daily basis.
...I had freakishly small hands./
...I had perfectly sized hands for inserting contacts into an infant.
...Jaundice was the worst thing in the world./
...Cataracts made jaundice look like a cold.
...Aphakic sounded like something you said when someone sneezed./
...Aphakic described my son's condition.
...I had never seen a baby wearing glasses./
...I was fending off questions and stares about my baby's glasses.
...I didn't really have a reason to write a blog./
...I was able to share Jack's story with others facing the same thing.
...I didn't know anyone who's child had cataracts, or even eye issues./
...I have made lots of friends, either cyber or "real life," that I never would have met before.
...I'd never heard of the Children's Eye Foundation./
...Jack is a Little Ambassador and I'm so proud to be a part of their mission.
Life changed. Not for the better, not for the worse. What we saw as normal just became defined a little differently. At the end of the day, Jack is an extremely healthy and happy baby. We wouldn't change a thing about him and if this is the path we were meant to take, so be it.
So, while I approached this anniversary with a lot of sadness and a heavy heart, writing this has made me realize that our lives have been opened to a world that we never knew about. I remember writing early on in the "Journey" that although we knew it could be much worse, we weren't ready to accept that.
I think we are ready to accept that while the hand we were dealt was a difficult one, God wouldn't give us what we couldn't handle. On to another year of health and happiness!
On September 7, 2010
...life with an infant was starting to settle down./
...I found out my 10 week old had cataracts.
...I bought baby sunglasses because I thought they were cute./
...I had to order prescription glasses for my baby.
...We thought it was so cute that Jack always wanted to look at the lights./
...We learned that was because lights were all he could see.
...We were packing for Florida./
...We unpacked the Florida bag, and repacked for two overnight hospital stays.
...We had yet to venture into DC with our new baby./
...Our first trip to DC with him was to visit Children's Hospital.
...Someone sneezing in the same room as Jack had me running for the door./
...I don't think I noticed another human being.
...Jack wore his Virginia Tech gear as we all prepared to head to Fed Ex Field./
...Jack wore his Virginia Tech gear on his way home from the hospital after his second surgery.
...I couldn't watch anyone put contacts in./
...I became the person putting contacts in Jack's eyes on a daily basis.
...I had freakishly small hands./
...I had perfectly sized hands for inserting contacts into an infant.
...Jaundice was the worst thing in the world./
...Cataracts made jaundice look like a cold.
...Aphakic sounded like something you said when someone sneezed./
...Aphakic described my son's condition.
...I had never seen a baby wearing glasses./
...I was fending off questions and stares about my baby's glasses.
...I didn't really have a reason to write a blog./
...I was able to share Jack's story with others facing the same thing.
...I didn't know anyone who's child had cataracts, or even eye issues./
...I have made lots of friends, either cyber or "real life," that I never would have met before.
...I'd never heard of the Children's Eye Foundation./
...Jack is a Little Ambassador and I'm so proud to be a part of their mission.
Life changed. Not for the better, not for the worse. What we saw as normal just became defined a little differently. At the end of the day, Jack is an extremely healthy and happy baby. We wouldn't change a thing about him and if this is the path we were meant to take, so be it.
So, while I approached this anniversary with a lot of sadness and a heavy heart, writing this has made me realize that our lives have been opened to a world that we never knew about. I remember writing early on in the "Journey" that although we knew it could be much worse, we weren't ready to accept that.
I think we are ready to accept that while the hand we were dealt was a difficult one, God wouldn't give us what we couldn't handle. On to another year of health and happiness!
Saturday, August 13, 2011
Eureka!
In the heat of the moment, glasses are SOOOOOOOOO much easier than contacts. You can slip them right on, and it doesn't involve two people and flailing limbs. However, Jack is so much more comfortable in his new contacts (FlexLens). When he gets frustrated, the glasses are the first things to go. He pulled them off 4 times in the car today, and we only went about 15 miles.
Because of this, we're trying to be more consistent with his lenses. Today was the 4th day in a row we put them in, and he does get better every day. David was even able to get them out while I was holding him - he kept his eye open the entire time! Putting them in is still a struggle, but someone on the APHAKIC Yahoo board suggested putting a sticker on your nose, so today at Target, I got a huge pack of stickers in the dollar bin and stuck one on my nose. Wouldn't you know, it gave Jack something to look at and when we were done, it stopped the tears right away to see mommy with a sticker on her nose! I had to leave it on for about 20 more minutes because hey, it made him happy!
So here it is, goofiness and all! It breaks my heart every time we have to pin him down and slide those contacts over the tears, but if this helps and eases his pain (not physical pain, obviously!), it eases mine as well! Keep the tips coming! I still don't understand the people that can put the contacts in using the high chair, but maybe we'll get there someday...
Because of this, we're trying to be more consistent with his lenses. Today was the 4th day in a row we put them in, and he does get better every day. David was even able to get them out while I was holding him - he kept his eye open the entire time! Putting them in is still a struggle, but someone on the APHAKIC Yahoo board suggested putting a sticker on your nose, so today at Target, I got a huge pack of stickers in the dollar bin and stuck one on my nose. Wouldn't you know, it gave Jack something to look at and when we were done, it stopped the tears right away to see mommy with a sticker on her nose! I had to leave it on for about 20 more minutes because hey, it made him happy!
Wednesday, August 3, 2011
It's been awhile...
There hasn't been much to report, so I haven't been keeping up with the blog, but it seems everyday someone new finds out their son or daughter has been born with cataracts, so I want to do better. If you are visiting for the first time, please make sure to visit the earliest posts.
We celebrated Jack's first birthday about a month and a half ago. Miraculously, we actually had 2 contacts that were the correct prescription to put in for his big day. I feel like we've either lost one, or got the wrong prescription. Needless to say, we haven't been terribly consistent.
Here's the birthday boy enjoying his cake:
Jack also got new glasses in May since he had outgrown the other ones. They are still Miraflex frames, just a little bigger and a different shade of blue.
We celebrated Jack's first birthday about a month and a half ago. Miraculously, we actually had 2 contacts that were the correct prescription to put in for his big day. I feel like we've either lost one, or got the wrong prescription. Needless to say, we haven't been terribly consistent.
Here's the birthday boy enjoying his cake:
Jack also got new glasses in May since he had outgrown the other ones. They are still Miraflex frames, just a little bigger and a different shade of blue.
He aced his one year eye exam at the pediatric opthamologist, so we don't go back until October (although we have yet to make it to a scheduled appointment without squeezing in an "emergency" visit in between.) After he got his new glasses, we were concerned that his eyes were crossing, but the doctor said we didn't need to worry until he spent more of his day crossed than not crossed, and these were very isolated incidents.
Other than that, life with a one year old goes on! Jack's first word was cat...go figure. He loves Rocky.
No official walking yet, but he stumbles here and there. He's such a swift crawler, I don't think he's in a hurry (and neither are we!)
Hard to believe it's almost been a year since we learned about Jack's cataracts. I never thought we'd overcome that grief, but like I said, life goes on! He hasn't skipped a beat and is developing right on par. We couldn't be happier with our little guy!
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