Eye surgery for Estropia (anyone's toddler have this?)

Re: Eye surgery for Estropia (anyone's toddler have this?)

• AnjaO member

  February 2013

  No experience, but T&P for your DS!

  
  

  BFP #1 8/14/10, DS born 4/30/11 
  

  BFP #2 9/30/12, M/C 10/23/12 

  BFP #3 12/16/12, CP 12/20/12 

  BFP #4 1/20/13, DD born 10/9/13

  
  

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• andreajdowns

  February 2013

  I have not posted on her for awhile, but DD is having problems with her eyes (Exotropia) and we have tried patching, etc.  However, her symptoms have got worse recently and we are going to talk to pediatric eye surgeon on the 20th. (this will be our 4th visit, she didn't start having issues until about 12 months). After talking to him on the phone last week pretty sure we will be setting up a date for the surgery.  No advice, but we have seen a decline in her vision so we are planning to go forward with the surgery.

  

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• hortie04 member

  February 2013

  I guess I'm what one would call a lurker.  My DS is an April 2011 baby.  I've never posted but occasionally looked on this board for help, etc.  I felt compelled to respond because my son just had this surgery.  It was so scary for me and it would have been nice to hear someone else's story, since my last experience with this surgery was over 20 years ago - I had it too and had to have it twice.  So not only was I worried for my son, but also experiencing some mommy guilt.  This is an extremely long post, sorry.

  We tried patching and it didn't work out, so we went ahead with the surgery.  In fact, his eye doctor recommended we get on the surgery list when we started patching just in case patching didn't work.  He said it was better to catch it and correct it early so he would have a better shot at regaining the lost vision and hopefully not do permanent damage to his eyesight.  

  Okay, so moving on to surgery day.  At the hospital our son went to they do the eye surgeries in age order, we were there by 6 am, since he was more than likely first.  We had our own little "room" once checked in.  They had a play area for all the kids waiting to have their different surgeries, so we had something to do while waiting for the respective doctors and nurses.  We were there for about an hour before he went back for the surgery.  They gave us an option to have a drug, that I can not remember what it was called (I called it loopy juice), for him to take before separation.  It would help him relax, there would be less anxiety, he wouldn't remember the OR, and they said it would end up requiring less anesthesia since he wouldn't be freaking out.  We had him take it and I'm so glad we did.  He was having separation anxiety a couple weeks before this, so I was dreading him being wheeled away because I knew it would be awful and it wasn't bad since he was so relaxed.  My DH and I carried him back while the doctors/nurses pushed his little bed.  We got to hug him and love on him, then one of the doctor's took him and his Big Bird (they told us to bring his lovey for help in the OR and recovery) and they promised to take good care of him.  Waiting was so hard, but the procedure only took about 45 min.  His eye doctor came in and explained everything and that we would see him in recovery soon.  

  Recovery was the worst!  He was mad as hell and rightfully so (the nurses said it was mad and not pain after more powerful pain relievers were administered and his demeanor did not change).  I felt like an a-hole because he didn't understand what was happening.  We briefly discussed it a few days before but how do you really explain surgery to a 21 mo?  He was most upset about his IV, he wanted that out and tried to take it a couple of times - it was strapped to his arm with a splint so there was no getting it out.  We ended up going from recovery back to our original room.  He was too mad to drink anything, and they wouldn't take the IV out or let us go home until they saw how he reacted to fluids.  We turned on PBS and thank God Sesame Street was on, he calmed down and drank his sippy cup.  The nurses told us he was reacting like most toddlers do.  She said they do much better at home.  I wasn't so sure, but I was hopeful and you know what he did!  He was great.  We got home and he got down and chased the cat.  He ate like crazy, we were lucky he didn't have any nausea.  The only way you could tell he had surgery was the red and puffy eyes.  His demeanor was so good.  He played and ran all over the house.  It was so surprising to me because I was expecting him to be tired and upset, but he was so energized.  We were instructed to give Tylenol or Advil according to the label for up to three days post-op.  The first night he woke up in the middle of the night, right around when the medicine would have worn off, and he was crying and saying "Eyes, ow.  Eyes, ow."  I gave him some medicine and rocked him back to sleep and he was fine.  His resilience just astounded me.  He was playing and eating like normal the next day.   His eyes are doing great now.  It's been about two weeks since his surgery and there is hardly any discoloration in the whites of his eyes, they are still a little puffy.  We haven't really noticed them crossing anymore, but his eye doctor said it could happen and not to worry if we did see crossing.  He told us sometimes it takes a bit for the muscles to adjust.  He has a follow up appointment in three months and they will re-evaluate him then. 

   

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