I am still a bit traumatized from the events of yesterday.
Niall got his palate expander and braces installed yesterday before school. It was a bit much for a little guy to deal with. He felt OK to go to school afterward, but only lasted about 20 minutes. He called me to say he was feeling weird and tired. He seemed to feel a bit better as he slowly practiced eating and swallowing on a maple bar donut. But, he is still in quite a bit of pain when the ibuprofen wears off.
Later in the day, I picked Coral up from school and took her to an eye appointment in the Pediatric Opthamology Clinic at Primary Children's Medical Center. She has been having real trouble with her eyes and I decided that the only doctors likely to be able help us would be the ones who work with these problems in infants and small children. The eye doctors we have seen lately for glasses and contacts for her do not seem to really grasp the problems she has.
Coral was seen in this same clinic when she was 9 months old for the initial diagnosis of her problem. It was a bit emotional to return after 17 years with similar feelings of worry and hope for answers.
Our appointment lasted 3 hours. Coral's eyes have changed in some, as yet unexplained, ways. She needs to see an even more specialized diagnostician and needs to consider the possibility of eye muscle surgery.
It will take months to sort through all this, but if anyone can improve Coral's vision, I feel certain these are the doctors to do it. I am sad that she has to deal with this. I am concerned that her poor vision has contributed to other challenges she has faced and continues to face at school, etc. Mostly, I am grateful that she was born in a time and place where she has had access to help and that she has been able to live a relatively normal life in spite of these serious problems.
Kevin is mostly concerned that she drives-now that we know she does not have anywhere near normal depth perception! Actually, he has been looking for an excuse for all his feelings of parental horror at having a teen driver in the house, and this is the first real reason we have had to worry:)
I spent the night having worried dreams and woke exhausted to Niall still in too much pain to go to school. To add to my stress, someone stole one of my lovely pumpkins from the porch. They must have been very motivated, as it weighed over 30 lbs. Aargh!