36 hours

The last 36 hours have been an absolute whirlwind and I can honestly say that I am completely EXHAUSTED. Yesterday afternoon, the Pope had an office visit with his ophthalmologist. His doctor is located in the city, so the Pope and I took the train. The weather was gorgeous and it was an excellent opportunity for the Pope to get some serious O&M (orientation and mobility) work done. The train stations have lots of stairs and we have to go in and out through the automatic ticket terminals. Once we got into the city, there were lots of noises and smells and opportunities for the Pope to practice staying on task while using his cane. For a 4-year-old boy, I think he did fairly well. The Pope LOVES to ride on the train and he loves to go into the city. This is the first time I used the trip to the hospital as a training exercise. He did an amazing job with the stairs at the train station. When we arrived at the hospital, where the Pope's ophthalmologist is located, we registered. The waiting area, which is huge, was packed. Not a good sign. There were plenty of people who already looked aggravated, also not a good sign. Our appointment was at 2:45 PM, we got in to see the doctor at 4:20 PM. He apologized profusely, and explained that they were doing glaucoma testing all day, which required patients to return several times throughout the day to have their eye pressures tested, and that can really throw off the schedule for anyone who is there for an appointment. It really was the scheduling secretary's fault, not his. In the long run, it doesn't matter... He's the best and the best is worth the wait!

So in the office I found out that the Pope looks into the corner of his eye - strabismus. He also has nystagmus, where his eye involuntarily shakes. When he looks ahead, his eye shakes. To stop it from shaking, to get a better look at things, he turns his eye into the corner toward his nose. The doctor informed me that when the Pope is older, he'll make a measurement and shorten the muscle in the Pope's eye to keep it centered and stop it from shaking. He said doing the surgery now, would be too soon. We left the office at 5:00 PM. On the way home the hospital called to inform me that the Pope's surgery time, the next morning, was scheduled and we needed to be at the hospital surgery center at 6:00 AM.

So this morning we were on the train, again, this time at 5:15 AM. The Pope, who was hungry, because he couldn't eat anything and tired because we got up so early (and we had just switched to daylight savings time, so we all still adjusting) was less enthusiastic about the train ride or trip into the city. It was early, but there are major benefits to being first! You actually go into the operating room right on time! And the Pope was scheduled first because he was not only seeing his ophthalmologist for an EUA (exam under anesthesia), but he had his 1 year check-up with the ocular oncologist. I can hardly believe it's been a year already!

So the news was great all around! The oncologist gave the Pope a clean bill of health! His socket looks terrific and his remaining eye is in great shape. So we are done!
The ophthalmologist reported that his eye pressure is fine, no glaucoma! We can reduce his atropine drops, which he currently takes daily, down to 3 times a week! He gave the Pope a new prescription and the eye glass shop at the hospital said they would swap out the new lens, so we didn't have to buy a whole new pair of glasses! Believe me, I was thrilled! The best part? We don't have to go back to any of the eye doctors for SIX MONTHS! (No, I can't believe it either!)

Around 11:30 AM, I carried a very sleepy boy through the city, down to the train platform and home to his bed. It's been exhausting, but he is so worth it.

Meanwhile, the Princess is sick. While I had the Pope at his eye doctor yesterday, Mike had the Princess at the pediatrician. She's developed a very nasty bronchial cough that sounds like it's coming from deep in chest. She also seems unwell to me. While she doesn't have a fever, she's listless and just not her usual bubbly self. The pediatrician prescribed and albuterol inhaler. I hope it works for and she's feeling better soon.