Eye Call It Successful

Friday was Pierscen's Ophthalmology appointment in Riverton. His appointment was scheduled at 3:30 and since Ryan works at 2:00, his mom came along to help me out. Baby P had last eaten at 12:45 and had fallen asleep at 1:30. He was still sleeping soundly when we arrived at 3:15. I filled out the new patient information form and sat down to wait. We decided that we should probably wake the little guy up and see if he would eat anything before the doctor starting shining lights in his eyes. (Much better to have a well-fed, happy baby than a hungry, angry one.) He was not thrilled about waking up, but eventually opened his eyes and gave us that look of, "This better be worth it." Ellen tried to give him a bottle, but it was cold and that made him very, very angry. "First you wake me up, then you offer me this?!" I took the bottle to the bathroom to see if I could run some hot water over it, but by the time the tap had warmed up they called us back.

They took us to an exam room where we met with the nurse. She asked us a few questions and then informed us that it would still be a few minutes before the doctor was ready. She offered to go warm up a cup of water in the microwave so we could submerge his bottle in it. While she was gone, I changed his diaper and we did our best to get him to calm down, but he was even more upset. "First you wake me up, then you offer me cold milk, then the doctor isn't even ready to see me?!" The nurse came back with the water and Ellen set the bottle to soak. However, knowing that it was going to take a while for the bottle and the doctor, I decided to just nurse him - even if it was for a few minutes - to hold him over. The nurse returned to get us just as the bottle was warmed up and as I was finishing feeding P.


She took us to a larger exam room and told us that it would still be a couple more minutes. Though P was fed, he was still very tired and frustrated. Ellen walked around with him trying to console him, but he continued to cry and arch his back in his tired, angry way. She gave him back to me to see if he just needed mom. Normally it doesn't make much of a difference who is holding him when he gets to that point, but within a few seconds, he had quieted down and passed out in my arms. The little stink.

Naturally, only moments after he had fallen asleep, the doctor came in. The sound of the door opening and closing in addition to her voice woke him up. He looked around bewildered, the rims of his eyes red and his focus a little hazy. You could tell he still wasn't really awake, but he didn't start crying. The doctor had me sit in the exam chair with P on my lap. She took out a series of toys and waved them in front of his face from left to right. He followed them a little, but mostly just stubbornly looked to the right. I knew he was in that comatose state - not really awake, but not asleep either. It worried me that she would think he was not able to track movement since he showed very little interest in her finger puppets and quacking ducks. At last she pulled out of her drawer a handheld fan with lots and lots of bright colored lights on the blades. He jumped a little as she turned it on. Bingo! The boy loves lights. She moved the fan back and forth and he followed with wide-eyed eagerness. After that she put her toys away and said that as far as she could tell, everything looked totally normal. She said she wasn't concerned that he wasn't tracking everything as he is only 2 months old. He responds to light appropriately. She said she didn't see anything that was cause for concern, but just to be safe, she would dilate his pupils and take another look in 20 minutes. She squeezed some drops in his eyes (which set the poor guy off again - those drops are painful) and sent us to the waiting room with a buzzer which would light up when they were ready for us.

Once in the waiting room, Pierscen began looking all around - back and forth, up and down and straight - all the things he refused to do in the exam room. Cute little pill. We watched and waited as his pupils began to grow. Then, a few minutes before the buzzer went off, he fell fast asleep.


We were shown to a third exam room. They were all the same except they varied in size. While we waited for the doctor to come back in, we did our best to wake him up again. We tickled. We talked loudly. We played music right next to his face. We moved his little arms and legs around. Nothing.

When the doctor returned she had me sit in the exam chair again with him. There was still no life from the little guy. She took her special lens and her light and began to pry his eyes open one after the other hoping for a good view, but his eyes remained rolled up in his head. What child sleeps through an eye exam?! She tried for several minutes with no success. At long last he began to stir and she went to work as quickly as she could. He instantly started screaming. I don't blame him. All he wanted to do was sleep! She continued to pry open his eyes rotating back and forth between them with lens after lens. I think she went through at least 20 different ones. Finally she announced that she was satisfied and that everything looked good. She said there is a slight prescription difference between the eyes, but it is nothing to worry about.


Ellen took him to the other side of the room to cry while I talked to the doctor. She told me that everything looked totally normal and that she would write up the letter to send to his other doctors. I told her the appointments were next week, so she gave me a hard copy of the letter just in case the one she was going to send doesn't make it in time.

Baby P was still fussing as we got to the waiting room. I changed his diaper and loaded him back in his carrier. I picked up the car seat and swung it gently back and forth like a swing and the fussing stopped. I think he would love a swing at home, but I am afraid he will become reliant on it to calm down. (Blessing and a curse I am sure.)

The appointment took an hour and a half. We got to our car at 5:15 - just in time to head home in the commuting traffic. Thankfully the drive home was smooth and Baby P slept the whole time. I am thankful Ellen was able to come and help with the little guy. I don't blame him for being frustrated with the situation, but at least he got a good nap at the end. It is great to have one more appointment done and over with - and even better - with a clean bill of health. Now that these appointments are starting, it is beginning to feel a bit more real. I am excited and nervous. The surgery will be here before I know it.

More updates to follow.