Obscure enough? Yesterday started with prepping for the ophthalmologist appointment I had for Emma and Micah. About 11:30 plans strayed a little bit when Brianna dove from her booster seat onto the tile floor. She landed with a smack to her head and a very upset Momma. I was sitting right next to her! She leaned away from me toward K and just tumbled over. So I freaked out and called Mike. He came home a few min early for "lunch break" and my mom was watching the kids in an hour already came up early incase we decided to bring her to the ER. She calmed quickly and was soon happy, lively, cruising, chattering, babbling... her usual self with a big bump on her head.
Reluctantly I decided to go ahead and leave her and go with the other two to the appointment I had for them (45 min away), knowing that there was a vehicle with car seats available if my mom needed to take her to the ER and have Mike meet her there. She was fine, though today she has a pretty little shiner. It's not quite in focus, but you can see her pretty purple eye shadow... She just got out of the bath, hence the crazy hair!
So a crazy start, then I left for the other two's appointments. Not surprisingly, we left the Opthal with scripts for glasses for both the kids. Emma is very near sighted, has nystagmus and strabismus. Micah is very far sighted and has astigmatism. On my way home I made a few calls and got the cardiac surgeon's office to find out what we should be doing about the ENT. How do we set up to see someone that will operate in St. Pete? They gave me the number to call and assured me that even if the appt was far out that Dr. Q would call and arrange an earlier appointment.
A little chasing to get the right phone number and I was told that they could see her... TOMORROW (which is now today) at 3pm. In Brandon (near Tampa). Yes, that's wonderful, we'll do that. Now to find out what I'll do with my other 3 little ones so I can get there! It took me another 3 or 4 phone calls and another hour to make sure that they were going to get whatever referrals they needed, scripts, insurance info, etc. so that Emma can be seen so quickly, but it is done!
Then when I got back to town I went to the recommended spectacle store and lo and behold, they don't carry the type of glasses that have the ear piece that wraps around the ear. They did call around for me though (very nice of them) and found me someone that could order them. I called today and found out that insurance will reimburse some (maybe all??) of the cost. YAY!
So this morning off I went to the other office and she tried a few pair on to make sure she was ordering the right size, then ordered 2 pr of specs for each kiddo- one of each type (plastic and wire frame). Now, personally, I think that the wire will fit better because the nose pieces are more likely to hold them up. She wasn't so sure and said the plastic might be easier because there are less screws to mess with and the nose pieces won't be a danger if the child wants to chew on them or falls, etc. What do you all use for your kids with glasses???
She ordered both pair in both a boy (one brown, one blue) and girl (both pink) color and they should be in in about a week. She'll call me back then to try them on the kids and pick our pair, then we'll have the lenses made based on that. Glasses done for now.
I also called the ENT's office to let them know that Emma is switching over to the ENT in St. Pete, and that they will not be getting cardiac clearance for surgery locally. At the same time I thought to ask whether or not they were able to give me an estimate on when Micah's surgery would be done (tubes and an ABR). They not only gave me an estimate, but the actual date :) Even better! So his tubes/ABR will be done at a hospital about 20 min south of here on July 18th. This does mean we might be driving home from Tampa to have his surgery here, but we will make it work!
Mike worked all night last night. I don't even know when he came home because at 9:30 I went to sleep in the girls' room. I wanted to be nearby just because Brianna did hit her head pretty good and I wanted to hear her better than a monitor on the other side of the house. Around 2:30 I woke up and went to make sure Mike was here and he was. Then I tried to go back to sleep. Except for Emma. Oh, sweet Emma. Man, that kid has a hard time breathing while she sleeps. I'm so glad that she's getting a T&A soon and getting her heart fixed up too! She sputters and rolls and coughs and stops breathing then breathes really rapidly then starts the cycle all over again! I had a hard time falling back asleep, but with the amount of sleep deprivation I've had lately it wasn't THAT hard!
So, since Mike worked so late yesterday he was able to comp some hours today so that he can come home and hang out with the kids while I take Emma to Tampa. God did good. In the hour overlap between when I have to leave and when Mike can make it home his mom will come stay with the kids. Three of them. By herself. I guess it's good that it's nap time, I just hope they sleep well so she doesn't have all three of them for long by herself! This is the first time I've left Micah but it'll just be an hour and Mike will be home, so I'm sure they'll all be fine.
I'm off in a few, just wanted to update on our happenings here lately. It's always something, but in this case it's all been GOOD! I'm hoping they will give me a surgery date for Emma today for her ENT surgery!! Now to finish lunch :)
OH- and please don't forget to answer my Q if you little ones w/ Ds that have glasses- do you use plastic or wire frames? Why did you choose them? I did mention Specs For Us to the lady and she said that if the ones she ordered don't fit well that she'll look them up. Very nice lady :)
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ReplyDeleteMeredith,
ReplyDeleteWe're back from vacation and so excited to read the news about Emma and surgery! I am thrilled, and hope that Wisconsin agrees, so the decision is simple.
We always have had wire frames for our daughter. She got her first pair at 20 months, with the cables that curl around the ears. The wire frames seem to have more "give" to them. If they bend, they can be bent back. With plastic, they just break, and then glue doesn't really work that well. And besides...the plastic ones that we had to choose from were SO UGLY!!! But that was 9 years ago. Our kids are very hard to fit, so ask local parents who is the best optician around.
Beth
My daughter (twin) had to get glasses at 10 months. We went with the plastic and one wire for
ReplyDeletepics. We wore the plastice at home with the band across the back of the head the keep them on. Your gonna need all the help you can get, the kids wearing the glasses probably will leave them alone but playmates and siblings find them quit interesting. At least with the tiny sting on the glasses when a little one yanks them they usually go around the neck not on the floor. Only problem we had with the glasses is the other kids. Have a talk with them about the glasses before you get home with them and set discipline guides so they will not be surprised. Also pick the other two a pair of little sunglasses sos everyone get new glasses the same day. You will not believe the improvement you are gonna see with Emma and Micah. The only place here in Georgia that I could find the correct glasses with at a large hospital that had an optomologist office in their medical building. They had just what we needed and can repair usually the same day. Good Luck!
My daughter also has worn the wire frames since 3 years old, plus we had to patch one eye because of strabismis which was much more difficult (although do-able) than the glasses. We also used the wrap around cable which were hard to find but we found several choices at an opthamologist office. The temple piece was still too long once we got them and they kept sliding down her nose. They were able to cut off part and re-apply the cable so they fit perfect:) Good luck.
ReplyDeleteWendy
We have to do glasses and the patch for strabismis. We had to go all plastic as she kept loseing the little nose pads and they also cut into her nose and made it sore. The wire ones got all bent up and broke easier then the all in one piece plastic types, for me anyway.
ReplyDeleteThe all plastic types worked better. She has needed them since I brought her home at 2 (adopted). She does not have DS but she is Asian so the nose bridge is a bit flat.
She does not like to wear them so they get flung off, destroyed, thrown out of car windows on the highway, shoved into trash cans, stuck in winter boots, hidden a lot. (at 2 yrs old you can only do so much enforcement)
I buy several pairs. We always have MIA glasses.It takes a bit of figuring out but when you get the perscription you can order them on line.
They are much much cheaper and so you can get several pairs and sun glasses too. Just make sure you buy the smallest frame size.
Here are 2 cheap places.The eye dr checked the glasses and they are just as good as the expensive ones.
http://www.39dollarglasses.com/
this place is cheaper (more like $19) but sometimes you have to wait a while and follow up, They also do a good job on sunglasses.
http://zennioptical.com/cart/home.php?cat=5
MAP
Nice shiner! We've seen a few of those ourselves, and it hurts me just to look at it!
ReplyDeleteRemember, my home is always open to your children...1, 2, 3, or 4! I certainly don't mind the challenge!
Call anytime.
My younger cousins always had the wire frames - they stay on better, and there are some new frames that they can bend or sit-on (almost tie in a knot) and they won't break. I don't know the name of them, though. Good luck!
ReplyDeleteAngela has had both wire and plastic frames. Wire: they get bent out of shape (HOWEVER walmart has a generic version of flexon which are AWESOME and AFFORDABLE!) But, wire can also be bent BACK into shape if you can't afford the flexon type. Wire are slightly more expensive. Plastic: Plastic frames, while they don't bend out of shape, they do snap in half and then can't be fixed.
ReplyDeletehi Maysons glasses are wire rimmed ones and they have lasted!! here is the link. we didnt get them there, at least you can see what they look like!
ReplyDeletehttp://www.framesdirect.com/framesfp/Fisher_Price-mhkdsa/r.html