Catching up: Eye surgery

The next few posts will be catch up posts. If you follow me on Facebook then you have already seen some of these pictures and gotten some of the details. But if you don't, then it'll be all new for you. Lucky you!

So, on August 29th, just a few days before school started, Axel and Angela had some minor eye surgery. Angela is missing tear ducts in one eye. Several years ago she had reconstructive surgery to try creating a duct but it didn't work, so this surgery was another attempt to work on that eye and also to clear the duct on her other eye for the fourth time.

Axel had one eye that was a mess. Often at the end of the day he would look like this

Not only was the tear duct blocked on his left eye, but he had lashes growing into it that were constantly scratching his cornea. Not fun, and just plain miserable. 

So to surgery we went! 

This was Axel BEFORE the happy drugs. (see how watery his eye is?)

And this is Axel AFTER the happy drugs

We got some hats to play with. The child life specialist sent us home with an entire bag full of hospital attire. Enough for all four kids! 

Then there is this chicky poo who was so excited to be having surgery. She is just goofy! She did NOT need happy meds before surgery. ;-)

Angela letting Axel know it's gonna be ok. 

The drugs were working well!

Angela left first. 

Axel waited his turn. 

Happy Axel. He sounded drunk. LOL

Angela came back from surgery groggy but chatty as usual. She's talking about surgery on her eyes. We had to cut it short because she had a coughing spell.

Angela has two stents. The one in her right eye is looped through the nose, the upper duct then lower duct and back into the nose. The stent is tied way up high in the nose. Her left eye is missing an upper duct. For the second time in her life the doctor tried to create an upper duct but she just doesn't have enough space for one. That means instead of being able to loop the stent through the system, hers ends at the lower duct. It has a "shoe", which is like a flat piece, holding it in place in that duct.

The day after surgery Angela pulled her right stent partially out. Eventually it was way over the cornea of her eye.

The four kids and I took a trip to the University of Minnesota where we spent 2 hours in the waiting room waiting to meet with the specialist. (he was in surgery that day.)  to see if he could pull it back in where it belonged.  He dug (and she tolerated the digging) WAAAaaaaaaay up in her nose to get hold of the stent and pull it back down where it belonged. 

Two days later, the eve of the first day of school, Axel was taking a shower. I went into the bathroom to see what was taking him so long and saw what I thought was a thread from the towel hanging off his face. Just as I reached to brush it away I realized it was his stent!!!! OMG...gross!  can you see what looks like a piece of clear spaghetti? 

I called the doctor who told me to snip it in one place then pull it out. I had NO IDEA how long these things were! I pulled...and pulled...and finally then end of it slipped out of his eye. Nastiness!!! 

Next week we'll go back to the doctor for a follow up. Angela's stents will stay in for another couple of weeks, and we'll discuss what to do with Axel's eye, and weather or not we should try to repeat the procedure. 

A few days after the doctor dug in her nose Angel developed a staph infection in her nose. (impetigo, which is staph) that we couldn't get cleared up without antibiotics. Finally her nose is starting to clear up!!!

Next up, Abel's dental surgery!