"Everything looks great!"

Those three little words were all this momma wanted to hear when Parker's glaucoma doctor walked out of the hospital doors towards me yesterday.  Talk about a relief.  All the worry and fear I'd been carrying for the past couple days immediately left my body, leaving room for my heart to smile bigger than Texas.

This was Parker's fifth time having a routine EUA (exam under anesthesia) since August of 2011, when he was initially diagnosed with pediatric congenital glaucoma in his left eye.  His first two EUAs ended up in a trabeculotomy both times, while the third and fourth times he underwent an EUA ended up with great news saying that the pressure was where it needed to be and we took him home with no further surgery just as soon as he woke up from the anesthesia in recovery.  We prayed that the latter would be the case for this EUA as well.  Thankfully, it was.

His glaucoma is something that will have to be monitored his whole life.  Because we caught it early (I first noticed it when he woke up one day at 4 1/2 months old and he was diagnosed at 6 months old), he has a really good chance that it is cured forever.  Of course, nothing is absolutely certain so we'll continue to monitor his eyes (they always check the pressure in both eyes, because it's very rare for a child to develop glaucoma in only one eye, as is the case with my precious Parker).

Once he is capable of sitting still in a chair in the doctor's office and allows the doctor to touch his eye with an instrument that quickly measures the pressure right then and there, he'll have to undergo EUAs to check the pressure.  The doctor said that kids don't typically allow the pressure to be checked in the office until 4 or 5 years old, so we have a while to go and several more EUAs to endure.  I say "we" because even though Parker is the one going under anesthesia, my husband and I have to watch them take our baby as he cries and is scared because he doesn't understand what's going on.  I hate that part.

getting ready to leave the house for the hospital -- I was trying to keep him away from Connar who was eating breakfast and snacks in the morning, because Parker couldn't eat or drink before his EUA

checking out the waiting room digs

He always wears jammies to his EUAs...and then home again.  Gotta be comfy when you go through this kind of stuff.  :)

I'm pretty sure he played with every toy in the playroom while we waited for his EUA to begin.  He even found the secret stash of toys hidden in the cabinets!  :)

Thank you a million times to my mom who came with me to the EUA.  With Talton not arriving from Korea until later this week, I was in need of a buddy to wait with me and share this emotional few hours.  She didn't even take a breath before saying yes when I asked her to go with me.  I did spare her the tears of anxiety while Parker was in his EUA and shared those via Skype with my hubby that morning.  It was hard not having him there, but I know it was equally as hard on him not being able to be there with us.  Thanks for filling in, Mom.  :)   The videos you captured of Parker before and after he was given the happy juice to calm him down are priceless.

 

The nurse was only trying to take his blood pressure, but this is exactly how he reacted every single time ANYONE came near him.  It's also how he reacted when I changed him into that gown.  This was the first EUA he's ever acted this way.  I think he's starting to remember and understand what we do at this place.  :(

signing paperwork with one hand because there's no way that baby is letting me put him down with someone else nearby

Time for his happy juice!

This was about 10-15 minutes after he took the happy juice.  This same resident anesthesiologist tried to take his vitals about 30 minutes before this, and Parker was not having it....just like he wasn't having it when the other 4 nurses/doctors tried to come within 10 feet of him.  But after the medicine to relax him, he kissed this doctor's hand as he listed to his heart, smiled at his doctor when he walked up, went to the nurse with no issues, and didn't look back at me as 7 people walked him into surgery.  Talk about night and day.

He woke up in a fit, as you can imagine.  He wanted every IV out, every piece of tape off, and every monitor detached from his baby chest.  He was not a happy camper, and didn't really calm down until we left the recovery area and headed for the car.  He was so ready to get out of there.  The recovery nurse asked me, "Are you ready to go, or do you want to wait until he calms down?  We can make sure he doesn't throw up if you let him sit here for a bit," all while Parker is screaming his head off.  I told her we were ready to go, knew the routine, and were prepared with a blanket in the car if he did throw up (which he didn't do)....Parker was ready to leave, so please discharge him.  :)

He fell asleep as I drove away from the hospital.  He finally felt at peace and like nobody was going to bother him anymore.  He was safe with his momma.  :)

P slept for another hour or so after we got home, but when he woke up, he was ready to eat and have some milk.  (Poor baby had asked me for "mok" twice that morning, and I had to nicely offer him apple juice instead since he wasn't allowed to have anything other than that when he woke up.)  Big Brother, C, wanted to be near him since he hadn't seen him all day.....anddddd he wanted to help him eat some of that macaroni and cheese.  :)

Thank you to everyone who sent positive thoughts and prayers our way!  xoxo