So we had our first visit with the ENT earlier this week, needless to say, I didn't leave with a "happy happy joy joy" feeling.
Basically I feel we are getting the run around. Lets go back a couple months ago.
We went to the pediatrician because Daniel kept getting styes in his eye.
Obviously he didn't complain much about it, but they were driving me nuts. It would be there, the next day gone, the next day its back but BIGGER. Then he started to get one on his eyelid, a huge looking bump UNDER the eyelid. I wanted some medicine to get rid of them. She simply said put a warm compress on his eye and it would work itself out, but perhaps we needed to see the eye doctor because maybe he needed his tear ducts probed.
So step two, we get a new eye doctor, as our original eye doctor is older and I didn't feel comfortable with shaky hands probing anything on Daniel. (Read more about that here) So we get a new eye doctor, the eye appointment went fine (besides a few screams), his vision is OK and not affected by the Vigabatrin. When we asked about the styes (they were big at the time), he said well before I would go in and get the probing of the tear ducts, and the removal of the sty (cyst), I would like an ENT to see him to make sure that its not his sinus that is blocking anything and up into the eyes. Cause he felt that if that were the case that once that was cleared up the eyes would clear up. FOR THE LOVE OF GOD.........WILL SOMEONE PLEASE JUST HELP ME FIGURE OUT WHAT IS WRONG WITH MY CHILD'S EYES AND WHY IS HE GETTING THESE FLIPPIN' STYES SO MUCH.
So, next step we find a pediatric ENT. She was very nice and after our 3 hour appointment and getting x-rays and asking a bunch of questions, Daniel's adenoids are large and need to get removed. This is causing all the boogerectomies that we have written about. From the picture of the x-ray, she said that Daniel's airway and drainage isn't really happening because there is a very very very small (Did I tell you it was small) passage. And with all the boogers he is getting, it is apparent that there can be no drainage like the average person. Apparently he also has fluid behind his one ear (although he has never cried or complained of an ear hurting. In fact he has never had an ear infection his whole life!) The doctor said that with the fluid behind his ear it would give him the feeling of descending in a plane and 20-30% of hearing loss in that ear. WHAT??? This kid turns when you drop a needle on a cotton ball! OK, so anyways back onto the subject....
Daniel will be having surgery in January 2008. Welcomes in the new year nicely don't' you think?! BUT she doesn't' think that the styes are associated with the adenoids.......and that when she has Daniel knocked out for the sinus surgery, that perhaps the eye doctor would like to come in at the same time and do the tear duct probing and sty/cyst removal. Well wouldn't that work out nicely? Get it all done at once?? Well that would be too damn easy wouldn't it?
Seems the ENT only does surgery on Thursdays and the Eye doctor that we went to is out of a different hospital so he can't do the eye surgery and the second eye doctor that was recommended to us that works out of the same hospital as the ENT, oh, well we're sorry but he doesn't do surgery on Thursdays, he only does them on the 5th Wednesday of the month in the year 2012, and maybe there is another ENT that could do it on that day? What do you think!?!?! So forget it. Daniel is getting his adenoids removed, and hopefully we will see if that will clear up the styes, and if not, then we will have to go the the eye doctor and say well you're thoughts weren't correct so, lets knock my child out again and do the eye surgery.
%Y$&%H$*&# I just want to scream sometimes.
Why can nothing be easy?
8 comments:
Ugh! That just plain blows doesn't it! I got nothin', no encouraging words cause that just stinks and nothing I say will make it better. I was thinking of running off to Mexico for a week, wanna come? Oh if your coming, would Lonnie watch my boys too? LOL Come on Lonnie, it would be loads of fun!! :)
I think with our kids nothing is easy. We get excited by the silliest things like having a both an ENT and a eye Dr. see our kids at the same time and then end up in a funk because it never works out like it should nice and easy. We have been having our ENT battles here and am tired with 'passing the buck'(my daughter). I was so excited at the prospect of a new ENT for the new year but don't want to get my hopes up as chances are something will go wrong. Maybe by chance removing his adnoids will help with his eye. Hopefully someone will be able to help you. It is crazy you have to go through so many duds to find a decent Dr. who is willing to help, we find the third is a charm.
melissa,
oh yeah hey, why not!? anyone else wanna go too? daddy day care is officially open for business!
If daddy daycare is open for business - count Drew in too!!
Ok, Love the runaround...ughhhh!!! very familiar with it. I told my dh the last time we took the kids to the pedi that I could do their job...just refer the child to someone else...oh for heaven's sake!!
Hi Melanie, I've been reading about you and Daniel since Rob at Beloved Monster & Me posted about you, but I've never commented before. But I think I might be able to help.
I get periodic styes in my eyes as well. Mine are a result of allergy eyes and I have allergy eye drops. I hate, hate, hate eye drops (to the point of avoidance), so I can't speak to whether it helps but it's something to ask about. I was diagnosed by my eye doctor, but you might have to go to an allergist for a diagnosis.
Another solution I found that helps is to rub a tiny amount of Johnsons No Tears shampoo over my closed eyes to wash the dirt out of my eyelashes. However, not having a child, I don't know how good Daniel would be about letting you do that. Maybe try to get some shampoo foam on his closed eyes while you wash his hair? I was told styes are more common in people with long eyelashes because dirt gets trapped and builds up and then gets blinked into the eyes, causing styes to form. Thus washing the eyelashes gets trapped dirt off before you blink it into your eyes. The shampoo on the eyelashes cut my styes from occurring 2-3 times a month to one every 4-7 months. I think since starting that, I once went an entire year without a stye.
Also, I've had both oral antibiotics and eye drops for styes. They clear up in 3-5 days whether you have medication or just warm compresses and there is no alleviation of pain or discomfort with meds, only compresses. And I have seasonal allergies and sinus problems as well, so there really might be a sinus connection.
The best advice I can offer for Daniel is when you notice he has a stye, warm compresses first thing in the morning every morning until you notice it’s healing. The stye is most irritated in the morning because Daniel hasn’t been blinking all night to clear gunk from his eyes. I usually use two or three warm compresses in succession (time for a new one when the current one is cool, I don’t time them) and it makes a world of difference for the rest of the day.
I know, as a mother, you are worried about Daniel’s eyes with the styes, but they will not damage his eyesight and are usually nothing more than a minor and sometimes painful annoyance. If Daniel doesn’t appear to be bothered by them (a way to tell if he is bothered is to see if he keeps the stye infected eye shut – styes generally only cause pain/discomfort when you blink), then, while concerned about the styes, I wouldn’t be extremely worried. I started getting styes in high school. They were, and still are, way worse for my mother to see me with them than they are for me to actually have them. They honestly look much worse than they are. I find them a minor annoyance that goes away in about 3 days.
Thank you so much for all the suggestions and input. We are definately trying all the suggestions to get these things to go away.
I hope something works so you don't have to do the tear duct probe. That just sounds...not pleasant. I read over the links you provided and there was no mention of a connection between the tear duct problem and styes. I've also never heard about tear duct problems in all my years of having styes. I would definitely persue other options before going with the tear duct probe. That just seems like a weird connection to me.
I know I mentioned pain in my post a couple times. I just wanted to clarify that it is more discomfort than actual pain. I find shampoo or eyelashes in my eye or even being poked in the eye to be much more painful than a stye.
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