FIVE Hours?

This past week Emily had exams by both her doctors in New York. Dr. Zaidman was once again very pleased at how the left eye looks, but sadly he never really comments on the right one anymore. I guess he knows it's not doing well so he doesn't bother? I don't know. But all is well with the left one and he won't need to see her for another 4 weeks. My guess is because he knows we will be busy seeing Dr. Kane fairly often...

We saw Dr. Kane this past Wednesday and talked about her next surgery. She will be going in on Sept. 24th, next Thursday. Originally she was only going in for a short procedure to open the tube in the second glaucoma valve. But it has quickly turned into a major surgery on both eyes that will require 5 hours in the operating room. FIVE HOURS! I thought I had heard him wrong when he said that, but I didn't. He will be doing two procedures on each eye and his estimated time is 2.5 hours per eye. I really don't know what I am going to do. I think I will be going out of my mind with fear and anxiety. The longest she has been under was almost 4 hours, and that was because there was a last minute complication before the surgery and he didn't know how long it was going to take to fix.

Here is what she is going to have done:

Left - Open drainage tube on 2nd valve, which is behind the lens implant, and remove the original valve which is more towards the front of her eye. It is too close to the cornea and is not functioning so it will just be removed.

Right - Originally only an exam was to be performed on this eye. But because of recent high eye pressure, the valve is going to be removed and instead of replacing it with another one, she will have a procedure called a Trabeculectomy done. This is done to create another pathway for the eye fluid to drain from. Dr. Kane planned on just replacing the valve, but after talking with Dr. Zaidman he changed his mind and is opting for this other procedure.

I was told the success rate for the Trabeculectomy is about the same if not slightly higher than putting another valve in. It's the most common form of Glaucoma surgery. Dr. Zaidman wanted this done instead of another valve because he is planning on doing the partial transplant on the right eye. I didn't get specifics as to why it would be better, but all I was told was that this is what Dr. Z wanted.

Although the success rate may be slightly better, the post operative care may be more difficult. Emily's eye pressure will have to be monitored very closely for the first few weeks because if at any time her pressure is dangerously low, she will need to go back into the operating room and have fluid injected into her eye. Basically to prevent her eye from collapsing...I am not sure I like the sound of this. Can't we just do the valve surgery again?

If there is a silver lining to any of this, it would be that both eyes will be worked on that day instead of doing the left eye now and then going back to do the right eye. One less trip to the hospital, one less time she will be under anesthesia, one less traumatic experience for Emily. This will be surgery #15....with the impending transplant in the right eye as #16.

We do not go back to see Dr. Zaidman until Oct. 16th so at least I know she won't be having the transplant before her birthday. She has a little over a month until she turns 2 and I would rather not celebrate her birthday in the hospital if I can help it. She deserves to be a happy little girl on her birthday...with no black eyes.

But first we need to get through her five hour surgery. I know she will do fine, she is one strong little girl. But her mommy is starting to come apart at the seams.