A New Set of Terms to Learn!

Imogene saw Dr. Madigan, her ophthalmologist this morning. Her right eye turns inward, and since we saw him in October, we'd notice that it had gotten more noticeable. At that time, she had a 5 % inward turn. Today he said that it is at 10%, and he would like her to have surgery to correct it. The surgery is simply called strabismus surgery. Strabismus refers to "eyes that are out of alignment." In her case, it is considered esotropia, because one eye turns inward toward the nose. So her surgery will weaken the muscles close to the bridge of her nose, and strengthen the muscles closer to her temple. Here is link for a good explanation of all this. While only about 25% of strabismus cases require surgery, the condition, and the surgery are relatively common, especially among kids with cerebral palsy. It's outpatient, and doesn't require any incisions, so there is no risk of scarring. We'll go back to see Dr. Madigan in 2 months, and then have the surgery about a month later. Bill and I both really like Dr. Madigan - he really takes time to explain everything, and is really approachable, so we feel comfortable with his recommendation, and that he'll be performing the surgery.

Phew, what a week.

We got a permanent time for occupational therapy - Wednesdays at 11 am, and then we'll stick with our Thursdays at 11 am time for physical therapy. I have always been a good 'date' person - I always remember dates and practically memorize the calendar each year. For instance I know off the top of my head that April 12 is a Monday, March 4 is a Thursday, etc. I think this was a gift from God, because I am certainly putting it to use with all these appointments!