Sunday 13 April 2014

Upcoming Surgery

We received the date for C's eye surgery last week.
OK, so surgery is not strictly the correct word.  I think the correct term in "procedure".
She is going to undergo a procedure to unblock her tear ducts which have been blocked in both eyes since she has been born.
The result is her tears cannot drain away properly, which leaves her eyes either constantly weeping or crusted up.
Not only is this unattractive, it is obviously uncomfortable and leaves her prone to conjunctivitis.
The procedure needs to be carried out under general anaesthetic and involves sticking a probe through the tear duct and into the nasal cavity to push through any blockage, and then stretching the duct to allow it to drain easier.


The condition is a common result of prematurity however many cases sort themselves out on their own within the first 6 months.
C's had seemed to be getting better but the last few months it has got significantly worse again.
So much so than the consultant had no hesitation in recommending her for surgery asap.

The procedure is scheduled for Tues 22nd April.
Not far a way at all.
I do not know much more than that at the moment and I have very mixed feelings about the whole thing.

Obviously I am anxious about the procedure itself which is not always successful.
I am anxious about the general anaesthetic which carries its own risks (albeit very small).
I am anxious about coping with C on the day who will have no real idea what has happening.
Both starving her before the procedure and her immediate recovery afterwards could be testing.
I am anxious how I am going to juggle the needs of baby B who I cannot leave for more than an hour with those of C.
A hospital childrens' ward is no place for a healthy baby and there are only so many laps one of us can do of the hospital car park with the pushchair.

This is not the first time that C will have had a general anaesthetic.  In March 2013, the week after her 1st birthday, she underwent surgery to remove an inguinal hernia.
In someways that was easier.
C was younger and not yet walking therefore containing her on the bed was easier.
I was still breastfeeding therefore the "null by mouth" time frames were shorter.
There was no time to worry in advance as there was less than 12 hours between us rushing her to A&E, being transferred by ambulance to the Evelina Childrens' Hospital in London and surgery the following day.
Finally, and this is the biggest difference and what is worrying me most at the moment, there was no baby B.  All our time and energy could be focused solely on C.
How on earth am I going to be able to tend to both of their needs on the day?

I am pretty sure that by the time this is all over I will have a few more grey hairs than the start of the month!
I just have to keep telling myself that it will all be worth it...

No comments:

Post a Comment