Last Trip to the Emergency Room This Year

We had another scare. Jack seemed rooted to his little couch while wearing the patch. We could not get him to play and it really seemed like he just couldn't see. That's kind of scary but then we decided to check his pupil's reaction to light. It didn't react or if it did it was a very slight very slow reaction. I immediately thought about increased pressure on his brain. It was too late to reach Dr. Stager. We called our family doctor and he said not to worry and have someone look him over next time we happened to see a doctor. My brain went into overdrive. What if we're missing something? What if this is an early sign? I called my friend Christie who is a nurse who used to work for an eye doctor. She also has a son with Apert syndrome. She asked me if he hit his head. She was thinking just like me--it could be increased pressure. So we got Jack ready and off Jack and I went to the Eye Foundation emergency room. Fortunately, we were early and there was noone in the waiting room yet. By the time we left, it was apparent that they had their first firecracker victims sitting in the waiting room. The doctor said that his eye pressures were normal and his left eye pressure was actually lower than the right. She said that his eye pressures would have to be up for his intracranial pressure to be up. She did not look at his optic nerves because she is not used to working with children and it took three of us to hold him down for her exam which took way too long because she was not used to her patient squirming around during the exam. She assured me that she really had no reason to believe that there was any increased pressure. Best of all, she gave us the golden ticket. She told us to follow up with our ophthalmologist within one week. With her discharge paperwork, we won't have to wait two months to get an appointment with Dr. Cogen. It will be reassuring to talk to him since he has been looking at Jack's pupils since the day after he was born. Well, Happy New Year, everyone. 2008 looks like another year of motherly anxiety!!!