Hayden's Post-Op Eye Exam

The hotel we stay at in Detroit is beginning to feel like a second home.  It's only been a couple of weeks, but we had to return to Detroit for Hayden's follow-up eye exam with Dr. Trese.  The last time we were there, we asked if Hayden's retina specialist at home could do this exam, but Hayden's retina is too "complex" for someone else to examine.  We weren't excited about having to drive that far in the middle of winter, but what could we do?  The drive was fine until we got into Michigan.  That's when the lake effect snow began.  There was one spot where the snow had really accumulated on the roadway and traffic was moving very slowly.  We drove my car this time, for this very reason.  It's AWD and has new tires, so it is very good in the snow.  Coupled with Tony's great snowy weather driving, Hayden and I felt very safe.  It's much nicer when we can take the van.  Hayden has so much stuff we need to take with us that there wasn't much room for Mommy and Daddy's luggage.  Thank goodness we were only staying one night. 

We arrived at the doctor's office at 8am on Tuesday.  The first set of drops to dialate Hayden's eyes weren't even given until 8:30.  It takes 3 sets of drops 15 minutes apart to dialate his eyes enough for the exam.  The lady who does the drops didn't feel comfortable giving Hayden his drops, so I had to give all three sets. We have never waited this long and Tony was getting really antsy.  We had to make it home before the 7pm CST kick-off of the Orange Bowl (The Hawkeyes were playing).  Forty-five minutes later, we were in an exam room.  About 15 minutes later the fellow working with Dr. Trese came in and examined Hayden.  She did what she could, but Hayden wasn't very cooperative.  She wanted to make sure Dr. Trese would get a good look, so she didn't press him too much.  Shortly after, Dr. Trese came in.  When he examined Hayden with his light, Hayden really reacted to the light.  We were all pleased to see this.  Hayden wasn't too cooperative this time either,but Dr. Trese said that it appears that a small portion of the back retina has reattached!!!  We are to keep Hayden in bright light as much as possible durning the day.  Also, we are to use lighted toys and flashlights to play with Hayden.  Our next appointment is April 20th.  We are keeping our fingers crossed that a little more retina will be attached.

We made it home at 6pm.  One hour before kick off.  Time enough to unpack the car so Tony could watch the game with friends.  I spent time with Nicholas and put him to bed.  Then, I made my lunch for work the next day and unpacked the things I would need in the morning so that I wasn't any louder than necessary.  Since my wonderful mother-in-law was at our house staying with Nicholas while we were gone, she took care of Hayden the rest of the night so that I could be in bed by 9:30.  That was wonderful.  Now, if only I didn't have to get up at 4:30am...