Aurora Borealis

Indeed they got Cardinal Cadette on the surgical schedule for yesterday.  She came through surgery fine, and we made it home this morning a little after 9:00.  Mr. Tldz headed off to work just after we got home.  Agent Murphy spent the bulk of the day yesterday with one of our neighbors.

Cardinal Cadette actually kept the surgical dressing on this time until Dr. Lipsky saw her this morning.  (Not the eye shield, but at least the dressing.  He said he made it more compact this time.)  So now we do the eye drop regimen again, and she can see out of her left eye now — at least some, but she won’t be wearing her contact lens in that eye for at least a week until Dr. Lipsky checks it again.  He checked the prescription of her lenses while she was under anesthesia, and it sounds like the pair we get next month will be a bit stronger.

The eye looks more sore and tender this time than either did with the previous surgery — but the left eye did look more tender than the right after the initial surgery.  It makes me really hate putting those drops in.  But at least today she’s not fighting me as much as usual.

Hopefully there will be no more surgeries that require an overnight stay.  Ideally, there will be no more eye surgeries at all.  (From the way Dr. Lipsky talks, I’m not so sure of that.  He says he thought about our Cardinal all night.  I know he’s concerned about glaucoma.  It’s a standard risk of cataract surgery, but she seems to be at higher risk because of how small her eyes are.  So far no sign of it.)  But if we can go at least 8 weeks before we need another one, we should be able to do it as an honest to goodness day surgery — in and out.  We know surgery to remove her extra toes should be in and out in a day like Agent Murphy’s was.  We’ll have our initial consult with the orthopedic surgeon in late October, and she’ll be plenty old to not need overnight observation following anesthesia.

Poor little girl has had to go through so much already.  And she’s such a good baby.

Since I know I’ve been quiet of late, let me just hit a few highlights now, some of which I may expound upon later.

Tired is the basic state of existence right now.  And busy.  I’m calling our insurance company seemingly every day, so add frustrated to that.  Will be glad of the day when the mail doesn’t routinely contain a medical bill or statement of some sort.

Agent Murphy has had a veritable explosion in verbalizing, which is very good and lots of fun for us.  But he still has lots of work to do.

I have thus far managed to get Cardinal Cadette’s contact lenses in and out as needed.  Initially she had extended wear lenses so I was only dealing with them once a week, for which I was greatly relieved.  But that size wasn’t working for her and the size she needed to move to isn’t available in extended wear.  So as of Friday afternoon we’re dealing with them daily.  I guess at least we’ll get used to it more quickly this way.  Right now, we’re still at she cries, I cry…  Also on Friday afternoon we learned the Cardinal will have to have another surgery on her left eye — which means another overnight in the hospital for the two of us.  If her doctor has his druthers, the surgery will be this Thursday.  I guess if that doesn’t work, it’ll be next Thursday.  I have to talk to the surgical coordinator on Monday, and then we have to figure out what to do with Agent Murphy during the times I’m at the hospital and Mr. Tldz has to be at work.

Yesterday we had the complete baptismal rite for Cardinal Cadette, to round out the basic sacrament she received on July 4.  It was a nice afternoon visiting with a few friends.  Some were unable to join us due to other commitments, and some we never heard back from — including people who always respond one way or the other — so we’re hoping our e-mail invitations actually reached everyone we sent them to.  We are very glad Grandma and Aunt Katherine (the Cadette’s godmother) were able to be here from Chicago.