We survived.

Warning:  This is a very detailed post.  It's for my records & for the other moms I know that are approaching this same decision.  And if they are anything like me, they want to know every last detail about what's going to happen to their little babies.  If you aren't interested, feel free to scroll down to the bottom of the post to my "Procedure Review in a Nutshell".

Yesterday morning we had Harper's eye doctor appointment with Dr. Cynthia Beauchamp at Pediatric Ophthalmalogy.  First let me start with this - I was impressed with the practice from the moment we made our appointment.  I expressed concern over the possibility of the tear duct procedure, so they gave me the option to talk to the nurse technician.  I left her a message & she called me back later that same day.  She walked me through the entire process which helped me (& Ryan) feel a little more prepared going into yesterday's appointment.  We really didn't wait long before our appointment - maybe 25 minutes.  I was expecting much longer since I'd heard there's usually a long wait at that office, but it really wasn't bad.  There is a "kids" section with toys & books & a TV that can be seen anywhere in the waiting room playing children's movies.  Yesterday it was Finding Nemo.

As soon as we were called back, we were asked a few questions about Harper's eyes & our eyesight history & then Harper was given some yellow dye eyedrops by the same nurse tech that I spoke with on the phone (so nice!).  Of course, Harper didn't like having drops put in her eyes, but she only whined while it was happening & then was a happy girl.  The drops dye her tears so the doctor can see with a special light if the tears are pooling more in the eye than they should be.

Less than 5 minutes later, Dr. Beauchamp came in.  She spoke with us about what we were there for & began her examination of Harper.  She turned out the lights & played peek-a-boo with her special blue light & had another fun, spinning light thing for Harper to stare at.  (She is really great with kids!  Oh & she's a mom too).  Harper cooed & loved it.  She did squint & try to look away when Dr. B shined a little flashlight in her eyes, but who wouldn't?  Dr. B turned the lights back on & began to go over our options.  

1.  Don't do anything & wait to see if she grows out of it (they say that usually after 6 months of age, the chances are slim that the child will grow out of it).  Continue doing massage & "treating" it as we have.  This choice would lead us to 2 possible scenarios:

        a.  She grows out of it & all is well.

        b.  She doesn't grow out of it by 1 years old & we have to do the procedure.

2.  Do the probing procedure today & hope she is in the 78% success rate category.  If she isn't, then the doctor would do the procedure again in-office (she said she usually won't do it more than 2 times).  If it doesn't work a second time, she would need to be put under general anesthesia to have a stent or tube put in to hold open the duct.

Side note:  The probing procedure is best described in this article.  One thing I found comforting was that the doctor said she would actually know if she dislodges something from the duct.  She can feel the "pop" & would know if the clog became dislodged if the saline flush went all the way through (they know this because Harper would swallow the saline once it hit her throat). 

Dr. B did not pressure us one way or another & never seemed "trigger happy" to do the surgery.  She stressed that it was completely up to us & what we were comfortable with.  I liked that.  Because we really want to avoid having to put Harper under general anesthesia, we opted to go ahead with the procedure (despite feeling awful about putting her through that discomfort).  Harper is 9 months old now & has been fighting this blocked tear duct since day 1.  Her eye was always red from us constantly wiping it & we were tired of putting her through that daily torture.  We have been lucky enough that she hasn't been plagued with consistent conjunctivitis, but that was always a risk with a blocked duct.  We were also tired of her always looking like the dirty kid.  Come on, we're human.  It's a real reason.

So we said, "Let's do it."

We decided that Ryan would go in the room with her, while I waited behind in our regular examination room.  I felt like it was important for me to not have a strong reaction about it (and we know how emotional I am) & I would surely breakdown if I was in there.  Plus, Ryan knows her cries as well as I do, so I know he would be able to tell me every detail I ever wanted to know. 

Less than a minute later, the nurse tech came in to escort Ryan & Harper to the room where the procedure would take place.  Ryan said there was a table that looked similar to a regular examination table at the pediatrician's office, except a little smaller & higher.  The papoose (like a swaddle) was attached to the table.  He described it as thick & heavy looking, similar to what they drape on you at the dentist's office for x-rays (but I doubt that heavy).  They warned us that she will probably cry when she is strapped down.  Of course, Harper didn't cry when she was put in the papoose because she's that easy-going & proceeded to stick her tongue out & smile & coo at them.  She did cry when they put the numbing drop in her eye though.  She didn't like them holding her eye open like that.  And from what I remember from eye doctor appointments, those eye drops kind of sting.  Dr. B quickly got started.  The nurse tech held Harper's face to keep her head still.  Dr. B rested her hand on Harper's forehead so she could remain steady & move with Harper if she moved at all.  Ryan said she wore some fancy magnifying glasses & the way he described them to me, it sounded like they looked like the eye pieces from a microscope attached to glasses.  She used a surgical tool that looked like a cross between a needle & what they scrape your teeth with at the dentist's office (which sounds so much better than what I was imagining which resembled more of a wire coat hanger).  He said it was over in minutes.  Like less than 5.  Since I was in the other room, I was surprised at how quickly they came back as I was expecting it to feel like eternity.  I barely got done with my prayer!  He said Harper cried, but not her "I'm in pain" cry & more like her "I'm tired/mad/annoyed/a little bit hurt" cry.  Once they got back to the room I was in, she let it all go when she saw me.  It was the "oh Mama, it was awful cry".  Dr. B assured us Harper wasn't in any pain though.  Harper quickly calmed down & laid her head on my shoulder, sucked her 2 fingers, & cuddled her lovie.  I learned quickly that I shouldn't have worn white.  Her eye & nose had some bloody discharge & there was still some leftover yellow dye from the drops.  I did put a burp cloth on my shoulder, but of course she moved around & didn't end up with her head on the burp cloth.  I treated the stains as soon as I got home from work & washed my shirt as normal & it all came out.

Dr. B told us she felt 2 pops, so Harper had 2 blockages in her duct.  One towards the top by her tear duct opening & one further down the duct near the bottom of her nose.  It was a good decision to do the procedure.  We were given a sample of antibiotic-steroidal eye drops to give her 3x/day for 5 days to prevent infection & promote healing.  It was nice to not have to get a prescription filled.  She went over what to look for if it gets infected or irritated & told us to call her if we are concerned at all.  Now, we just wait & see if it worked.  We go back in 2-3 weeks for a follow-up, but we should know in a week or so if it worked.  Her eye will either clear up or remain goopy like it was before. 

Here are some pictures of her afterwards:

We kept Harper home the rest of the day (Ryan stayed home since he has more flexibility with taking days off) just because we weren't sure what she would feel like & how her eye would react.  Also, we know she doesn't nap whatsoever at daycare & we wanted to ensure she got 1-2 good naps after all the drama & crying.  She was a perfect angel the rest of the day & wasn't fussy at all.  She played, napped, ate well, & screamed with laughter at her daddy.  What more could we ask for?   

This morning when she woke up, there was still a little bit of blood in the corner of her eye, but we could already tell there was significantly less goop than before.  For starters, her eye wasn't matted shut.  So far, VICTORY!

Procedure Review in a Nutshell:

1.  It went well.

2.  We really liked Dr. Beauchamp.

3.  It was over in just a few minutes.  Literally.

4.  They put Harper in a papoose & inserted a long, needle like thing into her tear ducts & down the nasolacrimal duct (side of her nose).
5.  Harper cried the hardest afterwards when she saw me.

5.  She was happy & fine & not pouting less than 30 mintues afterwards.

6.  There are some bloody tears afterwards & a little bit of a bloody runny nose.

7.  Don't wear white & bring your child's lovie/paci/soothing item if he/she has one.
8.  And poo on you for skipping the rest of the post!