"Something Is Just Not Right!" -- on the road to some answers

For some reason, I've always loved the book, "Madeline"  (by Ludwig Bemelman). Remember when Miss Clavel woke with a fright and said "Something is just not right!"?  Some people have intuition like that.  I sometimes do!  (My husband recently said he needs to learn to trust that intuition, because in many instances, my intuition is right!")

For weeks (maybe months) now, Anna has been saying, "Something is not right!" with her vision in her left eye.  She has mentioned this to the ophthalmologist on several occasions (we've been seeing him at least every two weeks since January) and has explained to him in detail how her vision is different out of her left eye.  He has listened well, and tried a few things (thinking that maybe she had some near-sightedness going on there---but that didn't pan out).  I remember that in the spring, he also dilated her eyes again to make sure he wasn't missing anything.  But all along, her inflammation had been hovering around a 1+, and she had clumps of white cells sticking to her cornea.  So he attributed her issues to those factors.

So many people (including many of you!) have been praying for Anna.  THANK YOU!  Our pastor has been recently praying for her doctors---for creativity to help them figure out how to help Anna.   I've been so thankful for her doctors and the care they give Anna and their wisdom and intelligence that I believe God has blessed them with.  Today we had another appointment with the ophthalmologist.  I was expecting another routine appointment---check the level of inflammation, chat a little about the upcoming trip to the specialist in Boston so that we're all on the same page and so that I have all the background information I need (summary of care) to hand to Dr. Foster in October, etc.  Anna's visual test on that left eye was not the best (not too much different from other appointments).  So the doctor went ahead with the slit lamp examination and found that the right eye is totally clear (as it has been), and the left eye inflammation is down to "trace cells."  With no clumps of white cells sticking to the cornea.  That was the good news.  The bad news was that her vision STILL was not right (and he was thinking that it should be with the "trace cells.")  It should have improved, anyway.  So now the doctor is thinking, "Something is JUST not right."  

He dilated Anna's eyes and examined them more thoroughly.  He was beginning to suspect that she has Macular Edema (swelling of the back part of the eye).  He sent us over to the medical center to get an OCT to confirm his diagnosis.  The photographer explained the images to Anna and me (we were asking a lot of questions---the differences between the right eye and the left eye were blatant---I could see it as soon as he moved the camera from one eye to the next.  He did give us a disclaimer about him being only a photographer and not a doctor---but he's been doing this for 20 years and has a good understanding of the images on the screen). 

right eye (what the doctor sees when he
looks at the back of Anna's eye, and a
cross section.  (This is the normal eye.)

This is the left eye---this is what swelling
in the back of the eye looks like.

Our reactions to the images have been interesting.  For Anna and I, I think we were feeling validated that yes, something is different.  For Scott (my husband), his reaction to the images tonight was one of compassionate dismay.  Both responses are appropriate, I think.  I'm so sorry that this is happening, but so relieved that we finally know what's going on.  Sometimes I have fleeting thoughts of "Why didn't we figure this out sooner?"  But I'm reminded that God's timing has been perfect in the past, and it continues to be perfect in the present.

It was such a long day (so much more time spent in Hershey today than we anticipated), and we just wanted to get home (and in time for Anna's bassoon lessons, and for her to touch base with a few teachers about what she had missed in school today).  I don't exactly know where we go from here (except another appointment with the ophthalmologist on October 1st, and the appointment in Boston on October 10th).  But I am relieved that finally it's more than Anna and me that is saying, "Something is not right!"  (Something besides the inflammation.)