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Ophthalmology Checkup and Scans

Posted on April 29, 2019, 9:31 PMApril 30, 2019, 6:00 AM by Hannah

This update might be a bit lengthy, so I apologize in advance. But there’s a lot of information to share with you since our last update, and it’s been awhile since we’ve given any update regarding his eye. It’s been 6 months since Adam’s last ophthalmology visit, which was right after he finished chemotherapy. On 4/10/19, Adam had his 6 month checkup with the ophthalmologist to see how his eye is doing. We have some pretty good news – it seems Adam’s bad eye is able to see more than it was able to at his last visit 6 months ago. The doctor covered Adam’s good eye and his bad eye still tracked a toy that they put in front of him. Then after that, they patched his good eye and he was still able to give the doctor a high five! That was exciting news for us, considering we thought he couldn’t see ANYTHING with his bad eye. We had already accepted the fact that Adam was probably blind in that eye, so this news came as a complete shock to us. The doctor was also very glad to see that there have been some improvement in Adam’s vision. However, we think his range of vision is still very minimal.

But the question NOW is whether the improvements could be sped up or made even better if his brain learns to use his bad eye more. In the recent weeks, his bad eye has become more lazy, (i.e. drifting to the side) because his brain knows it doesn’t have good function and is therefore overusing his good eye and underusing his bad eye. The only way to force his brain to use his bad eye is to patch his good eye, forcing him to use his bad eye. The doctor said there’s a 50/50 chance that this would work. His good eye would have to be patched for 2 hours a day for at least 6 weeks. It’s also very labor intensive (for us) because it would require us to fully engage him and keep him distracted for the 2 hours so he doesn’t think about the eye patch and want to rip it off.

As far as we know, Adam’s optic nerve has been significantly damaged, therefore his eye will never be able to recover 100% of its function, even with the eye patch therapy. However, it’s possible that Adam’s eye function could be a little more than it currently is; we just don’t know. And the only way to know whether his eye function could improve, is by doing this eye patch therapy. Our goal is for his bad eye to come more into focus. And the doctor explained that the eye patch therapy is more for cosmetic purposes. The amount of his eye function is already preset based on the damage that occurred to his optic nerve.

The alternative is surgery, to stitch his eye closer to the middle. But we are really hoping to avoid surgery. SO, we have decided to proceed with eye patch therapy, and we wanted to give this update after we’re able to report on how it’s been going. The first few days was rough – he cried incessantly when we put the patch on, and we were almost ready to give up. But then a few days later, it got a little better. Adam would still cry when we put the patch on, but after a few minutes, he’d forget about it (sometimes). It’s been a struggle, and every day is a different challenge, but Adam has been a trooper. It’s been exactly 2 weeks now, and it’s hard to see how we’ll be able to keep this up for another month! But some days he’s so cooperative, it amazes me how he could still be so calm with his vision obstructed. I wish I could see what he sees. Overall, we’re hanging in there.

Please pray that the next 4 weeks of eye patch therapy will continue to go well, and that this would help his eye to come more into focus; and if possible, for its function to also improve. Below are some photos of our little warrior sporting his eye patch.

Lastly, we had a checkup with his oncologist 2 weeks ago, and she confirmed that his scans are still CLEAN and no signs of recurrence. Adam is now 7 months in remission. Praise the Lord! We are so thankful. His next set of scans will be pushed out to 4 months, which we’ve scheduled around the arrival of baby #2 (yes! Adam’s going to be a big brother!), and this will hopefully be his LAST set of scans! Thank you all for continuing to pray for Adam, and especially for those who have been vigilantly praying for his eye. The Lord was surely able to do more than I even thought possible. The fact that Adam can see anything out of his left eye, has already surpassed my expectations.

Still climbing…
Our little helper ☺️
Waiting to see the train with mama. He LOVES trains.
Making new friends at the park and sharing his snacks ☺️
Family pic ❤️
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12 thoughts on “Ophthalmology Checkup and Scans”

  1. Debora Oladoye says:
    July 2, 2019, 3:53 PM at 3:53 pm

    So glad to hear all the good news and that Adam will be a big brother! All the praise and glory be to our Lord!!

    Reply
  2. Deborah Dewey says:
    May 16, 2019, 2:45 AM at 2:45 am

    Two more weeks.
    Sending love and prayers.
    Deb

    Reply
  3. leang ly says:
    May 9, 2019, 5:05 AM at 5:05 am

    OMG! Congrats!!! And Adam looks so cute in his eye patch. I hope the eye gets better, even a little. You and Mark are so strong, it’s amazing to me! Love, Leang

    Reply
  4. Nancy Mannix says:
    May 3, 2019, 11:46 AM at 11:46 am

    Dear Mark, Hannah and Brave Little Adam – you 3 are truly a beacon to us messaging God’s Love and Providence. Thank you (3) for showing us that even in the most dire situations we can always trust in our Lord. Blessings abound as we send love to your family that is about to expand with a precious new soul. Nancy (& Joe)

    Reply
  5. Joyce & Ed Dewey says:
    April 30, 2019, 5:32 PM at 5:32 pm

    We are grateful to hear that Adam has sight in his eye. Thank the Lord for this miracle. Uncle Ed and I will continue to pray for him.
    Love,
    Aunt Joyce and Uncle Ed

    Reply
  6. Patricia Johns says:
    April 30, 2019, 9:40 AM at 9:40 am

    Great news! Thank you for sharing the update. Hang in there with the patch therapy – it sounds like it may bring some good results. Hugs <3

    Reply
  7. Tina Engel says:
    April 30, 2019, 9:28 AM at 9:28 am

    Praise the Lord! Adam progress is very encouraging. Congratulations on the new baby. May you continue to receive every blessing from the Triune God.

    The love of God, the grace of Christ, and the fellowship of the Holy Spirit be with you all. Amen.

    Reply
  8. Edward Dewey says:
    April 30, 2019, 7:18 AM at 7:18 am

    Thank you for the update. Joyce and I continue to pray for Adam’s continued progress.

    Reply
  9. Joyce & Ed Dewey says:
    April 30, 2019, 7:17 AM at 7:17 am

    Thank you for the update. Joyce and I pray for ADAM’S continued progress.

    Reply
  10. Eric Lee says:
    April 30, 2019, 12:24 AM at 12:24 am

    Thank our Lord for the healing, even it is a little slower than we like. Adam is a good fighter. I can see his strong character coming out. Keep praying and trusting the Lord. The Lord did not promise that we have no storms in our journey, but as long as we have Him on the boat, we should learn to fully rest in Him and not worry. If the Lord can create a thing such as the black hole in galaxy M87, there is nothing too hard for the Lord. (It has the density of 100 million tons per sq. cm and if our earth has the same density, our whole globe will be like a quarter coin size. What kind of density is this??) Be of good faith, for the just shall live, walk and stand by faith and is given to us from the Lord. Keep enjoying the Lord as our food and drink and even our breath.

    Reply
  11. Luana M Enriquez says:
    April 29, 2019, 9:50 PM at 9:50 pm

    So glad to hear he’s doing good…that’s awesome. Congrats on the new soon to be arrival…and good luck…it’s gonna be crazy busy with two!

    Reply
  12. Sandra C. says:
    April 29, 2019, 9:35 PM at 9:35 pm

    PRAISE THE LORD!

    Reply

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