Sunday, February 26, 2012

That Start Of It.

Arriving in Hawaii, we were greeted by the beautiful 80 degree weather, sun, and a dear friend who helped us get settled in. We made our way to get some coffee, to check in to Tripler Army Medical Center (let them know we arrived safely, and filled out all of our paperwork), and then final stop was to check into our lodging. It was a super long day, with little to none sleep on the plane... but we did manage to head to the Waikiki Beach for a beautiful sunset, and some yummy American {comfort} food. Couldn't have asked for a better way to end our crazy long day.




The next day, we headed straight to our eye appointment at 10:00...I HAD to wake up the little monster, otherwise, I'm fairly certain she would have slept in until noon if I had let her.


During our consult, Charlotte's eyes were thoroughly inspected... they pulled out every test that they could to see what has been going on with her eyes. They even dilated her pupils, and did this whole inspection of her optic nerve, using these cataract clamps, and used some sort of scope to take photos. The doctor didn't warn me about how painful this would be for her, considering she was awake for it... but it needed to be done, and I had to pull a brave mama face the entire time my daughter screamed her head off (I don't blame her, it looked so uncomfortable/painful). After the pictures were taken, the doctor took a closer look at Charlotte's optic nerves, and noticed that her left one looked "weird". She then sat us down for the complete diagnosis...and stated that Charlotte's eyes were a severe case, that needed to be treated immediately. She didn't suggest that we stay in Hawaii to have surgery, but rather DEMANDED that I let her "fix" Charlotte's eyes. Also, Charlotte was to have an MRI to take a closer look at her optic nerves, and brain. So, this was just the start of our crazy 12 days in Hawaii...

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5 comments:

  1. Oh, poor mama and poor Charlotte!!! To have to care for your child while she's in pain, and you're not stopping it because you can't!!!! Girl, you are amazing. As is the God who carried you through!

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  2. Karen, I know well how hard it is to be brave when your child is undergoing a painful treatment. Looking forward to reading about the rest of your and Charlotte's journey.
    -Tracy

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  3. Your pictures are beautiful. Sorry you had to see Charlotte go through that. Seeing your child in pain and not being able to "fix" it is definitely one of the harder aspects of being a parent.

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  4. Way to be a brave mama...that must have been so difficult. Poor Charlie! She's a trooper (to say the least).
    Your photos are beautiful and I can't wait to see more! I've always want to go to Hawaii.

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  5. Can't wait to hear the rest of the story...I know its hard to watch your kids go through something like that. With Sprout, we have had our fair share of MRI's and scans and IV's and EEG's and more...and it's hard. God is there with you, loving you, loving your daughter and giving you super Mom strength. Your wee one has had to endure her fair share in her tiny little life so far...I'm so glad God made you her Momma. He knew only you and your hubby could give her everything she needs.

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