Yesterday started off early. In actuality, it began the night before to get Ryan ready to go to the retina specialist.
That previous night I had to partially dismantle Ryan’s lift and his wheelchair to fit it into a friend’s van. This friend is a women, and that’s important for later in my post. She is a card-carrying member of “Sue’s Crew”, and this means she qualifies as the nicest women in the world (along with the other’s in the group, all angelic… it’s a multiple tie). Anyhow, we had it all loaded up that night and would meet outside the doctor’s building in the morning. Sue pulled everything together for his “Go Bag” (which is more of a suitcase) and had it ready on the table for me.
The following morning the ambulance transport arrived when scheduled to arrive at 7:15. Ryan’s eye doctor, Dr. Hinkle (a.k.a. the nicest man in the world), got to our home at the same time to put drops in Ryan’s eyes to dilate them to ready him for the exam. They literally walked in together. This was amazing for Dr. Hinkle to do this prep because it meant we didn’t need to do this at the doctor’s office and then wait for the effect.
When we arrived at the doctor’s building our friend was waiting with Ryan’s lift and wheelchair. I reassemble these in the parking lot as the EMTs unloaded Ryan from the ambulance. We hit a slight snag when the lift’s wheels were too large to fit under the stretcher’s frame, but was able to work around it enough to slip the sling straps on. I transferred Ryan into his wheelchair and off we went. The ambulance crew stayed outside to watch the lift.
Dr. Hinkle met up with me and Ryan and we went into the office. Now, here’s where knowing our other friend is a women comes in to the story. She and Dr. Hinkle were there at the same time. The nicest man in the world was with (one of) the nicest women in the world. It made me long for my lost faith that there is a heaven. I swear, I was wondering if they could see demons sitting on my shoulders. I was surrounded by an aura of goodness. It made me wonder (not for the first time either)…
Could this possibly result in an immaculate conception?
I guess we’ll all need to wait until April of next year to see if a child is born with a halo.
Back to Ryan’s examination. It was a good report (well, as good as it could be). Remember, the was a concern that the retina was damaged caused by the magnitude of the beating and the extreme forces to his head. It was not likely, but still possible. From what the doctor could see with Ryan’s eyes in an upward gaze (the superior portion of the retina), it is attached in both eyes. This means we know exactly how to approach the next step; a partial tarsorrhaphy, as opposed to a full one. We are doing this operation to protect his eyes from drying (or even melting) and causing even more irreversible damage. A partial tarsorrhahpy means the corners of Ryan’s eyes will be stitched to close the lids to slits, like when looking at the sun. If the retina would have detached then we planned a reattachment and the eye(s) sewn completely shut while it healed, thereby eliminating any hope of visual input he might be getting. Even a partial tarsorrhaphy might be too much because Ryan’s eyes often are not down and centered, but it worth’s a shot.
Ken ,So glad visit to eye Dr went pretty good ,at least no detached retinas.How long do Ryan’s lids have to be like this,Ken? Do you think it bothers him at all?
How wonderful to have two of the nicest people with you.Having met a few of “Sue’s Crew” ,they are certainly all the nicest people I have ever met Hoping all goes well with Ryan’s eyes .Keep us posted..pretty long day again? Hope you all can rest a little this weekend on the patio Love gail
Hi Ken,
So glad the appointment went well. Also glad to hear that there was no damage to Ryan’s retinas. That’s huge for his recovery!!!!! Although I had a detached retina and it was repaired, at the 4 week check up they found a tear in it and had to go in and repair it. I did not (nor will I) gain full site back in that eye, although it is manageable. God is good! He put you in Dr. Hinkle’s care, He had another angel to help you with Ryan’s wheelchair/lift, etc., and there was no retinal detachment! AMEN!!!!!!!!
How did you like Dr. Melamud? I think I told you he did my 2nd operation (to fix the tear).
Love,
carla
PS: Happy Anniversary to you and Sue! I’m sorry I didn’t get a chance to post yesterday. 🙁
Dr. Melamud seemed quite competent and kind. I recommend him to others.
Hi Ken, the way you are able to express yourself and describe situations fascinates me — it helps us to feel like we are there!
I was wondering, how do the doctors determine how long Ryan needs to have his eyes partially shut, and, are there any things that can be done to help him retain his vision during this time?
What would we do without people like Dr. Hinkle and all the people God sends into our lives just when we need them…wow, I don’t know…I am just grateful He sends them!
Ryan has you and Sue as his parents, and Kari as his sister — there is a perfect example right there 🙂
And then we have Ryan himself — to know him is to love him; to know the Diviney family is to love them.
Wishing you a good day ‘neath the lazy hazy summer sun…thinking of you all…got you in my heart, and still praying, keeping the faith
Faith, hope & love
Paula
The eyes might need to remain that way semi-permanently (that is, if/when he closes them on his own). The best they can do to hopefully keep visual input is to make tweaks to the stitch placement and/or tension.
What a story, Ken. I pray that your faith will be restored. There is more to God than just “a higher power.” I think you know this and you are becoming more aware of the goodness of God, who works through us humans.
Thank you for all your writings to us. You are the best. SHSP
“Even a partial tarsorrhaphy might be too much because Ryan’s eyes often are not down and centered, but it worth’s a shot.”Well,maybe many people have noticed this through the pictures and the videos.All in all,to protect Ryan’s eyes,it’s worth trying!BTW,”tarsorrhahpy”means only one eye or both eyes?Ken,please laugh as loudly as possible…:D
Both.