December Update

If only there were thirty-some hours in a day. Perhaps then I could regularly update Zane’s blog. There never seems to be enough time to check off all the items on the to-do list. With that said, here’s the update.

The week before Thanksgiving, Zane and I drove to Denver for outpatient clinics at Children’s Hospital and Rocky Mountain Children’s. I will spare everyone the gritty details of those visits and skip ahead to the critical part. It has been recommended that Zane receives surgery for his ptosis. For those who may not know, ptosis is the partial closure of the lid over the eye. Apparently, Zane has been compensating for his lack of vision by tilting his head back. Long term, this will cause neck problems for him. Therefore, the ophthalmologist wants the ptosis to be surgically corrected by a plastic surgeon. I realize many women pay top dollar for a procedure such as this. But many of you may remember the incident back in 2007 when Zane coded after surgery—his oxygen saturation levels fell to 26—and nearly died. Had it not been for the critical care doctor in the PICU and her quick intubation, he would not have survived. Given his history, we are rather nervous about the surgery.

Zane and I have to return to Denver in the spring for a consultation with the surgeon and for a sedated kidney scan for his reflux. This sedation also makes us apprehensive. Fortunately, his pediatrician is on top of things and wants us to consult with anesthesiology prior to the procedure and the surgery to make sure the same thing does not happen again. Under sedation, he will finally receive the deep dental cleaning that has been recommended, as well as an ABR (auditory brainstem response test) for hearing. It looks like we’ll have a pretty busy spring and summer.

Aside for that, Zane has been very happy. He really enjoys preschool and his new friends. Next week, he will participate in a musical Christmas program. His PT plans to have him stand with his classmates using the stander. Though his progress is slower than what is typically expected for children, we are thrilled at the accomplishments he has achieved. We’re very proud of him.

Finally, Zane will celebrate his fourth birthday in two weeks!!! Wow! We never thought we would see this day. I am in the process of writing the book about our travels in 2006 and have reached the time of his birth. Revisiting that time is very emotional still. We cherish every moment with Zane—and with Justin, as well—knowing now that none of us is guaranteed a tomorrow.

Thanks for checking in on Zane.