Hudson's Eye Surgery

Hudson had eye surgery yesterday to correct the muscle imbalance that causes his eyes to drift outward. We left around 7:00am to go to the Cole Eye Institute. Once there, Hudson was a little restless in the waiting area, partly because we had to wake him up so early and partly because he is 3! Daddy and I brought a doctor kit to give to Hudson to play with before surgery...thank goodness we did because this entertained him while we waited. Once we were called back to prepare for surgery Hudson started to calm down a bit. Instead of being scared he was very interested in what all of the machines and computers were for. Two sweet ladies also came to help prepare Hudson for what to expect with the mask that will be placed over his face. He warmed up to the girls very quickly and was soon known as the sweetest boy! Next we met with the anesthesiologist. She said that she would be bringing Hudson some "silly juice" to help fog his memory a bit and help him remain calm once they got him into the operating room. The "silly juice" must have had an awful taste because once he was finished with it he kept wiping his tongue on the blanket. It didn't take long for the juice to kick in. He began sticking out his tongue and making silly faces. He kept saying "Dr. Boulsi is coming...better be quiet" and would start cracking up. He also asked an intern if she was big...he had her giggling too! Daddy and I were very happy that Hudson was so happy. It made it a little easier to deal with the fact that he would soon be going into surgery. Only one parent was allowed to go into the operating room briefly, so I wanted to be with him. Thankfully I had a mask over my face so Hudson couldn't see the crazy amount of tears I had! It was so much more emotional than I thought it would be. In the operating room they sang "Twinkle Twinkle" to the little man as he drifted off to sleep and then Mommy had to leave. Daddy and I were put back into the waiting room around 10:30am. Around 12:15 surgery was over and we were allowed to watch him sleep in recovery. About a half hour later Hudson woke up for the first time. He was very upset and crying. He kept saying "I don't feel better". This was heartbreaking! I was able to get him to fall back asleep in my arms. Here he slept another 45 minutes or so. Not long after he woke up, they released us to go home. Hudson was very irritable and unhappy most of the ride home; however, not long after we got home and he saw Bryce he perked up. Bryce was just as happy to see Hudson! We could hear Bryce yelling "Hudsie" from our driveway before we even got in the house! Hudson did eat a little (Fruity Pebbles. He saw them on a commercial and wanted them so Daddy ran to Giant Eagle). He even got a quick bath before bed. He slept very well, only getting up once around 5:30. He was crying "my eyes burn", but I think it was just the combination of ointment and drainage that caused his eyes to be glued shut that he was afraid of! I cleaned his eyes and he said "that's better" and went right back to sleep. Today we had a follow-up visit with Dr. Traboulsi and he said that Hudson's eyes are now aligned perfectly. He was very happy that Hudson was even able to see some 3D objects that he wasn't able to see last month. He said that this means his eyes are working together and he couldn't be more pleased! Dr warned us that Hudson's eyes might show the opposite effect, meaning they may look like they are turning inward at times, but that this is normal and should go way within 6 to 8 weeks! Dr also promised that the redness in his eyes looks more painful than it really is. Back to the clinic in 6-8 weeks to make sure all is good, which will be. Hudson has been playing normally all day today and I haven't heard him complain about his eyes at all, except for when I have to apply the ointment. Long term effects will be so much greater than these difficult few days so I'm happy Hudson will be able to see better with minimal discomfort!