Day 97 - Tuesday March 20, 2012

Today we headed to Salt Lake to the low vision clinic.  I did give Bridgett Zofran, however I remembered that the hospital in Salt Lake had given us 4 mg instead of the 8 mg that the emergency room here in Provo prescribed so I gave her that; she did just fine with the 4 mg.  We were at the appointment for an hour and by the time we were finished she asked if she could lay down somewhere.  Kasey got her a pillow and we let her rest for a bit while I made her next appointment and got her new prescription.  Of course, previously we spent two hours there and she did fine, but this is her first rehab appointment in over three weeks and I think she had to adjust a little. So the news about her eyes.  They have changed some but I think (and so did the doctor) that the striking change was the ability of her brain to process and explain what she was seeing.  Previously the doctor would show her a row of five letters and she would be unable to tell him any of them. Then Kasey would point to each one and she could then name the letter. Finally they just showed her one letter at a time.  This time he put up a row of letters and she read them off, then the next row and the next row.  She finally couldn't do the smallest row and then Kasey pointed and she got it.  The doctor tried to check for which prism coating to add to her lenses but she did not like the way things looked with the prism.  He decided to do something different--only correct vision in the right eye.  The left eye will have a lens with no correction.  This way when she sees double the second image will be blurry and so her brain will be able to just focus on the clear image.  We'll see how that goes.   Also, this pair of glasses will not be bifocals.  Instead she will use a separate pair of glasses for reading.  So, we will see how that all works out.  I called back and talked to Kasey and asked him to talk to Dr. Freestone and get his opinion on whether or not the double vision is getting better or will get better.   Kasey said that he would talk to him and call me.  Kasey said that the Moran eye clinic said that the esotropia (left eye going in towards the nose) was so great that they thought surgery would be needed. Of course, no surgery until after a year.  So, we'll see.  For now, the glasses will be ready tomorrow afternoon and we'll see how she tolerates them without the bifocal.  I am hoping that things will be better.  Funniest thing today--Bridgett suddenly sat up and said she was going to go race her car (note to self--hide all the car keys).  Arrianne said dad has your car in Montana.  So then she said I'll go race my motorcycle.  You don't have a motorcycle Arrianne told her. Well then I'm going to go race my car.  What kind of car do you have Tyler asked her.  My Mustang she said.  (Arrianne said that she and Bridgett used to go drive around in Bridget's car for fun--not racing I hope!) Hmmmm....why does dad have my car?  Luckily this time before Mark left he asked Bridgett if he could take her car--I wondered why because she hasn't even paid attention to the fact that she has a car really yet.  But apparently he was inspired to ask.  Arrianne brought Bridgett back to the bedroom to have me tell her that her car was in Montana because she didn't believe it when Arrianne told her.  I explained that dad did have her car so then she said that she would go and drive dad's car instead.  Dad's car is in Montana, that's why he drove your car.  Hmmmm....I'll drive Stephany's car then.  Stephany doesn't have a car--she doesn't even drive yet. Bridgett looked around at all of us and then she said how does this whole situation work then and she pointed to all of us.  How does this whole situation work with all of you?  I'm sure she was saying how do we all get around with only one car.  Arrianne said I have a car.  OK then let's go and I'll drive your car.  I said Bridgett you can't drive right now because you had a brain injury.  Not recently she said.  I said you're right--it was three months ago.  But the doctor has to write a note saying that you have permission to drive.  I saw the doctor she said.  I know but he didn't give you permission to drive yet.  Then Stephany said Bridgett when you had your accident your eyes got hurt and you can't drive.  I got them checked today she said.  Yes I said and you can't see good and you can't drive. Remember that you are supposed to be wearing glasses and they are getting the new prescription right now.  Hmmmmm.  Arrianne said well I can drive and Bridgett said let's go.  I told Arrianne I think that I need to be driving (since Arrianne is younger Bridgett might even try to grab the wheel, who knows).  So, Bridgett said let's go.  I took Tyler with me because Arrianne needed to study and we went driving.  Bridgett also said she wanted to stop and get something to eat although she couldn't figure out what that would be.  We drove for about 20 minutes and then Tyler suggested we go home and have some mashed potatoes.  We went home but she didn't want to eat anything and drank a Boost instead.  Later on she sat up and said she wanted to go running.  The girls tried to explain that since her accident she hasn't been running yet but she could go walking--and so we did go out walking then.  A funny day, but a day of progress for sure.  Bridgett wanted to go to bed early like at six o'clock.   I talked her into waiting until 7:00 and then since we have early rehab appointments tomorrow I finally agreed to let her go to bed.  About 15 minutes later Aunt Debbi showed up to visit and she brought Bridgett a crepe from the commercial place downstairs.  Bridgett was still awake in bed so she said hi to Aunt Debbi and she declined the crepe.  Deb ate the crepe after offering it to us and we sat and visited for a bit.  A little later Bridgett sent Stephany out to tell us in the living room that people are trying to sleep.  We had the door shut between the living room and the bedrooms but I guess we were still too noisey.  Funny!  During the night Bridgett woke up twice.  The first time she got out of bed and I walked her to the bathroom.  She told me that she didn't need to go, she just wanted to sleep in another bed.  She pointed to the other bedroom and I showed her that Tyler's bed was covered with marine things (drill this weekend) and the other bed was blocked by Arri's piano right now.  The only available bed is where you always sleep I said.  So, we went back to bed.  Later she woke up and asked me what time we would be finished (I guess sleeping).  I said that we would get up at 7:30 or 8:30 and she went back to sleep.  Funny day!