Thursday, July 30, 2009

A word from Dad

Below I’ve copied an email from Murray to Dr Frikkie Potgieter, and Frikkie’s reply. Frikkie works closely with the optoms at Saks, Taylor & Brauer, and he was one of the first opthalmologist’s we consulted in May last year, two days after we found out about his cataracts. He prayed for us, in his consulting room, on that Thursday. He was hugely instrumental in advising us on the course of action to take with Cammy.

I include if for those who might read the blog with an understanding of optics and its jargon, and also for those who might like to hear things from Dad’s perspective.

Dear Frikkie,

Thank you for inquiring about my laaitie – he’s doing quite well. He is reaching all his developmental milestones and is really busy around the house (15 months old now and running around like a hooligan). All the OT’s he has seen have told us he’s really bright from what they can tell (Peter therefore says he must then take after his mom, because it certainly isn’t his dad) and he enjoys music a lot – when I play my guitar or mess around badly on the piano he really enjoys it.

His eyes are doing as well as can be expected – Jacobus was unable to implant IOL and so it has fallen on me to do some very difficult contact lens work. He currently wears +39.00D back vertex power silicone hydrogel lens in the right eye and a +31.00 BVP in the left eye and he sees pretty well with them although, as you know, an accurate idea of VA is not always possible with such little people – he’ll pick up paper clips easily and I’ve seen him pick up staples from the desk, but I’m not sure how clearly he sees those things. Those lenses leave him about -2.00 myopic to give him better near vision while he’s playing, but he’s moving around so much I’m about to change to contact lenses to give him distance vision and fit a bifocal over that for near. I’m hesitating because any frame I’ve put on him up ‘til now gets immediately removed and fed to our golden retriever. I’m waiting for some lenses from the UK on which I changed the design a little bit and I’ll see how well those fit before attempting the CL and over-specs option. The silicon hydrogel material behaves very differently to the local lens because of different thicknesses (and refractive indexes), friction coefficients and material flexibility which makes the lenticular zone ‘bubble’ a little more and the para-lenticular ‘skirt’ stiffer. (This makes the lens move more on the eye.) We’ll see how things go. He has an alternating ESOT with a tendency to have an overactive IO muscle in the non-fixating eye, although that is getting less and less and the moments of binocular fixation are getting longer and more frequent. (We are doing as much visual therapy as one can with a little person.) The last EUA we did, pressures were normal and his retinas looked great. We’ll check him out again in about 3 months time and will be praying for things to improve – I’d hate him to develop GL.

That’s about it – I’ll let you know if there are any further changes and thanks again for keeping him in your thoughts.

Regards,
Murray

Dear Murray

Thank you sincerely for your feedback on little Cameron.

It seems to be going above all expectations with the little one. We pray that his further progress will be uncomplicated. While reading your feedback below, it struck my mind that this special little boy was given to you and Dalene, because the Lord knew that you would be the perfect parents for him. I'm completely convinced that nobody in the world would be more caring, and putting more effort into him getting his vision sorted.

We pray the Lord's grace upon you, His Wisdom in dealing with your little boy as well as His healing Hand upon Cameron.

With kind regards

Frikkie

Wednesday, July 29, 2009

Hundreds and thousands and ears







Perhaps if you’re reading this, you would pray with us that Cam’s ear infection would heal. We had him back at the doc last night, who was puzzled that all the antibiotics, etc are not having the desired effect. We are so afraid that his eardrum will burst and that he’ll have permanent damage to his ears.

On a happier note, we also took Cam for a check up with Jacobus (his ophthalmologist) yesterday, and he is very happy with his eyes. He is amazed at how well Cam is trying to focus on things. He will have another exam under anaesthetic in three months’ time.

The photos are of Cam discovering hundreds and thousands. He first feels them, then stares really hard at them, then seems to see them – once his brain has realised that they are there, through the tactile signals from his fingers. Seeing hundreds and thousands is a standard paediatric test: if a kid can see them it means he has about 60% vision. This is still not nearly good enough to be considered as functional (normal) vision i.e. still not good enough to get a driver’s licence, etc. But, when I think about the fact that Cam was born blind, the miracle of him seeing hundreds and thousands ranks right up there with the feeding of the five thousand! The other day a grey dove flew into the kitchen and flapped its way into our bedroom. Cam was playing there and he saw it! His eyes followed it as it flew back and forth trying to find a means of escape.

Cam is doing Kindermuziek at school every Tuesday morning and loving it! He is also really enjoying ‘reading’, and toddles over to his bookshelf, takes a book, sits down on the floor and starts paging through it, exploring all the touchy-feely pages and bright colours and making sounds of great intellectual appreciation…! :)

Saturday, July 25, 2009

Highs and lows















































































Lowlights of Cam’s week:

- 15 month vaccines
- Another ear infection, and another visit to the LCM emergency room after midnight… (We are not about to take chances, where his ears are involved. His ears do so much of his eyes’ work.)
- Missing Ben Stokker’s 1st birthday party this afternoon, because of the ear infection (he is pale and miz), and because of the outbreak of Swine Flu at St Alban’s (who knows what bugs I am carrying, after a week of intimately handling hundreds of boys’ exam papers…?!)

Highlights of Cam's week:

- Milo for being brave after 15 month vaccines
- The Bunny Class! He is well and truly settled
- Cuddling with Lola on these very cold days
- A new hat!
- A new ball!
- Lola helping him get used to his new BIG bed, and his first afternoon snooze in it

Philippians 4:12 'I know how to live on almost nothing or with everything. I have learned the secret of living in every situation, whether it is with a full stomach or empty, with plenty or little. For I can do everything through Christ, who gives me strength.'

Tuesday, July 21, 2009

Mittens!






















My Mom made Cam these cool little fingerless mittens, so that his hands don't get so very cold but he can still use his fingertips for exploring.

The other pics are of Cam, Ben and Dylan in the bath, while their dads were watching the Bulls beat the Stormers.

Saturday, July 18, 2009

This week














































Photos…:

Cam trying to climb onto the counter at Granny’s house (he carried the little blue chair from the lounge… It was all frighteningly premeditated…!)

Cam watching Ochse play Knapp-Fisher at the interhouse rugby this week.

Cam with Granny, Mom, all his aunties and his big cousins at Bester Birds.
Cam with some of the other 'campus kids', and Aunty Julie.

Wednesday, July 15, 2009

Snippets of news

Unfortunately, Cam lost one of his fancy new lenses last week (somewhere between Nanna’s house and bath time last Thursday). So we’re back to half hour snoozes again... Hopefully the new lenses we’ve ordered from the UK will be here within a month!

Cam slept over at the van Reenens on Saturday night and had a fab time with his cousins. Murray and I went away for the night, which was quite a big deal for us – it was the first time we’ve gone away without Cam, and the first time we’ve left other people completely in charge of taking out and putting in his contact lenses! Needless to say it all went absolutely fine.

Tuesday, July 7, 2009

Fifteen months today





























Cam has settled quickly into his new class at school (after a distressing first day, for all involved!). He’s in the class for 15-22 month olds, and he has to sit on a little chair at a little table with all his new little friends, and feed himself his breakfast and lunch! We’ve been practising at home for the past few weeks and he’s pretty much got it (but it’s messy…). His new teacher, RenĂ©, really believes in him and is determined that he can and will do everything the other kids in the class can do, which is great.

In praying for Cam last week (about starting in a new class where he is the littlest, and having to adjust to new people, etc) the Lord gave me Psalm 17:8 and I’ve taken such tremendous comfort from it: ‘Guard me as you would your own eyes. Hide me in the shadow of your wings.’

The pics are of Cam playing with Lola’s bowls, wearing the colander, playing with blocks and fruit, etc :)