Weeping and Goobering

Luke is going to have an eye procedure done. The Ophthalmologist calls it surgery, but it doesn't involve a scalpel or stitches so I'm sticking with "procedure" because it doesn't sound as scary, but we do have to take him to Swedish Medical Center and he will be asleep for it. Why is he going to have this done you ask? Well, Luke as a blocked tear duct. If you've ever noticed that his right eye seems weepy it's because his tear duct doesn't drain the eye so then his tears spill out so it looks like he's crying and it also pools and gets a bit goobery in the corner near his nose. I have to wipe his eye and he does not like me to do it. When I'm at home or he's with my parents, we use a warm washcloth.
So I've learned that this is fairly common among infants and the tear duct blockage should clear up and function normally on it's own within the child's first year. If it doesn't clear up and the child is over a year then it has to be helped along, which is the case for Luke.
I started noticing Luke's watery eye last September. The reason I remember the time frame is Chris and I were visiting his family in Oregon and I thought it was the drier weather and dust that was causing the eye weeping. When Luke's 9 month check-up rolled around I talked to his doctor about it and she told me how to massage the tear duct which should help it open. That didn't work. When Luke was sick after Thanksgiving we took him to the doctor and he was prescribed eye drops. That didn't work. Since I had read and was told that it should clear up on it's own I just figured I'd have to deal with it for awhile. When we went in for his 12 month check-up it hadn't been an issue and so I totally forgot about it. Around June was when Luke's eye started doing it's thing again...tearing and getting goobery. By the end of August I was thinking, "This has been going on for a year and I've got to do something about it." One of my friends told me her son had the same problem and he had to have surgery to have his tear duct opened so I thought I had better look into that. I called Luke's primary care physician and she referred me to the Ophthalmologist.
Visiting with that doctor she theorized that Luke's tear duct could be narrow which is why it's not draining properly. So, a silicone tube will be inserted into his tear duct which will be left in for a few month to help it get bigger. To have it removed will be just a normal visit. I'm sure some tweezers can find it and pull it out lickety-split (I hope).
Am I nervous? A little. The more I think about it the more I think I should be more freaked out than I am. Why am I not freaking out? I'm sure I will be at that state when we the day arrives. Wish us luck!

In a nutshell

Here are some of the things we did this summer.

Went swimming.

Played with friends.

Went to Cascade Locks, Oregon

Did a lot of driving.

Went camping with family in our awesome new tent.

Saw an old mining town.

Dehydrated pears - yum!


Canned peaches with my sister SueAnn (not captured via digital camera).