Eye exams

Earlier this month the PTA did vision screening at my daughter's school where she had difficulty seeing the line appropriate for her age. A couple of days later we received a letter confirming the results of the school screening. We knew we needed to get an appointment but I deliberately put it off. I put it off for a couple of reasons. First, I didn't want to really know or admit my daughter might need glasses. After all, I remember how horrible it was to get glasses at a young age. Second I wanted some more time to observe her closer. My observations began. I noticed how she leaned closer to the hymnbook at church. I noticed how she would lean her head closer to the book if I was reading to the kids, sometimes getting her head in the way because she couldn't see to follow along. I also realized that she was having difficulty making out the written notes in her piano books. She would go to piano lessons and guess the notes. She has almost perfected the skill of memorizing her songs so she can pass them off at piano. Then she doesn't have to tell her teacher that she can't really see the notes! I realized she was playing from memory one day when I watched her play her song and the book was nowhere in sight. But at lessons she was using the book and all of a sudden didn't know what the notes were. She was having more difficulty passing off her lessons. I also watched her squinting more. I had just attributed the squinting to being tired, or being ultra sensitive to the light. Now I know better. I should have connected the dots earlier. Nonetheless, I took her to an eye appointment today. The exam was hard on her. It is a hard thing to have your eyes dilated and I cannot imagine the fear she had when her eyes started feeling all funky. I don't remember my first eye exam as a young child so I don't remember how terrifying the exam can be. The doctor was incredibly patient and very competent in pediatric care. The doctor then told me she has astigmatism in both eyes and is slightly near sighted. So I guess the verdict is, she needs glasses. Doc says she doesn't need glasses to read, but I'm a little worried about how to keep her glasses intact if she does take them off at any time during school. I worry about the adjustment period, recess, and most importantly, the social implications. Wearing glasses was hard on me as a child. Children can be ruthless to each other, especially when a person is different. We did pick out some cute glasses for her and she got the final say so we'll see how quickly she adapts to the change. I think she will adapt far better than I ever will. But I am grateful we are able to do something to fix her problem before it gets worse. I am grateful she is excited about wearing glasses so I don't have to fight her to wear them the first time. Her glasses will be ready by Friday. The jury remains undecided until next week at least!

Mysterious tummy aches

Amber has been complaining about tummy aches since school started back in August, so for about three months now. I never really put much stock into it because she only complained when she didn't want to do something. Here's what would happen: Bedtime- "Mom my tummy hurts!" Wake up, get dressed- "My tummy hurts!" Time to do the dishes- "My tummy hurts" Friends are at the door - "bye mom, see you later!" - miraculous healing, no complaints of tummy aches. Dinner time- "My tummy hurts" - but if she liked what I fixed she would eat 2 helpings. Pick up your room- "My tummy hurts" Let's watch a movie -"Can we have popcorn?" Home from school - "Mom, I'm hungry, can I have some candy?" Do you see the pattern too? This is just a small sampling of the situations that have come up at home. It seems that she is using a tummy ache as an excuse to get out of the things she does not want to do. So I've kindof brushed it aside, but worried about it in the back of my mind. It never seemed serious enough to have the doctor look at it though. So the other day I went to her SEP conference with her teacher. It is pretty much parent/teacher conference but it is the Student Education Plan and the student has to be involved in the conference. As it turns out she's been telling her teacher that her tummy hurts on a daily basis. So he said he is worried about her. I told him what happens at home, that every time she doesn't want to do something her tummy hurts, but when her friends come by she is miraculously healed. He looked at me with that look. You know, the one that says you're stupid and you need to do something about this. This is a look that can be dangerous. It is a look laced with accusations. So to appease the concerns of her teacher, I took her to see the pediatrician. I went into the appointment knowing we would leave without any real answers. We just need to keep a log of what she eats for two weeks, what time of the day she hurts, etc. I am not excited about this, but we'll see what good it does. We need to increase her fiber during this time too, so bring on the gummy fiber chews (I need to find them). Now that I think about it, this might be the root cause, not enough fiber. During the summer we ate a lot of high fiber food. We had high fiber bread. She didn't complain about her tummy hurting. But right about the time the girls started school I stopped buying the high fiber bread. It was more difficult to get to the store that sells the bread we like for a decent price. So we continued with whole wheat, but it just wasn't the same. So I guess we will see what happens with her in the next couple of weeks. I'm hoping we can solve this problem without too much trauma.