Well, after more thoughts and considerations and events of today, I have reaffirmed one thing, I most DEFINITELY want that second opinion.
The longer I think about how yesterday's appointment went, the LESS comfortable I become with letting my baby be operated on. The more I think about WHAT the doctor said versus HOW my daughter acts, what I SEE her eyes doing, etc., the less comfortable I become with letting her be operated on.
Peanut's pediatrician called this evening, I spoke with her for about 10 minutes about it. She read over some of the notes from the eye doctor, and even she says she does NOT understand why they eye doctor is wanting to operate on both eyes.
So, my plan is to call the insurance tomorrow and ask if this facility the pediatrician recommended is acceptable for a second opinion. And if so, make an appointment and get the referral. Next I will call Peanut's REGULAR ophthalmologist back and request another appointment, one where she will take her time on Peanut. No rushing this time. I feel this appointment was MUCH too rushed. I want her re-examined and I want EVERYTHING explained to me. WHY we should operate, why we should operate now instead of later, why we should operate over other non-surgical therapies, why we should continue to patch her right eye when there has been significant degradation of the left eye since we started patching, and why we need to operate on BOTH eyes when everything I've heard (or her pediatrician read in the notes) says the problem is in the LEFT eye only, also, why are we jumping into surgery for an "intermittent" problem (per the doctor's own notes as read to me by the pediatrician). Yes, LOTS of questions that I want answers to.
Peanut is so young, and her eye sight is too precious to me. I took her to be seen to PROTECT her eye sight, and my concern is that if we operate right now that we are NOT doing what is BEST for PEANUT, we are doing what is most convenient for the doctor.
If I get the answers I want, and am comfortable with all of them, and the second opinion yields the same basic answers (namely, yes, we should operate, and what eye(s) we should operate on, and basically WHY we should), then we will go forward with it.
I was a little irritated too when BFF told me that the eye doctor's surgical assistant called today. She had told me it would be a few weeks. She knows Peanut MUST be seen by her Pulmonologist FIRST. So I will call the assistant back, and tell them that I will be seeing the doctor again before making a decision about surgery, and that I will also be getting a second opinion before making a decision, and finally, we will be seeing and being cleared by her Pulmonologist before making a final decision about surgery. THEN when I clear all three of those hurdles, I'll be happy to call the assistant back. The assistant probably won't be happy, but this momma is NOT going to let anyone else tell me what is best for MY daughter.
My claws are out, I do NOT feel right about this course of action. Something just is not right here. It may be that surgery is the best choice, but something doesn't feel right, I haven't been given a thorough explanation. And until I get that explanation and this feeling goes away NO ONE touches my baby girl with a scalpel!!!
K, I feel a LITTLE better now...
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