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| Amanda Update |
| (Last Updated: February 16th, 2002) |
| I am sorry we haven't had a chance to update this page sooner, but a lot has been happening over the last week. On our last update, we had shared that Mandy was developing the early stages of ROP (retinopathy of prematurity). Considering how early she was and her low birth weight, it was almost 100% certain that she would delelop some degree of ROP. The severerity was always the question. ROP is a common problem with preemies. In a full-term baby, the eyes develop at a slow pace while still in the womb. Then at birth, the eye growth will stop. In preemies the eye development also stops at birth, but generally around 34 weeks after conception, the eyes begin to grow again. This time at a much faster rate which leads to an over growth of blood vessels in the eye. Many of the blood vessels are abnormal or diseased. This causes scar tissue to form that pushes the retina away from the eye. If detachment occurs the baby will be blind with little chance for recovery. ROP is rated on a scale of 1 to 5, with 1 being mild and 5 being complete retinal detachment. Check out the preemie links page for more information on ROP. On January 28th, Mandy was diagnosed with Stage 1 ROP. Two weeks later, her follow up exam revealed that she had progressed past Stage 3. In addition, she had developed Plus Disease, which means that a ridge of scar tissue was forming between the retina and eye. This is not good. A surgeon was brought in immediately. Both her Opthamologist and Retinal Surgeon agreed that Amanda needed laser surgurey to save her vision. Arrangments were made for Mandy to be transported to CT Childrens Medical Center for the surgery on Wednesday (2/13). (see the photo of her first ride) Kim and I wish the surgery results would be known immediately, but it will take a while. In the short term, we'll learn if they have stopped the progression of ROP. (About 25% of babies that require laser surgery still end up with detached retina) The good news is that the other 75% of the babies end up with an average of 20/70 vision. This isn't terrible and can usually be corrected partially or entirely with glasses. We've got our fingers crossed. No parent wants their child to have a disabilty, but we'll take what we can get with a smile on our face. Considering all that has happened in the last few months, we're just plain lucky to have her. In other news, we're happy to report that Mandy's general health has been quite well. She's up to 3lbs 5oz and has been doing good with her feedings. (Except on days when they shoot laser beams into her eyes) She's starting to take bottles, but is having a little trouble remembering to breath at the same time. She'll get the hang of it soon. The doctors are still thinking that they will probably graduate her from intensive care to the special care nursery. In Special Care, they can spend more time working on bottle feeding and her overall growth. Thanks for your prayers and support. We plan to update this site regularly so save it in your "favorite places" and come back often. Also, feel free to leave a message in Amanda's guest book on the main page. Kim and John |
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