K.Z. had his annual eye doctor appointment today which I remembered about and scheduled two days ago. Not enough time to secure a sitter for four children so we all marched off together (at nap time nonetheless) for K.Z.'s 14:00 hours appointment.
Everyone did well initially until Iggy decided he was tired of the stroller. I held him in the tiny exam room we were stuffed into while trying to keep him quiet enough that K.Z. could actually hear what the doctor was saying. An hour and a half later we wound up needed an updated pair of specs for the boy and a mini conference with Mom.
The doctor believes that K.Z. has Binocular Vision Disorder, which to me sounded like a cool superhero super power, until he said "disorder".
Apparently symptoms can be headaches, blurred vision, double vision, sleepiness and if reading, trouble remembering what was read, the need to re-read the same line of words, frequent loss of place, general inability to concentrate and short attention span. This describes K.Z. to a tee. We have been banging our heads against a brick wall trying to figure out why while he enjoys reading one day, the next he, "can't do it". We all have been frustrated (and some of us in tears).
So now he has to go and be tested for over two hours to see if the diagnosis is correct and the "best" part is that two of the crucial tests in the series are not covered by insurance. To the tune of about $300.00. Now I would sell my house and live in a van down by the river for my children's health if I had to, but this also includes a probability of 9 months in therapy twice a week. It may require a co-pay each visit. I was a bit nauseous when I left.
Next steps: Find someone to watch the three other kidlets during this two hour test in two weeks. Pray for the strength and funds to get through the entire process if necessary. Praise God for revealing the reason for K.Z.'s struggles. Throw Up. Cry.
8 comments:
I'll keep you guys in my prayers. One of my sons needed vision therapy. It was expensive and time consuming -but having gone through it, I have to say, it was amazing. He's a different kid in terms of school and, well really, just about everything.
That said, it wouldn't hurt to get a second opinion.
Good luck.
Amy@thefoilhat.com
Oh, Angel!! You've got 'em! I'll be praying for all of you as you go through the diagnosis. {{{HUGS}}} to you!
Oh, I hate it when the doctors visits get more and more expensive! That's so hard! It does sound like a relief to have an answer to the source of your reading frustrations, though. I'll be praying!
Angel- we'll be praying for you. The co-pays don't sound like fun and it seems like everything in health care now has extra costs associated. (I do love your Chris Farley reference though!) My dad has a similar vision problem. He was born with one eye crossed (had surgery as a toddler to repair it) and now wears glasses, but has problems with binocular vision and sometimes sees double and has depth perception issues. but of course as a kid, this vision training and exercises weren't known so he couldn't benefit from them. Hopefully, it will help KZ. Good luck!
How is K.Z. handling the diagnosis and inevitability of future tests and probably therapy?
We're praying for you all. Wish we lived closer. I'd love to hang out with your kids for two (or four, or twenty) hours!!!
Sister....I am a bit curious about this disorder. I am in no way a physician of the eyes, and every single person in my family has ocular difficulties but my brother and me, so forgive me my ignorance, but if you are interested in saving the money, it sounds like you might just want to start with a good dictionary. I get every single one of these "symptoms", more some than others of course (and I have perfect vision), and they all typically stem from not quite understanding the words or concepts on the page. Silly enough, they are not always the hard words that get me caught up. This prolly flies in the face of traditional doctoring, but it should be simple enough for you to test using a few basic control groups. Maybe start with what you would deem as "simple" reading, and test for comprehension, and "symptoms". I hope you don't find this post patronizing, and you are, in fact, a teacher, but I couldn't resist throwing my two cents in.
Love you and see you this weekend.
Jeremy
Hey cyber sister...rest easy. This can be fixed! Ask around about light therapy. I have a friend who's son went through a similar thing although they didn't call it Binocular Vision (I agree, cool super hero name)...non the less, check out some other options. Hang in, prayers going up.
Hey cyber sister...rest easy. This can be fixed! Ask around about light therapy. I have a friend who's son went through a similar thing although they didn't call it Binocular Vision (I agree, cool super hero name)...non the less, check out some other options. Hang in, prayers going up.
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