Psychosomatic Blindness?

As I have mentioned in previous posts, this school year, Micah has developed a strong case of psychosomatic asthma.

He frequently labors to draw in a breath. This only occurs when he is resting, NOT during exertion.

The pediatrician can find nothing wrong. Peak-flow is excellent, lungs are clear, etc.

So we have told him to use some of the relaxation techniques he knows, and i have been searching for a therapist for him (since Sam's therapist cannot see him due to conflict-of-interest for Sam's treatment).

Well, now he's got a new one. Last week he had his 7 year checkup, and began announcing that he's having trouble seeing. At the pediatrician's office, he tested as 20/20 on the Left side, but 20/30 on the right.

Mind you, I have been expecting this. There is not a single person in either of our family trees who does not wear glasses of some sort. Both our sisters, our parents, our grandparents, all needed glasses. Early and often.

And when Micah had his first eye checkup as a toddler, the ophthalmologist did confirm that he would be nearsighted (it has something to do with the size of the eye).

Ok. So Micah, being extremely...sensitive...to physical annoyances, would certainly notice a difference in his vision. Monday morning, I called the opth.'s office and made him an appointment, first available for after school was Dec. 8.

Yesterday and today, Micah started developing a throat cold. He has a "back seal cough", that croupy seal-like cough, and lots of postnasal drip. He did not sleep well.

At 10:00, the school called for me to take him home, he was not feeling well - mostly the cough. I called the pediatrician's office (I'm glad those nurses and staff like me!) and got him an appointment for 1:45.

I picked him up, made him sit in the waiting room while I had my meeting with Sam's new orthodontist (yes, that will be next week's saga, Sam is getting spacers now and braces in a little while). Picked up Sofia, and the three of us hung out at home for a while.

Of course, at the doc's office, Micah was Chatty Cathy to the doc and nurses; they are all very amused by him. And Miss Sofia was staking claim to the toy area - one of the nurses was near tears laughing so hard at how Sofia handled another little kid who was trying to take some toys away from her.

Got to the examining room. Micah's tonsils are large, glands are swollen, but aside from the congestion, he's ok. Continue the steam-rooms (run the hot shower in the smaller bathroom and make him hang out there) and saline treatments, but no need for an antibiotic or anything.

Then he announces (and he'd said this yesterday to me) that everything is blurry and he can't see well. When he said it to me yesterday, he was squinting and tearing, so I told him to open his eyes wider.

Well, since with Micah we often cannot tell the difference between fact and .... imagination... we tested him on the eye chart again. This time, it was 2030 Left and 20/50 right!

So I called the eye doctor, and we'll be there Monday (during school, of course).

Sigh. All day, I wasn't quite sure whether to laugh or to cry about this. Is he just making himself "not see" or is he really having trouble? Honestly, the way the weather and lighting was today, I can barely see either. But I know it's temporary. He's a little kid; he doesn't know that yet.

MIss Sofia was a banshee all day. We stayed to play when we picked up Sam, and she was swinging away at the top of the slide, climbing and running. Oh, this morning after we dropped off the boys, we did a quick errand (a return this time) at Target, and then she had me running around the store. She likes to "run", and then suddenly she said "STOP... MARCH" and we had to march! We alternated between Run, March and Walk until it was time to go to school. TOO FUNNY!

Met R and her girls for pizza, at a place that has gluten-free pizza dough! Sofia was very happy!