Thursday, November 09, 2006

Whitney's before and after pics--first surgery

As we prepare for another surgery for Whit, I've been thinking about all the changes she's had in her eyes since she was born. Poor little thing. I wonder what the world looks like through those eyes!

Here are the before and after pics from her first surgery. I hope to take some "before" pics again soon but it's a 4 person process and it hasn't worked out so far. (Whitney being the model, Andrew holding her head straight, Brandon getting her attention, and me taking the pics.)

Looking right
Before surgery..................After surgery

This is the most dramatic change since her first surgery. Her right eye could not move out at all. It couldn't move past her midline, so she would look cross-eyed every time she tried.

Looking left
Before surgery...................After surgery

This one isn't as dramatic of a change. Both eyes worked looking left before the surgery. In fact, I think it almost looks worse post-surgery. Her left eye seems to bulge a bit.

Headturn
Before surgery..................After surgery

This was also a pretty dramatic change. Before surgery, anytime she wanted to look straight, she had to turn her head to the right. I think it's actually pretty cute, but it could've led to neck and back problems in her future. Definitely a blessing to have it resolved.

The before pics were taken in Mar 2005(11 months old) and the after pics in Apr 2005(1 yr old). Her disorder is called Duane's Syndrome. And the first surgery she had was called a Vertical Rectus Transposition--they moved the two major vertical muscles that move her eye to compensate for lack of movement to the right.

8 comments:

Jayne said...

Remind us again when is the surgery? I'm too lazy to scroll...

Anonymous said...

Those first pictures are an amazing difference. I think the surgery has helped a lot. She's such a trooper.

Anonymous said...

She's so dang cute - I forgot how cute she was when she was a baby. What exactly are they going to do in this surgery? (Jayne - it's November 17th).
Grandma Sweat

Sandy said...

What a cute baby!Thanks for posting these - it makes it a lot easier to picture what you're talking about, for those of us that missed the Whitney-as-a-baby stage:) I'll have to remember to post before-and-afters when KJ has hers, too -- thanks for the great idea!

Anonymous said...

Whitney just keeps getting prettier and prettier in every picture you send. You are in our prayers for success with her next go-round.

andrea said...

On this surgery they will move a muscle. It is on the inside of her left eye, toward her nose. They already moved it back during his first surgery, but now they need to bring it forward just a bit to better align the eyes. It's hard to describe. Hope that makes sense.

Unknown said...

Hey dear ur daughter is adorable and her photos just give me hope because my son has the same problem but in his left eye wz same head tilt I need your help plz I need all the details about Duane u have like does it interfere sports or reading and writing ? My son is 5 months and I'm so depressed and can't stop thinking about his future

Andrea said...

Hi, Soha. Hang in there! A diagnosis on your baby of something that has no cure is frightening and depressing, but there is hope! Our daughter is now a thriving 12yo. She does well in school, is a promising ballerina, and is very creative and artistic. Hey vision is stable and others rarely notice that she had anything different about her eyes. There is a Facebook group for Duane's syndrome that might be helpful for you, too. I would recommend seeing a dr that has experience with Duane's and finding out if he/she recommends surgery. Good luck!