And the Next Surgery Will Be....

... postponed.  Are you surprised?  Ha.  We were thinking the next surgery would be February 6th, but Dustin's surgeon wants to wait until the scar tissue around his eyes and on his nose loosens up a bit more.  

Dustin's eye openings are not centered over his eyes and they aren't fully functioning.  This next surgery will be to try to correct that.  They are hoping to remove some plates and shave off bone on the outside of Dust's nose toward his left eye.  They will then put wires through the tendons to pull the eye openings closer together.  Dr. Gociman explained that if he does this too early, before Dustin has loosened up the scar tissue enough to move the openings significantly, they run the risk of having to do another surgery later to try again.  

This is not for a lack of effort on Dustin's part.  He is constantly working on massaging his face and loosening up that scar tissue.  The good news is that a month ago, the eye openings were completely stuck, unable to move at all, and now they are moving "quite a bit more."  So, the scar tissue is breaking up, but he thinks one or two more months will do the trick. 

They are also thinking they will try to pull the eyes themselves forward in this next surgery.  The eye surgeon told us that it poses a 10% risk to the vision he has in his left eye, which is scary.  But with the eye in the right position, we are hoping his peripheral vision will significantly improve.  We have to trust in the end result we have been promised, so as we think and pray about this, we feel like it's a necessary step toward that "full health and strength."

Dustin's nose might get a little beefier in the next surgery as well.

I have to say that I found myself more than a little relieved that the surgery was postponed.  While it would be really good to get the surgery over with, I'm not sure that I'm ready for it.  Watching Dustin recover from the last surgery was the single most painful experience of my life.  I'm scared.  Really scared.  I have to keep reminding myself how far he's come in two-and-a-half months since the last surgery and that nothing that painful lasts forever.

We also had a very disappointing doctor appointment on Tuesday.  The retina specialist told us that the retina in Dustin's right eye has detached again and that scar tissue is forming behind it.  Dustin and I have both really hoped that his right eye would stay in seeing shape for stem-cells down the road, if it came to that.  When we asked if we could do surgery again to fix it, so when that technology comes around he will be able to see out of it, the doctor said no.  He said we would only run the risk of causing a painful blind eye and that he will never see out of it.

It's never fun to hear something like that.

I was told in a priesthood blessing right after the accident to hold to the things that I know to be true.  SO... I know that our Heavenly Father is guiding Dustin's healing and He is guiding our lives.  I know that the promises He has made Dustin are real and are the same promises they were when he was completely blind.  I know "how powerful and amazing His works are.  There's nothing He can't or won't do for us," as my brother so eloquently put it.  I also know that if Dustin's vision comes back to his right eye through doctors down the road or through another true miracle directly from our Heavenly Father's hand or even if it doesn't come back at all - that it is part of the plan that our Heavenly Father has for us.  I trust in Him.  I love Him.

And lastly, I KNOW that we have been blessed beyond measure.  I have my amazing, strong husband to stand by my side.  I get to wrap my myself in his arms and hear him tell me that he loves me.  I get to experience Cole and Haley with him.  And those are some of my very sweetest blessings.

Things will work out.  They will.