Blocked tear duct

[JoAnne427]

My 9 month old is scheduled for (minor) surgery next week to have her tear duct cleared. As she was handed to me in the hospital at birth, I was told it would clear up within a few weeks and it never did - she wakes every a.m. with her right eye crusted shut - we have done massages and warm compresses, etc. to no avail and finally took her to an eye doctor who said we should have it surgically opened.

To me no surgery is minor when it means my little girl is going to be put under - and I am understandably nervous about this - has anyone else gone through this - and is this being done too soon? The doc said that if it hasn't cleared up on its own by now, that it won't.

I am wondering if I should wait longer - but I just hate having her wake up all gooey crusted over - and she cries and cries when I clean it (I would put that blue sad face in here if I knew how!).

What to do what to do???

I can't be of much help, except to say that I had it done when I was a similar age. Apparently it was very quick and straightforward and I've no recollection of it whatsoever. Be guided by your doctor and remember it will be short lived & your dd will not have crusty eye to suffer every morning - she's far more likely to be distressed about that than the op. If it would help, I'll ask my mum for the details of mine.

Good luck

PS For type colon followed by an open bracket !

Thanks Twink!

Looks like we may be putting it of anyway as she was quite sick today when I picked her up from daycare - fever and all (aha! it worked!)

We met with her doc who said the same as you - very simple normal procedure - and it will be nice to see both of her beautiful eyes in the morning!

As far as being put under, its horrible when you take them down to theatre, I cried all the way there and back, but they do look after them.

Also the way to look at it is that they will have no memory of it when they are older.

Our ds had his kidney operated on at 8 months and has no memeory of it, has a tiny scar, and likes going to hospital! So don't worry, just remember what everything will be like afterwards, better, much better.

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Thanks for your input - I suppose it will be tougher for me than her...

So with fingers crossed - we will get it done - and I will probably hold my breath until she is back in my arms!

JoAnne427, I was very interested by your message, as my dd also has a crusty gooey eye (hers is the left).

She is just under 9 months, and after a referral in late November got a consultant's appointment scheduled for mid-April. This seemed a long way off so we rang our GP to query the wait and were told that they wouldn't want to do anything before she was a year old, as it could clear anytime in the first year. So no point looking at it while it might still resolve itself. This was confirmed by a friend of mine who is a consultant opthalmologist.

So if you are really unhappy about the surgery/anaesthetic (and I totally sympathise, I am already anxious and miserable on a daily basis about the entirely hypothetical op mine may have to endure several months from now...) perhaps there would be nothing to lose by waiting.

On the other hand, the messages here are reassuring, so maybe best to get on with it...
(anyone know how to do a puzzled face?!)

zoya, joanne

my ds had the sticky, gooey eyes for the first 5m. we went to see a consultant opthalmologist who also said he would not do an op before a year as it was very likely to clear up on its own. of course it cleared up overnight the next day! - really. so if you are both worried, yes, it does just go away on its own for the vast majority of children.

joanne - did i read on another thread that you are from the us? perhaps in the states there is a different policy on how long to wait with this before intervention, but if you are worried, perhaps it wouldn't hurt to get a second opinion?

don't want to alarm you, far from it, as it is a minor procedure, but it never hurts to have options, i suppose.

good luck. not having to clean it all the time is great - ds hated having it done!

Originally we had been told to wait a year, but then were told if it hadn't cleared by six months that it wouldn't, and we should schedule ASAP as the hosp. had a long wait (and they did).

She will be just under 10 mos. at surgery (feb. 18th). I am willing to wait, but dp is pushing to get it done because he hates how upset dd gets in the a.m. when we have to clean it. And when she has a cold, it is very goopy, all of the time. I think the second op. is a good idea - a co-worker of mine was very surprised I had not done that already...feel kind of silly for not having thought of it...

My dd had a blocked tear duct - I only knew what it was because we have an eye surgeon in the family! She explained all about the anatomy of the ducts and that lots of children are born with them blocked, but often grow out of them by about 1 year.

She showed me how to massage gently the area at the inner corner of the eye, which encourages the duct to open. Luckily, as she said it would, the duct cleared itself well before the age of 1 year.

Surgery is obviously traumatic for child and parent, but I think that talking to her, it is a fairly routine procedure (easy for me to say I know).

Anyway, good luck

Hi
My daughter had this done twice!
Just before she was 2 the first time, and although it improved it quite a bit, it wasn't cured. Apparently at the time (she is 10 now) only 75% are fixed on the first attempt, rising to 95% on the second go. She had it done again a few months later and was almost instantly better. I didn't hesitate to have it done for her, because she was getting so many infections the skin was constantly sore around her eye, and like your child her eyes were always glued shut! She had it in both eyes though, and every lotion and potion under the sun didnt work. She also developed cellulitis which was very painful for her , as the infections worked their way into her skin. Since the second op she hasn't had any eye infections at all, and I consider it a job well done. She was much too young to recall it today, and looking back I think it was more traumatic for us as her parents than it was for her.

Good luck anyway.

Well, tomorrow is the big day - have to be at the hospital at 7:15 a.m. - surgery scheduled for 8:15.

Poor little angel has gotten two eye infections this week from the blockage - so I think it is good we are not waiting - I will follow up here after, and let you know how it went!

I've caught up with this thread too late to say 'good luck' for this morning JoAnne, but I hope it went really well and you have a clear-eyed daughter by now. And that you have survived the whole thing with at least some of your nerves intact.

Well, surgery was on Monday, and we just got out of the hospital late today, so the process was definitely not as simple as I had hoped! DD, who had gotten some very minor infections in the past that were easily cleared with ointment, woke up the morning of surgery with her eye completely swollen shut, puffy and red. Lou33 - she had cellulitis, as your dd had. I had never heard of it b4 your post - and now just spent the last 2 1/2 days in the hospital with my little angel hooked up to IVs, fighting high fever, being dosed with major antibiotics due to it. It was just a fluke (a fortunate one) that her procedure was scheduled for that day, and they were able to take care of both issues at the same time. They let us leave after surgery, but we were back in ER several hours later with a fever that would not break.

She is much better now - I'm exhausted tho! Sleeping (barely) on a hospital chair for two nights - and now that I am home, I have insomnia!

Thank you all for your replies, and well wishes - I am very happy we went for the procedure when we did!

This is the second time I wrote this note - lost the last one - I think! If two message show up - then I have no idea what I am doing! Par for the course these days...

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JoAnne, sorry to hear that you have both had such a rough time - like RobinW, hope that this is an end to her infection problems. Take care.

JoAnne, hope your baby is on the mend. Looks like it was the right thing for her to get the operation.
best wishes for a speedy recovery

Thanks - she is looking quite wonderful now, and very happy. I'm relieved it is completed - also fortunate we did it now since I will lose health coverage shortly - and it turned out to be so much more costly than anticipated!

Jasper - best wishes for a healthy and speedy delivery!

I'm glad she is feeling better Joanne, and therefore so must you be. Sorry I didn't reply sooner , must have missed it earlier!

Such a shame she had to suffer with cellulitis, it's awful isn't it? Luckily my dd was never admitted for it, but I can totally sympathise. You might be heartened to know that since Lily had her second op aged just over 2 she has not had a single eye infection, and she is almost 10 now.

I hope the op clears it all first time .

Hi Lou33 - I was thinking of you today, and that your dd went through this twice - it looks as though Julia is going to need to go through again - it is starting to act up again, although not nearly as bad. They did warn us of this possibility, so I am okay with it. Her doctors were great - only problem is they are very booked, and my insurance runs out in 30 days (losing my job), so hopefully we can get this done prior...

What a shame for you both. Where are you based btw? If it is any consolation 95% are better by the second time. I guess at least this time you will be less nervous as you have been through it once. IMO having it done again is still better than leaving it, they get so sore. Good luck, keep me up to date on how she is .

Poor you JoAnne, how stressful. I hope you can get it done in time, and that it works better second time around

Thanks Zoya - it was stressful having her in the hospital - but it was not lost on me just how fortunate we are to have such a healthy child. My heart breaks for those who are dealing with much more serious conditions! ...Oh, I just re-read this thread, and realize that your appointment is rapidly approaching - and I want you to know that even though it was not 100% effective, she looks amazing! I think Julia's situation was an exception that we had to stay in the hospital longer, and I hope you aren't too concerned! Please keep post on how everything goes.

Lou33 - I am based in US - New Haven, Connecticut. The procedure was done at Yale/New Haven hospital - and I loved the doctors and nurses we dealt with. And even though she is so little, she knows she feels better, and seems happier.

Twink, Fairy, RobinW, AliH and Bossykate (as well as Lou33 and Zoya) - I appreciate your input and well wishes, and taking the time to respond. It did help make the situation less stressfull.

And Jasper and Marina!

JoAnne, I'm very touched that in the midst of your anxiety about Julia you remembered my own fears. Dd's eye is a bit clearer at the moment, and it's still 6 weeks to her appointment, so who knows, maybe it will clear.

I do know what you mean about being thankful for not having worse health problems to worry about, now I know I wouldn't be one of those hero-mums, I'd be a wailing banshee terrorising all the nurses! I read an amazing short story about having a sick child by Lorrie Moore recently, in her collection Birds of America, very powerful and moving.

Keep us informed about how things work out for Julia