Cautiously Freaking out with Joy

I don't write about Retinitis Pigmentosa much in my blog. I've mentioned it a few times. Retinitis Pigmentosa has been a long time demon in my family. We have a form of RP that is X-linked and recessive - this means that it's passed on by the females to the males of the family.

My father has RP - he is totally blind. He started going blind in his 20s, but had night blindness when he was younger. My cousin has RP. My nephew has RP. I am a known carrier of RP. Please don't throw stones asking me why I had children - there is nothing that you can say to me that I haven't said to myself. My son has a 50/50 chance of having RP (I could pass on my mom's RP-free gene or my dad's gene). Since Bubba was born - I have been living with this dread that he may have RP. When he was little I was told to have him tested when he was about 10. Bubba is just about to turn 8.

Today, Prissy had an eye appointment and they had this really slick retinal scanner. They scanned her eyes and they were perfect. The eye doctor showed me pictures of a retina with RP - he showed me the early, medium and advanced stages. I asked him if he would scan Bubba's retinas.

He did...

At this point - Bubba's retinas are totally and completely healthy... This doesn't mean that he doesn't have RP. It could be there and start presenting itself when he is older. However, that is not the norm in our family. Our family has very early symptoms. The fact that Bubba has perfect retinas right now makes me want to sob in relief... I'm not a terribly emotional person - I don't cry. I honestly cannot remember the last time I cried. But, I have been so close to crying since I've heard this news. I'm feeling so much hope that he does not have RP. This is SUCH a good sign.

My baby may not go blind - that weight just became so much lighter.

So, I'm cautiously freaking out with joy.