Yesterday we got a call from the school nurse that we needed to come and get Jessica right away.  She recommended that we take her to the ER, or at least an eye doctor right away.  Marty could sense the urgency in her voice as she explained that one of Jessica's eyes was completely dilated.  Marty wasn't in a position to go and get her so I left work to pick her up. 

I have never seen anything like it before.  I wish I could have taken a picture, but not sure it would have worked.  Her left eye was so dilated you could barely see the color.  She had one green eye and one black eye.

Marty set her a doctor's appointment while I brought her home.  When I got home, I did what any crazy mother would do.  I googled, "one eye dilation"  On the first page listed it says,

"If just one pupil is larger than the other, see the doctor immediately, says Dr. Slakter. "This is a case where a matter of an hour or two could save your life," he says. "

Not the best thing for a mama to read.  So, what do I do, keep reading.

"a single dilated pupil could indicate a brain injury, stroke or tumor"

Excellent - my daughter's life will be forever changed.  I keep reading.

"If only one pupil is dilated, you may have Adie's syndrome, a condition in which one pupil contracts more slowly than the other in response to light. It's usually caused either by a malfunction in the mechanism that controls the dilation reflex or from a harmless inflammation of the eye nerves. "

Okay, I had diagnosed Jessica.  She must have Adie's syndrome from spending too much time fighting with Addyson :)

I headed off to work waiting for the results from the eye doctor.  I was convinced they were going to find an infection in the eye nerve, prescribe some drops and we would be good to go.  The call came, the eye doctor couldn't find anything wrong with the eye.  She too was very concerned.  She recommended we get a neurological exam right away.  By this point in the day, there were no appointments to be had.  We were scheduled for this morning.

Off to work I went, with my mind and heart still at home with Jessica.  All morning I waited, and waited for the call to come.  Finally, I heard back from Marty.  Thankfully the diagnosis is migraine headache.

Migraines manifest themselves differently in different people.  Most people think of migraines as crippling painful headaches.  There are other ways that they can manifest.  Some people have stroke like symptoms including slurred speech and paralysis.  Others have a strong sensitivity to light, sound, or smell.  Jessica's manifest with dilated pupils and very heightened senses.  There is an accompanying headache, but she is able to function through it (for the most part) 

She has suffered from headaches for several years.  They got better when she got glasses last year.  We thought that was the answer.  This is the first time we have noticed the dilation of the eyes, but now we know that is one of the first signs and we need to start treating her right away.

Migraines isn't a great diagnosis, but it sure beats a brain tumor!