…and the rascal didn’t tell us. It went well. Congrats, Joe!
Joe had eye surgery…
by CJ | Jul 30, 2011 | Journal | 3 comments
3 Comments
Submit a Comment Cancel reply
You must be logged in to post a comment.
This site uses Akismet to reduce spam. Learn how your comment data is processed.
thank you. For the past 18 months or so, I was seeing triple images out of my left eye. Part of the reason is astigmatism, and the other part is a cataract that finally started to really affect my visual acuity. The consensus of the ophthalmologists and the optometrist was to take care of the cataract first, and then if needed, fit me for the gas permeable contact lens to correct the astigmatism. LASIK or PRK would not have corrected the astigmatism. I was given the date a couple of days after I saw the doctor, he had originally planned for September. Somebody cancelled, so I got called to see if I would take the 28th of July.
Prep work started the preceding Monday, 2 sets of drops 4 times per day for 3 days, and I also put them in the morning of surgery. Report to the surgical unit at Wright-Patterson AFB Medical Center at 9:45AM, oh, we’re sorry, we don’t have any beds available. So my father and I waited in the waiting room for over an hour, and then they called me back. Got me weighed, then changed into the wonderfully chic lavender hospital gown that feels as though it’s made from paper (and probably is). At least it isn’t open in the back like the old cotton gowns. At 11:30AM, the nurse started putting drops in my eyes, and about a half-hour later, the tech came in to set up the IV. Again, hurry up and wait, they wheeled me in to the pre-op area around 1:30PM, and I waited until almost 2:15 or so before they started pumping in the happy juice (Versed), then wheeled into the OR, and I felt as though I were entering a movie set with all of the equipment and people arrayed around the room. I was allowed to answer one question, and then no talking for the rest of the procedure. I don’t recall much of it, a lot of water in my eye from the doctor who was assisting, keeping the eye moist and flushed of debris. 18 minutes later, they wheeled me out, and then took me to my recovery room. It’s almost 4:00PM by the time I was released, and I hadn’t eaten since before midnight, nor had anything to drink. They gave me a little packet of club crackers and another of graham crackers, plus some apple juice and a cup of ice water.
When I got home, it was grab something to eat, and then go lie down. I had to take the antibiotic drops every hour, 1 drop in the left eye. I do remember things looked blurry that first night, but by the time Dad picked me up the next morning to go back for the 1-day followup, I was reading license plates on the cars as they’d pass us. The eye test gave me a 20/20 reading, and I’ve NEVER been without glasses or contacts since I was 18 months old. I have to wear sunglasses outside, and clear safety glasses indoors, and put the clear eye shield on at night when I go to bed. I do need reading glasses for close work, but that’s not a big deal to me. What’s special is that I can actually see things far away and they are sharp images. Still in the recovery phase, no heavy lifting, no kendo, no yard work (the grass is a jungle out there), and no water activities for one month. I don’t know when he’ll let me go back to the kendo, or when he’ll let me go back to driving, but since he didn’t mention it on Friday, I didn’t ask, either. I see him again on Thursday, the 4th, and we can determine then.
Thank you to all who wished me well on Shejidan and on Facebook. Fortunately, this was an easy operation and as long as I follow doctor’s orders, things should go well.
Wonderful news, Joe! Simply wonderful. I’m so happy for you.
I”m surprised you recall so much, since you had VERSED. Typically, VERDSED gives amnesia not only of the procedure, but of things occurring prior to the its administration.
They gave me a light dose of Versed. The time they took out the right cataract, it was a heavier dose. The funniest event I can remember of ever being on Versed was when they did the total revision of my left knee. The anesthesiologist had given me the Versed, and was putting in the femoral and sciatic blocks. I’m wearing the typical cotton hospital gown that is probably about 6 inches too short, and there was a class of student nurses standing around the table watching the procedure. I don’t remember if I tried flirting with any of them or not, but I do remember seeing them standing around me in all my unabated “glory” 😉