I fully anticipated ending this discussion of my cataract surgery after recovering from having my left eye done. All went well. Why would I want to write about the second surgery. Wouldn't it go just the same?
Not necessarily. I felt very little during my first eye surgery. Preparation was the same for the second surgery. But after the incision was made and work began on the cataract, I could feel "something." I told the surgeon and she said she would explain things to me the next day at my post-op appointment.
Fortunately the recovery was just as quick and painless as with my first eye. At the appointment, the surgeon explained that my body was primed to react to eye surgery and therefore more sensation during the second cataract surgery (remember this is in the other eye) is not unusual. I've tried to find an article on the Internet about this but have come up with nothing.
Any one else have a similar experience or can point me to resources?
Meanwhile I am no longer a hazard on the road, can write more travel articles and look forward to being fitted with glasses giving me better mid-range and close-up eyesight.
So it's been close to a month since I had my surgery. I curtailed my activities the first week and babied my "new eye." I used drops as prescribed the entire month. But what I found out, surprised me.
The first evening, after returning home from surgery, I could see! My left eye saw things at a distance clearly. That was the first time I had clear vision for years. No matter it was only in one eye. That night I found out what High Definition TV actually looks like.... crisp and clear. Such modern marvels!
I couldn't wear my glasses as the prescription clouded my clear vision in the one eye. So I abandoned them. The next day I accepted a ride to my post-op appointment and was told I was doing just great. But I'd better not even think of mowing the lawn until the end of the week (that was Tuesday and I mowed on Friday... carefully, with safety glasses).
After returning from the post-op appointment, I decided to head to the drug store and try on readers. Low and behold, the lowest prescription helped me with reading and computer work. And, I purchased some inexpensive sun glasses.... with no prescription.
I spent the month driving only locally. I really only had one good eye. I felt eye strain due to the bad eye coordinating with the new good eye. I also rested more than usual. I think the eye strain had something to do with it.
I gave up hiking and had a bit of trouble navigating curbs due to wonky depth perception. I struggled with gardening and reading. Things were just too fuzzy.
I had one more post-op appointment... about a week later. And this turned out to be my pre-op appointment for my right eye as well. All was going as expected.
Drops to reduce any swelling were instilled first four times a day, then three and finally once.
My successful recovery from surgery on eye #1 is making me look forward to tomorrow's surgery on eye #2. I don't like any medical procedure but this one... is one that improves my life. It's totally worth it!
My expectation now is that in a month or so, I'll be fitted with permanent glasses and I'll have my sight back better than ever. I now have a renewed motivation to travel and write. After all, I'll have two good eyes to see the sights with.
Like I said, it was my time. My eyesight had deteriorated due to cataracts and I was having a tough time doing my photography and travel writing.
So the day came for my surgery. I arrived at the surgi-center at the appointed time accompanied by my good friend, also a food and travel writer. I was checked in, given my patient bracelet (asked about my spiritual needs, even) and sent to the waiting room, interestingly named after a local park. I guess that was to comfort me!
I was told that I would be there at the surgi-center two to three hours. And, my surgeon added, "you'll be in the OR at 11 a.m. and out the door at 11:30 a.m." Wow! Of course I didn't believe it. Doesn't something always come up?
At 9:30 I was called in, weighed and taken to the back where a crisp-sheeted gurney awaited me. I think that was about the third time I had been asked my name, DOB and what I was there for. It was the left eye... left eye!
I was hooked up to a blood pressure monitor, my finger was clipped by a device that measured oxygen saturation in my blood and then leads were applied to my chest so my heart could be monitored. All that for a 15 minute surgery, I thought! But one never knows what will happen, I guess. I had given the admitting clerk my Advance Directive forms. All was in order. If today was to be my last day, I could honestly say I had lived a good life.
I laid down and felt relaxed under the warm blanket. The nursing assistant and nurse positioned pillows under my head and legs so I'd be comfy. (Actually, I'd be most comfy lying on my own couch after it was all over!).
They were great. They explained everything. I expected the IV and the RN inserted the IV line into my hand. It barely hurt. She also asked me which eye was going to be done. The left eye... left eye! And marked it on my brow over the left eye, of course. I was sure no mistakes could be made. She said the surgeon would come in and mark my eye too!
And, then the nurse said she'd be giving me some sedative.... just a little bit. She did. I didn't feel any different. I thought I was relaxed any way. In a while she said she'd give me a bit more. I still didn't feel much different. I closed my eyes and listened to all the conversations around me.
Eye drops were instilled, everything was checked and re-checked. And then my surgeon came in to say hello and make sure to mark over the correct eye... the left eye... left eye! I now had two marks over my left brow.
I felt fine as they wheeled me into the operating room. It was cold. I had a full team there. I think there were three nurses and my surgeon. Everyone was very professional and had introduced themselves. I was ready.
My surgeon explained everything, step by step. Of course I had watched cataract surgeries on You Tube (my favorite is above) so I pretty much knew what to expect. My main fear was that I would feel something I didn't expect and not know how to react. I told my surgeon that I wasn't sure what "pressure on my eye" would feel like or if I would react. The nurse had advised me that if I felt uncomfortable, had to sneeze or anything, just to say "Doctor" and the surgeon would make sure I was cared for.
So the procedure went on. My eye was gooped up good with a not very watery substance that would keep me from feeling anything. A plastic drape was put over my eye to catch the water they would be using in my eye, a device to keep air circulating was put there and then the surgeon made a slit in the plastic so she could access my eyeball.
Once they got all that done, it was time for the microscope with the bright lights. She said, "look at the three lights." Heck, that was my bad eye. All I saw was one blurry light. So I stared at it trying my best to be a good patient. Before I knew it, the incision was made. (I only knew because my surgeon told me!).
Then the destruction of the lens with the cataract began. Then the washing out and scraping out of the destroyed lens commenced. And, finally the "polishing" of the sac. Then, the highly awaited event.... the placement of my new lens! Yay! Throughout the process I kept my gaze fixed on the lights. Colors changed but it wasn't uncomfortable.
All that took about 15 minutes and the lights were removed, the drape removed and... ugh!, the removal of the adhesive around my eye socket. That was all that hurt! Rip....
And then, I was wheeled out to the recovery nurse who got rid of my leads, IV and "party hat." As I sat up and transferred to the chair, I was offered juice and crackers. I was very hungry and needed something in my stomach. My friend was invited in to hear the discharge instructions with me and... just as I had been told, I was out the door at 11:30 a.m.
I was walking just fine although the ugly cataract glasses they gave me made me unsure of my vision in either eye. There was no bandage on the left eye. Just my now ineffective glasses and the fit over sunglasses. I was glad no one except my friend could see me. I was certain I was not looking a bit fashionable!
Then it was into the elevator and into the car. As we drove onto the busy street I thought... "I'm free... it's over and I survived!"
This is the thank you note given to me upon discharge.
A well-oiled machine!
I'm a visual person whose eyesight was deteriorating due to
cataracts. Complicating things was the fact that I am a travel writer and
photographer. I need my eyes for my work. And my work is my passion.
I drove less and less and took public transportation
more and more.
Was the Airport sign really out of focus or was it
my eyesight?
Fortunately, my eye problems were correctable. My problem was
cataracts, probably fueled by those glorious sunny days traveling in the desert
Southwest.
I didn't have surgery right away because I had press trips to enjoy,
restaurants to review and, of course the Northwest Travel Writers Conference in
Bend, Oregon (couldn't miss that!). But as I toured, wrote and photographed, my
eyesight got worse and worse.
So how did I cope? I rarely drove at night in unfamiliar
territory due to the glare. I wrote exclusively on my gigantic screen desktop
computer (backlighting was my friend) and published exclusively on the
Internet. Flying was avoided for many reasons. One of which was the fact I
could no longer read gate and flight information no matter how huge!
How did I take photos? Well I could still compose photos and snap
away but never knew what I had captured until I got home and looked at my work
on that gigantic screen. But, forget shooting on manual!
So I was emotionally ready for surgery once I met with my opthamologist.
One eye was scheduled at the beginning of the month and the second about 4
weeks later. I put my affairs in order, drove less and less and accepted the
offer of a dear friend to accompany me to surgery and follow up appointments. I
even watched YouTube videos of cataract surgeries. I was more than ready when I
got that phone call. My surgeon's father had passed and, of course, my surgery
was postponed... A month.
During that month my eyesight got even worse! I could no longer
identify birds without photographing them first. I reflected on what it would
be like to permanently lose eyesight. I coped by walking for exercise. I could
see enough to do that! I enjoyed architectural walking tours. (My right eye
still had fair distance vision with glasses.)
I thought about what it might be like to really lose my sight.
At the travel writers conference the use of Instagram was
recommended. But I couldn't trust my eyesight enough to take photos on a teeny smart
phone and, without review or editing, post them for all the world to see. So I
fell behind my colleagues in the world of social media.
So when the day came to check in to the surgi-center I was feeling
more relieved than scared. I wanted to see my world again. I wanted to write
more. And perhaps I would be able to read books again.
