it's been 9 days since my surgery and i'm doing really well! it's been quite the experience...especially the first couple days post-surgery, BUT i just went to the doctor's this morning and everything is healing nicely and my vision is getting better and better each day!
the afternoon of the surgery is kind of a blur. i arrived at the office, an assistant came out and gave me a xanax and then started going over post-op instructions and what drops to take and such. looking back, i wonder why they don't do that BEFORE giving you the drugs. this is why i was soooooo thankful dickens was with me. then i'm pretty sure they did the same tests they did during my last consultation, to double and triple check everything. then the doctor took one more look at my eyes and i did the whole "1 or 2? 3 or 4?" vision check and away i went. i don't remember being nervous, i felt at peace about everything, but that could've been the drugs influence too.
it was time. i took my glasses off for the last time, dickens reassured me everything was going to be fine and away i went. the room was dark and the machines were loud, kind of like a wind tunnel. i laid back and the last thing i said to the doctor was "i sure do have a lot of faith in you right now." i'm sure he could sense the anxiety i was having and he replied with such reassurance, "don't worry, everything's going to be fine. i'm not going to let anything happen to you, i'll treat you like i would my little sister." and then the nurse gave me teddy bear to hold on to. something so simple as a teddy bear in a sterile environment helps sooooooo much. i held that bear so tight. i wouldn't be able to tell you what it looked like, but i was so thankful for that bear.
my right eye was first. he put numbing drops in (or maybe they did that before everything even started, not sure), taped my eyes open, and then began to scrap away my cornea. i didn't feel anything. it looked like a make-up brush was just brushing something off my eye. when everything was ready, i saw a red dot and was instructed to focus on that red dot the best i could. then the laser began. i didn't feel anything. all i heard was a tapping noise, the nurse counting down, and the doctor continually encouraging me, holding my head still. the laser was on my right eye for 55 seconds and on my left eye for 57 seconds. i later was told that the average person only has the laser on their eye for 10 seconds, but because my vision was so bad, it took longer to correct. after the laser, he made sure everything was good, then he put these drops all over my eye that gave me a brain freeze. that was probably the hardest part of the procedure. then he put a protective lens over my eye and did the same thing to the left eye. i was so thankful for his encouragement throughout the whole procedure. he double checked everything before sending me home. i had limited vision but it was a lot better than i thought it would be. he put awesome goggles over my eyes and then told me, or really warned me, "it's going to get worse, before it gets better." but part of me didn't believe him. i felt great and i could see. how could it get worse?
we left the office, went to chick-fil-a and target (i stayed in the car). i called my mom and sister and i guess i had pretty entertaining conversations with both of them (feel free to ask them about it). i got home and SHOULD'VE gone straight to bed, but i still felt great, so i talked with my roommate and played with the dogs and finally took some more meds and went to bed.
then the pain came. i woke up around 11pm in LOTS of pain! and there was nothing i could do. i took more meds, dickens called the doctor to see what he could do to help me and eventually i fell back asleep. i was told before this whole process that my eyes may itch, it may feel like i have an eyelash in them, but it's nothing like that. it felt like there were needles or nails stuck in my eyes. dickens was so patient and helpful. i really couldn't have gone through this procedure without his help and involvement with everything. i remember trying to open my eyes in the morning but it hurt so much and tears would pour out of the them. dickens would have to put drops in my eyes 4 times a day and i would barely open them for him to get the drops in and then try and sleep some more. that first day, i remember counting down the minutes until i could take my meds again, to help me.
the nights got better. i started walking around a little bit, wore sunglasses everywhere and still slept my with my goggles on. i went back to the doctor on friday and he removed the contacts from my eyes and took me off the meds. i still had to be careful and that my recovery would have its ups and downs. i couldn't see well enough to drive and my vision got blurry when he removed the lenses.
saturday i went back to work. looking back, i should've taken that day off, too. it felt too soon and i was miserable all day. the whole first week back to work, i sat a computer and entered shark records. i was thankful for the work, but realized, really quick, i could never do an office job where i entered data all day! soooo long and boring!
my eyes get really dry sometimes so i use lots and lots of drops!! i'm still amazed if i wake up in the middle of the night, i can role over and look at the clock and SEE what time it is!! it's so surreal for me.
i look forward to the next few months, to see how clear my vision will be. the doctor said it could take up to 3 months for me to experience the optimal results.
No comments:
Post a Comment