About an hour into my shift, my coworker CF noticed I kept staring at the ceiling, letting my eyes rest. She alerted our boss and I was sent home, with orders to call the doctor.
I received a call back from the doctor's office just as I arrived home, with instructions to stop on in as soon as possible. Thanks to Apple's new Map feature, a 10 minute journey ended up taking me the better part of an hour, as Maps mistook Ellstree for E Lane Street, and I ended up in the bad part of town.
While I was driving, my right eye went from "eh, sore and tolerable" to "gonna pop out any second now." So it was a fun drive, being lost, in pain and panicking because I was lost.
Since the office staff and DK were so good to me, I made them a basket of goodies decorated Halloween-style to say thank you.
I found the basket at World Market, and the ribbon and bow at A.C. Moore. Inside, I put some pumpkin crunch popcorn, two types of crackers, three chocolate bars, candy corn, tequila salsa, three berry preserves, garlic & herb cheese wedges, chocolate-covered jelly beans and a bag of chocolate eyeballs (get it?).
They absolutely loved it!
When my right eye was checked out, we found the pressure had skyrocketed - up to 53 (normal is between 10 and 20). A couple round of drops were put in, along with the dreaded pills that make you, er, extremely dehydrated. After about an hour and a half, DK had come back from surgery and the pressure in my eye was down to normal.
We talked for a bit, and decided that the next course of action was the laser procedure again - the one that made me empty my stomach and pass out. Of course, I started panicking immediately, and asked if I could take leave for an hour, I needed to eat and wanted the Boyfriend Unit there with me. He said of course, and off I went into the rainy unknown.
The Boyfriend met me at Applebee's, and after a well-deserved Coke and spicy boneless chicken wings, we went back to DK's office. All three of us started discussing options, and we eventually made the decision to do surgery on my right eye - same as last time, opening up some drainage holes to permanently reduce the pressure.
Rant Time
DK said he wished he had done it on Friday, when I was already put under, but the Boyfriend brought up a good point - why operate on an eye that was behaving normally? It only increases the risk of infection.
A few comments have been mentioned to me that it's an easy surgery, that DK is trying to fix his original mistake, cover his ass, etc., but that is simply not the case. A very small percentage of those who receive ICLs have complications, and I just happened to be one of them; there was no mistake by DK or his staff.
The ICL surgery is different than LASIK -- sedation is administered, my eyes were surgically cut into, the ICLs were implanted and allowed to unfold and then the drainage holes were put in (an iridectomy, actually). There's risk with every surgical procedure; you're just as likely to get an eye infection from LASIK or even a simple eye exam.
A very complicated procedure, actually, if you factor in the fact that one small mistake can permanently blind someone; it's not as simple as removing an ingrown toenail or a loose tooth.
End Rant
Tomorrow's surgery is scheduled for noon, though I have to be at the surgery center at 10 a.m. No food or drink after midnight tonight, which means I'll probably be a bit cranky tomorrow.
If you take anything from this, please let it be this bit of advice - your eyes are one of the most important organs you have. Without your vision, you cannot drive, see the sunset or the sleepy look on your lover's face. Go in for yearly checkups, and for Shiny Unicorn's sake, if you're prescribed corrective lens, please wear them, if not for your own safety, then for the safety of everyone else around you.
And make sure you find a doctor you trust, a doctor who goes above and beyond the usual "let's see if you're still 20/20." It's certainly worth the extra cost, believe me.
No comments:
Post a Comment