Yesterday morning was the post-op check up for my retinal detachment and vitrectomy surgery. A tec ripped off the shield that covered the eye overnight, administered a bank of eye drops, checked the pressure (a bit high), and quickly determined that the vision in that eye still sucked. No surprise, the big bubble of perfluoropropanate is seriously affecting it.
The second eye surgeon called me in, peered in, and declared herself satisfied with the outcome so far. Unlike most of the Drs I encountered in this jeremiad, middle eastern or Asian, she was an American Black woman. She prescribed a fine list of 5 different eye drops and one lotion, to be taken on a complicated and shifting schedule and sent us home with an appointment to be seen again in about 10 days.
I don’t have much pain, just a little in the outside corner of the eye from all the toys the used. The eye is sort of working again and I can see some big things through the bubble. I may be optimistic, but I think I see the big black blob of inactive retina in the right lower corner of my eye receding away from the center of vision which it had engulfed.
I’m still supposed to keep my head down and sleep on my right side for the rest of a week, to keep the bubble pressing the retina against the back of the eye. I can’t use my computer and keep my head down, so I have to use my IPad, which sucks at posting, hence the dearth and quality. According to the internet, the bubble is supposed to be absorbed over the course of 2 months so it will be quite a while before the eye sees whatever will become the new normal. On the bright side, no more floaters in that eye, which was formerly plagued with them.
I found you through your brother Karl, which in turn I found when looking for Ursula "Undress" Andress. He had a nice post about her. I followed the cancer story of his wife. Was happy when she was fine. And then suddenly he was gone from cancer. And "man, dog and gun" is also gone.
ReplyDeleteI appreciate your balanced perspective and your dry humour. "Embrace the healing power of 'and'". Exactly. I don't know how many readers from Germany you see in your stats, one of them is me. I wish you many more days on the beach, and that you have good eyesight to find those teeth. And to write this blog.
Thank you. My brother’s name was Ted,, (Theodore actually), but his son is named Karl. He hosted his own site on his computer at home, I was shocked at how long it stayed up after his death. I miss him; we had a lot of good times together in Oregon.
DeleteI hope you get well soon! My favorite blog and I appreciate all you do. Hopefully you’ll be catching some specs soon
ReplyDeleteThanks, I should be functioning almost normally in a week or so, although this eye won’t be back to whatever the new normal is for a while. The bubble is supposed to last two months.
ReplyDeleteLove your blog. Get well soon and back on the ocean. I fish vicariously through you
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