St. Joseph's Hospital
King Street Campus, Stoney Creek
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My next scheduled appointment with Dr. Chaudhary was for 10:00 AM this morning and my operation is still tentatively scheduled for Thursday.
Before seeing Dr. Chaudhary, some preliminary exams and note-taking were done first by Marina the Clinician and then by Dr. Sharda, the resident opthamologist. Then on to see “The Big Boss” ….
At Sunday’s pre operation chat, Dr. Chaudhary had explained that I have to fast, solids and liquids included, from Wednesday at midnight.
So the very first thing, when Chaudhary asked how I was doing, and if I had any more questions and concerns, I explained how starved I was since I had been fasting since midnight for this appointment, as per his instructions.
He turned towards me and gave me a brand new look, a look of inquisition lying somewhere between ‘are you that dumb?’ or ‘are you pulling my leg?’ When he realized he wasn’t dealing with a deck of cards short of an ace he had a good laugh.
In fact I had two concerns, one for each eye. My left eye had gone completely blind the day before. Marina the clinician had just shone a very bright light into it and I had seen the barest of a flicker. Telling him my guess would be now 99.9% blind, I explained my layman’s fear that perhaps the retina had become completely torn, dislodged and irreparable. Thankfully, even before he looked under the microscope he assured me that it would remain attached at the base, towards the lens, and that the operation had not become more critical due to this advanced state of blindness.
My second concern was the increased number of floaters in my right eye, (as in the one and only good one I currently have). He confirmed my suspicion that these were the result of Saturday’s laser treatment and not a sign of a second retinal detachment. PHEW!!!
So all the worries I had harboured over the last two days were quickly negated by his explanations.
He took me over to a secretary who gave me the necessary forms I have to complete and take tomorrow morning to the Pre-Op department at downtown St. Joseph’s, the site of Thursday’s operation, (because St. Joseph’s, Stoney Creek is on a summer vacation schedule).
So much paperwork for Thursday’s operation! They want all my medical history!
Again! Why don’t they have a central computer system … it’s all over the province now … at my family doctor’s, plus the West Lincoln Memorial Hospital, (my annual examinations) and again at the St. Catharine’s General, (my ruptured Achilles tendon).
Also, I am beginning to wonder if they really do read all the forms? Perhaps under the listing of past medical history I should slip in that I once had a fallopian tube pregnancy, just to make sure they are on their toes….
Before seeing Dr. Chaudhary, some preliminary exams and note-taking were done first by Marina the Clinician and then by Dr. Sharda, the resident opthamologist. Then on to see “The Big Boss” ….
At Sunday’s pre operation chat, Dr. Chaudhary had explained that I have to fast, solids and liquids included, from Wednesday at midnight.
So the very first thing, when Chaudhary asked how I was doing, and if I had any more questions and concerns, I explained how starved I was since I had been fasting since midnight for this appointment, as per his instructions.
He turned towards me and gave me a brand new look, a look of inquisition lying somewhere between ‘are you that dumb?’ or ‘are you pulling my leg?’ When he realized he wasn’t dealing with a deck of cards short of an ace he had a good laugh.
In fact I had two concerns, one for each eye. My left eye had gone completely blind the day before. Marina the clinician had just shone a very bright light into it and I had seen the barest of a flicker. Telling him my guess would be now 99.9% blind, I explained my layman’s fear that perhaps the retina had become completely torn, dislodged and irreparable. Thankfully, even before he looked under the microscope he assured me that it would remain attached at the base, towards the lens, and that the operation had not become more critical due to this advanced state of blindness.
My second concern was the increased number of floaters in my right eye, (as in the one and only good one I currently have). He confirmed my suspicion that these were the result of Saturday’s laser treatment and not a sign of a second retinal detachment. PHEW!!!
So all the worries I had harboured over the last two days were quickly negated by his explanations.
He took me over to a secretary who gave me the necessary forms I have to complete and take tomorrow morning to the Pre-Op department at downtown St. Joseph’s, the site of Thursday’s operation, (because St. Joseph’s, Stoney Creek is on a summer vacation schedule).
So much paperwork for Thursday’s operation! They want all my medical history!
Again! Why don’t they have a central computer system … it’s all over the province now … at my family doctor’s, plus the West Lincoln Memorial Hospital, (my annual examinations) and again at the St. Catharine’s General, (my ruptured Achilles tendon).
Also, I am beginning to wonder if they really do read all the forms? Perhaps under the listing of past medical history I should slip in that I once had a fallopian tube pregnancy, just to make sure they are on their toes….
