Update, October 11th, 2009

This is a letter I have sent out to my friends and relatives to update them on my FOURTH left eye detachment. Yes, you read that right: F O U R T H !!!!!
My thoughts were to stop posting on this blog as my prognosis worsened with each detachment but then, realizing such continued problems are so rare, I want those of you who find this to thank your lucky stars thinking, "Phew, at least I'm not as bad off as that guy!"
So if you find yourself here facing your first retinal re-attachment surgery, which is successful in 95+ per cent of all cases, you've got nothing on me baby! You got it easy! (Relatively ... hehehe)
In all seriousness, when your doctor tells you to lie face down for many weeks, do exactly as he prescribes!

Dear All,

Thought I better update you on my stupid eye; stupid has definitely become the best word for it!

Yesterday at 12:15 AM, when I rose to go to the washroom, (it is not an age thing with me, I just decided to go for the heck of it), I sadly discovered I had gone blind in the left eye once again, wiping out the small amount of progress I had attained since my last operation on September 4th. Just this week, I could start making out how many fingers were being held up from across the room.

There is a neat "Good News" aside. I had developed a new eye chart for recovering retinal detachment patients, a chart that detects a re-detachment in its earliest stages, allowing opthamologists to hopefully re-attach the retina with the minimum of invasive surgery. My ophthalmologist has adopted it and is recommending it to his peers. I caught my latest detachment with my own invention! Talk about a paradox!

Incredibly, when I called the hospital, my surgeon was there yesterday morning despite having booked Thanksgiving off. He was the solitary person in the huge Hamilton Region eye clinic. He is that dedicated, having invited in his surgery patients from last week so he could keep a close eye, (catch that pun?), on their early progress. I knew what the prognosis would be and we filled in the surgery permission forms together, a chore he always leaves to his clinicians or secretary. After half a dozen surgeries in less than four months, we've become bosom buddies! He even got tomatoes from the garden.

I cannot begin to describe how incredible he is, always explaining my problem in layman's detail, staying with me until my endless list of questions are answered.

After my second detachment I was candid with him, explaining I had a bad weekend, steeped in a blue funk. He stopped the examination, pulled up a chair, and proceeded to assure me that he was there for the duration, that he would do everything possible to restore sight, at least to some degree. After that chat my mood soared.

I've never had such a compassionate doctor ... well, except for our Grimsby family doctor who always has the same bucket full of empathy .. he has called me at home at night from his house, just to check my eye progress!

Yesterday my ophthalmologist explained the current disaster is a very strong immune system which keeps building up masses of scar tissue behind the retina; re-detaching it. He had seen these masses after the third operation and had in fact forewarned me this re-detachment was a 50/50 possibility four weeks ago. So it did not come as a sudden shock and surprise .... just a big disappointment, of course.

So now, I'm faced with having a radical procedure, to be performed Monday, October 19th, operation #6, (#4 on my left eye), since July 4th. Radical in that he will drain my eyeball and fill it with silicone oil, a substance which should hold my retina down despite scar tissue. They don't like using the silicone due to a variety of possibilities that can subsequently develop, including glaucoma and cornea damage, but the earlier reattachment solutions have proved futile.

There is always an upside ... since there is nothing to be done until then, I'm allowed to move! I went for a slow one KM walk yesterday in the glorious sunshine. It was the first time since June the next door neighbour had even seen me. Exhausted from that stroll, I slept for hours afterward to recover. It is so frustrating to see my body out of shape from being immobilized for almost four months. Just over one year ago I could run for two hours non-stop ... don't know if you were aware, but I was training to do the Boston Marathon in 2011 and had almost reached "game shape".

The Doc promised he would get me up and about to start re-training, but this time for Boston 2012. Crap, maybe I'll just go watch it!!!!

Having had six decades of perfect health except for my Achilles, knee and ankle sports injuries, please know I am not having a Pity Party. In fact, I heard that on Friday a cousin of a good friend was diagnosed with terminal lung and brain cancer. After that news, I really do find this eye problem rather piddling and I WILL be back out soonest doing my roadwork. Look out Boston and all you skinny little Kenyans and Ethiopians!

For all of you who will be attending the gathering in Greenfield Park on Wednesday at 10AM to make a half century wrong right, know I would LOVE to be there among you. At this point, I'd give my left eye just to be there!

Keep your fingers crossed for me on the 19th. I think we've reached rabbit foot time!

Best,

mike