I woke up at 3AM ... it was difficult getting used to sleeping in a sitting position ... and my eye had pretty well swollen shut.The soreness was all but gone ... because the two Tylenol 3's had kicked in.
Thursday, July 9, 2009
My Eye at 3AM, or About Nine Hours After Surgery
I woke up at 3AM ... it was difficult getting used to sleeping in a sitting position ... and my eye had pretty well swollen shut.The soreness was all but gone ... because the two Tylenol 3's had kicked in.
Wednesday, July 8, 2009
Mar's Post Op E-mail to Family and Friends
08 July 09
Hi Everyone,
Apologies off the top for sending a group email in reply to your warm wishes and prayers but it has been a very stressful few days and we need to be back at the hospital to see Dr Martin at 7:45 in the morning (Thursday). We so appreciate your concern and what I have done is copy and pasted the email I sent out to our kids a little while ago (Wed 08 July)
We want to thank you for your wishes and prayers for Mike's surgery today. We were to be there for 5 and Dr Martin ran a little late at his office so got to the hospital later than expected.
Mike went in at 5:37 and was done about 6:10. Hopefully all went well altho looking at him one would think he had run into the back of a truck at 100km/hour.
He was one brave patient as Dr Martin kept asking him if he was ok since it is a pain Mike described as green --blue and white searing light. He said there was no let up and he talked to try to focus away from it. Anyhow he is still in pain but I gave him a tylenol 3 that does not seem to have done much for him yet but hopefully will take the edge off at least.
I dropped him at home and then went to pick up his eyedrops at AJs. He is to take them in his left eye 4x a day BUT Dr Martin wants me to put them in 4x tonight.
Mike is not allowed to go horizontal for 2 weeks and cannot fly for a month (no plans there at least). He is in our room in my lazy boy as he wanted darkness and he can listen/watch tv as a distraction. He can get up and walk around as he feels like doing that but just cannot lie down.
We are to see Dr Martin again at 7:45 tomorrow morning back at St Joe's and we are on the way at least to recovery of his sight hoping everything goes according to schedule.
I hope everyone stays healthy at your end and stay safe. Enough stress for a while at this end.
One thing Mike did say coming home in the car was that he hoped no one had to go thru what he did and we know many people do every day.
In case anyone wants to know more details of the procedure it is pneumatic retinopexy surgery and you can see it online. Perhaps too much info for some I agree.
Take care all and thanks again for your love for Mike
mar
Hi Everyone,
Apologies off the top for sending a group email in reply to your warm wishes and prayers but it has been a very stressful few days and we need to be back at the hospital to see Dr Martin at 7:45 in the morning (Thursday). We so appreciate your concern and what I have done is copy and pasted the email I sent out to our kids a little while ago (Wed 08 July)
We want to thank you for your wishes and prayers for Mike's surgery today. We were to be there for 5 and Dr Martin ran a little late at his office so got to the hospital later than expected.
Mike went in at 5:37 and was done about 6:10. Hopefully all went well altho looking at him one would think he had run into the back of a truck at 100km/hour.
He was one brave patient as Dr Martin kept asking him if he was ok since it is a pain Mike described as green --blue and white searing light. He said there was no let up and he talked to try to focus away from it. Anyhow he is still in pain but I gave him a tylenol 3 that does not seem to have done much for him yet but hopefully will take the edge off at least.
I dropped him at home and then went to pick up his eyedrops at AJs. He is to take them in his left eye 4x a day BUT Dr Martin wants me to put them in 4x tonight.
Mike is not allowed to go horizontal for 2 weeks and cannot fly for a month (no plans there at least). He is in our room in my lazy boy as he wanted darkness and he can listen/watch tv as a distraction. He can get up and walk around as he feels like doing that but just cannot lie down.
We are to see Dr Martin again at 7:45 tomorrow morning back at St Joe's and we are on the way at least to recovery of his sight hoping everything goes according to schedule.
I hope everyone stays healthy at your end and stay safe. Enough stress for a while at this end.
One thing Mike did say coming home in the car was that he hoped no one had to go thru what he did and we know many people do every day.
In case anyone wants to know more details of the procedure it is pneumatic retinopexy surgery and you can see it online. Perhaps too much info for some I agree.
Take care all and thanks again for your love for Mike
mar
The Operation: Pneumatic Retinopexy, Wednesday, July 8th, 2009 ~ 5:37 PM to 6:10 PM
There were two of us in the waiting room at 5PM, the time designated by Doctor Martin ... he was coming to do both of us at St. Joseph's Hospital after he closed his office for the day in Hamilton. I have wondered if he ever goes home!
The other patient was Elizabeth from Stoney Creek. She was a bundle of nerves so Mar and I engaged her in steady conversation, trying to get her mind off of the impending operation.
Her retina had not dislodged as much as mine and her procedure was going to be simpler and easier ... all done by laser. It didn't help me when I heard her groaning out load through the door with the odd muffled scream thrown in ... especially knowing my operation was going to be more invasive!!!!
Within 15 minutes the door opened and Liz came out fast, grabbed her husband and left in a hurray. My turn.
Settling into the "barber chair", Doctor Martin applied an instrument to hold my eye open. It proved to be discomforting, but not painful.
Here is the exact procedure as explained on another website, (LINK):
The other patient was Elizabeth from Stoney Creek. She was a bundle of nerves so Mar and I engaged her in steady conversation, trying to get her mind off of the impending operation.
Her retina had not dislodged as much as mine and her procedure was going to be simpler and easier ... all done by laser. It didn't help me when I heard her groaning out load through the door with the odd muffled scream thrown in ... especially knowing my operation was going to be more invasive!!!!
Within 15 minutes the door opened and Liz came out fast, grabbed her husband and left in a hurray. My turn.
Settling into the "barber chair", Doctor Martin applied an instrument to hold my eye open. It proved to be discomforting, but not painful.
Here is the exact procedure as explained on another website, (LINK):
Pneumatic retinopexy is an effective surgery for certain types of retinal detachments. It uses a bubble of gas to push the retina against the wall of the eye, allowing fluid to be pumped out from beneath the retina. It is usually an outpatient procedure done with local anesthesia.
During pneumatic retinopexy, the eye doctor (ophthalmologist) injects a gas bubble into the middle of the eyeball. Your head is positioned so that the gas bubble floats to the detached area and presses lightly against the detachment. The bubble flattens the retina so that the fluid can be pumped out from beneath it. The eye doctor then uses a freezing probe (cryopexy) or laser beam (photocoagulation) to seal the tear in the retina.
The bubble remains for about a week to help flatten the retina, until a seal forms between the retina and the wall of the eye. The eye gradually absorbs the gas bubble.
During pneumatic retinopexy, the eye doctor (ophthalmologist) injects a gas bubble into the middle of the eyeball. Your head is positioned so that the gas bubble floats to the detached area and presses lightly against the detachment. The bubble flattens the retina so that the fluid can be pumped out from beneath it. The eye doctor then uses a freezing probe (cryopexy) or laser beam (photocoagulation) to seal the tear in the retina.
The bubble remains for about a week to help flatten the retina, until a seal forms between the retina and the wall of the eye. The eye gradually absorbs the gas bubble.
The operation, though quite quick, was very painful. Doctor Martin did say I was a good patient, asking several times if 'that had hurt' and wondering why I was not flinching. I explained I was "compartmentalizing the pain" ... that I had severed my Achilles tendon years ago and that pain had been extreme ... so I was remembering that pain instead, minimizing the current pain on hand. Hey ... whatever works!
BUT TO OTHERS ... I believe two Tylenol 3's should be ingested an hour before this procedure, if allowed by the surgeon!!!! It did hurt enough to warrant them!!
Tuesday, July 7, 2009
Notes: July 7th, 2009
My sight this morning was unchanged: the curtain is blocking about 1/3 of my vision.
Phoned Dr. Shadra's office and rescheduled for Thursday.
Took Mar for her tooth repair early and was home before 10 AM.
All of a sudden I realized my sight was now impaired by 2/3, so called Dr. Glen Mullen's office, our family doctor. His nurse put him through and when I described my symptoms he asked me to come in immediately.
At his office he took me in right away. He took one look and called St. Joseph's, telling them they should see me immediately, not on Thursday as re-scheduled earlier today by myself. He hung up and told me to be there in 20 minutes!
Called Mar on my cell as I left Dr. Mullen's ... told her the urgency ... and she said to pick her up on the way by.
There were at least 30 people in the waiting room at St. Joe's!!!! I had to take a number.
After a couple of hours Marina, a sight technician, called me in for initial testing. Poor Marina. Her day is out to the waiting room to get another patient, test them on an eye chart, check eye pressure, dilate their eyes for a doctor's exam, etc. etc.
When Marina was done and was leading me out of this testing room, back to another waiting room, I decided to spice up her day. I walked into the wall. Boy! Did she panic! I thought she was going to kill me when she realized I had "punked" her.
I was soon being examined by Doctor Harvey, the same surgeon who had fixed Ruth's inturned eyelashes a few years ago. In minutes he was calling a opthamologist, Doctor Jim Martin, telling him I definitely had a detached retina and should be seen immediately.
On leaving, Dr. Harvey assured us that Martin is one of the best in his field.
So off to Wentworth Street South in Hamilton to see Doctor Martin. There were as many people waiting to see him as there had been to see several Doctors at St. Joe's!
Mar and I had some great conversation with several patients as we waited to see Dr. Martin.
I was finally called in to first see another Doctor, an associate of Martin's who did some preliminary tests. He also photographed both eyes before we left ....
Dr. Martin examined me and scheduled me for an operation for 6PM at St. Joseph's tomorrow evening, explaining it was imperative to repair it soonest, before more damage ensued.
He then "mapped" the damage to not only my left eye, but also the right. The right also has two small holes in the retina which require fixing in the near future.
Mapping is quite invasive. He used a metal device which felt like a shoe horn and he went all around the eyeball prying it to maximize his view. It felt like he was taking my eyeballs right out of their sockets!
While mapping he used a very bright light. It flashed extremely bright in my eye, alternating through hot white to very bright and beautiful blues and greens.
Martin explained his procedure all the way through, plus of course fully about detached retinas. For me, his detailed descriptions and narratives helped to relieve the tension and discomfort caused by the "mapping". The result: I have two tears in the retina between 11 and 2 o'clock, (a good position for an operation), plus two holes at the bottom of the retina, or near 6 o'clock.
Phoned Dr. Shadra's office and rescheduled for Thursday.
Took Mar for her tooth repair early and was home before 10 AM.
All of a sudden I realized my sight was now impaired by 2/3, so called Dr. Glen Mullen's office, our family doctor. His nurse put him through and when I described my symptoms he asked me to come in immediately.
At his office he took me in right away. He took one look and called St. Joseph's, telling them they should see me immediately, not on Thursday as re-scheduled earlier today by myself. He hung up and told me to be there in 20 minutes!
Called Mar on my cell as I left Dr. Mullen's ... told her the urgency ... and she said to pick her up on the way by.
-----------------
There were at least 30 people in the waiting room at St. Joe's!!!! I had to take a number.
After a couple of hours Marina, a sight technician, called me in for initial testing. Poor Marina. Her day is out to the waiting room to get another patient, test them on an eye chart, check eye pressure, dilate their eyes for a doctor's exam, etc. etc.
When Marina was done and was leading me out of this testing room, back to another waiting room, I decided to spice up her day. I walked into the wall. Boy! Did she panic! I thought she was going to kill me when she realized I had "punked" her.
----------------
I was soon being examined by Doctor Harvey, the same surgeon who had fixed Ruth's inturned eyelashes a few years ago. In minutes he was calling a opthamologist, Doctor Jim Martin, telling him I definitely had a detached retina and should be seen immediately.
On leaving, Dr. Harvey assured us that Martin is one of the best in his field.
----------------
So off to Wentworth Street South in Hamilton to see Doctor Martin. There were as many people waiting to see him as there had been to see several Doctors at St. Joe's!
Mar and I had some great conversation with several patients as we waited to see Dr. Martin.
I was finally called in to first see another Doctor, an associate of Martin's who did some preliminary tests. He also photographed both eyes before we left ....
Dr. Martin examined me and scheduled me for an operation for 6PM at St. Joseph's tomorrow evening, explaining it was imperative to repair it soonest, before more damage ensued.
He then "mapped" the damage to not only my left eye, but also the right. The right also has two small holes in the retina which require fixing in the near future.
Mapping is quite invasive. He used a metal device which felt like a shoe horn and he went all around the eyeball prying it to maximize his view. It felt like he was taking my eyeballs right out of their sockets!
While mapping he used a very bright light. It flashed extremely bright in my eye, alternating through hot white to very bright and beautiful blues and greens.
Martin explained his procedure all the way through, plus of course fully about detached retinas. For me, his detailed descriptions and narratives helped to relieve the tension and discomfort caused by the "mapping". The result: I have two tears in the retina between 11 and 2 o'clock, (a good position for an operation), plus two holes at the bottom of the retina, or near 6 o'clock.
Monday, July 6, 2009
Notes: Monday, July 6th, 2009
There was no answer at Dr. Peeker's office this morning so I decided to go over to the Emergency at West Lincoln Memorial Hospital.
I was attended to by Dr. Joan. She could not see anything wrong so set an appointment to see Dr. Shadra at St. Joseph's Hospital in Hamilton for Tuesday morning.
Whoops!
Mar reminded me she had a dental operation the next morning so back to Emergency. They called but St Joe's was closed. They gave me the number and told me to simply re-schedule at 8AM tomorrow.
I was attended to by Dr. Joan. She could not see anything wrong so set an appointment to see Dr. Shadra at St. Joseph's Hospital in Hamilton for Tuesday morning.
Whoops!
Mar reminded me she had a dental operation the next morning so back to Emergency. They called but St Joe's was closed. They gave me the number and told me to simply re-schedule at 8AM tomorrow.
--------------------
I estimate I've lost about 1/3 of my sight ... that has been a constant for two days.
Sunday, July 5, 2009
Notes: July 4th to 5th, 2009
On Friday the 3rd and Saturday the 4th I noticed a small, dark, curved black spot across the whole bottom part of my left eye's vision. It very slowly increased until 1/3 of my vision was blocked.
My family doctor, Glen Mullen described it best back to me ... it was like a curtain was slowly being drawn up over my vision.
Unknown to me this was the second symptom that my retina was detaching.
When queried a few days later by Doctor Martin he asked if I had seen an increase in the "floaters" that have been in my vision for a couple of years.
(My optometrist, Dr. Peeker, had explained the early floaters to be the blue pigment in my eye breaking away and floating ... but that they would eventually settle and disappear.)
Dr. Martin's prompting reminded me that there had been a marked increase in these floaters several weeks, maybe months ago. If I had known, I would have detected this as an early sign that my retina was going to detach.
My family doctor, Glen Mullen described it best back to me ... it was like a curtain was slowly being drawn up over my vision.
Unknown to me this was the second symptom that my retina was detaching.
When queried a few days later by Doctor Martin he asked if I had seen an increase in the "floaters" that have been in my vision for a couple of years.
(My optometrist, Dr. Peeker, had explained the early floaters to be the blue pigment in my eye breaking away and floating ... but that they would eventually settle and disappear.)
Dr. Martin's prompting reminded me that there had been a marked increase in these floaters several weeks, maybe months ago. If I had known, I would have detected this as an early sign that my retina was going to detach.
-------------------------
Being the 'long weekend", I decided to be patient and wait for Dr. Peeker's office to open on Monday.
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