Post-Op Eye Treatment

Three weeks ago next Tuesday I had the surgery on my right eye. All goes well with that and it appears to have healed completely. The vision in that eye is good and way ahead of what it was before the operation.

The only tiresome aspect of the post operative treatments are the eye drops. And how many times a day you have to take them.

There are three different drops -- and to help the patient with vision problems each bottle cap is a different color. It began with taking the white cap drops four times a day; the pink capped one six times a day; the gray one once a day. That's a total of 11 applications daily. After two weeks the total was reduced to 7 per day. Next week it goes down to 5 a day.

For a while it seemed every time I turned around it was time for another eye drop.

Got My Flu Shot

The shot I got today was an "extra strength" flu shot for us elderly folks. Hope it works.

DVT Acting Up

Update --
I'm having a flare again and it's bothering my sleep. I haven't been regularly wearing the compression stocking recently so I will start again.

The leg looks better than it has in ages. The inflamed area is smaller and lighter in color. But the pain can get intense. Off and on. Painkillers help for a while but not for very long.

Eye Checkup, One Week After

The cataract surgery was a week ago yesterday. Today I had a follow up appointment at 10:40 A.M.

Doctor says the eye is progressing well. He has me continuing the three eye drops. Next week I reduce the frequency and I hope that after my next checkup in three weeks I can get off the drops completely. He found a bent eye lash that was irritating and scratching my eye so he removed it. I wasn't really aware of the problem but now it is gone my eye feels much better. I thought the irritation was part of the recovery.

The doctor was unusually prompt and I was out of there in fifteen minutes.

The Day After

Today's appointment was at 7:30 A.M., less than 24 hours after the surgery. The tech took my pressure and gave me a new schedule of eye drops. There's a third one now. It was all written out for me and I was happy about that because one of the drops I take once a day; another, four times a day; and the other, six times a day.

I also got a pair of huge, clunky wrap-around dark glasses. Big enough to wear over my regular glasses. I left my regular glasses with them to have a plain glass lens to replace the prescription lens for my right eye.

At long last the doctor arrived and told me he had done a beautiful job and everything looked great. I asked him when I would be able to drive, expecting a week, and he said, "today," as soon as you want to.

So after lunch, about 27 hours after the surgery, I drove into town and made four stops, including a quick shop at the supermarket. No problems.

I made another chart (this one's an Excel spreadsheet) to keep track of when to take my eye drops. I see the doctor again in one week, and then three weeks later.

The vision in the right eye is much better than it was. Full recovery may take several weeks. My left eye is already good and the right eye will be even better soon so I won't need corrective lenses for driving.

The Cataract Is Gone!

After a quick shower early in the morning I got Jack up, gave him a cup of coffee (no coffee for me) and we left the house at 8:00 A.M. -- no food or drink for me after midnight. We got to the out-patient check in and I was heading for pre-op procedures by 8:40.

Lots of different RNs and Techs poking me with sharp things and squrting stuff in my right eye. And all of them asking me the same questions over and over -- hospital rules -- and for very good reasons I bet.

Just before 10:00 they wheeled me into the OR and got me settled in. A nice touch, although the surgeon needs the patient somewhat conscious during the event, when there are particularly ugly things about to happen they turn up the sedation and you conk out momentarily. So I have no memory of needles in uncomfortable places or eyelid clamps etc. What I remember most were the wild, vivid colors during the entire operation. By 10:40 I was done and they were getting me ready for the recovery room and some water to drink at last.

I knew I needed to see the doctor at 7:30 tomorrow morning. I thought it was to get the bandages removed. But when I was awake and ready to leave they tell me I have a 1:00 P.M. appointment today at the doctor's office. And I still need to see the doctor at 7:30 tomorrow morning.

Today's appointment was to remove the bandages, check my eye pressure and instruct me about eye drops and what not to do today. Also, how and when to use the eye patch/shield they gave me.

At home the rest of the day was spent mostly lying down in a darkened room, listening to the iPod and eating the chicken soup I made yesterday. That was a good idea.

There is very little discomfort. The eye itself has no pain. The eyelids are sore and feel scratchy. And one of the eye drops stings them, a lot. I have two eye drops and take them every hour -- five minutes apart. I have made a chart so I know if and when I took them last.

Pre-medication for the eye surgery

Today I began taking anti-bacterial eye drops four times daily in my cataract eye -- three days before the operation.

The Cardiologist's Opinion

The doctor had all my medical records on his computer. And after looking them over and typing in lots of notes he told me there are no scars on my heart. There was no reason for me to come in. I was reminded of the late Gilda Radner's character, Emily Litella, who always said, "Never mind."

He saw nothing alarming except my usual high cholesterol score, as always. His only advice was -- lose some weight.

There were no signs of an earlier "silent" heart attack either.

Why did the two previous docs send me for extra consideration? He didn't have an answer for that one.