One Down, One to Go

I’m back from cataract eye surgery #1, with excellent results. Thank you all for many kind comments and words of encouragement. I don't think the positive energy quite "took."

Cataract surgery is a booming business. The organization of these eye surgery clinics is fascinating to me -- I like the idea of the PROCESS. Patients come in one door, get processed, prepped for surgery, surgery is done in minutes, and out they go through another door, with a new lens in the affected eye, a patch over it, and instructions for eye drops, and then 2 more follow appointments. It is truly efficient and miraculous. No one has to wait long in the waiting room - waiting is inefficient!

I was stressed, anxious, fearful, despite many reassuring responses from friends and internet bloggers. The nurses were so helpful, patient, with lots of encouragement and touchy feely hands on, explaining everything they were doing (I think), they helped to keep me calm (well they tried anyway!).
At one point before surgery, I was on a gurney, with IV attached, and felt like taking a nap, so I’m guessing they had sneakily given me some anesthetic through the IV where I couldn't see what they were doing. Next thing I knew, off I went rolling down the hall to “the operating room” ...when I entered that room, what I remember, is "I wanted OUT!" although I was too attached to that gurney with tubes, IV, and blankets (even typing about that room now, gives me a stomach ache!) My husband was planning to watch the procedure through the VIEW window, and he said at that point, they closed his view window, but he saw me thrashing about, kicking, etc. through a gap in the window. Oh my, how embarrassing, but I have no memory of that. Next thing I remember, I woke up with a patch over my eye, sore throat, nurses hovering over me, giving me a drink of water, feeling a bit shaky, but I was done. As information eventually straightened out in my brain, I learned they had intubated me (correct word?) because the anesthesia was not working well enough to keep me calm. So that’s why I had the sore throat.

DH is having a great time at my expense, dropping true or untrue bits of my embarrassing reaction to the anesthesia, but the last straw was when he said I was snoring!!! He'd better straighten up or he won't be allowed to watch eye surgery #2!

The first 24 hours following surgery at home were slightly uncomfortable, with sore throat, some nausea and headache from the anesthesia, and minor discomfort of my scratchy eye. I didn’t sleep much that night, but the next day, after a cup of coffee, I felt well, and off we went for a follow-up appointment, where I apologized to the Dr. He kindly assured me I didn’t swear at him, nor call him bad names while in my agitated state. Jeesh – embarrassing, but he also said he would be prepared for me next time. Apparently, regular anesthesia does not work normally on me. LOL I am wondering if my name might be written on the surgery room wall, warning to the staff, "watch out for Elaine Adair!"

After the first follow-up appointment, (day after surgery) I went to work. My vision has improved greatly in that eye, but of course my glasses aren’t correcting my vision very well at this point. The work I did at my office on Wednesday was a breeze, but when I returned Thursday morning, I saw many, many mistakes. Apparently, I wasn't thinking so clearly.

I don’t know what percentage I fall in, in that my anesthesia administering wasn’t as expected, but they were ‘ready’ for such anomalies. I had definitely slowed up their production line with my antics! LOL

Eye #2 in a few weeks, and while I'm not eager to get is done, I'll be glad to know what to expect. The eye doctro will be really glad to know what to expect also.

(Absolutely NONE of these activities happened to my husband when he had HIS cataract surgeries. His WAS a breeze! )

My mother loves to remind me that when it was time for my routine kid innoculations before going to grade school in the fall, my folks called the VET to administer the shots, as he was used to handling uncooperative animals!