Happy Valentine's Day!
I think my eyes knew what day it was today, because they decided to go rogue and wear a little Valentine's Day Red (if that's not already a crayon color, it should be).
My eyes hurt significantly last night during my last round of drops and even more-so today. They really hurt after I put the steroid drops in. Hopefully I will be done taking those tomorrow after my appointment. Today, I have these awesomely angry red lines on the tops of my eyes (more the right than the left) and they feel SO irritated, but again, can't rub them. They are pissed. Not sure why, because they aren't single on Valentine's Day (thankfully!) ;)
Last night I also had to make friends with Mr. Icepack again (can't leave him hanging), because my eyes felt swollen. It was mainly under my eyes and parts of my upper cheeks. I bet this had something to do with the constant staring at a computer screen while at work. I still feel a little puffy and I'm sure I will need to visit with him again tonight!
Otherwise, vision is pretty great! I am hoping my eyes chill out a little bit today. I'd even settle for a lighter shade of red ;)
Tuesday, February 14, 2012
Monday, February 13, 2012
Successful Weekend
It's been almost a week since my surgery and it has flown by. It's still hard to believe I actually had it done (not because of receiving poor results ... it just seems crazy to me!) I don't really have much to report on from this weekend. My eyes were pretty much the same since the last time I checked in. They've been the driest in the mornings, but helped tremendously with the drop regimen. The red spots are fading away and I can stare at a computer screen for longer periods of time than before (which helps with work). I'm actually pretty much back to normal in that respect. Usually, when it starts to get close to the time I need to take my drops, my eyes start feeling a little scratchy, as if there is something in them, just not as intense as it would be if something was actually in there. Once I put the drops in, I am good to go.
Left eye is still a little foggy, but it could also have something to do with my eyelashes. The medicine drops that I have to take four times a day naturally hit my eyelashes and they've kind of coated them with a film and clumped them together (I hate this). I have tried everything to get them back in order, but, without having the ability to rub or really go anywhere near my eyes, it is virtually impossible to do anything with them. Not being able to wear mascara also prevents me from using a brush to separate them. I can see that there is something on my eyelashes, so I am hoping that is just the reason for the fogginess. I go back for a one-week post-op appointment on Wednesday morning, so I will bring it up there. Dr. D. is aware of it, though, since I called last week about that and other discomforts.
John seemed pretty impressed with my progress and results (and also happy that I still decided to keep him around after truly "seeing" him for the first time, haha). He also didn't run out the door screaming when he saw my sweet eye shields. When we were driving around this past weekend, he would quiz me on what I could see. I could see really well! I still have a little ways to go, but being less than one week out, I am more than pleased. I still have night glares, but again, nothing to complain about. I did notice, however, that I am a little more sensitive to car headlights at night. I am sure that will get better with time. John's Nana asked when I'd be going back to work. I think she was surprised to hear that I'd already been back and only took a day off. After hearing that, and thinking back to how miserable I was on Thursday (two days post-op), I probably should have taken that extra day off. I had a slight feeling that the second day might be a little worse than the first day, and I was right. Ever since then, however, it has been smooth sailing.
John and I drove by the place I had the surgery at and I pointed it out. He was slightly creeped out and said it looked like it used to be a Honey Dew Donuts shop, haha. I think he was expecting more of a "doctor's office" feel. Not a free-standing building amongst a strip mall in downtown Manchester. Good thing they're legitimate! :)
I am looking forward to ditching the eye shields at night and being able to wear makeup again. I've determined that there is no possible way to get comfortable at night when you're wearing bug eyes taped to your face.
I'll be sure to post if anything dramatically changes. If not, I'll update after my appointment on Wednesday morning :)
Left eye is still a little foggy, but it could also have something to do with my eyelashes. The medicine drops that I have to take four times a day naturally hit my eyelashes and they've kind of coated them with a film and clumped them together (I hate this). I have tried everything to get them back in order, but, without having the ability to rub or really go anywhere near my eyes, it is virtually impossible to do anything with them. Not being able to wear mascara also prevents me from using a brush to separate them. I can see that there is something on my eyelashes, so I am hoping that is just the reason for the fogginess. I go back for a one-week post-op appointment on Wednesday morning, so I will bring it up there. Dr. D. is aware of it, though, since I called last week about that and other discomforts.
John seemed pretty impressed with my progress and results (and also happy that I still decided to keep him around after truly "seeing" him for the first time, haha). He also didn't run out the door screaming when he saw my sweet eye shields. When we were driving around this past weekend, he would quiz me on what I could see. I could see really well! I still have a little ways to go, but being less than one week out, I am more than pleased. I still have night glares, but again, nothing to complain about. I did notice, however, that I am a little more sensitive to car headlights at night. I am sure that will get better with time. John's Nana asked when I'd be going back to work. I think she was surprised to hear that I'd already been back and only took a day off. After hearing that, and thinking back to how miserable I was on Thursday (two days post-op), I probably should have taken that extra day off. I had a slight feeling that the second day might be a little worse than the first day, and I was right. Ever since then, however, it has been smooth sailing.
John and I drove by the place I had the surgery at and I pointed it out. He was slightly creeped out and said it looked like it used to be a Honey Dew Donuts shop, haha. I think he was expecting more of a "doctor's office" feel. Not a free-standing building amongst a strip mall in downtown Manchester. Good thing they're legitimate! :)
I am looking forward to ditching the eye shields at night and being able to wear makeup again. I've determined that there is no possible way to get comfortable at night when you're wearing bug eyes taped to your face.
I'll be sure to post if anything dramatically changes. If not, I'll update after my appointment on Wednesday morning :)
Friday, February 10, 2012
Day 3 Post-op - Thank you, Restasis
Today started out much better than yesterday! I only woke up a few times in the middle of the night with a little dry eye, but nothing crazy enough to make me feel the need to put drops in. I am sure this is because of the Restasis drops I was prescribed yesterday.
My eyes are still dry, but I have to keep reminding myself that I had a freaking laser cut through my eyes. Since the surgery happened so quickly, and because I was awake for the entire thing, it's hard to comprehend how serious it actually was and how bad the outcome could have been. It really seemed like a piece of cake. I'd rather have that procedure done 100 more times before I'd ever volunteer to have my wisdom teeth taken out again. Honestly, a paper cut being introduced to hand sanitizer is much more painful and annoying than what I'm experiencing. I joked with my dad the day after the surgery when we were arriving at the post-op appointment. I slammed my knee against his car door while getting out and said that was more painful and uncomfortable than the actual surgery. Who would've thought?
Last night I came home and became best friends with an icepack. That helped me forget about any dryness and wanting to rub my eyes in between drops and helped with any puffiness around my eyes. Thinking about it now, I kind of want to go home and hang out with it again. Sounds like a fun Friday night to me ;)
As far as what I'm experiencing today, I still feel like I have over-worn contacts in my eyes. My eyes must be adjusting to the "full-on air" I wrote about before because I'm not squinting or feeling the need to close my eyes every few minutes today. My left eye is still a little foggy, but really nothing to complain about. I do notice better vision today, though, so that's pretty awesome!
All-in-all everything seems to be going really well. I hope nobody reading this takes any of the negative stuff that I'm writing as complaints. I am just trying to write an honest account of all of the good and the bad for anyone who is really interested in learning about this corrective surgery. The vision I have now and the amazingly positive experiences I've encountered to this point FAR outweigh any of the little annoyances I've experienced along the way. At this point (it's still really early in the process) I can comfortably say I highly recommend this to anyone who is on the fence about it. Being awake is what freaked me out the most (not to mention the whole "corneal flap" thing ... woof) and that was not even close to as scary as I thought it would be. I couldn't have asked for a better experience with the team I went with at Nashua Eye Associates and Lens Doctors.
For now, I'm anxious to go out this weekend and see some friends (that has a whole new meaning now)!
If anything new develops I'll be sure to update. I'm sure John is excited to see me in my new eye shields this weekend! They really are the cutting edge in fashion ;)
Bye for now! :)
***Side note: Showering is "interesting" to say the least. I have to avoid getting any water near my eyes, so I basically have to break my neck when washing my hair and hold a facecloth to my eyes and "blindly" shower ... which is ironic since I have near-perfect vision now ;) Just worth noting!***
My eyes are still dry, but I have to keep reminding myself that I had a freaking laser cut through my eyes. Since the surgery happened so quickly, and because I was awake for the entire thing, it's hard to comprehend how serious it actually was and how bad the outcome could have been. It really seemed like a piece of cake. I'd rather have that procedure done 100 more times before I'd ever volunteer to have my wisdom teeth taken out again. Honestly, a paper cut being introduced to hand sanitizer is much more painful and annoying than what I'm experiencing. I joked with my dad the day after the surgery when we were arriving at the post-op appointment. I slammed my knee against his car door while getting out and said that was more painful and uncomfortable than the actual surgery. Who would've thought?
Last night I came home and became best friends with an icepack. That helped me forget about any dryness and wanting to rub my eyes in between drops and helped with any puffiness around my eyes. Thinking about it now, I kind of want to go home and hang out with it again. Sounds like a fun Friday night to me ;)
As far as what I'm experiencing today, I still feel like I have over-worn contacts in my eyes. My eyes must be adjusting to the "full-on air" I wrote about before because I'm not squinting or feeling the need to close my eyes every few minutes today. My left eye is still a little foggy, but really nothing to complain about. I do notice better vision today, though, so that's pretty awesome!
All-in-all everything seems to be going really well. I hope nobody reading this takes any of the negative stuff that I'm writing as complaints. I am just trying to write an honest account of all of the good and the bad for anyone who is really interested in learning about this corrective surgery. The vision I have now and the amazingly positive experiences I've encountered to this point FAR outweigh any of the little annoyances I've experienced along the way. At this point (it's still really early in the process) I can comfortably say I highly recommend this to anyone who is on the fence about it. Being awake is what freaked me out the most (not to mention the whole "corneal flap" thing ... woof) and that was not even close to as scary as I thought it would be. I couldn't have asked for a better experience with the team I went with at Nashua Eye Associates and Lens Doctors.
For now, I'm anxious to go out this weekend and see some friends (that has a whole new meaning now)!
If anything new develops I'll be sure to update. I'm sure John is excited to see me in my new eye shields this weekend! They really are the cutting edge in fashion ;)
Bye for now! :)
***Side note: Showering is "interesting" to say the least. I have to avoid getting any water near my eyes, so I basically have to break my neck when washing my hair and hold a facecloth to my eyes and "blindly" shower ... which is ironic since I have near-perfect vision now ;) Just worth noting!***
Thursday, February 9, 2012
Itching like the Dickens ... Day 2
Looks like the honeymoon is over ... for now!
I didn't have the best night last night and woke up around 5:00am with some serious dry eyes. Almost crusted over (yum) with "sleepies" and sore, kind of like when you have conjunctivitis. I debated getting up and taking the eye shields off to put drops in. Seriously, the worst part of this whole thing is taking off the damn eye shields because the medical tape holding them onto my face sticks like glue ... ouch!
I got up anyhow, took the shields off, and put in some drops. It stung to the point where I felt slightly nauseous (probably because it made me nervous. I'm a worrywart) and crawled back into bed. Shortly after, my eyes started to ITCH ... and I mean really itch! I wasn't alarmed by this, but I was so annoyed because I couldn't rub them to relieve them. UGH! I couldn't figure out if opening my eyes or closing my eyes felt better. I had to just wait for it to go away. Finally, I fell back to sleep.
Waking up a few hours later was not overly enjoyable. It certainly was not as exciting as waking up the day before! This time, I peeled the shields off again (awesome, as always) and tried to wash the ridiculous amount of shiny adhesive stuff off of my face, all while avoiding my eyes. You really don't realize how often you come in contact with your eyes, or their general vicinity, until you can't go anywhere near them. Also, getting the adhesive off is a pain in the b-u-t-t. I'm still not allowed to wear makeup (foundation at the most, but I'm still a little freaked out to wear any), so I look really awesome stepping out in public. My eyes feel really heavy today and I'm squinting. I'm not squinting as a means to see, though. I think I'm squinting more because my eyes really aren't used to having so much air. It sounds funny, but think about it: I pretty much always wore my contacts, which didn't allow for full airflow access to them. When I took them out I would go straight to bed. When I took them out on occasion and didn't go straight to bed, I would feel what I'm feeling now. It's like air overload, haha.
My vision is a little foggy today, especially in my left eye. I can still see really well, but it feels like I've over worn my contacts and they have a film over them (anyone who has fallen asleep with their contacts in knows this feeling). I have to keep reminding myself that I do not have contacts anymore! I called the doctor only because I was a little nervous with the stinging sensation I felt in my eyes after the Refresh drops. Of all of the drops I have, I was expecting those to feel the best, since there's no real medication tied to them. I was 99% sure what I was experiencing was completely normal, but I decided to call Dr. D. anyhow because he insisted on me calling even if I thought my question was dumb. My suspicions were correct and everything was and is completely normal. However, he is calling a prescription in for me of Restasis for some additional dry eye relief (wohoo!). I'm going to also take the technician's advice and throw the Refresh and Restasis drops in the refrigerator for maximum awesomeness when I plop them in my eyes. I actually can't wait for that!
In other news, I drove for the first time since surgery today! That was pretty cool! I am back to work, but I really can't wait to head home and throw an icepack on my face and just do nothing. My eyes are a little puffy, but overall, everything is still pretty amazing! I looked at my eyes up close today for the first time (I was honestly a little scared to look before) and you really can't even see that I had anything done. It is so stinking cool.
Time for more drops! I'll check in with progress a little later! :)
I didn't have the best night last night and woke up around 5:00am with some serious dry eyes. Almost crusted over (yum) with "sleepies" and sore, kind of like when you have conjunctivitis. I debated getting up and taking the eye shields off to put drops in. Seriously, the worst part of this whole thing is taking off the damn eye shields because the medical tape holding them onto my face sticks like glue ... ouch!
I got up anyhow, took the shields off, and put in some drops. It stung to the point where I felt slightly nauseous (probably because it made me nervous. I'm a worrywart) and crawled back into bed. Shortly after, my eyes started to ITCH ... and I mean really itch! I wasn't alarmed by this, but I was so annoyed because I couldn't rub them to relieve them. UGH! I couldn't figure out if opening my eyes or closing my eyes felt better. I had to just wait for it to go away. Finally, I fell back to sleep.
Waking up a few hours later was not overly enjoyable. It certainly was not as exciting as waking up the day before! This time, I peeled the shields off again (awesome, as always) and tried to wash the ridiculous amount of shiny adhesive stuff off of my face, all while avoiding my eyes. You really don't realize how often you come in contact with your eyes, or their general vicinity, until you can't go anywhere near them. Also, getting the adhesive off is a pain in the b-u-t-t. I'm still not allowed to wear makeup (foundation at the most, but I'm still a little freaked out to wear any), so I look really awesome stepping out in public. My eyes feel really heavy today and I'm squinting. I'm not squinting as a means to see, though. I think I'm squinting more because my eyes really aren't used to having so much air. It sounds funny, but think about it: I pretty much always wore my contacts, which didn't allow for full airflow access to them. When I took them out I would go straight to bed. When I took them out on occasion and didn't go straight to bed, I would feel what I'm feeling now. It's like air overload, haha.
My vision is a little foggy today, especially in my left eye. I can still see really well, but it feels like I've over worn my contacts and they have a film over them (anyone who has fallen asleep with their contacts in knows this feeling). I have to keep reminding myself that I do not have contacts anymore! I called the doctor only because I was a little nervous with the stinging sensation I felt in my eyes after the Refresh drops. Of all of the drops I have, I was expecting those to feel the best, since there's no real medication tied to them. I was 99% sure what I was experiencing was completely normal, but I decided to call Dr. D. anyhow because he insisted on me calling even if I thought my question was dumb. My suspicions were correct and everything was and is completely normal. However, he is calling a prescription in for me of Restasis for some additional dry eye relief (wohoo!). I'm going to also take the technician's advice and throw the Refresh and Restasis drops in the refrigerator for maximum awesomeness when I plop them in my eyes. I actually can't wait for that!
In other news, I drove for the first time since surgery today! That was pretty cool! I am back to work, but I really can't wait to head home and throw an icepack on my face and just do nothing. My eyes are a little puffy, but overall, everything is still pretty amazing! I looked at my eyes up close today for the first time (I was honestly a little scared to look before) and you really can't even see that I had anything done. It is so stinking cool.
Time for more drops! I'll check in with progress a little later! :)
Wednesday, February 8, 2012
"Disgustingly Perfect"
It has been a little over 24 hours since my life-changing LASIK eye surgery and things couldn't be going smoother! It was so exciting to wake up this morning and take a look around. I couldn't stop looking at everything and comparing how I saw before to how I see now. It really was like waking up on Christmas morning.
I really haven't suffered much from discomfort since having the surgery other than a little dry eye feeling (just noticed that within the last couple of hours) which I was used to when wearing contacts, so no biggie there. I have a red dot on the white of my right eye, most likely where the incision flap was made. I've seen pictures of this posted online by post-op patients so I am not concerned about it. I also went to my first post-op appointment today and Dr. D. didn't say anything about it. My dad drove me home tonight and I noticed that traffic lights, headlights and street lights, pretty much all lights seemed to have halos around them. I’ve heard this is typical in recovery so I am not concerned. Honestly, even if I lived with that for the rest of my life, I wouldn't complain.
My one-day post-op appointment went SO well today! I was looking around the office and pointing out to my dad what I couldn't see the last time I was there and what I could see now. He was really impressed. This was the first time in my life where I was excited to be at the eye doctor and even more excited about reading the dreaded chart. I was taken to a machine that I have become oh-so familiar with over the past few weeks that takes pictures and measures the cornea. I'm assuming this would tell Dr. D. if my astigmatism was still present. When I got into an exam room, the technician asked me a few questions and had me read the chart. With both eyes together I could read the BOTTOM line! Separately, with my right eye, I could read the bottom line and with my left eye, I could read part of the bottom line. I got a little discouraged with the left eye, but the technician was very encouraging and said I was doing really well.
Dr. D. came in soon after with one of his assistants who I believe was assisting in the surgery yesterday (again, they all had masks on and I was a little out of it, so I have no idea what they all looked like). He sat down, looked at my chart and couldn't believe what he was seeing. He said, "You must be happy. How are you feeling?" I said, "Ecstatic!" He said, "That's it???! You should be doing a jig with the way you're seeing right now!" I thought “ecstatic” was pretty descriptive myself, but I told him I had already done a jig and we both laughed. He turned to the assistant and asked her if she knew how bad my eyesight was before the surgery and she said, "Ohhhh yeah! I was there!" He then put something in my eyes (I believe to illuminate them briefly) and he looked at them through a light to (I’m assuming) check out the incisions and stepped back with a big grin on his face. He said that everything was great. In fact, he said my eyes were "disgustingly perfect." I couldn't have asked for a better response from him! He told me I had no rippling or waves on my corneal flap (which can happen) and he was extremely happy with the outcome. He also told me that I am ahead of schedule on healing! He said to not hesitate to call with any questions even if I think it's stupid because I've come too far to regress. He also reminded me about how extensive the surgery was that I just had, and to not freak out if my vision goes back and forth during the healing process. The best part? I asked him what my eyesight was at the moment. He was so excited to tell me. Drum roll, please ...... 20/20 in my right eye and 20/25 in my left eye!!! That's right! Less than 30 hours ago I saw 20/300 and 20/200 and now I see 20/20 and 20/25!!!!!!!
Dr. D. congratulated me and told me how great of a patient I was. He appreciated that I followed all of his instructions and went through it wonderfully. I felt really great leaving the office. It certainly was a boost in confidence! Anyone who has poor eyesight knows that visiting the eye doctor is not always the most uplifting of experiences. I always felt a little stupid when I couldn't read the chart without help. It's a little hard to explain. I always knew that not reading a chart well didn't make me a dumb person, but it was frustrating and made me feel pretty down about myself when I couldn't "answer correctly". I mean, who can’t tell the difference of a “C” or an “O”?? I am so happy that everything is moving in the right direction and feeling down at the eye doctor's office is becoming a thing of the past!
I also cannot say enough about how impressed I am with the staff I've been dealing with at Nashua Eye Associates. I feel like I have a different relationship with everyone there now and I couldn't be happier. They made me feel comfortable from the moment I explored this option. Everyone is so professional, caring and supportive. I know I made the best decision for myself by going there!
I have one-week post-op appointment next Wednesday, but of course I will update my progress between now and then. Once again, this was the BEST decision I could have ever made in regards to my eyes!
I really haven't suffered much from discomfort since having the surgery other than a little dry eye feeling (just noticed that within the last couple of hours) which I was used to when wearing contacts, so no biggie there. I have a red dot on the white of my right eye, most likely where the incision flap was made. I've seen pictures of this posted online by post-op patients so I am not concerned about it. I also went to my first post-op appointment today and Dr. D. didn't say anything about it. My dad drove me home tonight and I noticed that traffic lights, headlights and street lights, pretty much all lights seemed to have halos around them. I’ve heard this is typical in recovery so I am not concerned. Honestly, even if I lived with that for the rest of my life, I wouldn't complain.
My one-day post-op appointment went SO well today! I was looking around the office and pointing out to my dad what I couldn't see the last time I was there and what I could see now. He was really impressed. This was the first time in my life where I was excited to be at the eye doctor and even more excited about reading the dreaded chart. I was taken to a machine that I have become oh-so familiar with over the past few weeks that takes pictures and measures the cornea. I'm assuming this would tell Dr. D. if my astigmatism was still present. When I got into an exam room, the technician asked me a few questions and had me read the chart. With both eyes together I could read the BOTTOM line! Separately, with my right eye, I could read the bottom line and with my left eye, I could read part of the bottom line. I got a little discouraged with the left eye, but the technician was very encouraging and said I was doing really well.
Dr. D. came in soon after with one of his assistants who I believe was assisting in the surgery yesterday (again, they all had masks on and I was a little out of it, so I have no idea what they all looked like). He sat down, looked at my chart and couldn't believe what he was seeing. He said, "You must be happy. How are you feeling?" I said, "Ecstatic!" He said, "That's it???! You should be doing a jig with the way you're seeing right now!" I thought “ecstatic” was pretty descriptive myself, but I told him I had already done a jig and we both laughed. He turned to the assistant and asked her if she knew how bad my eyesight was before the surgery and she said, "Ohhhh yeah! I was there!" He then put something in my eyes (I believe to illuminate them briefly) and he looked at them through a light to (I’m assuming) check out the incisions and stepped back with a big grin on his face. He said that everything was great. In fact, he said my eyes were "disgustingly perfect." I couldn't have asked for a better response from him! He told me I had no rippling or waves on my corneal flap (which can happen) and he was extremely happy with the outcome. He also told me that I am ahead of schedule on healing! He said to not hesitate to call with any questions even if I think it's stupid because I've come too far to regress. He also reminded me about how extensive the surgery was that I just had, and to not freak out if my vision goes back and forth during the healing process. The best part? I asked him what my eyesight was at the moment. He was so excited to tell me. Drum roll, please ...... 20/20 in my right eye and 20/25 in my left eye!!! That's right! Less than 30 hours ago I saw 20/300 and 20/200 and now I see 20/20 and 20/25!!!!!!!
Dr. D. congratulated me and told me how great of a patient I was. He appreciated that I followed all of his instructions and went through it wonderfully. I felt really great leaving the office. It certainly was a boost in confidence! Anyone who has poor eyesight knows that visiting the eye doctor is not always the most uplifting of experiences. I always felt a little stupid when I couldn't read the chart without help. It's a little hard to explain. I always knew that not reading a chart well didn't make me a dumb person, but it was frustrating and made me feel pretty down about myself when I couldn't "answer correctly". I mean, who can’t tell the difference of a “C” or an “O”?? I am so happy that everything is moving in the right direction and feeling down at the eye doctor's office is becoming a thing of the past!
I also cannot say enough about how impressed I am with the staff I've been dealing with at Nashua Eye Associates. I feel like I have a different relationship with everyone there now and I couldn't be happier. They made me feel comfortable from the moment I explored this option. Everyone is so professional, caring and supportive. I know I made the best decision for myself by going there!
I have one-week post-op appointment next Wednesday, but of course I will update my progress between now and then. Once again, this was the BEST decision I could have ever made in regards to my eyes!
Eye Survived! (... get it??)
It's all over and Eye survived! ;)
The experience was better than I had hoped. There was no pain, a slight feeling of being uncomfortable (I'll get to that) and laughs all around. Everyone loved me there because I kept cracking jokes (slight nerves + excitement + Valium = I'm hysterical, apparently! Or, I *think* I'm hysterical!)
I got home from work around 2:15pm and met my mom who just got there herself. I was nervous with a capital "N." I couldn't wait to take the Valium but had to wait a bit. I was stressing. The time came to head out which meant I could take the pill ... phew! The place, Lens Doctors, was a 10-minute ride from my apartment so that was great. We rolled in around 3:10 and checked in, but not before taking a quick photo outside of me wearing my glasses for the LAST time! I was excited, but it was a little bittersweet. I know it sounds strange, but it was kind of weird to realize that I wouldn't see the way I've seen for my entire life in just a few minutes. Even though I was letting go of something negative, it was still something I had known all of my life ... it was kind of emotional!
While we were waiting in the lobby (and as I was freaking out), there was an elderly man sitting across from us who was very nice, but kept mumbling. It was making me (mom, too!) very nervous, haha. Luckily the Valium kicked in right in time and I was good to go! I think I said "I love Valium" 100 times during the course of this procedure. They all probably think I'm an addict.
I was taken over to a little desk and spoke with a really nice woman who went over all of my post-op care instructions. She also gave me a little backpack to keep everything in. I went back to sit with my mom for a bit and then got called into a room for a few moments before being led to a machine to measure my cornea one last time. I could hear someone else in the other room being treated and the woman explained to me what I was hearing (the laser warming up). My measurements were "perfect" according to her and I was led back into the room I came from originally. This time, I was given a b-e-a-utiful hairnet, a few eye drops and some lovely "makeup" to sterilize around my eyes. Dr. D. came in and told me he was "raring to go" for me and went over the procedure with me and what to expect. This was really helpful and comforting to hear. Also, I was so relaxed at this point that he could have told me he was draining out my life savings and I would have been okay with that!
I was brought into the operating room and put on a table/bed. I was given a pillow to go under my legs and chatted with the team for a bit. They were incredibly nice and I had a lot of fun with them. From what I can remember, there were probably 5 or so people in the room all wearing lovely surgical gear so I have no idea what they look like, haha. I was offered another pillow to hold on to but I opted to just hold on to the sides of the bed for dear life :)
***This is where things might get a little descriptive, so if you have a weak stomach :::cough, cough, John::: you might want to bypass this***
There were two locations I needed to be at during the surgery, one to create the flap in my cornea and one for the actual laser correction. The bed moved me to each spot which was awesome. They did one eye at a time. First, they covered my left eye with a shield. Then, I was given some numbing drops. Afterwards, they used something to kind of tape my eyelashes back and then put a suction cup-type thing around my right eye. This was the part that was the most uncomfortable because I felt pressure. It felt like something was hugging my eye and pushing on it. I can only imagine what it looked like, haha! At that point the bed moved me over to the machine that makes the incision. My vision at this point went pretty fuzzy (fine by me!) and also went a little black. This only took a few seconds but I was told to not move and not talk. Afterwards, I was moved back over to the spot where the actual laser correction would take place. I heard Dr. D. say it was a perfect incision, to which I replied, "That’s what I like to hear" (I could talk at this point), and made everyone laugh a bit. I was told that what I already went through was the worst of it and I couldn't believe it. It was SO easy! Dr. D. then used some tools to peel the flap back (I actually can't remember if this was done before or after the bed moved). This was probably the part I disliked the most because although I couldn't feel a thing, I knew what he was doing. I knew when he was done with that because my vision got funky. It was so strange. I then had the laser correction. I was told I would hear the laser warming up (like I had been told earlier) so I wouldn't be startled. The machine was moved over my face and I was told to look into the green light and BAM! The correction began. I could hear a woman saying "25%, 50%, 75%, 100%" and it was done. The team coached me through the entire thing. It was like having my own personal cheerleaders! I could smell a burning electrical smell which I was told was the smell of the machine, but, let's face it, my eye was basically frying under a laser. I expected the smell to be horrible, but it wasn't anything. Dr. D. then used some tools to smooth my corneal flap back to where it needed to be and took all the things holding my eye in place together, out. As they took the stuff out on my right eye, I had a quick glimpse of the machine and I could actually see it. I had a moment of "cool!" before they put a shield on. The shield covering my left eye was then moved to my right eye and the same thing was repeated on the left eye. After the right eye was done, Dr. D. said how perfectly it had turned out. He said, "You know how some people are just made for certain procedures? You were made for this." That made me feel really great.
The procedure was done before I knew it and they took everything off of my left eye and helped me up from the bed. They asked how I felt and I told them the Patriots' Super Bowl loss was worse than the procedure. They all laughed and agreed. I was led into the post-op room where the woman who helped me in the beginning came in to see how I was. My mom met me inside and Dr. D. came in as well to take a look at the incision. He said everything was great and he'd see me the next day at 2:10pm for my post-op appointment. I told him I could cry because I was so happy and after laughing, he told me not to because I would "float my flap", um, ew. I opted for smiling! I was given some more numbing drops, had lovely eye-shields and sunglasses put on, took a departing photo and went on my merry way!
All-in-all I was at Lens Doctors for maybe an hour and a half, in the operating room for 25 minutes and the actual laser correction was 25-seconds each eye. I had to be worked on a little more than usual because my astigmatism was "unique", haha ... aka horrible.
I called John and told him not to worry, only one of my eyeballs fell out.
Soon after, my eyes were feeling scratchy and as if I stared at the sun for a bit. They almost felt sunburned, or as if I had worn my contacts for days without rewetting drops (which I used to do, once upon a time ... shhh!), but nothing terrible. I could see, but it was a little foggy. We had to run back to my place to get Remmie and I bumped into one of my neighbors. The best part? She didn't even question why I was wearing these ridiculous shields and sunglasses over my eyes. I told her why I was looking ridiculous, but I don't think she would have asked or even really thought anything was out of the ordinary. Good to know my neighbors think I'm a whack job!
I headed to my mom and dad's and just lounged on the couch for the night. I was told to try to sleep, but that was not going to happen. Oh well! At that point I hardly felt any discomfort. Best decision of my life. Enjoy the photos we took to document the experience!
The experience was better than I had hoped. There was no pain, a slight feeling of being uncomfortable (I'll get to that) and laughs all around. Everyone loved me there because I kept cracking jokes (slight nerves + excitement + Valium = I'm hysterical, apparently! Or, I *think* I'm hysterical!)
I got home from work around 2:15pm and met my mom who just got there herself. I was nervous with a capital "N." I couldn't wait to take the Valium but had to wait a bit. I was stressing. The time came to head out which meant I could take the pill ... phew! The place, Lens Doctors, was a 10-minute ride from my apartment so that was great. We rolled in around 3:10 and checked in, but not before taking a quick photo outside of me wearing my glasses for the LAST time! I was excited, but it was a little bittersweet. I know it sounds strange, but it was kind of weird to realize that I wouldn't see the way I've seen for my entire life in just a few minutes. Even though I was letting go of something negative, it was still something I had known all of my life ... it was kind of emotional!
While we were waiting in the lobby (and as I was freaking out), there was an elderly man sitting across from us who was very nice, but kept mumbling. It was making me (mom, too!) very nervous, haha. Luckily the Valium kicked in right in time and I was good to go! I think I said "I love Valium" 100 times during the course of this procedure. They all probably think I'm an addict.
I was taken over to a little desk and spoke with a really nice woman who went over all of my post-op care instructions. She also gave me a little backpack to keep everything in. I went back to sit with my mom for a bit and then got called into a room for a few moments before being led to a machine to measure my cornea one last time. I could hear someone else in the other room being treated and the woman explained to me what I was hearing (the laser warming up). My measurements were "perfect" according to her and I was led back into the room I came from originally. This time, I was given a b-e-a-utiful hairnet, a few eye drops and some lovely "makeup" to sterilize around my eyes. Dr. D. came in and told me he was "raring to go" for me and went over the procedure with me and what to expect. This was really helpful and comforting to hear. Also, I was so relaxed at this point that he could have told me he was draining out my life savings and I would have been okay with that!
I was brought into the operating room and put on a table/bed. I was given a pillow to go under my legs and chatted with the team for a bit. They were incredibly nice and I had a lot of fun with them. From what I can remember, there were probably 5 or so people in the room all wearing lovely surgical gear so I have no idea what they look like, haha. I was offered another pillow to hold on to but I opted to just hold on to the sides of the bed for dear life :)
***This is where things might get a little descriptive, so if you have a weak stomach :::cough, cough, John::: you might want to bypass this***
There were two locations I needed to be at during the surgery, one to create the flap in my cornea and one for the actual laser correction. The bed moved me to each spot which was awesome. They did one eye at a time. First, they covered my left eye with a shield. Then, I was given some numbing drops. Afterwards, they used something to kind of tape my eyelashes back and then put a suction cup-type thing around my right eye. This was the part that was the most uncomfortable because I felt pressure. It felt like something was hugging my eye and pushing on it. I can only imagine what it looked like, haha! At that point the bed moved me over to the machine that makes the incision. My vision at this point went pretty fuzzy (fine by me!) and also went a little black. This only took a few seconds but I was told to not move and not talk. Afterwards, I was moved back over to the spot where the actual laser correction would take place. I heard Dr. D. say it was a perfect incision, to which I replied, "That’s what I like to hear" (I could talk at this point), and made everyone laugh a bit. I was told that what I already went through was the worst of it and I couldn't believe it. It was SO easy! Dr. D. then used some tools to peel the flap back (I actually can't remember if this was done before or after the bed moved). This was probably the part I disliked the most because although I couldn't feel a thing, I knew what he was doing. I knew when he was done with that because my vision got funky. It was so strange. I then had the laser correction. I was told I would hear the laser warming up (like I had been told earlier) so I wouldn't be startled. The machine was moved over my face and I was told to look into the green light and BAM! The correction began. I could hear a woman saying "25%, 50%, 75%, 100%" and it was done. The team coached me through the entire thing. It was like having my own personal cheerleaders! I could smell a burning electrical smell which I was told was the smell of the machine, but, let's face it, my eye was basically frying under a laser. I expected the smell to be horrible, but it wasn't anything. Dr. D. then used some tools to smooth my corneal flap back to where it needed to be and took all the things holding my eye in place together, out. As they took the stuff out on my right eye, I had a quick glimpse of the machine and I could actually see it. I had a moment of "cool!" before they put a shield on. The shield covering my left eye was then moved to my right eye and the same thing was repeated on the left eye. After the right eye was done, Dr. D. said how perfectly it had turned out. He said, "You know how some people are just made for certain procedures? You were made for this." That made me feel really great.
The procedure was done before I knew it and they took everything off of my left eye and helped me up from the bed. They asked how I felt and I told them the Patriots' Super Bowl loss was worse than the procedure. They all laughed and agreed. I was led into the post-op room where the woman who helped me in the beginning came in to see how I was. My mom met me inside and Dr. D. came in as well to take a look at the incision. He said everything was great and he'd see me the next day at 2:10pm for my post-op appointment. I told him I could cry because I was so happy and after laughing, he told me not to because I would "float my flap", um, ew. I opted for smiling! I was given some more numbing drops, had lovely eye-shields and sunglasses put on, took a departing photo and went on my merry way!
All-in-all I was at Lens Doctors for maybe an hour and a half, in the operating room for 25 minutes and the actual laser correction was 25-seconds each eye. I had to be worked on a little more than usual because my astigmatism was "unique", haha ... aka horrible.
I called John and told him not to worry, only one of my eyeballs fell out.
Soon after, my eyes were feeling scratchy and as if I stared at the sun for a bit. They almost felt sunburned, or as if I had worn my contacts for days without rewetting drops (which I used to do, once upon a time ... shhh!), but nothing terrible. I could see, but it was a little foggy. We had to run back to my place to get Remmie and I bumped into one of my neighbors. The best part? She didn't even question why I was wearing these ridiculous shields and sunglasses over my eyes. I told her why I was looking ridiculous, but I don't think she would have asked or even really thought anything was out of the ordinary. Good to know my neighbors think I'm a whack job!
I headed to my mom and dad's and just lounged on the couch for the night. I was told to try to sleep, but that was not going to happen. Oh well! At that point I hardly felt any discomfort. Best decision of my life. Enjoy the photos we took to document the experience!
 |
| The LAST time I will be wearing these glasses! |
 |
| Loving my sweet makeup |
 |
| Thumbs up and ready to go! |
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| My bff for the day. Looking snazzy with my new eye shields after the surgery. |
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| ALL DONE! WOHOO! |
Tuesday, February 7, 2012
Today is THE Day!
So, this is it! Today is THE day! :D
Surprisingly I am not overly nervous or anxious. I'm waiting for my typical anxiety to kick in (I'm slightly freaked out that I'm not totally losing it yet). I am definitely a little more nervous today than yesterday, though. I got a really good amount of sleep last night and packed everything up (including laundry, haha. Not missing out on this opportunity!) I'll be sure to give me eyes a good rub since I can't do that for a little while as they heal, haha.
Last night, I picked up my prescriptions and as I was leaving the pharmacy I just happened to walk down the eye care aisle. I stood there for a minute realizing that I won't need to use 99% of the products for many, many years. Pretty neat!
John called later on and I gave him the rundown on the procedure since he can't be here for it. I had to leave out the details since he hates anything that has to do with eyes. I used to freak him out by touching my eyes when I'd have my contacts in. He couldn't stand it; I loved it, haha. We started to joke and come up with weird scenarios on what could happen (nothing serious ... all completely ridiculous and funny). What if my eyes completely changed color? What if I could finally see what he looked like and I wasn't a fan? What if I suddenly stop liking football and the occasional beer and opted for the ballet and only fine wine? He decided he needed to start shaving more because the jig was up. We had a good laugh and I think it calmed both of our nerves. I'll probably have my mom call him later and tell him my eyes fell out ;)
Send some positive eye vibes today around 3:40pm when I am set to go under the laser. Hopefully it is done before I even have time to think about it. My friend Marina made me laugh yesterday when she asked, "How long after until you can 'see'?" I said, "Apparently I can go back to work the next day!" She responded with, "Oh wow, that fast! So you just open your eyes and ta-da?" Haha, I think I am going to make the surgeon say that when he's done :)
Bye for now! :D
Surprisingly I am not overly nervous or anxious. I'm waiting for my typical anxiety to kick in (I'm slightly freaked out that I'm not totally losing it yet). I am definitely a little more nervous today than yesterday, though. I got a really good amount of sleep last night and packed everything up (including laundry, haha. Not missing out on this opportunity!) I'll be sure to give me eyes a good rub since I can't do that for a little while as they heal, haha.
Last night, I picked up my prescriptions and as I was leaving the pharmacy I just happened to walk down the eye care aisle. I stood there for a minute realizing that I won't need to use 99% of the products for many, many years. Pretty neat!
John called later on and I gave him the rundown on the procedure since he can't be here for it. I had to leave out the details since he hates anything that has to do with eyes. I used to freak him out by touching my eyes when I'd have my contacts in. He couldn't stand it; I loved it, haha. We started to joke and come up with weird scenarios on what could happen (nothing serious ... all completely ridiculous and funny). What if my eyes completely changed color? What if I could finally see what he looked like and I wasn't a fan? What if I suddenly stop liking football and the occasional beer and opted for the ballet and only fine wine? He decided he needed to start shaving more because the jig was up. We had a good laugh and I think it calmed both of our nerves. I'll probably have my mom call him later and tell him my eyes fell out ;)
Send some positive eye vibes today around 3:40pm when I am set to go under the laser. Hopefully it is done before I even have time to think about it. My friend Marina made me laugh yesterday when she asked, "How long after until you can 'see'?" I said, "Apparently I can go back to work the next day!" She responded with, "Oh wow, that fast! So you just open your eyes and ta-da?" Haha, I think I am going to make the surgeon say that when he's done :)
Bye for now! :D
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