I have been waiting for my next appointment date, which should be 5th February, to arrive in the post and today the usual letter with NHS postmark arrived. Excellent, so I open it up to find that my next appointment is.........22nd April!!!!!
There is obviously some mistake so I phone the number in the letter and sit in the queue for half hour. A very nice lady answers and I tell her what has happened but she informs me that she cant do anything and I need to phone another number. 2 1/2 hours of ringing this number every 15 mins and eventually I get an answer but its the wrong department! She transfers me to Mr De Cock's secretary who again is very nice and says she will speak to the department I had spoken to 3 hours ago and get it sorted. I still don't know my appointment time or date but I am past caring today.
Apart from that the eye is good just dry and a bit annoying still and the sight is fuzzy but I do think it is improving slightly. I am going to go and meet Tim in the pub when he finishes work as to top off my day I also have a man outside my home with a pneumatic drill that hasn't stopped since 9am! Argh!!!!!
Wednesday 28 January 2009
Tuesday 27 January 2009
Reality Check from Occupational Health
I have just got back from my meeting with the Occupational Health Nurse at work and after a lengthy conversation she has said I am not allowed back to work for another two weeks :(
I am gutted but can see her point as I arrived at work feeling really sick from the bus journey, I was squinting the whole time because my eye is so photosensitive, and basically shouldn't have been there! Her view is that I need to take it easy for another couple of weeks and then she will have a review with me. So I am again sitting watching daytime TV and going slowly mad :)
It is so sunny today I have lived in my dark glasses and again have worn them around Morrisons! The eye is uncomfortable and has been painful today but is easing now I am at home with the curtains drawn. Hopefully my brother may fly back from Dubai next week so at least I will have some company for a few days!
I might dig out my Learn French Cd's and give that a go!
I am gutted but can see her point as I arrived at work feeling really sick from the bus journey, I was squinting the whole time because my eye is so photosensitive, and basically shouldn't have been there! Her view is that I need to take it easy for another couple of weeks and then she will have a review with me. So I am again sitting watching daytime TV and going slowly mad :)
It is so sunny today I have lived in my dark glasses and again have worn them around Morrisons! The eye is uncomfortable and has been painful today but is easing now I am at home with the curtains drawn. Hopefully my brother may fly back from Dubai next week so at least I will have some company for a few days!
I might dig out my Learn French Cd's and give that a go!
Monday 26 January 2009
My Massive Pupil
My left eye is looking very dilated. Have just come back from the Doctors and he has checked my retina and pressure and all is normal but he thinks I might be overdoing things so I am under orders to take it very easy still. I am allowed to see Occ Health at work tomorrow but if I am not happy he will sign me off work for another week. I think I shall just take it as it comes. This photo makes my nose look huge! It is NOT that big normally, it just my wonderful self photography!
I walked to my surgery (about half hour) and felt what can only be described as motion sick. I was nauseous and dizzy. Spoke to Doc about it and he says it is quite normal after graft and to take it slowly when walking. It was a horrible feeling though so took the walk home much slower.
Sunday 25 January 2009
Slow progress!
Have not updated the last couple of days as no change really apart from the fact that I am seeing stars from the grafted eye all the time and from looking at Internet this can be because of heightened pressure so am going to see my GP tomorrow to get it checked out. The drops I am using can cause this and could lead to glaucoma so think I should.
I have managed to wash my hair in shower (thanks Johnny!) and apart from that have had a very dull weekend. My best friend came to visit for the afternoon today though and cheered me up no end with her stories. I am also having really bad sleep but I am sure it is because a) the eye is really itchy and annoying at night and b) I am not doing much apart from my hour walk each day.
I will see what my doc has to say tomorrow
I have managed to wash my hair in shower (thanks Johnny!) and apart from that have had a very dull weekend. My best friend came to visit for the afternoon today though and cheered me up no end with her stories. I am also having really bad sleep but I am sure it is because a) the eye is really itchy and annoying at night and b) I am not doing much apart from my hour walk each day.
I will see what my doc has to say tomorrow
Thursday 22 January 2009
2 weeks on
Today is two weeks since the Op and I have been to work to visit everyone and see about coming back next week. The University are being excellent and very supportive but will not let me back until the Occupational Health Nurse has assessed me so I have an appointment with her Tuesday at 10.30.
Everyone has had a good look at my eye and I have had a good catch up but after an hour my eye was sore and watering a lot. I hope I am not rushing things but I don't think I can do another week at home. My eyesight is still about the same, blurry, just wish I could wish my hair in the shower!
Everyone has had a good look at my eye and I have had a good catch up but after an hour my eye was sore and watering a lot. I hope I am not rushing things but I don't think I can do another week at home. My eyesight is still about the same, blurry, just wish I could wish my hair in the shower!
Wednesday 21 January 2009
Grafted eye 13 days on
This is my eye 13 days on. It is looking really good, all the redeye is gone. The stitches are not visible to human eye but in some lights you can see the transplant as a circle. I will see if Tim can get a better pic!
I can see fingers!
Tim woke me as usual with a coffee (best hubby in the World) and I took off my eye shield as normal and he looked the most in focus I have ever seen him! He was able to hold his fingers at arms length and I could see them. It is very fuzzy still but better than before the Op so I hope this is the start of my eyesight improving.
With my massive glasses on I have just come back from walking into town (about an hour) and feel good but tired. I am normally quite active but not doing anything for two weeks certainly lowers your fitness levels.
My eye is still a bit sore and watery from the other day so am keeping my eye closed a lot and am taking it easy and catching up with LOST ready for Sunday's new series.
With my massive glasses on I have just come back from walking into town (about an hour) and feel good but tired. I am normally quite active but not doing anything for two weeks certainly lowers your fitness levels.
My eye is still a bit sore and watery from the other day so am keeping my eye closed a lot and am taking it easy and catching up with LOST ready for Sunday's new series.
Tuesday 20 January 2009
Ouch!
Last night I managed to rub my eye by accident and then poke it about half hour later. I went to bed with it streaming and I have to say was a little worried. It is sore today but not red or anything just really uncomfortable :(
Sunday 18 January 2009
Recovery- Day 9
Saturday 17th January- Feeling much more positive today. I have decided I want to go back to work ASAP, even if I only go back part time to begin with. I need some fresh air and it is a sunny day so we go into town. I last one shop and I need to turn back and get back home but just getting out for and hour or so was good so I am going to try and go for a walk everyday now.
I am now able to sleep on my bad eye (with the shield on) which is good apart from the ring mark the next morning! The drops are much easier to put in than a week ago and I am much less photosensitive, we can even have the curtains open as long as the sun isnt too bright. I can still feel my stitches when I open and close my eye but it doesnt bother me too much.
I am now able to sleep on my bad eye (with the shield on) which is good apart from the ring mark the next morning! The drops are much easier to put in than a week ago and I am much less photosensitive, we can even have the curtains open as long as the sun isnt too bright. I can still feel my stitches when I open and close my eye but it doesnt bother me too much.
Recovery- Day 8
Friday 16th January- Up at 6am (far too early when you've been getting up at 10am each day) for appointment with consultant Mr De Cock this morning. This will be the first time he has seen it since the Op and it is amazing that in just over a week all the red eye has pretty much gone.
All is good so far. He does an eyesight check and I can see his fingers when he holds them and he doesn't seem too concerned at this stage that there is not an improvement from before. He takes some photos and tries to do a pressure test but I flinch and he is not the most patient of men and gives up after two attempts. He says that there are no signs of leakage which is the most important thing and I am to carry on using drop four times a day until my next appointment in 3 weeks.
I believe a mixture of my consultant being abrupt and me feeling sorry for myself led to me bursting into floods of tears whilst on the phone to my brother and wishing I hadn't had the operation done. Today has not been a good day. I want to get back to work, my eye is irritating me constantly and I am suffering severely with cabin fever. Sorry Ben for having to deal with a blubbering sister :(
All is good so far. He does an eyesight check and I can see his fingers when he holds them and he doesn't seem too concerned at this stage that there is not an improvement from before. He takes some photos and tries to do a pressure test but I flinch and he is not the most patient of men and gives up after two attempts. He says that there are no signs of leakage which is the most important thing and I am to carry on using drop four times a day until my next appointment in 3 weeks.
I believe a mixture of my consultant being abrupt and me feeling sorry for myself led to me bursting into floods of tears whilst on the phone to my brother and wishing I hadn't had the operation done. Today has not been a good day. I want to get back to work, my eye is irritating me constantly and I am suffering severely with cabin fever. Sorry Ben for having to deal with a blubbering sister :(
Recovery- Day 4
Monday 12th January- I have an appointment with my GP this morning who also specialies in eyes and has been very supportive over the years so I am looking forward to him seeing it.
Dr Ellis was lovely. He let Tim have a look through the slit lamp and spent time explaining how the eye is and that it is swollen but no sign of infection and that my consultant has done a neat and tidy job. It has put my mind at rest seeing him and he has also signed me off work for a couple of weeks. I am under orders of lots of rest and no lifting, bending down, no housework, no exercise or swimming, so not alot really.
I go to the supermarket across the road with Tim in the afternoon to get a couple of things but I should have stayed at home as I feel quite ill in there and a bit of an idiot with sunglasses on inside.
Dr Ellis was lovely. He let Tim have a look through the slit lamp and spent time explaining how the eye is and that it is swollen but no sign of infection and that my consultant has done a neat and tidy job. It has put my mind at rest seeing him and he has also signed me off work for a couple of weeks. I am under orders of lots of rest and no lifting, bending down, no housework, no exercise or swimming, so not alot really.
I go to the supermarket across the road with Tim in the afternoon to get a couple of things but I should have stayed at home as I feel quite ill in there and a bit of an idiot with sunglasses on inside.
Recovery- Day 3
Sunday 11th January- The first day of visitors. So I get Tim to was my hair and I put on a stylish pair of pink pajamas especially. I am not feeling great but go with the flow as my Dad and his partner arrive, grapes and choccies in hand (yummy). Mum and her partner arrive and hour later with flowers from my brother that match my pajamas and a bottle of Veuve Clicquot. Not sure whether I was supposed to have two glasses of bubbly with painkillers but once everyone goes I fall asleep anyway! I am still barely able to open my eye and it hurts when I move so it is yet another day of massive glasses and sleeping.
Recovery- Day 2
Saturday 10th January- Woke up after another not bad night and still with a sticky eye. I spend the day with my massive glasses on and sleep. Eye doesn't hurt too much just so uncomfortable and I know it sounds silly but it feels like a foreign body in my eye, which I suppose it is. I get through the day with my eyes closed and send Tim to the pub for a couple of hours in the evening as the poor thing has been running around constantly for the last few days.
Recovery- Day 1
Friday 9th January- Sleep was not too bad only woke up a couple of times in the night. Today is the day I can take off my padding and eye shield and see what my new cornea looks like. I cant open my eye, I think it has crusted over in the night (lovely!) but Tim is prepared with sterilised water and cotton wool pads and a cup of tea.
Taking it nice and slowly we remove the padding and start cleaning my tender and bruised eye. I try opening and well, everything is just as blurred as before. I am a bit disappointed as you always hope that the bandage comes off and you can see perfectly but I remember its only day one. I start my drops today Maxitrol (a combination of 2 antibiotics and an anti-inflamatory) and when you can barely open your eye this is not easy. I am in a darkened bathroom with a small natural light coming through but I manage to get the drops in throughout the day. I spend most of the day sleeping and feeling sorry for myself :( I was going to take a photo but cant open my eye to do it. It just looks bloodshot and very watery.
Taking it nice and slowly we remove the padding and start cleaning my tender and bruised eye. I try opening and well, everything is just as blurred as before. I am a bit disappointed as you always hope that the bandage comes off and you can see perfectly but I remember its only day one. I start my drops today Maxitrol (a combination of 2 antibiotics and an anti-inflamatory) and when you can barely open your eye this is not easy. I am in a darkened bathroom with a small natural light coming through but I manage to get the drops in throughout the day. I spend most of the day sleeping and feeling sorry for myself :( I was going to take a photo but cant open my eye to do it. It just looks bloodshot and very watery.
Saturday 17 January 2009
The Big Day Part 2
Well I am not the best patient when waking up from anesthetic (I kicked a surgeon after a knee op) and today is no different. Fortunately I have pre-warned the team of my reaction to this so before they have even wheeled me into recovery and woken me up Tim and my Mum are called in.
I cant remember any of this but from what I have been told I woke up and started screaming and crying hysterically. I was desperate to get off the bed and was pulling at my eye patch trying to take it off.I had to be held down by mum and Tim says my reaction was so shocking that he had to go and sit outside. I was swearing about the pain and screaming that I wanted to be in Dubai! After they eventually calmed me down and sorted my pain relief I was OK just really drowsy and thirsty.
I came out of theatre at 1.30 so the Op took just under two hours. I ask the nurse whether the DALK has been done and he replies that they have had to do a Penetrating Keratoplasty (PK) where the full thickness of my cornea is replaced rather than part. I was aware that this might be the case as it depended on how deep the scarring was. My mum gets me a yogurt from the canteen as I cant face eating a sandwich or biscuits and I have four cups of tea. My obs done a couple of times and I am allowed to go home at 4.30ish with two packs of drops and a guide to recovery.
The only way I can describe the feeling is like having tiny pieces of glass covering your eye and the area around my eye feels really bruised. It is covered with padding and a patch for the night so I take some cocodemal after dinner and try to get to sleep.
I cant remember any of this but from what I have been told I woke up and started screaming and crying hysterically. I was desperate to get off the bed and was pulling at my eye patch trying to take it off.I had to be held down by mum and Tim says my reaction was so shocking that he had to go and sit outside. I was swearing about the pain and screaming that I wanted to be in Dubai! After they eventually calmed me down and sorted my pain relief I was OK just really drowsy and thirsty.
I came out of theatre at 1.30 so the Op took just under two hours. I ask the nurse whether the DALK has been done and he replies that they have had to do a Penetrating Keratoplasty (PK) where the full thickness of my cornea is replaced rather than part. I was aware that this might be the case as it depended on how deep the scarring was. My mum gets me a yogurt from the canteen as I cant face eating a sandwich or biscuits and I have four cups of tea. My obs done a couple of times and I am allowed to go home at 4.30ish with two packs of drops and a guide to recovery.
The only way I can describe the feeling is like having tiny pieces of glass covering your eye and the area around my eye feels really bruised. It is covered with padding and a patch for the night so I take some cocodemal after dinner and try to get to sleep.
The Big Day
Thursday 8th January 2009-I Woke up at 6.00 and I feel OK, in fact I feel very calm. I have a herbal tea and phone my brother as it's about 10.00 in Dubai. He tells me he hasn't slept and is feeling stressed so I do my best to let him know I'm OK and not to worry.
Tim and I get to the Ophthalmology Suite at Kent and Canterbury Hospital about 7.45 and my mum is there waiting for us. As soon as I get in the nurse admits me, taking my blood pressure etc and asking the usual health questions. The registrar also sees me and puts a nice blue arrow on my head. I then speak to the anaesthetist and consultant By this time its about 9.00 and I have to say I am still feeling fine, I am 2nd on the list of two grafts and the lady before me is having a Descemets stripping endothelial keratoplasty (DSEK), which is the removal of top layer of the cornea and she is under a local. Mine is a Deep anterior lamellar keratoplasty (DALK) which leaves the very bottom layer of cornea and is done under a general.
The hours go by and the waiting room fills with more and more OAPs. There is something about the Ophthalmology Dept and the over 60s! They are all coming in for there pre-op assessments before their cataracts are replaced and all look over at me with my blue arrow on my head and quite clearly are not impressed that we get to sit on the comfy recliner seats on the other side of the waiting room. Bless them!
The student nurse comes towards me and I go into the anesthetic room at 11.30, get wired up and have some gas and air. It is 11.45 when I close my eyes........
Tim and I get to the Ophthalmology Suite at Kent and Canterbury Hospital about 7.45 and my mum is there waiting for us. As soon as I get in the nurse admits me, taking my blood pressure etc and asking the usual health questions. The registrar also sees me and puts a nice blue arrow on my head. I then speak to the anaesthetist and consultant By this time its about 9.00 and I have to say I am still feeling fine, I am 2nd on the list of two grafts and the lady before me is having a Descemets stripping endothelial keratoplasty (DSEK), which is the removal of top layer of the cornea and she is under a local. Mine is a Deep anterior lamellar keratoplasty (DALK) which leaves the very bottom layer of cornea and is done under a general.
The hours go by and the waiting room fills with more and more OAPs. There is something about the Ophthalmology Dept and the over 60s! They are all coming in for there pre-op assessments before their cataracts are replaced and all look over at me with my blue arrow on my head and quite clearly are not impressed that we get to sit on the comfy recliner seats on the other side of the waiting room. Bless them!
The student nurse comes towards me and I go into the anesthetic room at 11.30, get wired up and have some gas and air. It is 11.45 when I close my eyes........
Wednesday 7 January 2009
The Day Before
I am sitting at my desk at the moment trying not to concerntrate on the fact that I will be going into hospital tomorrow but have to say I am feeling a little bit sick.
Tim is busy cleaning the house and getting ready to be my nurse maid (bless him) and we are going to go to the Cinema and out for dinner when I finish. Anything to keep my mind off things. At least I know the Hospital will be clean as my mum is facilities manager there and has probably had some poor cleaner running around the ward all day!
Tim is busy cleaning the house and getting ready to be my nurse maid (bless him) and we are going to go to the Cinema and out for dinner when I finish. Anything to keep my mind off things. At least I know the Hospital will be clean as my mum is facilities manager there and has probably had some poor cleaner running around the ward all day!
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