An Eye for an I (part II)

In the previous post I wrote about my stinkin' eye and how they are going to slice it up to fix it.  Sounds a bit like Bush and how he had to kill capitalism to save capitalism to me.

When I was at my Oct appointment, the doctor wrote out some prescriptions and gave me a brochure for medical equipment rental.

First the prescriptions.

As the operation was scheduled for early December, I didn't fill the prescription right away.  No need to have those hanging around home where I could lose them was my thinking.  So about a week before the surgery, I waltz in to the pharmacy I've gone to for the last 35 years.  Gave them those four slips of paper and left.

The next day I came back to pick up the prescription.  Hmmmm.  Only three of the four are there.  Of course I ask where the other prescription is.  Well it turns out that what is missing is the pain reliever.  It is oxycodone, a narcotic.  Unknown to me (and probably you) prescriptions for narcotics have to be filled within 30 days.  The war on drugs I guess.  I dropped the scripts off on day 31.

So I talk to the pharmacist (the managing pharmacist also the owner's son in law).  He has called the doctor's office and is waiting for a call back.  Ok.  No big deal.  I've had them call a doctor before and it's always ready the next day.  But I wait two days and come back.  Still no pain reliever.  Talk to another pharmacist who has also been there as far back as I can remember (he was also a leader in the 4-H cow club).  He calls the doctor's office while I'm there.  Of course he doesn't get an answer and will wait for a call back.  OK.  I leave again.

As a side note, I think about how any drug dealer can get this stuff.  I remember this is the very stuff Rush Limbaugh was hooked on, but I can't get it.  What a country.

A couple days later I called the pharmacy and they say that the doctor has mailed the prescription to them.  WHAT?  So I call the doctor's office.  They tell me the same thing.  Apparently narcotics can not be faxed in.

Consider this.  We're talking about the doctor's end faxing to the local pharmacy that has been there at least 50 years.  And that is risky so it has to be mailed?  I'm not a real critic of the mail system, but which method seems more secure to you?

I am getting a little worried as the operation is at the other end of the weekend and I gots no drugs here.  I figure the doctor doesn't write a prescription unless I am likely to need this.  Call me a wimp, but I'd like to have this stuff on hand after they have been chopping away at my eyeball even if I end up not needing it.  Hopefully this gets resolved in the next couple days.

But let's move on to the medical equipment.

After reviewing the brochure, I realize that basically I am renting toilet seats that I put my head in to force me to keep my eyes facing down. 

That way the gas they injected stays pressing against the back of my eye (now the topmost area as I face down).  Doesn't look too bad and I had a bit of practice at this sort of thing during my college days although even at my worst I didn't need to pray to the porcelain god for a straight week.

They have a pad you put on the bed.  You lie on the pad so now you're elevated a few inches.  The toilet seat sits in front so as you lie there with your head in the toilet seat a few inches above the bed.

There is an entire chair with the toilet seat attached to the top as well as a table top model that I have to use while eating.

I decide to rent the Vitrectomy Max Comfort Package or as I call it the Deluxe Toilet Seat Package.  I get the sleeping pad, the chair, the table top and a mirror gizmo that I can use with the table top to watch TV.  I even end up with the porta potty.  When I'm going back to the doctor for my followup the day after the surgery, I have to remove one of the toilet seats and insert the vertical support rods in to this cube.  I hold the cube to my chest so I can continue to keep my head in a toilet seat while being driven insane to the doctor's office.

The price is pretty reasonable.  $235 for the whole shebang for a week.  And that includes shipping both ways.

All the stuff came in two large boxes and was pretty easy to set up.  So far I've tried the table top for about 20 minutes and it seems to work pretty well watching TV with the mirror gizmo.  Of course 20 minutes isn't 24x7 so we shall see.  I also spent a couple minutes on the bed pad and it seems like it might work.

Next.  Pre-Admission at the hospital.

An Eye for an I

Post Alert.

Readers are cautioned that reading this post may result in digust and nausea.  Be forewarned!

For a couple years I've been seeing an eye surgeon.  Seems my left eye wasn't built nearly as well as my right eye.  I had the doctor write out what it was but I can't read it completely.  What can say is that it is well over 40 characters long.  The doctor says it is similar to macular degeneration but not the same thing.  The doctor also says it is a rare condition so it doesn't have any FDA approved treatment.  So every three months I have to go to the doctor's office and get avastin shot in to my right eye with a needle.

yes it is

1) disgusting

2) the same stuff they use for breast cancer treatment.

It appears that it is the same effect.  Shrinks up the blood vessels.

But wait K-Mart shoppers.  That's not all.  This stupid eye also has a hole in the macula.  It's been there awhile.  The doctor said that as long as there was some tissue (not sure what maybe retina?) across the hole he wanted to leave it alone.  But back in October, he changed his opinion and suggested it was time to fix this thing if I was going to.

So I went back for a consultation in Oct and we put plans in motion for fixing this.

- - - CAUTION - - -

If you thought some of the above was disgusting, be warned that was the milder half.

I didn't quite understand what he said but he likened it to a balloon with a hole it.  If you stretch the balloon, the hole get larger and if you shrink the balloon, the hole gets smaller.  Apparently they somehow do this to my eye.  What I do remember is that they will remove a portion of the liquid and inject some gas in to the interior of the eye.  The gas presses on the area and it is supposed to allow the tissue to grow / reattach correctly.  As you might guess, partially filling the eye with gas to keep pressure at the macula hole means the gas has to be in the right place.  And that is the trick.  I have to spend a minimum of the next week face down.  Literally 24x7 face down.

The doctor provide a brochure for renting equipment to assist in face down week.

Next, getting ready for the hospital.

Road to Recovery

As she has done for the past few years, Princess hosted a father's day get together.  It was small this year.  Just her brother-in-law (and family), father-in-law (and spouse), and spousy and me.  I usually bicycle there and plotted a longer route for my knee rehabilitation. 

This was the third time outside on the bike since my knee surgery.

I had been on the mag training bike in the basement a couple times.  I hadn't put any effort in to that.  I was mostly trying to flex my knee.  So I kept the tension and gearing low.  I spun at a low 60-70 cadence.   I think this helped loosen me up.

The first time outside was two Saturdays ago.  I walked the bike up to the main road because I didn't want to have a short stop forced on me by oncoming cars.  I mounted the bike OK and started off.  I just road around locally for about two miles and came back.  I didn't have any problems and figured I was on my way.

Next I rode around the block.  This upped the mileage to about 5 1/2 miles.  It also added a steep little bridge that goes over the railroad tracks.  I did alright on this one too.

Finally, I decided to take the long way to Princess' house.  I fired up my old Microsoft Streets and Maps because I find that the easiest to play with with this sort of plotting various routes to get a decent ride and the desired distance.  I settled on a 9 mile route that took me out to US 206, then north, and finally back to Princess' green acres.

I left about 12:30 and of course it was dang hot.  I rode down to the high school then over to US 206.  Fortunately there was one car waiting to turn left as I came up behind it.  I like a single car.  That way it trips the traffic signal and I get to go and not hold up traffic as I will if I'm behind three or four cars with more behind me.

The ride up 206 was fine.  I hit the usual nervous area where the cars are fast, the lanes are narrow, and there is no shoulder.  But I reached the promenade without incident. 

By this point I was about 2 miles from the end but I was getting a little tired.  Maybe it was a combo of the knee and the heat.  At any rate that last 2 miles was not as pleasant as the first two miles.  When I got to Princess' house I felt light headed enough that I put my bike in her garage rather than lifting it up to the roof rack.  But a short time in doors with some more ice water and I was ready for the shrimp, burgers, and of course Mike's shots of Irish whiskey.

Under the Knife

Went under the knife.

It was a pleasant experience.

The operation was at a surgical center, not the hospital. Spousy drove me there for my 7:15 arrival.

The receptionist and other staff were pleasant and efficient. Of course there were many forms to fill out and questions to answer but the worst part of this sort of thing is the boredom of waiting and I only experienced a few moments of inactivity.

A few minutes after being move to the operating room, I was out like a light and waking up in recovery. I don't think I was there for very long. Maybe 30 or 40 minutes munching on cookies and drinking soda.

I had a little trouble changing in to my street clothes. I was wheel chaired out to the car and hobbled without difficulty in to the seat. Had a little trouble getting my bulky, bandaged left leg in, but the ride home was uneventful.

Now where is my pampering and ice cream?