This is just me telling anyone interested about my first week as a graftee or may be having one and don’t know what to expect. This is my experience and yours may differ in any of a thousand ways (doubt there are a thousand ways but you never know). Also it is one of THE best decisions I have made.
Before I start I’d just like to say that I really wanted a graft for my left eye as it’s been pretty useless for the best part of 10 years. When I was told I could have one then I was absolutely ecstatic. Then I heard nothing for months. I rang the hospital who, it seemed, had forgotten about me and was given a date. The 19th of December.....4 weeks away (from getting the date)...and one day after my birthday (Oh the joy of it all). Those 4 weeks had my anxiety levels fluctuating between high and VERY high. Then, the week before my op, I heard that a good friend was having a triple by-pass on the 22nd which made me realise that there were worse things to worry about out there.
I turned up at the hospital for 11:30 and was taken to a male waiting room where I was “delighted” to find they had the ITV 2 repeats of Coronation Street and Emmerdale.
I had a visit to the surgeon who put an arrow above my left eye. He then told me I would be in for the night...WHAT???? He then realised that I had been booked in as a day case which made him not very happy at all. He explained that because I was having anaesthetic and a paralytic then I needed to stay in for the night so that they could keep an eye on me (no pun intended). Then I saw the anaesthetist who explained what was going to happen.
I was given a gown to wear, another as a dressing gown and some disposable undies (Oh the horror of it all!!!!). I had no slippers so had to walk around in my boots!!
They came for me just after 1pm so was awesomely happy to get away from the impending doom known as the Jeremy Kyle Show. Phew
.I was put in a wheelchair and taken on a tour of the whole hospital (it seemed to be anyway
) until we arrived in the little pre-op room. Now they decided that the gown and underwear weren’t enough of an embarrassment and decided that I had to wear a hat too....I wish they had put me to sleep first. They put the needle in my hand, gave me 2 sherbety tablets to chew (with a very dry mouth thank you very much...Grrrr 
) and then put me to sleep.When I woke up the whole world was groggy...when I recovered a bit they moved me to the ward where I found my lifeline to the world......Pay TV, phone and internet.
This is where the tale SHOULD have started.
Day 1 – Post graft
No pain. Grafted eye covered. Vision blurry but useable in good eye. Ring wife from mobile (it’s cheaper than the bed phone). Inserted my pay card and paid for the internet (Yes, I know I have a problem!!
). Updated RuralRob’s forum message. Updated Facebook.I heard something to the left of me and instead of turning my WHOLE head I scanned across with my eyes. Found the pain I was missing earlier. Inside of my left eyelid felt like it had been rasped. Drifted off to sleep for a bit. Awoke in time to decline food. Family arrived with food and drink (which I never touched). Wife brought some better clothing than the gown and “unmentionables”!! These consisted of my son’s pyjama bottoms (black with blue stars in case you were interested
), son’s dressing gown (red and a bit too small 
), an F1 T-shirt and a pair of slippers (son’s...Dangermouse 
). Felt tired and just lay back and listened ensuring I grunted in the right places. Headache arrived so requested pain killers. Slept, woke up, tried to watch TV, tried to use internet, decided to stop using the annoying box I previously called my lifeline and pushed it as far away as I could.Not being at home made me restless. Staggering in a drug hazed state didn’t help (although it was rather fun!
).Day 2......
Along comes breakfast....and a migraine. Weetabix (may have been another wheat biscuit based breakfast cereal) and warm milk
.....no sugar because the dispenser didn’t work . Then the serious pain killers arrived and after a short time all was well with the world.Porter arrived to take me down to the eye clinic wearing my snazzy bedtime attire (plus undersized dressing gown and Dangermouse slippers
) and plonks me in a corridor occupied by general public who all like to have a good look at me (I don’t think it was because of my rugged good looks either ). One of the nurses took me to a cubicle and asks me to look at the letter chart. Rather than being a big white haze I could make out the letters....well actually I saw some blurry black stuff where before it had been plain white light. Peripheral vision still excellent too. I saw one of the consultants who assisted in the operation who told me that I had an abrasion on the cornea and that I would get some antibiotic cream to help it all heal.Porter came to wheel me back through the hospital to my ward. Nurse arrived with some drops, administered a dose and told me I was ready to go as soon as I had my medication. These duly arrived along with an eye shield. Chloramphenicol antibiotic cream (3 times a day for a week) and Pred Forte (4 times a day until they say I don't need them anymore).
Bearing in mind that I was still in a drugged haze I didn’t ask any questions, I didn’t get any do’s and don’ts and was cast out into the wild (well allowed to leave with the wife
).Wife did the medication administering at home. I tried using the computer got tired very quickly and had to have a nap. Tried watching TV...got tired...had to have another nap!
Spent the rest of the time listening to the TV and snoozing.
Time for bed and the wife and I have to swap sides so that I can sleep on my right hand side and not be murdered in the night for snoring!!! Eye shield on and to sleep we go.
Wake up lying on my left side with the wife telling me off for lying on that side because of my eye.
Welcome to Day 3.
I awoke with what felt like a military grade weld on my grafted eye lid. The wife boiled a kettle and we put some water in a sterile dish (sterilised by pouring lots of boiling water in before leaving it full). Left dish to cool as I thought it was a good idea. Using the eyepads from the hospital (which I had to ask for and they were reluctant to give me any!!
) I gently bathed the eye until all the stickyness went away and I could open my eye. Sight looked good but eye felt sore. The bruising and swelling around the eye had reduced and the I could see white through the bloodshot parts of my eye. I still felt very woosy and computer usage was down to short bursts, as was TV, before having to lie down and rest my eyes (more like drift in and out of consciousness). The whole world seems very bright at the moment and I really did feel quite horrible. Then again this is day 3.Only real problem is that the drops seep through to the back of my nose and throat somehow. They don’t taste very nice at all. Both eyes seem very dry a lot of the time except for the times that my grafted eye leaks tears in a similar fashion to Niagra Falls.
Watching short bursts of TV I notice that my left eye is now fighting for dominance with my right eye. Great!! I have a battle of wills going on between my eyes for vision. Total confusion but did make out a couple of numbers on the DFS sale advertisement with my right eye. Woohoooo!!!!! Who would have thought that a DFS advert could bring so much joy to someone.
Day 4......
This was pretty much a repeat of day 3 but without the “Urgh....” feeling. Drops and cream are still going in on time. Computer useage is up a bit and TV watching is bearable.....until they go from a really dark image to pure bright light. One worrying thing at the moment is that I am watching Emmerdale and Corrie with the wife....and enjoying it (must be the anaesthetic...HAS to be!!!
).There is no pain in the eye but still have the “eyelash in the eye” feeling. Life seems pretty good.
Day 5......
Nothing really to report for day 5. Everything is going along quite nicely. Playing on the computer for longer periods and used catchup on VirginMedia to watch the programmes I missed or avoided over the past couple of days. Eyes still get quite dry unless NIagra takes off again and the whole world is a mix of searing brightness.
Day 6......Christmas Eve
Not getting so tired as I had on previous days. Extended periods of standing do make me feel a bit dizzy. Eye feels great, then dry, then flooded, then itchy and back to great again. Swelling and bruising have gone right down and I have more white then red in my eyes.
Day 7....Christmas Day
This is the first time I have been out of the house since getting home. Going out to mum’s for Christmas dinner as the stress of cooking a festive meal and having the worry of me would have put the wife in an asylum. Padded eye and then put eye shield on. The TV seems very bright as I mentioned earlier...the sun seems a million times more so even with sunglasses on. I spent most of the journey there covering my eyes up. Went for a walk down the garden without eye shield and pad. Tried to cover eye with fingers and accidentally (as if I’d do it purposefully) touch my eye. After a couple of minutes of practised breathing it all calmed down. Note to self to always cover when going outside.
After dinner headed home to relax only to get a phonecall half way that the wife had left her handbag at the house.....
So that is the end of my first week. Since then I have had a review and the surgeon is very happy with the way it has all gone. I will have my first eye test in a couple of weeks, which is when they start messing with the stitches (but I am not thinking that far ahead at the moment).
Really hope that you all had a great Christmas and have an exceptional happy and prosperous New Year.
Thanks for reading (unless you just skimmed down to the bottom to see if it really was the butler that did it!!
)Jaimz
