Graft update

[Kim Remmington]

Hi Everyone,
I don't know if anyone remembers but I had a graft on thurs 9th Dec ( same as Sophie.) Unfortunately i dont have such good news as Sophie which is why I have held off posting any messages.
After having the op (partial thickness) I felt little discomfort, but did go back to casulty a few days later as I felt my vision had got worse and my eye felt a bit sore. Everything was fine and I was reassured. When I went back to see the surgeon on the 29th dec, my eyesight on the chart was nearly as bad as before the op. Mr Morgan found that I was healing too quickly and that the stitches had loosened, therefore causing the graft to distort in shape. The actual graft was clear and fine, it was just my cornea that was distorting it. I thought of posting a message then, but was so encouraged by Sophie walking around, looking out of her grafted eye, that I thought I would wait until I had such positive news.
I spent the time over new year waiting for a further operation to re tighten the stiches on the 4th Jan. I've had better new years!!

I have already been registered as partially sighted (white stick included!!!), as whilst waiting for the graft in my right eye(which has always been bad) my left eye decided to pack up. So obviously i don't have that eye to rely on.
The operation went well, and for the first time in years I could see out of my right eye, I totally agree about your brain having to get used to looking through the eye, I felt really unbalanced, but it was totally amazing to see through it !!! Sadly this only lasted for the evening.
I saw Mr Morgan again on Wed and now the stiches are moving and causing an astigmatism. I cannot see any letters on the eye chart and my left eye can only see 2 lines, so as you can imagine I'm feeling really peeved at the moment. I have also been refused another Scleral lens as they cannot improve on anything I have!!!
I haven;t wanted to post anything on this site as it is usually so positive and helpful. I am having my running stiches out soon and then I will have single stiches to sort out the astigmatism. I have only written now as I'm feeling so down and just needed to tell someone.
Whilst all this is going on I still have a 5 and 8 year old to look after(my husband is working around 60 hrs a week) so I am feeling pretty exhausted after two general anestetics.
I am hopeful that after these two procedures I will have some vision.
Sorry to bring such negative news to the site, I know things will improve, but I guess This is what I feared all those years ago when I first found out that I had KC.
Sophie, please keep posting those positive messages, as I know I will be posting the same soon!
Sorry to go on, hopefully you'll all understand.
Kim

[Rob Armstrong]

Hey, if you can't talk about it on here, then where can you talk about it?!

Hope you have better luck with the individual stitches.

Rob.

[GarethB]

Hi Kim,

My personal view is single stitches is the way forward. I had these back in 1989 which meant loose stitches could be removed if they caused a problem. By the same token the astigmatism could be adjusted as the eye healed so help the cornea take on the correct shape.

Hopefully the change to individual stitches will give you the desired result. My eyes still have a few where the cornea healed overthem!

Thanks for putting your vies on the board, it is good to have both the good and the bad so anyone who needs a graft has a full and balanced picture and not a biased positive one.

Good luck.

Gareth

[Sophie Bull]

Dear Kim,

I was so sad to read your post, I know how I felt when I went back in a few days after the graft and they wrongly thought it was rejecting. It was just too much to get my head round to think that after everything it had failed. You must be completely wiped out. Is it still painful and do you still have to put drops in during the night time? I hope not. It really put a few things in perspective for me reading your post, I donÂ’t have children but have worked with them in a few different jobs and know what a huge demand they are on your time and energy, but I would imagine they are helping to keep you smiling too. What are the plans for your other eye and would they be likely to take the graft out, or do a full thickness one? I wish I could think of something more helpful to say, but please keep posting as I for one want to know exactly how everything is going-good and bad. My graft is still looking good, although my vision is not as good as it was initially, I can still see the first line on the chart and almost the second, which compared to before is a great improvement. I hope that the new stitches will help and I am sending so many happy thoughts to you.

Hope to hear how things are soon when you get a chance to get back on-line.
Soph

[Susan Mason]

Hello Kim

Sorry to hear that it isn't going too well just at the moment for you.

If you feel like talking to someone let me know, I don't mind listened and whilst I have no experience of grafts as you may remember I have sclerals and also a little boy of 7 yrs old.

Best wishes
Susan

[Sophie Bull]

Hi Kim,

I guess you have probably been unable to get on line, but just wanted to say hi and wondered how things are going now?

Soph

[Kim Remmington]

Hi Soph and everyone else.
Thank you so much for thinking about me. This stupid computer has not been working again and I also haven't been able to see enough to get on it.
Things have changed!!! I went back to see the surgeon on Friday 11th Feb as I could feel what felt like a stitch poking out. When you have a partial graft they make an incision above the graft to insert air(I think) Anyway I had 3 stitches above the graft and they found that the knot had come loose and was poking out. I also had a filament attached(which is apparently a bit of mucus which adheres itself to the rough surface of the eye, as my eyes are very dry) The 3 stitches were removed and I was going to ask for some sort of drug to totally bomb me out when I had the stitches out. This wasn't possible as I had just turned up and nothing had been planned. Anyway, I managed not to pass out although I forgot to breath when he removed the stitches. It doesn't hurt and really isn't that bad. So at least I know what it is going to be like when they remove the 16 stitches.
At the moment I can't believe the change in my eye. In the morning before I put my scleral lens in my left eye, my right eye is totally dominant and does all the work!!!!!(the graft was in my right eye). It is totally amazing and I know all of you out there who have had a graft know what I mean. Although my eye is very good in the morning it gets worse as the day goes on. Has anyone else had this?!!!
I am having all 16 stitches out on Tuesday and then my eye will be left to settle down and then re-stitched again. At the moment the stitches in one part have totally cut through my cornea and into the donor. Even with this all going on I can see a massive improvement. I can even read with my right eye!!!!!!!!!!!!in the morning and I don't think I've done that for 10 years.
The web site seems to have really taken off since I could last get on to it.
Sophie, I noticed that you said you suffer from styes alot. So do I!!! How did you manage with the one on your grafted eye?? I haven't got one on that eye yet although I did have 3 on my left eye when I had the graft. Lovely!!
I generally tend to squeeze them when I get them, which is probably why I end up with so many.
Anyway, let me know how your getting on and hopefully this machine will stay working so I can keep in touch

Kim

[Sophie Bull]

Hi Kim,
Really glad to here things have changed and although still not perfect at least you have had that wow i can see sort of feeling! My grafted eye has continued to be really good, the vision is not incredible but without having had the graft I would now be at the point of having to post pone the degree it think..my left eye which has always been the better one is now worse than my grafted lens and currently not tolerating a lens at all! They have discussed the idea of intacts and i have mentioned a sceleral lens but waiting untill I go back to chat some more. As far as the styes go..the on eon my grfated eye went before it even properly came hankfully, I used hot compresses held on it to help. For my right one I have managed to improve the situation by plastering a fair amount of vasaline on the lid and lashes before going to bed at night, I am a little uncomfortable about the idea of putting petrochemical type stuff on my eyes but it seems to be helping, I also do hot compresses when i get time. I would agree that my eyes are much less helpful in the vening than in the morning, i think they just get tired same as anybodies.

Look forward to hearing how things are and good luck

take care
soph

[Kim Remmington]

Hi
Well after having such amazing vision, I've had more disappointment. The morning that I had the stitches out my grafted eye was brilliant and I was reading tiny print on a TV guide! As the morning progressed the vision started to deterioate and by the time I went to the hospital I couldn't even see the eye chart. I presumed that this was just a normal fluctuating vision problem, but when the consultant saw my eye the graft was all pitted. Something had got into my eye and damaged the surface. The only thing that I had used that morning was a refresh artificial tear drop. So it has been put down to that. I have now been told to put saline drops in every two hours and steroids twice a day. All this happened on the 1st march and there is still no change to the vision. I had imagined that it would start to heal up and I have tried to call the consultant twice to find out if I should have seen an improvement by now, but haven't got to speak to him yet. Of course I am thinking that the graft has been damaged permenantly and it will have to be replaced, but maybe that's my negative thinking. Has anyone else experienced this? I don't have an appointment until Wednesday and I'm starting to drive myself mad with worry.
By the way I had all my stitches taken out, not very pleasent, but glad that part is over.
Sophie my left eye is getting worse as well. Typical. I hope you do get to try a Scleral as they really are great.

[Andrew MacLean]

Hello Kim

Thanks for sharing your esperience with us.

Like you I am an occasional white cane user (I really need it when I am in an area I do not know; it helps me find steps up and down, changes in the surfact of the ground/floor and exactly where doors are.

I had my graft in Dec 03 and I'm stillnot seeing too well through the graft eye. Like you, the problem seems to be that the stitches are holding the new cornea in an irregular shape (I don't know too much about these things, but the words -16 D were used to describe the shape of the new cornea ... have not the slightest clue what this means).

It is only when folk like you share their experiences (good and bad) that the sight works properly. We can all too easily lapse into a sense of isolation, persuaded that everybody else is doing fine while we ourselves may be having a thorougholy rotten time!

All the best.

Andrew