My (Ed) Intacs diary
Posted: Wed 07 Nov 2007 11:00 am
Hi all,
Following on from my intacs op last Friday on my right eye, as promised below is a quick diary of the day and the days following which I'll try and keep updated as I progress. Apologies I haven't written before now, I work with computers and since my op the last thing I've wanted to touch is a computer!
Ok so on Friday the 2nd I went into hospital at 7:30am after stopping all food and drink at 10pm the previous night (was allowed upto midnight, but didnt want to push it
) - Cleaned my teeth just before leaving home which seems to be at least a little way to cure the want for a drink.
Got to the hospital and was seen by a nurse who double checked my pre-op form and then asked a few more questions about alergies etc. and gave me two wrist straps to wear, one with my name and number and the other declaring I suffered from Hayfever.
Then another check by a senior nurse to check my form was correct (I think the first nurse may have been in training) and back out to wait for the consultant (if you've been under KC care at LRI you'll know who I mean).
He checked my eyes, placed a permanent marker point above my right eye and then told me of the risks - no improvement, infection, rupturing and I think splitting. This was the first time he had really talked negatively about the op but did this so I was aware and in an informed state to sign the consent form which I did. He also told me I would have a suture for 6 months and drops for that time too.
Then off to my bed for the day - two other guys were having an eye op the same day, one I later found out was also having an intacs op and the other guy I think may have had, from the pain he was in after, a double vision op but i'm not sure.
Instructions on how to use the bed followed plus another blood pressure check. I was then asked to put on my operation clothes which consisted of an open down the back gown (quite warm and comfy suprisingly) and some dark bluey green surgical socks to stop me from getting DVT while I was laying down during surgery. I was ready to strutt my stuff!
I then met the Anesthetist who asked me about my previous experiences with General Anesthetic (which haven't been that great). He said he would give me something to help stop me feeling sick afterwards.
At 10:30 I went across to the operating room where I met the anesthetists colleague who added a surgical hat to my look (wow I looked good!) and prepped me for the op. The other anesthetist joined and soon I was asleep thanks to a injection in my hand and some gas (both pretty painless).
The next I knew I was starting to wake up in the recovery room and within a few minutes I was back in my bed. Compared to the previous eye operations I've had I was a lot more alert after the op and I guess this is down to the anesthetist who I'm grateful to. I had a clear plastic eye shield over my eye.
I had been given paracetamol and ibuprofen for the pain and I wasnt feeling too bad. It was about 12:00 I think
About an hour later (I think) the consultant came past and said the operation had been a success without any complications and suggested I could take the eye shield off.
Over the next few hours I successfully went to the toilet (woohoo) and had a ham sandwich (not that bad) - I also had my blood pressure taken a few more times.
Around 4pm the consultant visited again and asked me (with the other chap who had had intacs done) to follow him. He checked out our newly operated eyes and seemed happy with the result. Then three junior doctors all did the same
(It's a teaching hospital). I told him I had some glare around lights etc. and he seemed ok with this.
After being introduced to my eye drops (3 lots (antibiotic, swelling reduction and hycoscan wetting drops), 14 drops for the first month and then 6 drops after that for the remaining 5 months) I was clear to go home to revisit the consultant and an optician this Thursday (8th).
So how is my sight? 4 days after the op I'd say "smeary" - I don't appear to be anymore intolerant to light (I'm still putting my shades on at the same time) although I am finding I am getting I would call light pollution or light scattering - in that I have the main object and then I am seeing either light lines scattering from it or a double image of the object (usually a light source). For example, looking out the window at the house opposite (which the sun is shining onto) the dark roof is just out of focus but I am getting a glare off pointing towards 10o'clock and 8o'clock.
I think its getting better day by day but I'm not sure - I don't know if this is because I am getting used to it. Thankfully I can still wear my softperm lens in my left eye so I am managing to still see clearly out of that eye.
Today my eye still feels sore (like dry eye) but to look at me you wouldn't know I'd had an eye operation last week, especially when you compare it to my double vision operations and I can hardly tell if I look in the mirror that I have intacs implanted.
I'll let you know more after my appointments tomorrow.
Ed
Following on from my intacs op last Friday on my right eye, as promised below is a quick diary of the day and the days following which I'll try and keep updated as I progress. Apologies I haven't written before now, I work with computers and since my op the last thing I've wanted to touch is a computer!
Ok so on Friday the 2nd I went into hospital at 7:30am after stopping all food and drink at 10pm the previous night (was allowed upto midnight, but didnt want to push it
) - Cleaned my teeth just before leaving home which seems to be at least a little way to cure the want for a drink.Got to the hospital and was seen by a nurse who double checked my pre-op form and then asked a few more questions about alergies etc. and gave me two wrist straps to wear, one with my name and number and the other declaring I suffered from Hayfever.
Then another check by a senior nurse to check my form was correct (I think the first nurse may have been in training) and back out to wait for the consultant (if you've been under KC care at LRI you'll know who I mean).
He checked my eyes, placed a permanent marker point above my right eye and then told me of the risks - no improvement, infection, rupturing and I think splitting. This was the first time he had really talked negatively about the op but did this so I was aware and in an informed state to sign the consent form which I did. He also told me I would have a suture for 6 months and drops for that time too.
Then off to my bed for the day - two other guys were having an eye op the same day, one I later found out was also having an intacs op and the other guy I think may have had, from the pain he was in after, a double vision op but i'm not sure.
Instructions on how to use the bed followed plus another blood pressure check. I was then asked to put on my operation clothes which consisted of an open down the back gown (quite warm and comfy suprisingly) and some dark bluey green surgical socks to stop me from getting DVT while I was laying down during surgery. I was ready to strutt my stuff!
I then met the Anesthetist who asked me about my previous experiences with General Anesthetic (which haven't been that great). He said he would give me something to help stop me feeling sick afterwards.
At 10:30 I went across to the operating room where I met the anesthetists colleague who added a surgical hat to my look (wow I looked good!) and prepped me for the op. The other anesthetist joined and soon I was asleep thanks to a injection in my hand and some gas (both pretty painless).
The next I knew I was starting to wake up in the recovery room and within a few minutes I was back in my bed. Compared to the previous eye operations I've had I was a lot more alert after the op and I guess this is down to the anesthetist who I'm grateful to. I had a clear plastic eye shield over my eye.
I had been given paracetamol and ibuprofen for the pain and I wasnt feeling too bad. It was about 12:00 I think
About an hour later (I think) the consultant came past and said the operation had been a success without any complications and suggested I could take the eye shield off.
Over the next few hours I successfully went to the toilet (woohoo) and had a ham sandwich (not that bad) - I also had my blood pressure taken a few more times.
Around 4pm the consultant visited again and asked me (with the other chap who had had intacs done) to follow him. He checked out our newly operated eyes and seemed happy with the result. Then three junior doctors all did the same
(It's a teaching hospital). I told him I had some glare around lights etc. and he seemed ok with this.After being introduced to my eye drops (3 lots (antibiotic, swelling reduction and hycoscan wetting drops), 14 drops for the first month and then 6 drops after that for the remaining 5 months) I was clear to go home to revisit the consultant and an optician this Thursday (8th).
So how is my sight? 4 days after the op I'd say "smeary" - I don't appear to be anymore intolerant to light (I'm still putting my shades on at the same time) although I am finding I am getting I would call light pollution or light scattering - in that I have the main object and then I am seeing either light lines scattering from it or a double image of the object (usually a light source). For example, looking out the window at the house opposite (which the sun is shining onto) the dark roof is just out of focus but I am getting a glare off pointing towards 10o'clock and 8o'clock.
I think its getting better day by day but I'm not sure - I don't know if this is because I am getting used to it. Thankfully I can still wear my softperm lens in my left eye so I am managing to still see clearly out of that eye.
Today my eye still feels sore (like dry eye) but to look at me you wouldn't know I'd had an eye operation last week, especially when you compare it to my double vision operations and I can hardly tell if I look in the mirror that I have intacs implanted.
I'll let you know more after my appointments tomorrow.
Ed
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