UK Keratoconus Self-Help and Support Association

Hi

I had a Cornea Graft back in April 07. I am having my stitches removed in March.

Can anybody give me any advice on what to expect?

Thanks

Shabana

shabana19

Welcome to the forum!

Each time I have had sutures removed, I have been admitted as a day patient and taken to the ophthalmology theatre. Others, I know, have had sutures removed at a clinic, sitting up looking into a "slit lamp".

Let me tell you about my experience: and let me say at the outset that it was entirely positive each time!

I usually got to the hospital just after lunch, went through the admission procedures and went to the ward. At the ward I was interviewed by a nurse to make sure that I was the right person and that I knew what was going to happen. Then I was given one of those 'theatre gowns' that make people in hospital look so comfortable . I wore my own dressing gown over this, and with my slippers on my feet I went into the day ward where I sat on a recliner while nurses plied me with tea and cake, took my blood pressure and temperature and made reassuring noises about the projected timetable for the day.

Suture removal is usually the last thing the surgeon does for the day.

The theatre porter arrives with the gurney/seat (a marvelous device that transforms from a sort of electric wheelchair to a theatre trolley at the push of a button). I was then taken to the or waiting area where yet another nurse asked me my name, checked to make sure that I knew what was going to happen, took by blood pressure and temperature and smile beguilingly at me.

Having looked through my file to make sure that I had signed all consents, I was then left while the surgeon finished his previous job.

Dr Ramaesh, a delightful man who performed both my grafts and my cataract operation, then came into the waiting room for a bit of a chat and then went to scrub again while I was wheeled into the theatre. The problem with being last is that the theatre nurses get to choose the music at the end of the day, the surgeon having made the selection for the early part of the day.

The surgeon flooded my eye with anesthetic, and the seat readjusted to a trolley. Looking directly into the business end of the theatre microscope, and with a nurse holding my hand, the procedure began. I watched the ophthalmological scissors snip each suture and my vision 'wobble' a little as the silk was removed. I counted the sutures out and in no time (a couple of tracks of the 'pop' album that was playing) Dr Ramaesh pushed the microscope away, triggered the trolley to revert to being a chair and said soft and encouraging things to me about using drops for six weeks and a clinic appointment being made for me.

Back in the ward I was given my clothes, given another cup of tea and waited for the arrival of my drops from pharmacy.

For less than ten minutes in theatre I had spent a fairly pleasant afternoon in the care of the nurses at Gartnavel. All in all a pretty pleasant experience.

Nothing to worry about!

All the best

Andrew

Hi Andrew

thanks for the reply.

Does not sound to bad, I have also been called to theatre thats why I was a bit worried.

Let you know how I get on

shabana

I know, it sounds a bit alarming,. For my part, though, I think I'd always prefer to go to the theatre than to have sutures out in a clinic.

All the best. Did you say March? You'll be in our thoughts.

Yours aye

Andrew

Hi Shabana,
My experience of suture removal was very similar to Andrew's except I didn't have to remove any clothing or even my outdoor shoes! It was the same when I had the grafts done, which I had under local anaesthetic, so was conscious throughout. About the music - during my grafts I had the anaesthetist singing 'live' 'I can see clearly now the rain has gone'!!!!
Back to suture removal - painless. What I found difficult was coping with the strong light in my eyes, as I am very photophobic since the grafts. They were very helpful and turned the light down as far as possible.
I had a lot of stitches removed from both eyes on the same day and it was pretty sore that evening. I had to lie down with my eyes shut while they watered profusely. Next day I was fine. What I had not anticipated was having to go back to using steroid drops for 6 weeks and no use of lenses during that time. I was a month away from important exams, so revision was very hard. I get little useful correction with glasses and can only read with one eye with the script about 3 inches from my eye, so revision was done in short spurts and I got extra time in the exams. I still have my revision notes written in thick black felt tip in letters about an inch high! I did so well in the exams, it prompted my son to say,'Cor Mum you're better now you're blind!!!' Having initially rung my tutor in floods of tears when I realised I couldn't use my lenses for 6 weeks, I was determined not to have to wait a year to resit the exams.

I guess each hospital has its own way of doing things, so your experience may not be the same. Just rest assured it's not a bad experience actually having the sutures removed.

Let us know how you get on.
Janet

Hi Shabana

I had some of my stitches out just last thursday, only mine have only been taken out whilst sitting at the slit lamp. I only had my graft back at the end of Sept and i had the first one out in November and then another in December. The first time was a bit of a surprise. The doctor just told me that one was loose and that she would remove it now! She 'numbed' my eye with some sort of drop and then proceeded to loosten it with a pin, none of which i really felt. After that she removed it with the tweezers, which felt a little strange but not at all painfull.

I've just had my last six stitches out last week and i must say that my eye was a little uncomforatble for a couple of days. It just felt like there was something in it, although i believe that it could be my eyelid getting used to the slightly different shape of my eye?

I think that going in to theatre sounds preferable, and at least you know whats coming!

All the best
Tim