Here we go again

[Per]

My point was we worry too much. If you came in with severe KC needind emergency help and a graft, you would not have time for diaries or debate or wether to have a local of a general. You just do it. And many persons just do it. The more talk, the more worries, the bigger is chance of failiure caused by mental traumas etc. They even admit this at the hospital.

Don´t worry, be happy!

[Louise Pembroke]

I take your point Per, but there have been times when I wish I had been given more information. Like when I had the subconjunctival injection for an episode of rejection. I experienced a lot of pain afterwards and this terrified me. I would have liked someone to have said to me immediately after giving it, 'this might hurt for a few hours and this is normal'.

[Andrew MacLean]

Per

For some people lots of information may cause worry,while for others insufficient information leads to worry.

I fall into the second camp. I become very concerned in an information vacuum. The more I know, the less I worry. Part of what I need to know is the extent to which I can depend on infirmation coming from the dude with the knife.

In the event I have complete confidence in him, not only because he is a consultant ophthalmologist, but because he has always been straight with me, and his description of the potential costs and benefits of the surgery he offers corresponds to the experiences posted on this and other forums.

I agree that it is possible to obsess a little about surgery, but I also believe in informed consent. It is a principle in Scottish Medical Case Law that consent without being informed is not consent at all!

And, yes, you are right. In a dire emergency most of us would agree to whatever the A and E staff recommended, without any agonizing over the details. In this case it may be assumed that the potential cost of doing nothing would heavily outweigh the potential cost of doing something!

Don't worry, be happy. but some folk are only happy if they can worry!



Andrew

[Louise Pembroke]

Me too, I need info, best & worst case scenarios, otherwise it feels like nailing jelly to the wall.

[John Smith]

feels like nailing jelly to the wall.

That's an easy one. Don't unwrap it. Or at least, don't break it into little cubes and pour boiling water over it first - in my experience, that makes the nailing part more tricky.

[Per]

Me too, I need info, best & worst case scenarios, otherwise it feels like nailing jelly to the wall.

As John says, that`s an easy one. Worst case scenario; blind. Best; perfect vision.

[Louise Pembroke]

Thankyou John, it's nice to see your silliness developing nicely!

[Andrew MacLean]

Per, spot on! But maybe the worst case for an individual is some way short of blind, and the best case is some way short of perfect sight.

It is only when we know the consequences for each of us of action, and the consequences of doing nothing, or of doing something else, that we can make our informed choice.

A

[GarethB]

For me succes was to have sight that could be corrected compared to pre graft where the sight was so bad it could not be corrected.

My right eye is close to being so bad it can not be corrected, but still I perservere as the risks are too high for an operation now. This time the op will be when I can not even see fingers hands or arms waved infront of my face.

[Andrew MacLean]

Gareth

That was exactly the point I had reached. No possibility of correction and unable to see fingers ... I could barely make out the waving hand.

so I had nothing to lose.

When you have nowhere left to fall, the only way is up. I had no very great idea of how high I'd climb, but I now have good sight again in my graft eye. Actually I have better sight in my graft eye than i can ever remember having had!

Left eye next.

All the best Gareth.

Andrew