Another Week From Hell
To be fair, this week from hell started with an extra day off, so how bad could it really be? Ha! Tuesday started out with a long doctor appointment. The pressure in his eye was too high. We had to sit in the office until some eye drops brought the pressure down to a more acceptable level. Wednesday was an appointment with the retinal specialist. She decided it was time for surgery to clean out the debris from behind the lens and stabilize the retina. Thursday is surgery day. For the third week in a row, it’s surgery day.
We’re off to the hospital in a little while. The hope is that once the debris is cleared out, his vision should return. At the very least, they should be able to see into the eye better to see what else might be wrong. Do I see another Thursday surgery next week? I really hope not.
Lion goes from being depressed about not being able to see, to angry, to wanting to learn to live without being able to see, and back to depressed. He says I can’t understand what he’s going through. It’s true. Sure, I can close my eyes and pretend not to be able to see, but it’s not the same. The best I can do is be here to help him.
It Has Been the Week From Hell
I apologize for not writing a post lately. I haven’t had time. Today is the first day since Monday that we haven’t been running to one or more doctors. Lion’s eye pressure last Friday was 4. That worried the doctor so much, he sent us to a retinal specialist. His eye was sort of collapsing. Who knew that was possible?
The retinal specialist confirmed the choroid was separating and the only way to fix that was to add pressure to his eye. How do they do that? Lion went in Tuesday for the glaucoma doctor to inject some sort of goop into his eye. Basically, they pumped up the tire. On Wednesday, the retinal specialist checked his pressure and it was back down to two or three. The theory was that the tube, put in Thursday, was doing its job too well. Back to surgery.
On Thursday, Lion had his third surgery in eight days. The glaucoma doc sutured the tube closed and reinflated his eye. Friday morning, we were back to have the bandage removed and the pressure checked. It was ten. That was lower than the doctor had anticipated. He’s going to call us today to let us now when to meet him at the office on Sunday. Sunday! That’s amazing. Not only Sunday, but the Sunday of a holiday weekend. That’s incredible.
Of course, we also have appointments with the glaucoma doctor and the retinal doctor next week. I just hope next week is not like this past week. I don’t know if either one of us can handle that.
In all this time, Lion hasn’t been able to see. The choroid is still detached and blocking the retina. Since his left eye is mostly useless, he’s essentially blind.
Alive and Sort of Well
Aside from being very antsy after being made to wait about an hour past his scheduled surgery time, Lion’s surgery went well. By dinnertime, we were able to take of the bandage and he could see, although it was blurry. That was to be expected. The anesthesia was still affecting things. The fact that he could see at all was a major coup since that meant there was no bleeding. By Friday’s post-op visit, things were back to pre-surgery, non-contact lens vision. Today, however, he’s having a little more trouble seeing.
I’m not sure at what point we need to call the doctor. Is this temporary? I was encouraged that he could see yesterday. He’s thinking the end is near. I don’t think it’s near, but I am a little worried. On the one hand I think his vision may fluctuate. His eye has been invaded, after all. On the other hand, why would his vision fluctuate? It was okay. Why wouldn’t it stay okay?
Assuming things calm down again and he can see, the biggest hurdle is getting past the two-week mark until he can wear contacts again to gain a little more vision. I’ll be right here with him no matter what.
My Last Post For A While
Tomorrow, I’m going for my second eye surgery this year. My right eye is the victim this time—that happens to be my “good” eye. The left has almost no vision. After the surgery, I will be blind for a while. About six hours after the surgery, we take off the eye patch. I will still have very little vision because I need to wear a contact lens. It will be two weeks before I can wear it. I’m worried about how I will manage.
Mrs. Lion has made some preparations for my surgery. We have an inexpensive wheelchair that she bought a few years ago. We plan to use it to get me from the car to our bedroom. After my last surgery, the lingering effects from the anesthesia made me too weak to get up the three steps from the garage to the house. I collapsed. Mrs. Lion bought a portable ramp (12 feet long) that she installed in the garage. Now, she can wheel me into the house. Yuck! I hate being an invalid.
The surgery will interfere with any plans to restore our disciplinary relationship. Until my eye has a chance to heal, I guess we’ll be mostly vanilla. That’s not much of a change since we have gotten out of our usual routine. We’ve discussed our options several times but don’t seem able to get going. The surgery will add another delay.
Mrs. Lion’s shoulder has been giving her trouble. That’s another reason why my bottom is rarely spanked. It’s also why we can’t snuggle the way we like. It hurts her to lie in that position. Even without the snuggles, having her with me makes life exciting and fun. After being together for over 22 years, it’s better than ever. I’m very lucky.
I’ll post again when I can read my screen.