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I have long been told that the best writers do their best work based upon what they know or their own experiences.
Otherwise, extensive research is required to speak knowledgeably about everything else. Since I admittedly don’t know the inner workings about politics or religion, I speak with the common person’s viewpoints about what they see happening in the world today; nothing more, nothing less.
Therefore, I will desist and decease railing about politics (for now), and move on to what I do know…patient experience. Recently I had a cataract removed from one eye, with the second following two weeks later.
The choice for my surgeon was made after consulting with many people including my regular eye-doctor who felt I was ready for cataract removal. I met with the surgeon and was pleasantly surprised about how personable and informative he was. Their staff was top-notch and I wasn’t the least bit afraid going into the procedure. I took a few notes at the consultation appointment, but apparently not as many as I should have. I depended on the surgeon to tell me everything I needed to know.
I had spoken with so many people who had completed the surgery, most of them saying their procedure was a breeze, had little or no pain and were amazed by the immediate difference in their vision. In hind-sight I guess that was my expectation.
As with most things in life, what you expect is not always what happens. I had reviewed my pre-op instructions and the videos preparing me for the surgery, but there was little or nothing about what to expect after surgery except warnings about the really bad stuff. A couple of days after the surgery, when I could see a little better, I reviewed my notes, those given by the surgeon and my discharge summary. While I saw all of the scary things about having the surgery (including blindness, infection, complete loss of vision and/ or possibly death), I didn’t see much about the day-to-day immediate post-op expectations. I had expected that the discharge team would provide me with all of that.
Seeing my regular eye-doctor the next day, I was advised that everything “looked perfect,” and my nominal pain was handled by oral acetaminophen.
The following day, I opened the refrigerator door and was immediately blinded by the light with a sharp pain that went directly into my brain and had to have burned out a few of the cobwebs that have been there lately. I had to turn down the brightness on my computer, and my phone, wearing sunglasses in the house as well as everywhere I went. My eyes watered like I was crying my eyes out (which a few days later I was), and the non-operative eye decided to go on strike and I couldn’t see out of either eye. A follow-up call said that everything was still a “normal phenomenon.” For my money, I was seeing a future with a red-tipped cane begging for bucks….
By the fourth post-op day, I was literally crying my eyes out, fearful I would never see clearly again and seriously considering not having the other eye done. I checked Google and asked the most common complaints after cataract surgery and found myself to be the ultimate poster child for the complaints listed. I talked with my husband, who was with me that day and he reinforced that the surgeon had told me all of these things when he came in after the surgery. Unfortunately, I remember little of what occurred, with only sketchy memories of the period before, during or after surgery. Apparently, my surgeon mentioned that all of these things were common, just as my regular eye-doctor had told me afterward. Well, I felt stupid.
While you would think that as a surgery nurse, I would know exactly what to expect, that was not the case. Turns out that even doctors and nurses are “just patients” when things happen to them!
I have long contended that patients are often shipped home before they are ready. In our zeal to “get ‘em in, and get ‘em out,” we often neglect assuring that they are able to care for themselves properly after the procedure, and to make certain that they are fully awake before we speak with them. (Spoiler alert-ALWAYS take a second person with you for both pre- and post-consultation and surgical appointments, as they may see or hear what you did not!)
Don’t expect the doctors, nurses or anesthetists to anticipate all of your questions and needs. Do the research before each appointment and take good notes. Go online or to the library to research your condition or surgical procedure so that you can ask intelligent questions, assuring that you have the best possible outcome.
Ask lots of people who have had similar procedures for their take. Days after the surgery, I ran into multiple people who experienced very similar symptoms to mine; they comforted me in ways the professionals could not.
Lastly, if your surgery requires two procedures to complete the process, i.e. (left eye/right eye), don’t panic if you don’t get the result you thought you would. After the first surgery, the other eye still had problems, and wearing the old glasses messed up my brain even more!
Thankfully, the right eye procedure was the “piece of cake” that the first one was not. I was so worried about the situation with the first eye that I almost didn’t have the second one done. How thankful I am that I stuffed my fears and had it done!
Lastly, don’t expect the best-or-worst-case scenarios to be yours, for each of our bodies are different and will heal in their own timeframe, for indeed we are all “wonderfully made!”
‘Til Next Time!
Mrs. B. (Wishing I had been a better detective before the first surgery, and hoping I was less of a pain-in-the-butt for the second!)
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