Detour to the Surgery Center

OK, I didn't get that catch-up bike post done, did I? No, I took a little detour on Wednesday to the High Point Surgery Center for cataract surgery on my left eye. Not unexpected...just not expected to happen NOW! No matter...as my eyesight was deteriorating daily it seemed, I was ready to have this over and done!

You may recall that I had my right eye "done" in October 2012, at the High Point Surgery Center, and ultimately very successfully, too. So I had high hopes that things would go every bit as well. 

We checked in before we were due at 7:30, using my passport as my picture ID. I told you about the Pound Puppies eating my Driver's License, didn't I? 

Yes, well, they insisted I bring something that actually had my picture intact, and the only thing I could think of was my passport. Just think, somewhere on Wednesday morning someone used her passport to fly to Paris. I used mine to gain admittance to eye surgery. Ah well, comme ci comme ça!

Anyway, things seemed to go smoothly from the moment I walked in the door. And when the nurse got my IV inserted with minimal discomfort ON THE FIRST TRY, I thought "ooh baby, this is gonna be a piece of cake." 

Ah well, indeed. My luck may have run out then...or at least taken a detour.

I had a bad reaction to the nerve block anesthesia, causing a severe headache, nausea, etc. Since I still had an IV in Recovery, they were able to give me Percocet...and then morphine. And finally something for the nausea...which I didn't keep down long. Let's just say Wednesday was not what I would describe as a fun day. 

Then yesterday when the dr removed the shield and bandages, I discovered the vision in my left eye was cloudy. He is happy with the way the lens implant looks under the scope, so we wait and see whether the cloudiness will clear up on its own. Three kinds of eye drops 4 times a day ought to help with that! No strenuous activities, limit bending and leaning over to limit any pressure on that eye, no driving (bummer), keep bright lights to a minimum...blah, blah, blah. I see him again in a week, by which time it will have cleared up...or not. We shall see...no pun intended...;-)

Meanwhile, I have these really UGLY dark shades to wear that are probably the best incentive I can imagine for getting better quickly. Ugh! Here they are...as you can see. I titled this photo "going to my happy place...mentally if not (yet) physically." 

I have great nurses in Mr. T and Missy M, who are here for me...and who are serving as dog-wranglers for the Fab Five in residence. I don't have to worry about anything other than getting well. So, I'm going to "take the weekend off," do what the dr ordered, and be a patient patient. 

Well, two out of three ain't bad, right?

Bell's Palsy Update - Week 12

Oh yes. The saga continues. This week has brought highs and lows where my battle with Bell's Palsy is concerned. Hills and valleys. But, sad to report, not a definitive end to this really bad dream I'm living. Sigh.

High point: I've been working with my Speech Therapist Tori for a little more than a week, and I can tell a difference in the paralysis, especially around my left eyebrow and upper jaw and top lip. More importantly, both Tori and Mr. T (he of the Doubting nature) can see and hear improvements. I have a new set of facial exercises that target my mouth, tongue, jaw, and chin...and I have doing them faithfully twice a day.

On my Therapy days, Tori places 2 electrodes on my left cheek and sends electrical impulses to stimulate the nerve and muscles...while putting me through my paces with the exercises. No, it's not painful...it actually reminds me of the TENS Unit (4 electrodes) I use on my lower back when I'm having an episode of back pain. Still, I refer to the VitalStim (which is the name of the facial version of electrodes) as The Zapper...just like I call the TENS Unit. Doesn't this all sound like fun? Remember, I called this a high point!

Low point: I got confirmation of one of my primary fears. I saw my "new" ophthalmologist today about the vision problems with my right eye...AKA: the "other" eye. (My former Eye Dr has retired, and this one is in the same practice...and I like him even better!) You probably remember my saying I have developing cataracts in both eyes, with the right eye having the poorer vision? Anyway, Dr. T was clearly surprised at the speed of development of the cataract in my right eye, and said I may have the steroids (which I've taken earlier this year for my back problems and more recently for the Bell's...as well as having used a steroid-based nasal spray for years to help with my vertigo) to thank. Oh joy. Seems there is a definite link between corticosteroid use and Posterior Subcapsular Cataract, or PSC.

What's that, you ask? Here's more info than you probably wanted from The Centre for Vision Research:

Posterior subcapsular cataract develops at the back of the lens, often in the visual axis, and so affects vision rapidly and severely. The majority of people needing cataract surgery have some posterior subcapsular cataract present at that time.

The BMES demonstrated many important associations with posterior subcapsular cataract, including that the use of steroid therapy, particularly long-term use of inhaled steroids (Becotide and others) increased the risk of cataract in a moderate, dose-related manner. These findings were published in the New England Journal of Medicine, New Scientist, and elsewhere.

After a long appointment which included a glare test, interocular measurements, and 3 rounds of dilation drops, I wasn't surprised to find myself in the Scheduling Tech's office...putting dates on my calendar. Surgery on the right eye is scheduled for October 3. I go for pre-op testing today.

Great big, double sigh.

I know, I know...I am fortunate. This is not my great-grandmother's cataract surgery (where she was in the hospital for a week), nor is it even my mother's cataract surgery (where she had to keep her eye patched for several days). I'll be an outpatient, get to go home in a few hours, and can pretty much resume "normal" activities in a day or two. Still, I'm beginning to feel the cumulative effects of everything this year hath wrought.

Any wonder why I whole-heartedly, with no reservation whatsoever, agreed with Missy M: "I'll sure be glad when it's 2013!"?

Me, too, darling. Me, too.