Retinal detachment: update 2

It has been 2 weeks now since I underwent the scleral buckle surgery. I'm in the path to recovery and it has not been easy for me. I had to take pain killers for the swelling especially at night. I felt strong headaches and my eyes were super sensitive to light. Cleanliness is paramount. Ayu bought me a whole box of steriled cotton swabs. She even instructed the maid to change the bed sheets every day. With all the hassle I caused, at times I felt that I should have stayed at the hospital for recovery.

During recovery, I slept for countless hours. The body is recovering and I understand now why Doctors instructs patients to rest post surgery. I thought I would be forcing myself to rest or sleep. It's amazing how the body just shuts down and went into recovery mode and I felt really tired from it. I was close to hibernating.

I went for a follow up check up last Wednesday and the doctor said everything is looking really good. The detachment had been corrected and holes and retinal tears had been properly 'closed'. That was good news. Full eye sight recovery will take time though and they told me to be patience. There's 85%-90% chances that I will get back my previous vision. It won't be the same definitely and I do have to change my glasses later to adjust to this new condition.

Today I have a silicone rubber ring permanently sewn around my left eyeball. It's amazing to imagine how surgeons with very steady hands operate on organs as sensitive as the eye. My experience in the OT is definitely something..hehehe. I wasn't on GA you see so I could hear everything. Very nervy I tell you.

Alhamdulillah the surgery went well although it took longer than expected. Just as they push me out of the OT, I said thank you to the whole team. I was not only being thankful, but I don't want them to think or treat me just like another piece of 'eyeball'..hahaha.

Thanks to everyone for your support and well wishes. My parents have been very supportive. They cooked lunches and dinners and delivered it home. The boys have been understanding too. I have to say that it's good to see Ayu managing the household. Well, she's OK with it as long as she has my ATM card..hehehe.

To my great great great grand children who might be reading this one day. If you are developing eye sight problem and the doctor asked you whether you have family history of eye complications, you can say that 200 or 300 years ago, your great great great grandfather had a history of retinal detachment. I'm giving you all the facts here. My doctor did asked me the same question and I have nothing to back up my answer. The defect is hereditary. So you might as well take preventive measures and go for regular eye check up.

Hmm..come to think of it, wouldn't it be good if we have a life long database that collect and stores family healthcare records?? Do you realise how our medical records are kept in different places and imagine the difficulties in sharing or cross referencing these records between medical institutions and practitioners? Imagine how much medical insurance costs can be lowered if all records are kept centrally by a trustee and only the rightful owner of record has the authority to share this information? Haiyaaa..I'll blog about it later laa...I'm beginning to 'detached' from the topic...