@Chook @Viv19 @zauberflote @PenguinMum
@Goonergal @Bildad @DJC3
@shelley262
and others who gave hugs and things x
Thank you for all your good wishes and advice and more. I appreciate it all as I was very nervous before I went in, and had a bad night’s sleep.
In the hospital, it was explained again that I have sudden onset primary acute angle closure glaucoma.
It happened suddenly with no warning. It was only by chance I was called for a periodic eye appointment at the hospital. And this was when it was said it was a matter of urgency because I could lose my sight at any moment with not enough warning to save it. I need my eyes to lipread as I am deaf.
I didn’t take this well initially and went for a second opinion. Because it was totally out of the blue, and I ‘only’ attend this hospital over my dry eyes with Sjogrens Syndrome, this diagnosis was unexpected. And especially because I had none of the symptoms the initial eye doctor insisted I should be experiencing, including severe pain and white flashes etc.
The eye doctor today, a very pleasant man, explained in detail, using analogy how close I had been to totally losing my eyesight.
The scary thing is I always attend my diabetic retinopathy appointment yearly, and nothing was picked up there. And also my last eyetest with my optometrist was just at Christmas 2018, and nothing was picked up then. I had this Liverpool eye hospital appointment sent me in February 2019, but then the hospital sent me a text cancelling it for their reasons, and sent me a new appointment for March 2019, and that was when the sudden onset primary acute angle closure glaucoma was diagnosed. It was confirmed again when I got a second opinion myself a week later in Wales.
So as you can guess I didn’t really believe it initially, especially as I had no symptoms at all.
What I am trying to say is I did all the right things in taking care of my eyes, I never miss an appointment, and yet that would not have been enough.
I have another diabetic retinopathy appointment in a months time, and that possibly would have been too late to save my eyes. They could have gone at any moment.
The eye doctor today explained it was a combination of me being long sighted, having diabetes, and because of the severe dry eyes of my Sjogrens Syndrome.
However, this laser treatment, of laser iridotomy, to reduce the pressure might not be enough, and I may still have to have cataract surgery, (even though I don’t have cataracts) but once you have cataract surgery with this kind of problem, you can never lose your eyesight because of it as no pressure can build up now as any liquid constantly drains away.
The eye doctor was very patient with me explaining carefully stage by stage and giving me all the time I needed to understand. Then half way through him explaining to me I urgently needed to wee!!
He told me to take all the time I wanted, and come back to him when I was ready.
When I went back he said he would give me as much time as I needed before he did the procedure. Anyway he explained more, and then a consent form to sign on an iPad, and gave explanations. He patiently explained all that I needed know.
The thing is, because he was so kind and caring and patient, I had no fears of anything during the laser procedure which he was giving me, and I felt confident enough to say what I felt during it if there was pain or discomfort, and he sorted it.
Consequently I was able to stay perfectly still and not move a millimetre because I placed all my trust in him.
He said patients would often draw back as they thought they felt the laser which is so not a good idea, obviously.
It went well for me, and the eye doctor was absolutely delighted with how I stayed relaxed and still.
And I was streaming Hildegard Bingen from my iPhone to my Cochlear speech processor to completely chill me out. I had been streaming it earlier in the different noisy discordant waiting rooms. A hospital is not conducive to a relaxed patient.
One more thing. I did have friends who warned me of this that and the other during the laser treatment. I won’t say what they said here. But don’t listen to anyone. There is nothing to it.
If you are not sitting comfortably in that laser chair, tell the laser operator, they can adjust the chair. If you need a wee, say so, and go. If when the laser operator puts the contact cups on your eyes (with gel) to keep them open during the procedure and they feel uncomfortable, then tell them (I did) and the laser operator can give you a moment for your eyes to get used to that alien contact lens cup.
I thought the actual firing of the laser into the eye was amazing to watch in my eyes. I felt like a modern day Frankenstein’s experiment (in a good way I hasten to add!). In my eyes was this pure whiteness, and then this amazing red visual lightning crackling and moving round in a circular motion. It almost didn’t last long enough. I was enjoying the light show. I wish I could explain it better. But I might try and make a painting of it tomorrow!
I am tired now after this long day.
I need a cuppa! Then I will post my food! I was eating lc food on and off all the time I was in there. But there was a fruit and veg stall in the foyer, and I bought a punnet of raspberries, a punnet of massive blackberries, and a punnet of blueberries!
>^..^<
