Eye Eye

At the Eye Pavilion today. Why on earth is it called a ‘Pavilion’, btw? Why not Eye Hospital?  Anyway, off to see how bad the 2nd cataract is and when it’s to get done. And it’s bad. Really bad. So bad, in fact, that I’ve to get a general anaesthetic again – hoorah! Looks like it will be October though before the deed is done. In the meantime I shall continue to squint out of my good one which was done last year and not drive too far at night. And yes, the Altar copy of the Liturgy shall remain on the right-hand side for now.

Wanna see what my pupils looked like after they put the evil drops in?  (Ignore the state of the eyebrows please. Remember I am half blind.)

Ruth's eyes after evil drops

Update on the peepers

For those of you interested in the after-effects of the cataract removal…

The old eye is improving day by day. Not so red or scratchy and I am even getting quite good with the eyedrops – though not always accurate! It doesn’t particularly like fluorescent light or draughts (hot or cold) and sometimes feels like closing by evening.

Reading is still a big problem but is getting better so I am hopeful that it won’t be long before I can read normally again. Manage more each day with the magnifiers but it is a bit of a strain.

And I can’t wait until I can get the old mascara and under-eye concealer back out again.

(I should add that this setback is not normal for folk getting their cataracts removed. Most folk improve much quicker than I have.)

Update on the peepers

Back at the hospital today and all is not well. I won’t bore you with the details but not all of the cataract is out and I won’t be able to read for 4-6 weeks. Oh, and the other cataract is not bad enough to take out yet so I have to wait and then go through the whole long process again. I am not a happy bunny.

Nothing else for it but to eat chocolate.

The good news, if not slightly bizarre, is that I can drive. So I drove and got chocolate. Lots of it.

Back to watching TV with my shades on.

A woman in a man’s ward

“I’m terribly sorry, Mrs I, but we have a ward closed just now for renovation so I’m afraid you are in the man’s ward.”

Not a problem, I thought. It’s only an eye operation after all. It’s not like I shall have to take all my clothes off or anything.

“Now, I’m afraid with all this upheaval we seem to have lost our theatre gowns so I’m afraid you shall have to wear this nightie.”

That would be the very short (mid-thigh) pink flowery nightie with no back and no ties to tie said lack of back.

It was rather draughty. But if I sat very still on the chair beside my bed and put my scarf on my lap to cover the rather large expanse of white thighs then I thought I might get away with it.

After all, it was only going to be for a few minutes as I was first on the list and due to go to theatre at any minute. Of course, I was a little miffed to find that when the curtains were pulled back the two other men in the ward were covered from head to toe in rather fetching pyjamas. “Oh, I want some of those please!” “No, you can’t – they’re for men.” ????

But the few minutes stretched into hours as the theatre list was rearranged. And sooner or later I had to visit the toilet. This involved a quick sprint (not something I am naturally inclined to do) whilst clutching the back of the nightie together with one hand, past all the day patients sitting in the corridor, past the waiting room of other patients, and into the loo. Washing my hands meant leaving go of the short nightie altogether whereupon it slid gracefully off my shoulders exposing even more white flesh.

Back to the vinyl seat beside my bed, which was very comfy on bare skin, and clutching my scarf to my body. It’s not that I’m particularly prudish, you understand. It’s really to protect the innocent and the squeamish.

Finally, the nurse came to take me to the theatre. “Do you mind walking to the lift?”
“No, not if you get me something to cover myself with.”
“Oh.”
She seemed surprised.
“Did you not bring a dressing gown?”
“Did you tell me to bring one in?”
(I found out later that those who had the op by local anaesthetic were told to bring dressing gown and slippers in. Much more sensible than a scarf and clumpy shoes.)

So I was given a sheet and tried to glide past the other people as if it was making me look terribly sophisticated. I think I failed.

Let there be light – and there was a blinding light

This will be a brief blog because the computer screen is really blindingly white and hurting my wee eye. However the op was a great success and I can now see the world in glorious technicolour, brighter than I have ever seen. When did my house get to be so purple?

The problem now is that I cannot read because my glasses were varifocal and are no use now. And of course I kindly gave away all my reading glasses. So in the meantime I have to make do with my sunglasses in a darkened room and day time television.

And you shall have to wait for the whole gory story of me in a skimpy nighty in a man’s ward.

Lesson for today

And today’s lesson is that if you have cataracts you cannot read text on mid-blue paper. Not a word. Not even a word of the Lord.

Here endeth the lesson.

Eye Eye

At the Eye Pavilion this morning for my assessment and what fun it was too. I had things squirted in which nipped like I’d just peeled a pile of onions. I had bright lights shone in my eyes until I went blind, albeit temporarily. I had more stuff squuezed in to enlarge my pupils so that I couldn’t see very well. I had blood pressure taken, blood given (reluctantly and I have the bruises to prove it) and my whole medical history investigated.

At the end of it all I have been told that I would be better to have a general anaesthetic because the cataract in my right eye is so deep. So I am very happy about that! And the date I have is Monday 22 January. However, if someone goes down with the lurgy I am on the cancellation list for this Monday coming. So, not too long to wait and I am delighted.

And there is a good chance that I will only need glasses for reading after. But obviously that is a way down the line because the left eye will have to be done at some point too.

Eye eye

Visit to the eye specialist yesterday and my cataracts are developing at a great rate. Apparantly this happens when you get them young. Young! Did you hear that? I am young!

I had lots of drops and things squirted in my eyes and got to look at bright lights and all sorts of exciting things until I was completely blind. (That did wear off.)

Three month waiting list till I see the Surgeon for more tests and then another three months till the op. By which point, if they continue to grow at the current rate, I will be totally useless in the sight department. Let’s hope they take the Urgent thing to heart and get me in sooner.

Day of journeys

Set off at 8.30am yesterday to go to the dentist in Linlithgow. My appointment was at 9.30am for some delicate root canal work so I wanted to make sure I was good and early. At 9.40am I had reached The Gyle whereupon I stopped and phoned the dentist to see if it was worth my while continuing. It was not. That’s the last time I go on the Bypass in the morning.

Back to The Gyle in the afternoon with Nephew #1 at the wheel to have dye put in my eyes to see how the cataracts were developing. First I had to read the chart with my glasses on and one eye covered. What chart? Didn’t bother with the dye after that. It would appear that they are developing nicely and I am now classified as Urgent. But there is a long waiting list and they wondered if I could go private. Yeh, right! On a priest’s stipend, I don’t think so!