Gondor's Grumblings

[Rheged]

Best wishes for a Happy Christmas, a peaceful New Year and a full recovery. Do NOT try to rush your recovery, just  keep plodding steadily onwards.   We are all (virtually) here if you feel  the  need  to grumble, sound off or even spread a little happiness.  We all look forward to the eventual re-appearance of a fully operational Gondor.

[Gondor]

Thank you both so much for your words. The only part of my recovery that I wish would speed up is the part where I have to keep my face down as much as possible. I don't know all the technicalities as to why, but it boils down to the repair being at the back of the eye, and a gas haeing been inserted into my eye to put pressure on the repair and to keep the tear which was repaired in place, but as the gas is lighter than any liquid in the eye, the area it is in to do that needs to be the highest part of the eye. To do this, my face must be pointing downwards. That is the bit I want over with. I have a time on Christmas day that cannot come quickly enough. Sleeping while sitting upright and my head forward is not comfortable; I want to lie down in my own bed to sleep.
Looking through the repaired eye is as if the eye is consistently watering. At least that is the best I can describe the effect. The main and most positive thing is that, other than that, I can see ok with that eye. No darkness or anything else anywhere. I believe my surgeon would be very happy about that.
I am writing this on my PC, but taking breaks and putting my head to the desk after a while to compensate for having my head up and looking at the monitor once I have finished watching my fingers type, to make corrections. If not exactly following the letter of the instructions, I am doing what I can within my life and the way I live.
For keeping my head down, Spot, the cat, is not helping much as he keeps claiming my seat on the sofa, which is the best place I have found for resting and having my head down without sleeping.

[Charlie_c67]

Sounds like what you need really is one of those massage tables with the hole for your face. Would allow you to follow Doctors orders whilst still being able to read, use laptop/tablet etc

[DogfighterZen]

That healing process does not sound comfortable at all.... Wishes of a quick and full recovery for that eye, mate.

[scooter]

Sounds like what you need really is one of those massage tables with the hole for your face. Would allow you to follow Doctors orders whilst still being able to read, use laptop/tablet etc

That's what I was thinking too.  But one that's only a half foot off the floor, so that if you roll around in your sleep you're not going back to the A&E for a fall injury.

[Charlie_c67]

As long as it comes with some pretty young thing to give you a massage at the same time what more could you want?

Sounds like what you need really is one of those massage tables with the hole for your face. Would allow you to follow Doctors orders whilst still being able to read, use laptop/tablet etc

That's what I was thinking too.  But one that's only a half foot off the floor, so that if you roll around in your sleep you're not going back to the A&E for a fall injury.

[Gondor]

As long as it comes with some pretty young thing to give you a massage at the same time what more could you want?

Sounds like what you need really is one of those massage tables with the hole for your face. Would allow you to follow Doctors orders whilst still being able to read, use laptop/tablet etc

That's what I was thinking too.  But one that's only a half foot off the floor, so that if you roll around in your sleep you're not going back to the A&E for a fall injury.

I was thinking the same thing earlier today.

When going back to the ward after surgery, laying face down on the gurney, I was strongly tempted to to move my right arm so that it was pointing forwards, our direction of travel, and to say loudly as we entered the ward, "To Infinity And Beyond" or some such thing.
I probably would have been told off 

I did thank the staff, by giving they a quarter of a freshly made fruit cake. I think they deserved it.

[Accidental Loggie]

Alastair - did you have a tear in the macular? And / or a retinal detachment?

[Gondor]

Alastair - did you have a tear in the macular? And / or a retinal detachment?

It was a macular tear. I knew about it before Telford, but did nothing until I got home, as I was worried I might not get to go to Telford, which, going by how fast the treatment has been, was the right decision.
When I had the surgery, I opted for local anaesthesia; one other guy who was operated on before me had a general anaesthetic. I find it more interesting with the local as I want to know what is going on. Both my cataracts were also done under local, but then they don't do them under general, as they need you awake to say how it is going.

[The Rat]

Yikes, I would have gone for the general. I've had a few different procedures with local, no problem, but if anything gets near my eyes, forget it, I do NOT want to see what's going on.

[Accidental Loggie]

As I had the same issue in January this year, at the same time as my second retinal detachment, I sympathise with what you're experiencing.  As you say, keeping your head face down to assist the healing is both necessary and a complete pain as you cannot really do anything.  I found listening to audiobooks and nostalgic comedy to be the least worst way for me getting through that recuperation phase.  Provided you follow the surgeon's instructions then you should be fine 

[Charlie_c67]

Plenty of Goon shows to listen to if you have Spotify. Always a good way to pass the time.

Yikes, I would have gone for the general. I've had a few different procedures with local, no problem, but if anything gets near my eyes, forget it, I do NOT want to see what's going on.

How about Neurosurgery? Some procedures have to be done under local so they know they're prodding and cutting in appropriate places and not causing problems!

[Gondor]

Plenty of Goon shows to listen to if you have Spotify. Always a good way to pass the time.

Yikes, I would have gone for the general. I've had a few different procedures with local, no problem, but if anything gets near my eyes, forget it, I do NOT want to see what's going on.

How about Neurosurgery? Some procedures have to be done under local so they know they're prodding and cutting in appropriate places and not causing problems!

I was thinking that The Rat had better not get cataracts in either eye, they need you awake to do those, the operation, and it's only about ten minutes, and you get to see pretty lights when they take the lens out.

[Gondor]

I am a happier bunny. The time limit for the head position is now past, so life can sort of return to what passes for normality here. The image in the left eye is very blurred, expected really, unless the object is very close, such as the nozzle of the eye dropper when I am applying drops to my eye. It actually helps me line up the nozzle so I don't miss the eye with the dropper.
I have also noticed that there is a dark ring around the upper part of my vision in my left eye. I am assuming that is the edge of the gas/liquid interface and shall keep an eye on the size of the ring, which should get smaller over time.
I am so looking forward to sleeping lying down tonight, rather than sitting upright, which is what I have done for the last three nights. I'm not sure how much sleep I got last night, but it was less than normal, I am sure.
I do still get the odd bit of pain in the eye. When that happens, I stop what I was doing and try to do something that stops the pain. No guarantee that what works one time will also work a second. Starting to catch up on emails, last Sunday was when I last read emails from Britmodeller, and I have yet to play catch-up with the postings on here as well.
Other than shuffling a few modelling items around, I have put one of the Blackbird decal sheets I recently received into the model box that I bought them for, I also don't plan to do any model building until at least the weekend.

[Accidental Loggie]

I have also noticed that there is a dark ring around the upper part of my vision in my left eye. I am assuming that is the edge of the gas/liquid interface and shall keep an eye on the size of the ring, which should get smaller over time.

Alastair - you're absolutely correct about the gas bubble line, which will move steadily down your eye so that you can see more clearly above it.  It will then morph into a circle in the centre of your eye,  before getting smaller and then finally disappearing in toto one day, like a very slow moving old TV when you used to shut it down...

Keep the faith