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Thursday, May 26, 2016

Just When You Though It Was Okay To Get Back In The Saddle

Yep.  I've not blogged recently because I've had another health emergency.  Figures, doesn't it?

This time it was a problem with my left eye.  I thought I was seeing a big floater developing, so we called the VA hospital and they said to come in right away.  It's a good thing we did.

I was diagnosed with four retinal tears and a partially detached retina.  A long round of laser treatments on the tears and then a two hour long surgery to reattach the retina was the result.  Thankfully, we caught it in time and there will be no long term consequences.

The recovery period has not been fun.  To put the retina back in place, first all the "jelly" that is in the eyeball was removed and then a gas bubble was inserted into my eye, pushing the retina back into place so it could be stitched tight.  The gas bubble then puts pressure on the retina to re-enforce it in place until it heals.

The "fun" part is that I had to keep my head facing down to allow the bubble to stay in place.  I was not able to read, watch TV, or do anything that allowed me to have my head upright for any amount of time.  Sleep was on my stomach with my head face down.  Thankfully, I have a little DVD player that I could put at my feet and watch movies (while sitting) so I had something to do to prevent myself from going crazy (more so than I already am).

It has been tough on my neck and back muscles, but with some pain killers, along with a half dozen types of eye drops every couple of hours I reached a turning point.

A visit to the VA ophthalmologist today showed everything is knitting properly and I no longer have to keep my head down all the time (Thank Goodness!!!), but I still should sleep face down and avoid any undue stresses or bouncing around.  I can read again and legally could drive, but looking through my eye it is like I'm under water, so I'll leave the driving to Marti.  The gas bubble will slowly be absorbed until my sight will be clear and normal again.  It just takes time, possibly as long a six weeks.  I hope not.

It could be worse, I could have lost the sight in my eye, so I'm grateful to the VA doc that fixed me up.  Asking him the cause of all this, he listed three risk factors: Age, cataract surgery and an eye injury.  I had two of the three so I guess it was almost inevitable.

The doc wants to see me back in three weeks, so that is good news.  Our plans to attend our son's commissioning ceremony in St. Louis next week is still on, but we'll be driving our car and hoteling it instead of taking the Journey.  Our planned visit to the Winnebago factory service center will have to be rescheduled for another time.

It just goes to show that life on the road has the same ups and downs that living in a house can have.  We're so thankful that we caught this early and it's just a speed bump. Now with my other issue, all is looking good for an August surgery to reattach my plumbing and get rid of Krakatoa.    We'll both be glad to be rid of that challenge.   :c)

Thanks for visiting and feel free to leave a comment.

20 comments:

  1. my goodness, Paul..you are not having much luck in the medical department these days..so happy for you that they caught the eye problem so quickly!! take care of yourself and hopfully this will be the last big issue you have!

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  2. You have certainly been through the ringer ... so to speak. Hopefully, that's about it for now and nothing else bad will strike you. Ever feel like Job? Glad you're still able to go to Missouri. Driving the car is probably a better option too. Take care and stay out of hospitals and doctors' offices.

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  3. You are really having your share of challenges lately, or are you enjoying the attention you get at the hospital? NOT!
    Get healthy soon so you can stat enjoying life once again.
    Be Safe and Enjoy!

    It's about time.

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  4. WOW...that was scary!!! So glad to hear they were able to fix things and you can expect your vision to get back to normal. Take care and enjoy your son's commissioning ceremony.

    Safe Travels...

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  5. Wow you sure getting things tuned up, soon you will be all brand new, and no holding you back.

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  6. I always marvel at what can be done with modern medicine & especially the technical advancements & intricate eye related surgeries etc. Mind boggling. When you mentioned having to continually keep your head in a downward position I was reminded of a Penguin walking around looking at his feet. All the best to you in your eye recovery & any impending medical issues you have coming up. Say. I wonder if when you were in that 'heads down' period you had given any thought to maybe practicing some yo-yo tricks. Would have been a good time to do that eh. Take care:))

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  7. Oh my! Your medical emergencies didn't rain, they poured. Glad to hear your sight was saved by a timely visit and intervention.

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  8. Oh, you poor thing. I can't imagine how miserable that must have been keeping your head down all the time. How in the heck could you sleep face down and not turn over while you were sleeping. I'm sure Marti is exhausted taking care of you. It's good to hear the VA didn't make you wait and gave you good care. Hang in there, it sounds like the worst is over (knock on wood) LOL

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  9. Oh my goodness Paul, that sound terrible. So glaf you caught it in time but the keeping your head down sounds hortid. How in the world did you sleep? I have those same two factors. How long ago was your cataract surgery? I can't remember. Guess I'd better watch out. Hope this is THE END of medical troubleschool for you.

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    1. I hate my phone. Look at all those typos. Lousy proofreading. Don't go to medical school Just end the medical troubles.

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  11. Holy moley you've been through the ringer this year. So glad the plumbing issue is moving along. Can't imagine sleeping face down, so hard on the back! You need a chiropractic table to sleep that way!

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  12. Alright - enough is enough. Stop it. That's what I keep telling Jim also. I cannot imagine having to sit and sleep face down. So grateful for modern medicine and the amazing doctors and their talents are putting us back together again. Looking forward to good news in August.

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  13. Uf dah! You've had more than your share of calamities.

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  14. Oh my goodness. You have had your fair share now. Please take care and know we are thinking of you and saying many prayers for recovery.

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  15. So very glad they were able to save your eyesight and you're on the road to recovery. Sounds like things are "looking up" for you. Hope you have safe travels and a good trip.

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  16. Geez, and I was thinking you weren't posting because you didn't have anything to say. Eye problems are really scary. I've heard of people having to keep their head down. I can't imagine how painful that would be for your neck. Glad you're on the mend. Now stay healthy!

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  17. Geez, and I was thinking you weren't posting because you didn't have anything to say. Eye problems are really scary. I've heard of people having to keep their head down. I can't imagine how painful that would be for your neck. Glad you're on the mend. Now stay healthy!

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  18. Wow! I might be time to start carrying a rabbits foot around with you:)

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