I hope this post finds you all doing well and excitedly preparing for a Christmas spent with loved ones.
As you all know, on December 12, I was diagnosed with cataracts in both eyes. And, you also may have noticed that the thought of having eye surgery has me in total freak mode. Thankfully, only one eye requires the surgery. I am already blind in my left eye (since early childhood) and the surgery would not benefit it.
I know my limitations and know that, for the sake of my own sanity and the kneecaps of the ophthalmologist, I need to be put to sleep for this surgery.
So far, all of the ophthalmologists that David has called only do the surgery with local anesthesia, which means I would be awake and fully aware of what they are doing. No good for anyone involved.
Do any of you know of an ophthalmologist in the Houston (TX) area, or the surrounding area, that will do cataract surgery using general anesthesia or, at the very least, twilight sleep? I’ve had the twilight sleep before during oral surgery as well as what they did to me after Dorian died. I was totally unaware of anything until I woke up, unlike the goofy gas the dentist used at times, where I knew what was happening but was too spaced out to care. Note: Goofy gas would not be adequate for dealing with my eyes!
Please, if any of you know of an ophthalmologist that isn’t a total sadist that insists on a person being awake for such things, email David or Suzanne.
Thank you for any help that you can offer with this search and also, most especially, for your prayers. Have a very Merry Christmas and a wonderful New Year!
McClendon Villa 
Folks, Suzanne is really concerned here. Please keep her in your prayers. Also, please help us promote the GoFundMe fundraiser to help us be able to pay for this. Thank you all and have a Merry Christmas.
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Thank you, my Zing. I love you.
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I don’t know doctors of any type in TX, BUT, I had cataract surgery on my right eye over a decade ago. (About 1.5 years prior, I’d been in an accident and had a detached retina on my right eye – it was easily repaired (no anesthesia – this is a bad thing during eye surgery)… however, at that time, I was warned that the trauma my eye had suffered would cause a cataract to grow – they were correct.
Now, to what I recall of that 15 minute surgery: it didn’t hurt; they needed me awake to verify that the artificial lens they put in was positioned correctly – IF I’d been ‘out’ and the new lens had been positioned wrong, there wouldn’t have been a way to repair the problem.
I needed someone to drive me home, but after 24 hours rest, I was fine.
Suzanne, my advice is to practice some relaxation techniques and understand that you’ll be fine … and have something interesting to blog about.
(I have a titanium plate holding my right wrist in place and another holding C4 in place – those surgeries required anesthesia 😉
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Thank you for sharing your story with me. It sounds like you were in an awful accident. I am sorry to hear that. I am glad that the cataract surgery went well for you.
As for something interesting to write about, I’m sure I’ll find lots of interesting things to write about from the asylum, which is where I’ll end up if I am awake for having something poked into my eye. I know I’m not being brave, and some folks think I am being childish. But I don’t know how I would get through something like that. I know many people have endured it and did well. In general, I have a high tolerance for pain, but it does not extend to my eyes or my mouth. I have had multiple local anesthetic failures. The only way I do not feel anything is if I am, at the least, in twilight sleep.
Thank you for the prayers and for offering your thoughts. Have a blessed night and a very Merry Christmas. May 2017 be the best year yet for you and your family. 🙂
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there was NO PAIN because there are no pain receptors in that portion of the eye. Do you nee to have anesthesia to have a cavity drilled? IMHO, that is a lot worse.
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Yes. I have to be either gassed or twilighted for dental work. When I was a child, the dentist had to hospitalize me to remove 8 teeth. Even with me only being 4 years old at the time, he knew it was in our mutual best interest for me to be out cold when he did it.
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Why in the world did you need so many teeth removed at such a young age? Were you in an accident?
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I really do not remember. I assume that they had decayed, but I do not know. There is much about my childhood that I do not remember.
That is one of the many reasons that I am afraid of this surgery. I grew up in a domestic violence situation. I don’t know what might happen while facing something that terrifies me at this point. Maybe whatever it is that I am not remembering will be brought forward and I will remember. Some bad things are best left buried.
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It would be very unusual for that many teeth to decay by that age, which is why I suspected an accident of some sort, which might have broken and/or somehow damaged your teeth. Such a trauma could explain your current fears. …. A really, really bad dentist could explain a lot, too.
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I have an enamel disorder that is wrecking my teeth now and may well have been at play way back then, too. I don’t know. Accidents are entirely possible, being in a car driven by a drunk driver.
My dentist was actually a very nice man and I appreciate that he put me to sleep for that event. Otherwise, in my opinion, dental work in the mid-to-late ’60s and ’70s was quite barbaric, at least in the area where I grew up in South Carolina. It had much improved by the time my children came along. It was still barbaric in this part of Texas when we first moved here in 2004. This place is backwards in a lot of ways.
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Dental procedures in Panama weren’t top-notch, either.
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It would be great if all of our body parts and systems would just always run perfectly, never wear out or decay or anything bad. Sometimes, no matter how great a person is about doing what they are supposed to do to be healthy, there are still going to be health battles.
I’m sorry that you experienced procedures, too.
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Getting older isn’t for the faint of heart, is it?
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No, it sure isn’t!
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Do you know to go to https://www.healthgrades.com/ to find doctors and dentists, etc. with reviews, etc?
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No, I didn’t know about that site. Thank you!
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I always check them out when I’m looking for a specialist — I particularly like the fact that actual customers leave reviews … it is sort of like Angie’s List for the medical profession, but you don’t need to be a member.
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Ok. Thank you for explaining that. I have a tab open for that site and will look through it once I clear my screen otherwise. I appreciate you sharing the site with me. 🙂
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I apologize for not thinking to mention it sooner …
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Nothing to apologize for at all, Jeanne. I appreciate you sending it to me. Merry Christmas. 🙂
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Merry Christmas to you, too! But in hindsight, I should have begun with the link, which is how I would have approached the issue, instead of trying to explain the procedure and assure you that you’d be fine.
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You did fine, Jeanne. Now, I have the link and have it bookmarked for the next time something needs attention. So, you’ve helped me now and in the future. Thank you again.
Merry Christmas. 🙂
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Hope everything goes super well for you and 2017 is your best year, yet!
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Thank you. I hope that 2017 is the best year yet for you, too! Merry Christmas!
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Suzanne I’m wishing you all the best! I hope you find the right doctor!
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Thank you, Morgaine. I appreciate that very much. If it is meant to be, we’ll find them. Have a Merry Christmas and a very Happy New Year. 🙂
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