I have decided, as scared to death as I am about the eye surgery, I am going to try to put it out of my mind for now. I can do nothing about it until it is fully funded, one way or another. If the funding never comes through, I won’t have to be worried about what they would do to me because they won’t be doing it to me. If the funding comes through, then I can re-enter total freak out mode then.
I have too much to do right now to stay in total terror mode and I am not helping my other friends that are facing this by making my worries so public. To those friends, I apologize for putting my wimpiness out here and scaring you in the process.
Merry Christmas to all of you out there!
McClendon Villa 
you are being truthful…keeping you in prayer.
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Thank you, Linda. I appreciate your comment and your prayers very much. Have a beautiful day and a very Merry Christmas. 🙂
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I know this won’t help, but my hubby is an optometrist and sees many patients going through what you are (and I had laser surgery 16 years ago, and mom a few years back for her cataracts). It’s normal to be nervous – these are your eyes after all. Maybe your surgeon has a nurse or receptionist you can talk to? You will get through this!! Merry Christmas!!
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Thank you, Emily. . Was your laser surgery for cataracts, too? What did they do to you, and to your mama?
We’re still trying to pin down a potential surgeon. All of those talked to so far only use a local anesthesia. 😦
Thank you for your encouragement. I hope that you and your family have a very Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year!
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My surgery was lasik for correcting my nearsightedness, mom’s was for cataracts. For both of us it was local anesthesia, but they do give you some kind of drugs to relax you. I didn’t have a problem with it – in fact, I kind of thought it was cool. You can’t really “see” what they are doing, and they do fix your eye so it stays open and still, and the nurse was very soothing. I should ask Kevin if they ever do cataract surgery with general anesthetic. I’ll let you know what he says!
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So, Kevin says it’s unusual, but sometimes they do operate on cataracts with general anesthetic, at least here in BC/Canada. It might be worth asking the opthamologists why they don’t offer that…
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Thank you, Emily. One of the reasons that has been told to me so far is that it is a very brief surgery, 15 to 30 minutes. I guess they figure the shortness of time makes it less traumatic. I don’t know. Five minutes of terror or 5 hours of terror, terror is still terror, in my opinion, and any amount is too much when it can be avoided by knocking me out. 🙂
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How are your eyes doing? David had a laser surgery years ago for his diabetic retinopathy. His vision has its moments. When you say local, exactly what does that entail? What I’m picturing is kind of scary, but if I am out of it before they do their local, then I won’t know they did it, so I won’t be scared.
How will they fix the rest of me so that I will be still and not twitchy?
Thank you again and Merry Christmas!
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My eyes have been perfect since the surgery. I need glasses now, but for reading (something they can’t fix). The local anesthetic involved drops in the eyes that numbed them so I couldn’t feel anything. But I could see everything (more or less – it was pretty blurry), so I could see that being freaky (I kind of thought it was cool). Sounds like you will be getting something more than a local now though, so I am sure it will all go well for you!!
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Thank you. I am glad that your eyes have been perfect since the surgery. 🙂 When did you first start having problems with them? I started wearing glasses when I was 5 years old. But, more recently, I have been having an awful time reading. My old prescription was no longer adequate and my arms aren’t long enough. If things were close, they were too fuzzy to read. To make things clear, I had to hold them far from me and I have short arms. 🙂
I have a new pair of glasses now and I can read without squeezing my eyes. I told one of our girls yesterday, it is like someone clicked to increase the font size in Word. I can see words now. YAYAY!
So, no needles for the local? That is great!
Thank you. Yes, I am feeling much better about all of this. Another blogging friend sent a link about a site where folks review their doctors and this ophthalmologist gets pretty high marks there and he is board certified, too. One of you encouraging folks told me to make sure of that and, thankfully, he is.
So, now to get the funding and then get this thing done before something makes me chicken out. 🙂
Merry Christmas, Emily!
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I started having trouble with my eyes after 40 (so about 10 years ago). I had worn glasses from about 10 years old, had surgery in ’99 and didn’t need them any more, and now just wear the at work for the computer (I should wear them more for reading at home, but am kind of lazy about it) Glad you can see better with your new glasses! And Merry Christmas to you too!!
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So, we’re about the same age. I’m 51. We probably established our ages already, but I forget things easily these days. If you’re like me, I imagine you get to a point with your glasses that “enough is enough already…let my face be free of them!” I need to wear them all the time, for both distance and for reading, but they get on my nerves in pretty short order.
I’m sorry that you’ve had eye troubles, too. Did something happen to make you have to start wearing glasses at age 10? Were your eyes just fine until then? I started wearing them at age 5 as I was going through the checkups getting ready for 1st grade.
Thank you. I’m glad I can see better right now, too. 🙂 I was actually able to start reading a print book yesterday and haven’t been able to do that in a while. In the Kindle, I can increase the font and had it on the 2nd from biggest size. Now, I don’t have to do that. Hopefully, that will be even better after the surgery. 🙂
Hopefully both of our peepers will play nice with us from this point forward!
Thanks! 🙂
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I’m replying to your last comment… I just have nearsightedness as a matter of course, I guess. Genetics probably. I never really thought anything of it, and liked wearing glasses when I was a kid, but not so much when I was a teenager. I got contacts when I was in university, and then had laser surgery in ’99. Mom was very happy with her cataract surgery, and another friend of mine had it done last year and it turned out great for her (no more glasses for now). Glad you’re feeling better – Have a wonderful day!!!
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Thank you, Emily. I think farsightedness was what mine was called as a child, but my left eye was cross and “lazy” and legally blind. I was the only one of my siblings that wore glasses as a child. My daddy had them for reading. My mama started wearing them around middle age, I guess, for distance. I don’t think that she needed them for reading.
I’m glad that it didn’t bother you to wear them as a child. I don’t remember disliking mine either when I was little. But, by high school, I had very definite ideas about the style that I wanted to wear. Mama didn’t get the ones that I wanted, so I didn’t wear them. Bratty and foolish, I know, but that was Suz. I’m still a brat, but maybe not as foolish. 🙂 I would have worn them, no problem, had she gotten the ones that I wanted.
Did you like wearing contacts? This is something that I would never be able to do…the whole “fingers away from the eyeballs” thing. haha I can feel when the least little thing is in my eye. My eyes are very sensitive. This concerns me somewhat about having a new lens put in. I’m concerned that I will feel it even though no one else does. I feel the implant thing put in after the hysterectomy. I’ll just have to keep trying to convince myself that I won’t feel this new lens. Maybe you can throw extra prayers towards that one, please.
I am glad that your surgery and that of your mama and friend all went well. It is especially cool that your friend didn’t need to wear glasses after hers! I bet she likes that!
Thank you. I hope that you had a wonderful day and have a most blessed weekend and Merry Christmas. 🙂
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Suzanne, do not worry about having cataract surgery. It’s not as bad as you are thinking.
My husband had cataracts removed from both of his eyes, two years ago, and got along great. His surgeries were 2 months apart. They put in an IV through which they gave him something to relax him, prior to surgery, but he was awake for the surgery. They numbed his eye with drops, and he felt nothing. The surgery was quick, and he never had any pain what-so-ever. He sees great, now, too.
I hope to have the cataract in my left eye removed in Feb or March. I’ll be meeting with the surgeon in January. I’m ready to get that sucker removed so I can see again!
Best wishes,
Kathy
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Thank you, Kathy. I am glad that things went so well for your husband’s surgeries and that his vision is great now. Thank you for sharing his experience with me. I look forward to hearing all about your experience with the surgery, too. Here’s to much improved vision for you, too!
Thanks for the encouragement. Have a very Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year!
Your sis in Christ,
Suz
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