My experience with lasik eye surgery

I feel as though I can put a check in a box next to something on an epic list of things that you've always been curious about but never really wanted to do.  But I can consider this one done.  I'm actually writing this post the day before my third eye surgery.  Did I just type that?  I had two done on my right eye, and my left eye will be done tomorrow.

I'd been interested (but just too scared) to consider lasik eye surgery.  A situation came up late November when I received an email from our health savings account holder reminding us that the year was almost over and we still had a decent pile of money sitting in our account that was going to disappear if it didn't get used.  I remember forwarding this message to Dave and he responded with "maybe lasik?" I kinda shook off the idea quickly and thought, well, maybe we can spend the money down by going to a few chiropractor appointments, or maybe .... the ideas were rolling.

Dave mentioned lasik again, and I decided to at least make a phone call about it.  I talked to my friend Annette who works for a big eye care center in the area.  I knew some people who'd had lasik done.  I looked information up online.  I learned that Mauer Eye Center had their own laser machine, and most other eye surgeries done were on a borrowed laser machine at the hospital.  I called Mauer and they explained that contacts couldn't be worn prior to the surgery for about 4 weeks.  I later learned that I was talking to a "front desk gal" who wasn't the one who should have been giving out information.  I spoke to the lasik coordinator, Angie, from Mauer, and we talked about more details.  She asked about my situation and I told her about the $ we were trying to spend before the year's end.  She informed me that I only had to have my contacts out for 3 weeks prior to the surgery.  I could do that.  I went in for a consultation.  My friend Charity watched my younger two kids for this appointment.  My corneas were measured, and turned up the result that they had more than enough thickness to handle lasik.  I inquired with Mauer about the cost of surgery.  They were running a lasik promotion for $500 off per eye.  Our VSP insurance gave a discount of 5%.  Brought the total to about $1400 per eye.  Considering the total in our savings account, this covered almost of it, so we decided to go ahead and schedule the surgery for one eye in year 2014, and the other eye in 2015.  This breaks up the cost of paying for the eyes and it ends up almost all coming out of the pre-tax medical spending account (its funded by Dave's paychecks, of course).

SO.

Here I go!

My right eye was scheduled for Dec 29.  Honestly, the biggest annoyance to me was having to wear my glasses for three weeks.  It felt like a year.  Anyone remotely close to me knows I can't stand wearing glasses frames on my face.  I felt like they slowed me down.  I didn't like how my strong corrected lenses made everything seem curvy when I moved my head slightly.  I didn't like the lack of peripheral vision.  I felt like I couldn't go exercise anywhere.  Kinda felt stuck.  I've been used to wearing contacts since I was a young teenager.

Ok, that paragraph is over.  You've probably already heard it anyway.

I barely had time to think about my upcoming eye surgery.  Christmas was incredibly fun and busy hosting Dave's family (that blog post is in the works) and the day my surgery was scheduled was for Monday evening, the day after everyone left.  I could feel myself taking deep breaths throughout the day just thinking about the whole thing.  I wasn't EXCITED to go through something like eye surgery.  But I was excited at the thought that my vision could be corrected and I could toss the glasses and 27 contact cases I've collected over the years.

I got my eye drops from the pharmacy.  My mom kindly came down to transport me to the eye center.  I checked in, took my valium pill, and was moved to a waiting room.  Someone called me back and moved my mom to a different room.  I entered the room and found it to be less "fancy" than I was imagining.  A big tubular machine about 5 feet fall, smallish room, a chair for me, and supplies in racks.  I go to wear a hair net and booties.  The nurse let me hold a stuffed animal and put a warm blanket over my body.  She put in a ton of numbing drops, some more eye drops, covered my left eye.  They let me listen to the sounds of what would happen before it happened so I wouldn't be surprised.  One tool used to create the flap in my eye (gotta just admit, it sounded like a dental drill, and another was a loud repeated clicking of the laser.  He said my eye would be propped open for a few minutes.  They began.  I agreed to behave.  I focused on staring at that red blinking light the whole time.  My eye was totally numb, and the doc just did his thing.  I could observe what was going on with my eye but nothing really specific.  He said the procedure was perfect.  He said, "have you done this before? You're like a pro."

I just kinda pretended that my eye was not part of my body and that I was observing something odd.

I was done just like that.  Got to sit up.  Was warned not to blink my eye hard or rub it.  Eye goggle protection on.  I was moved to another room and met my mom with a smile on my face.  Done! I said.  They gave me instructions on eye drops for the next 7 days.  Mom drove me home and I got to go right upstairs and go to sleep in bed (ahhhh YESSS) for the next four hours.

Recovery felt just fine.  There was never any pain.  Slight blurriness became clear.  I went to my post OP check the next day and doc checked my eye and vision and said it was 20/20.  He said You're a show-off!  He did notice what he called a little "fold" or "wrinkle" on the eye flap that was in the healing process.  He said he'd rather try a non-invasive way of fixing it by using a little "iron"...looked like a little 4 inch metal stick to me.  He numbed my eye and rubbed it somehow for about 5 seconds.  A few days later I went back for another check, and he said "hmm...its looking worse".  Maybe I slept on it funny and caused a wrinkle?  A nurse at the office asked if I needed more rewetting drops, I told her no, I had tons left.  She asked how much I'd been using and I said maybe three  or four drops a day.  She told me oh no..keep it soaking wet.  Go through as much as possible and soak that eye!
My vision had gone down a little, and he said he'd rather do a "flap lift" to fix it.  I'm thinking oh no! another eye surgery!  Yep.  That's what I had to do.  He wanted it done asap (like that day), so I scrambled to find a situation that worked.  I picked up kids from school, dropped them off at home, let them watch TV while Dave finished work.  Barb A. drove me to doctor.  I then had to under go this "flap lift" and what I don't like saying is "flap lift and stretch"...yeah.  The stretch word just makes me cringe.  I don't really even like talking about it.  I was prepped for surgery just the same as before.  I really wish I'd had the thought to ask for valium during this surgery but I didn't get that privilege.  Doc used some instruments to open the flap and rub/stretch/whatever it back to its normal-ness.  I got queasy during this one.  My hands didn't know what to do...I didn't have a stuffed animal to hold onto. :P  It took much longer.  He was tedious and precise in his skill and didn't settle for less than best.  I kept seeing little things come at my eye and move around.  It was kinda freaky.
He finally said it looked perfect and closed up my eye.  WHEWWWWW.  I blinked my eye quickly and softly.  It started watering like crazy.   I came home and was so careful not to bump my eye.  Rachel came over that evening and gave me some TLC ...I needed more rest so I laid on the couch.  At this point I was a little scared because my right eye vision was really, really blurry.  My eye hurt.  I was "weirded out" by the whole long and uncomfortable eye surgery experience.  Doc did say I needed to rest and wait.

He was right.  A week later I'm back to better than 20/20 and I can see tiny branches in trees a mile away with my right eye.  Incredible.

I'm sitting here a day before my second eye surgery and I'm anticipating this one to be a breeze like the first one.  I will be so careful not to cause any flap issues.

This previous week I've had to leave out my contact in my left eye in preparation for the lasik tomorrow.  It has been a really annoying experience, to be honest.  My crisp clear vision is fighting with my awful fuzzy vision in my left eye.  I can see "clurry".  My word of the week.  I've worn my goggles all week with something covering my left eye so the blur is just blocked out.  This makes for a one-eyed mom...no so ideal.  But I've dealt with it (yes, I've complained...and also kept my mouth shut a lot)..and managed to get through.  Super proud of my right eye right now, though.

I'll finish this up after my left eye heals over the next few days.

*******************************************************************************
Update!  1/15/2015

I'm all DONE!  I can SEEE...wahooooo!!!  My left eye was done today, and it went perfect.  Doc said it went well and my vision is clear.  He put a clear contact over my eye to keep the flap in place which will come out tomorrow.  I'm going to prevent a flap issue as best as I can!

The procedure today went very much like my first eye.  My friend Kim was able to watch my younger two while Dave brought me to my appointment at 2:00.  My mom drove to town and picked up our van in time to get the older two from school at 3:15.  My mom picked up the younger two kids from Kim's place after getting the older ones.  I was home and asleep and dreaming when everyone got home.  I had the craziest dream while I was sleeping.  Maybe it was the valium. I dreampt lots of things but what I remember the most is being in a fancy hotel reception room up many floors and looking out a big window at a big "drone" war happening in the air very close to the window I was looking at.  Hmm.