Yesterday I had a relapse after nearly a week of feeling very energetic compared to lately. Last night I went to bed early. I had started an email to MDavis who sent me a beautiful, encouraging email and it has been three weeks but I was just feeling up to replying to them. But today I had my yearly eye appointment with the same eye doctor who referred me to the eye surgery center for needed cataract surgery. If anyone needs reminding that was a year ago when I was on the gurney with IVs in and eyes medicated but as they were about to take me into surgery the anesthesiologist stopped everyone to ask me questions. She went over my medical list with me and then sadly said I take more heavy pain medications daily than she could give me during the operation. That would mean that I would have to have eye surgery without any sedation. When I told her I was sensitive to anything near my eyes she told everyone to pause and she went to talk to the surgeon. They agreed that I would need to go to a much larger surgery center that could put me under enough anesthesia that would knock me totally out.
So today I saw the same eye doctor at a much bigger facility they had joined. Long story short after the exam the doctor told me the bad news. My current vision is far beyond what glasses could help with. She was emphatic in saying I must get my cataract surgery done as soon as possible. She went over everything with me and detailed why she couldn’t give me a prescription for glasses that would make it so I could see the computer, the phones, the Ipad, and see well enough to drive better. At this point my vision is so bad they couldn’t even make the letters smaller than the largest ones they wanted me to read clear.
She wanted to know why I had not followed up with their surgery center’s referral to the larger university run on in Naples as I was referred to. I explained to her the horrifically emotional and financially draining year we had had. She listened and when I explained Ron and I had decided his eyes needed to be done before mine as he has a torn lens and eye inflammation issues, she understood and agreed to take him on as a patient. But she kept pushing for me to get my eyes done in the next 6 months. She said she would send the referral, which was good for 6 months and it normally took that long to get set up with the facility and have the necessary visits. She added that if in the 6th months I was not financially ready to do it the surgery center in Naples would extend my time to have it done. But she again pushed that I did not have a lot of time to wait with my diminished vision. She asked how I did my daily stuff and I explained to her I have my large desktop monitors set to 250 and that my browser is set to 110% which I take up to 130 some days. I also showed her my two over the counter readers I have which one is 150 and the other is 175, which I use for my phone, tablet, and the computer monitors.
I explained all this to Ron as we drove home. He agreed to get an appointment with her to start his eye surgery but the closest appointment he could get was in August. At which point he got upset with me and said we would have to move forward with my eye surgery even before his. He went on at length about how he had noticed how I was struggling on the computers and with things I was trying to do. He mentioned the lighted magnifying glasses I keep around to help me read stuff. He mentioned how now I was having to have him read everything that came in mail and instructions to me. He reminded me that when he asked me to help him set up his sister’s new electronic entry system on the house she just bought I had to have him do the actions as I explained it to him as I couldn’t see the key pad clearly enough even with a bright light on them. Then he dropped the mother of all bomb shells on me which made me give in. He wondered with my vision so bad how I well I was seeing to drive. He was getting more and more upset. As I don’t think he is a good driver and I think I am a far better driver I gave in. So …
I said I would make supper. I got my very tall adjustable stool out and offered to make fried eggs, fried potatoes, fried bacon, and fresh ham steak I cooked in a large frying pan of water. All with a side of two slices of toast. Ron loved the idea which stopped him from harassing me about my eyes. I do love to cook and it was emotionally satisfying for me. I was unable to eat much of mine but I did eat the potatoes along with all the ham I took, a strip of bacon and half a piece of toast. But Ron ate most of what I couldn’t which is why he blames me for his current weight. Picture below. Hugs
Scottie's Playtime 
That looks really good, Scottie, and I’ve had supper already.
You guys take good care of each other. I’m glad for an update, because I’d noticed you were posting more and responding to comments, and was worried that you’d relapsed. This is not great news, but it’s not horrible. It’s a lot of work being over 60! I remember back on my 50th birthday, the director’s husband said, “Welcome to your last good decade. After 60, everything has to be replaced, one at a time.” I mentioned that to my cousin, who was 10 years older than I, and she agreed, then mentioned she was getting knee surgery that weekend! So far, so good here. Anyway, you guys take good care of each other.
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What a coinkidink!
TL;DR – I just had my first eye done yesterday. I focused as hard as I could on keeping still when required so the surgery would go well. It went pretty well. However, I don’t have to deal with overcoming pain med dosages or more-than-normal-human fear of eye touching.
However you decide to handle this, the best of luck to both you and Ron.
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I just had cataract surgery on my first eye yesterday.
I asked everyone I could find about how theirs went and no one hated it.
I went for the lenses that shouldn’t required glasses for distance and intermediate vision. The surgeon pushed for that, said driving would be an issue if I went for the near vision that I’m used to. Medicare doesn’t cover that but I’ve been saving up for a year.
I don’t have the issues that you are dealing with but it’s eye surgery! I was kind of scared. I was scheduled for February but since there were a total of 6 appointments (1 per eye for the surgery, then a next day follow up per eye, then a next week follow up per eye) and I started having other appointment piled on I ended up cancelling the eyes to get through the rest.
I had to have a driver. It’s 70 miles one way to the surgeon’s office and my friend’s car overheated and then broke down halfway home.
I can’t let it stop me though now that the process is started. I’ve been looking at alternate travel arrangements for the next one. That surgery is in 10 days, on the 22nd.
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I don’t know if this story will help but here’s one point for Ron. If he still sees well enough to drive and you don’t, he should drive for you and then, after you recover and your eyes heal up, you should drive for him. This business of trying to bum rides or find a replacement last minute is for the birds. (We have a taxi company here, but their taxi – yes, one – was already occupied today. I might be setting up the next surgery appointment with them. I’ll have to schedule ahead.)
Starting with 200/20 vision in my better eye – now I can see in one eye without glasses and the other eye with glasses. I found a pair with a recent prescription and popped out one lens but that left me with double vision. In the follow up today I was told that with vision as bad as mine the glasses send my eye a smaller version of whta the repaired eye gets. He also said that *maybe* my brain could reconcile it into a single vision and I’ve been working on that for a few hours. It’s glitchy, but I might be able to return to work between surgeries. Driving was successful – the distance I was looking was consistent so my brain could handle it since it didn’t change for a close up adjustment to a farther away adjustment – I’m guessing though.
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Well, you take good care, too, MDavis. I’m glad to see you here after your eye surgery.
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