Detachment

[lilmissnever]

If anyone had thought to ask me two weeks ago, I would have told them that the saddest words in the English language are "empty hotel room." I enjoy being Carmen San Diego--the corporate overlords who sent me out to Washington DC to give a talk at a think tank were pleased enough that they would like me to put on a repeat performance in January--

Comments

[ilcylic]

*consoling hugs*

That sounds pretty darn terrifying, all right. I'm sorry you've gone through this.

[thewronghands]

[hugs] Oh, that sucks. My sympathies. I hope you get home okay, and can get it dealt with there. Let me know if there's anything I can do, or if you'd like care packages for your recovery.

[lilmissnever]

Unfortunately, this is one of those stories that gets worse.

[icecreamemperor]

Oh shit. I can only assume you are now streaking towards fully-covered, ultra-high-tech American Eyeball Surgery, and wish you the best on that! Eyes are freaky.

[lilmissnever]

Because time is of the essence in retinal detachments, I did seriously consider doing the surgery in Toronto, where doctors would have done it the next day. This lasted right up until I came to the hospital for my 9 am appointment and the woman behind the registration desk demanded $300 (Canadian) in cash before I could see the doctor for my consultation. When I protested that I did not have $300 in cash on my person because no one told me in advance that this would be necessary, she testily informed me that no money meant no appointment. This is not (and I quote), an emergency

[icecreamemperor]

I'm kind of amazed that travel insurance is not standard operating procedure there, yeah -- I try not to cross the border without it, though of course I am extra-motivated by tales of American hospital bill horror. It's much easier than a giant suitcase of cash in any case.

Anyways, hopefully it will all work out and you can spend a relaxing face-down week contemplating psychokinetic octopus skirts.

[lilmissnever]

There is nothing is this world worse than a week of half-blind enforced face-down idleness. Nothing.

[voxsjournal]

Well that's just horrifying. I'm going to assume that everything will work out fine and you'll be at full capacity shortly.

If you have to lie on your stomach for a week, may I suggest audio books? Lots and lots of them. Trashy ones. Halloween is coming, so get some silly horror novels. They gain by the format. I listened to Anansi Boys a long time back and it was quite entertaining, but not a book I'd have actually read.

Please do NOT listen to books that are at all work-related. No non-fiction. Maybe the Thursday Next books, those might work.

Understand that we are terribly concerned and you will have to update, or have someone update for you, to let us know your progress.

[lilmissnever]

I had all of the surgeries. All of them. By the time I got back to the States, the detachment had started to include my macula. I'd lost about 30% of the vision in my left eye and the remaining vision was warped and blurry. I required more complicated surgery than could be done at the retina clinic, so I had to wait another couple of days while they scheduled my surgery at the hospital. The surgeon performed a vitrectomy, then cryopexy, then installed a scleral buckle, and then injected a gas bubble into my eye that is supposed to push the retina up against the sclera and help it reattach.

My face-down enforced half-blind idleness audiobooks of choice are Terry Pratchett novels about witches. I have heard Lords and Ladies and Maskerade and a couple of the books with Tiffany Aching in them. I thought that I might be able to handle something with a little more depth, but I was profoundly mistaken. There is nothing more horrible than being required to lay face down for 22 hours out of the day for a week. Nothing.

[elusis]

... possibly going blind at thirty [coughsomething] might have been worse in the long run. But it does sound awful in the immediate term.

[lilmissnever]

The prospect of maintaining some semblance of binocular vision has been highly motivating. I can reasonably expect to get back 60-80% of the vision back in my left eye and my myopia may be a couple of diopters more severe, which will might mean somewhat more expensive contact lenses. Right now all of this is highly theoretical, because my eye is mostly full of air bubble at the moment and I cannot even make out how many fingers I am holding up in front of my face.

[dsgood]

Much sympathy, and wishes for good results from surgery!!!