Woke up last Saturday and realised that I had a large black patch in my right eye. I went straight to the optician who referred me immediately to King’s.
So - arrived at nine am and immediately went from one room with eye gadgets to another with a battery of tests that went on for a couple of hours. Then Dr Lee (very tall, smooth skin, looked about twenty) but super competent and very nice indeed, went through the program again and said would I take part in the research. So off he went to the computer and came back and I was one of the 50% who will have injections and surgery. He suggested that I also have one injection today there and then and another next week. I was pretty scared as I said I asked him what the advantage was if he could say, and he said that although he wasn’t supposed to know how it was going, both procedures together seem to give better outcomes and his granny had the injections so he he said I could cope!
I had agreed to be part of a research program to compare the best outcomes of either injections alone or injections and surgery. It is randomised and the computer assigned me to surgery and injections. But having agreed it was still a shock!
It’s true that the injection didn’t hurt but having the eyelid clipped open with what looked like the metal cage that covers the cork in a fizz bottle, certainly did and was horrible. If you’ve ever seen Clockwork Orange you’ll know what I mean. So it wasn’t fun and my eye was sore and felt as if it’s full of grit.
I also didn’t have any breakfast as we left at 8.o’clock and then I got a headache.
As it’s half term all the surgeons are on holiday so it will be on Monday when I go back for another injection and the surgery. It will be all day. More tests in the morning and surgery in the afternoon. Not looking forward to it. Indeed, I’m terrified as it takes an hour and lying on my back with a neck and back still very painful is an awful prospect. I shall ask if I can have some sort of light sedation. Otherwise I don’t know how I shall cope.
The surgeon is Professor Tim Jackson who is the leading ophthalmologist in the country which is reassuring.
It seems what has happened to my eye is a one in ten thousand occurrence. How unfortunate is that?
so it’s been a very bad year for me. I’m just wondering what else can go wrong …
So - arrived at nine am and immediately went from one room with eye gadgets to another with a battery of tests that went on for a couple of hours. Then Dr Lee (very tall, smooth skin, looked about twenty) but super competent and very nice indeed, went through the program again and said would I take part in the research. So off he went to the computer and came back and I was one of the 50% who will have injections and surgery. He suggested that I also have one injection today there and then and another next week. I was pretty scared as I said I asked him what the advantage was if he could say, and he said that although he wasn’t supposed to know how it was going, both procedures together seem to give better outcomes and his granny had the injections so he he said I could cope!
I had agreed to be part of a research program to compare the best outcomes of either injections alone or injections and surgery. It is randomised and the computer assigned me to surgery and injections. But having agreed it was still a shock!
It’s true that the injection didn’t hurt but having the eyelid clipped open with what looked like the metal cage that covers the cork in a fizz bottle, certainly did and was horrible. If you’ve ever seen Clockwork Orange you’ll know what I mean. So it wasn’t fun and my eye was sore and felt as if it’s full of grit.
I also didn’t have any breakfast as we left at 8.o’clock and then I got a headache.
As it’s half term all the surgeons are on holiday so it will be on Monday when I go back for another injection and the surgery. It will be all day. More tests in the morning and surgery in the afternoon. Not looking forward to it. Indeed, I’m terrified as it takes an hour and lying on my back with a neck and back still very painful is an awful prospect. I shall ask if I can have some sort of light sedation. Otherwise I don’t know how I shall cope.
The surgeon is Professor Tim Jackson who is the leading ophthalmologist in the country which is reassuring.
It seems what has happened to my eye is a one in ten thousand occurrence. How unfortunate is that?
so it’s been a very bad year for me. I’m just wondering what else can go wrong …
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