Eye for an Eye

I can't believe it has been two months since my corrective eye surgery and I haven't bloggedabout it. After three consultations and price comparisons I settled on a surgical center. Getting the outer layer of your cornea removed is expensive. For three days straight, I whethered eye dilation and probes. I finally went with the Eye Institute of Utah. I liked everyone I came in contact with and was treated incredibly well. By the way Dr. Hoopes Sr, is a real jerk. Anyway, I made my appointment and my husband drove me there. I didn't realize there was a difference between Lasik Surgery and what I was eligible for; PRK. PRK stands for Photo Refractive Keratectomy, it also stands for Son-of-a-bitch, this is the worse pain in the history of all pain. I worry about writing this last statement for a couple of reasons; my Mother may someday start to read my blog and will know I swear, and the other is that my blogs seem to talk about the many different experiences I've had that are painful, seemingly both emotionally and physically. I worry that I am the biggest wimp on the earth. However, this is a brutally honest documentation of said experiences and so, pain is what I write. For you, I will commit to experiencing so many of the things that are painful and pass on my wisdom...
On the day of surgery, I was whisked upstairs to the surgical unit at the Eye Institute. The lights were low and a fountain splashed somewhere nearby. I was given a hairnet, a Valium and a green apple Jolly Rancher. I found this perplexing. I wouldn't have thought to take a Valium with a Jolly Rancher chaser. I was then led to the actual surgical room. I felt really good. I mean really good and I don't think it was the Jolly Rancher. I laid on top of a padded sort of stretcher where my head had to be wedged into a doughnut hole shape at the top. This was so I couldn't squirm resulting in the Lazar hitting something else (I was told). I was wrapped from my waist down in a warm, soft blue blanket and was handed a stuffed bunny rabbit doned in green surgical scrubs. Between the Jolly Rancher and the surgically outfitted stuffed animal, I began wondering if the procedure was going to be performed by Willy Wonka.
My eyelashes were taped open both the top and the bottom, while the other eye was covered with a hard sphere, also taped to my face. A technician counted throughout the ordeal. It was bazaar watching as a liquid was poured onto my pried opened eye and then a tiny tool which looked like a hoe, began scraping off the top layer of my cornea. I could see and unfortunately comprehend a tweezers-like instrument pulling off what the hoe had loosened. Then a large plastic contact lens was placed over my pupil and the tape (and most of my eyelashes) was then torn off. I had to endure the other side at this point. It only lasted 7 minutes per side and when it was finished I could see immediately better than before I went in, wearing my glasses. I asked the technician if I now belonged to "the collective". He must not have been a Star Trek fan because he didn't know what I was talking about.
The following week my eyesight grew worse. Even worse than being blind was the pain. I could not get any since of relief. It burned when I closed my eyes, it was worse when I opened them. The light hurt, the air hurt, I hurt. I was on a dose of pain medication which I normally refuse to take. After my Hysterectomy I took Loretab for one day and then 800 mg of Advil for the next few days afterwards. This was intense. I was told that I would be in some discomfort after the PRK. They lied. It was horrible. In the middle of the night my husband took me in after I spent the day screaming into my pillow. Apparently the large bandage-type contact lens I was fitted with was too tight. What was bad about this whole ordeal was that I couldn't produce tears. Normally when you get something in your eye, tears soothe and flush it out. This wasn't the case after my surgery. The following day I had a follow up exam. The doctor asked about my "discomfort". If I could have seen him I would have slugged him. "Discomfort?!! I know what discomfort feels like, I wear under wire bras! This is sheer pain!" I yelled. He was apprehensive with me after that. I felt a little better when, the next day he called and started asking me about my "discomfort level" again and abruptly changed mid-sentenced and asked how my pain was doing.
Within one week of the surgery I felt better. I wasn't in pain anymore and I was able to open my eyes for longer periods of time. Each week I feel like my eyesight improves. It has been a slow process (PRK takes up to three months for a perfect and nonfluctuating eyesight), it's been two.
Overall, I am glad I did it. I love going to bed being able to see, waking up being able to see and getting in water both while showering and while swimming,being able to see. Plus finally, I believe my eyelashes have grown back!