How to survive another pterygium surgery (part 1)

After a long break, Blogger is back. I don't know what happened, but I needed a break.

I went to Bangkok for an eye surgery earlier in September. I had never even been in Bangkok, but in this day and age booking hotels, finding places, paying for stuff online becomes so much easier.
Within a day or two I had everything booked: flights, hotel, surgery.

The hospital, Bumrungrad, is a super cool looking structure somewhere in Central Bangkok. I went for an outpatient appointment and had my eyes checked. It must have been one of the most comprehensive eye exams I have ever had in my life: pterygium in the left eye, smaller one in the right, nevus in the back of the left eye. I think I had already decided on having the operation, no matter what, but I thought about shopping and sightseeing in Bangkok. What if...? Maybe I could have the best of both worlds?

Waiting area

I had to have some pre-op work done, all in the same building: chest X-ray, EKG and blood tests. Al of them were more of less normal, even the thyroid function tests, which I thought would not be anywhere close to normal and might cause the operation to be cancelled. EKG showed the same 1st degree heart block, which I have always had and I was not concerned about it. I was asked if I want to see a cardiologist? Noooooooo! At this stage I wasn't really thinking about money and to this day I don't know how much I really spent. But I really didn't feel I needed a cardiology consult- God only know what they'd have discovered.

So the operation was scheduled for the following day.

I went to McDonalds. Really enjoyed my burger and fries. That feeling of having the last meal ever. After that I walked back to the hotel and thought I should get some sleep.  I should. The sleep never really came: I worried about waking up in the morning, but I should know myself better than that. I am practically never late. I wake up well before the alarm clock. I worried about missing my taxi at 5.30am. I was expected to be in hospital by 6am. I counted sheep, cows and horses and the sleep never came. It was probably close to 2am when I finally drifted off. It wasn't a good quality sleep, but all I needed to do was get dressed, brush teeth and apply lipstick. I wasn't looking too good that morning, but lipstick would surely change it all.

The hospital admission procedures are pretty much the same all over the world.

Pay the bills, get taken to Day Surgery, pre-op checks and IV cannula. When did I last eat and drink? Any allergies? Lots of questions, pre-op eye drops, extreme tiredness- but I still couldn't sleep. I was alone in Bangkok and in this strange place, yet I felt I was very well looked after and safe here. 

The ophthalmologist and anesthetist both came to see me. I think at this stage I was fine and after that everything just happened so quickly that I had no time to consider escaping from the OR. I didn't start crying hysterically. I didn't feel like anything was going to go wrong. I remember the lyrics "It's gonna be ok" by Robin Schulz feat. James Blunt and I felt I was going to be ok. Both of the doctors had this professionalism in them...  and kindness, something that I don't "feel" so much in some other individuals. They both did an excellent job looking after me.So did the nurses, who were all some of the most polite and kind people. There was nothing at all that the team could have done better for me. They were excellent.

I could have had the surgery under local anesthesia, but I think I would have freaked out and started crying. I guess it can be done under local, but I'm probably not the right candidate. To be honest, I can't even imagine what it would be like: would I be able to see the scalpel and see all the other instruments and feel something... weird. Would I feel the sutures? Would be able to breathe?

I didn't think this was the right time and place for such experiments... at the same time I think I could have done it. There is still another pterygium in my right eye, so who knows...

So we decided to do the surgery under IV Propofol and gas, laryngeal tube and  painkillers. All I remember then was being wheeled into the OR. On to the OR table. I saw the scrub nurse and some of the instruments. After that I was given something by IV and I started feeling great. Happy. Not worried about the lack of sleep. Desperate to talk, but nothing to say really. I wanted to know what that clear liquid was. Whatever it was, it was awesome. Even better after the Propofol went in. The last thing I remember was an O2 mask. 

Then I woke up in the Recovery. Once, twice. I feel as if many people came to ask me how I am doing. I didn't know how I was doing, to be honest. Something on the left side of my face was bothering me (that dressing) and I could kinda tell that the surgery was done, but I was feeling dizzy and tired and dozed off several times. At some stage the eye surgeon popped in to see me. Someone was holding my hand. Then I felt sick. Like sick, you know. Head of the bed up, someone handed me Kleenex, but I didn't feel sick anymore then. Well, I did, but didn't want to throw up on the good old doctor. Poor guy, he wouldn't have deserved it. Someone gave me Zofran and I can't remember what happened then. I slept wondering where I was and who was the kind person, who held my hand? The surgery had started at 8am and when I finally had a chance to check what time was, it was 1.30pm. Had I really spent almost four hours in the Recovery? 

I remember having some juice and Tylenol. I remember feeling very very sleepy, but I was ok. Then I was being wheeled back to the Day Surgery and went to the toilet and got dressed. 

"So tell me now
When every star falls from the sky
And every last heart in the world breaks
Oh hold me now
When every ship is going down
I don't fear nothing when I hear you say

It's gonna be ok."

- Robin Schulz feat. James Blunt: Ok 

The dressing... OMG I don't look too happy there. This is on the following day and I was drugged up with Tramadol, Panadol and found myself very unhappy with just one eye.

This the the hotel room service table and the broken pepper container. I also kept bumping into walls, doors, tables and chairs. I don't know I managed to to get to breakfast in the morning. I recall going to Starbucks too. How did I do that? Hotel concierge looked suitably impressed by my dressing, which I couldn't cover by sunglasses, hair or pretty much anything. The main thing was that the surgery was done, but was it successful?