How to survive another pterygium surgery (part 2)

The story continues...

I had a follow-up on the 1st post-op day. Yee-haw, the dressing, which was most annoying and itching all the time by then, was going to be removed. I couldn't wait to see what was underneath.

I left at least two hours before from the hotel and went to Starbucks in the Sky Lobby. 

I couldn't wait to get the dressing off.

I had gone for breakfast in the morning. Thank God I had had breakfast there two days before, so I knew where to find the toast, fruit and coffee. I even managed not to break anything or spill the coffee... but I had taken Tramadol just before breakfast. Mistake. I think I could have managed without it. The whole breakfast was an out of body experience. The relief was huge, when I returned to the room and went straight to bed.

Anyway, the follow-up: I was still very much affected by Tramadol. I knew where I was and what was happening (oriented x 3, GCS 15/15). My speech wasn't quite clear.. somehow. The doctor, that very same cute one (yes, I saw that even with one eye), removed the dressing. That tape is the world's stickiest tape, better than any superglue. The best possible quality. At first I couldn't open the eye. Then when I did, I couldn't see much. The right, healthy good eye, was ok, but images near and far were blurry. We tried eye drops. I couldn't see much better. The eye chart still looked blurry. The eye looked bright red. A monster eye. The doctor showed me the image of the eye. Interesting- was that really my eye? It was better than I had expected. Taking the image involved a bright light and it felt as if the flashes of the light went all the way into my brain. The most painful procedure was removal of the dressing. What a relief to be able to wash my face. I left the clinic with several bottles of eye drops and ointment for the night. 

I walked home- well, back to the hotel, wearing sunglasses in the darkness of the evening. I walked slowly and popped into 7-11 on the way home. I had an early night. There was no way I could have gone out partying and shopping. So instead I went to bed, listening to Buddhist chants on YouTube.

Then I just had to decided how to spend the remaining four days in Bangkok. On the 5th post-op day I would have one more eye check-up.

The eye looked and felt better each day. Pterygium excision and graft, which I had in 2010, was probably as easy as this one, but something about the latest operation felt like I was going to recover a lot better and faster. The eye drops and the ointment helped a lot. Sleeping helped too. Getting out of the hotel helped. Listening to the Buddhist chants was one of the highlights of my day. Good food especially at the hotel breakfast was godsend.

I went to the spa, hairdressers and to the Grand Palace.

The final check-up was encouraging. My eyesight was probably very close to where it had been preoperatively. The graft had healed nicely. I was very very pleased about the result and the doctor's skills and commitment. I wanted to give him a hug so badly, but didn't. 😂

He did a great job and I don't think anything could have gone better. The standard of healthcare and professionalism of the healthcare personnel at Bumrungrad are excellent. I would have no hesitation in recommending the hospital- of course do your research and ask for a second opinion. As I said earlier, I don't know exactly how much money I spent, but  it was worth every cent.

There is a nevus at the back of the left eye too. Without that very thorough eye exam I wouldn't know about it. I didn't even know a nevus could be found on the surface of the eye. That's another story then.

Now, almost two weeks later I feel great. I am very very careful with the operated eye. You could almost say I am overly protective of it.

Horseback riding lessons start next week and I'm going to wear an eye patch to protect it. 

I always have sunglasses on now.

I am very very grateful of having had the opportunity to visit Bangkok, have the surgery there and meet this great doctor, whose skills and knowledge are extraordinarily good.. not just the skills, but his kindness, compassion and respect were a real blessing.

Hysterectomy survival guide 1 1/2

Ouch.
Things are going uphill right now and I would say try to get out of hospital as soon as you can. Healing happens at home.
Healing does not happen, if you try to do too much. Listen to the advice of your doctor, he/she did not give them for no reason. On some days it has been a struggle to stop myself from driving and going shopping. Then I remember I should not be carrying much, so there is no point going anywhere. This is the time to depend on other people and not refuse any help. If someone wants to take you grocery shopping, go and say thank you.
If you have no one at home, then it is vital you have friend/neighbor or someone to come in case of an emergency.
Things I wish I had known before hysterectomy: Food. Preparing meals beforehand is a fab idea, but what if those meals aren't what you want after operation. You can't just grab a heavy saucepan and prepare something you want. Solution is enlist help of your family/friends, who are probably more than willing cook for you. My appetite was not the same at all and I had to force something down. Something that contains a lot of fiber is good, Drink plenty of water too.
Medications. They will probably give you painkiller (a must!), laxative (another must) and something else to take home from hospital. So there I was, with five glass bottles of laxatives. Heavy load to carry for my poor friend, who took me home. Take the meds. I had so much trouble with bowel function for days and days, even though I took laxatives as prescribed. Never mind the yucky sweet taste of Lactulose. Finally, day 3 or 4, combination of oatmeal, lots of water, prunes, peppermint tea and yucky laxative liquid, something began to happen. Bowel function is still not back to normal and I am having to take laxatives every second day now and hope for the best. Another thing is a reminder about painkillers; take them. Do NOT be in pain. Pain makes you miserable, frustrated and slows down the healing process. It also makes you want to break stuff. Pain is lethal and it should not exist. Pain simply sucks. But don't be afraid of pain. All I got from hospital was Tramadol (which I did not really need, but it was nice as back-up option) and Ibuprofen, which I took. Then ended up taking just Panadol 500mg twice or three times daily. In hospital pain was treated with Morphine, which was totally awesome, but made me itch.
Sleep. In the early days sleep as much as you need. Other stuff can wait. If you can't sleep, wait until you can or take sleeping tablet. I took some in hospital, and that tiny little tablet helped a great deal. Nothing wrong in taking one to help you sleep. Sleep during the day too, in-between activities. Prepare for some weird dreams too, as you begin healing. I've had few and woke up feeling great.. until it was time to really get up.
Peer support. I did not know anyone, who had had exactly the same operation, so I could not really get any information. What's the pain like, is there any pain at all. What can I do at home?  What can I eat to heal better? When can I start sport activities? There are thank God a couple of nice support groups in the Internet and you can join at least one of them free. Keep searching. Google will help.
Other worries. I've had so many that I've lost count. Crying, being frustrated and angry that I am too tired of doing what I want, my usual daily activities. I've been worried about sneezing, coughing, spotting, pain, sleep, exercise, follow-up appointment and I got practically no information about these. I was a bit spaced out in hospital so I don't remember much, even if someone had explained these things to me. Booklet, A4 paper, whatever would have been awesome, but I don't remember reading anything. I was told to show up for my follow-up appointment, in about 6 weeks or so. Try explaining this to patients, who've just come out of anesthesia and are on narcotic meds. Try.

When I overcame pain, bowel issues and fatigue, I found that there are actually things I can do around the house. Just inside the house really, apart from short walks outside. I've been reading a lot, watched TV each and every day, slept in, ate something nice every day (yes, ice cream, chocolate and stuff like that and sometimes not at all in moderation). I've caught up with lots of nice movies and series I have wanted to see for a long time. "The Lone Ranger", "Purge", "Midnight in Paris", "Over The Hedge", "The Leftovers", "Supernatural", Top Gear UK" etc. List goes on and on. I found that I can't sit for a very long periods of time, but it's best to sit and lay down on the sofa. And walk of course...
Walks outside have been great in many ways. They keep me connected to outside world and when I take the dog with me, people sometimes stop for a chat. The Dog was a concern at the beginning; would he walk ok without pulling me on the ground. Once I had to release him, because he got overly excited about scent somewhere and decided to attempt new 100 meter world record. I let him go, thought I'd not take a chance with my internal incision. Usually I just ask him to wait, and repeat this several times, then he knows he has to wait and he knows I can't walk as fast as I did once. What's the point overdoing it and walking fast anyway? I'd not want to miss all the scenery and people.
If and when I overdo it, I get spotting and feel a bit like an inflated balloon.

I have the best days when I get to sleep at night. Then I don't need to take a nap during days anymore. This is Day 12 after my operation and I am doing reasonably well, but trying to be compliant with all instructions (which I did not really get or just did not retain the info) drives me crazy.

Bottomline is that hysterectomy is one of the major surgeries. Do it, if you have no other choice and I'm really talking about elective surgery, like me was. If you have time in your hands before surgery, try to eat well and exercise, you'll be in a better shape during and after surgery. I had laparoscopic gallbladder removal in 2008, diagnosis was delayed (chest pain, heart attack..?), I was on IV antibiotics and was in horrible pain and days prior to the operation. Finally I had to beg these peeps to operate or I'd run away from hospital. That was something. Crap! Compared to gallbladder experience, this surgery was really quite easy on me. I'd not have said something like this week ago, but goes to show things change, onions change, time passes and human mind forgets.
Huge reward, if everything goes fine, is saying good bye to prolapse, fibroids, heavy periods etc.

Sick leave is meant for recovering, not for big renovation project in the house. It's meant for thinking, sleeping, resting, reading, watching TV, surfing the Internet, updating your blog or starting one, eating and taking your meds. You'll get there, eventually, just like I did.

More to come...