I'm feeling very very grateful today. All your lovely comments and words of support helped me stay calm and positive ahead of my eye surgery which was last Friday. Thank you!
I was only feeling a teeny bit nervous and had some lovely ladies in the recliners in the presurgery room with me (should have taken some recruit packages or mini catalogues!). We chatted and laughed and before I knew it it was my turn. I didn't feel sedated at all, so was awake the whole time (including for the local anaesthetic needles which were a bit yuk!). It went really well and he was able to do what was planned, removing the cataract and implanting a new artificial lens (I think called an intraocular implant?). I had a relatively new type of lens apparently, which is designed to improve my astigmatysm in that eye as well as replace the lens which had degenerated. Then I was all patched up and Paul took me home again about an hour later.
Saturday I was back seesing the Opthalmologist and the patch was removed and WOWZERS - I could see SO much. I had gone from only being able to see two varying shades of very opaque haze with no detail at all to seeing people and things and colours and reading the top 3 levels of the letter chart. He said that level of improvement was just the beginning and it would continue to improve as the eye swelling went down and the muscles retrained themselves after the astigmatysm. I could have kissed him! Allready it's improved lots more and I can see really quite well.
I was really overwhelmed emotionally that first day, and even now still to some degree. I don't think I had really let myself completely feel how scary it was to be losing my sight (especially with gorgeous fanily and children, my own business and a love of stamping and gardening) and once it was done I started to feel that. There have been some tears and I can tell you I am one very very grateful lady. Grateful to you all for your love and support , grateful we live in a country with such skilled eye surgeons and access to these amazing surgical techniques and grateful to my family for their help and support in the logistics. The surgeon gave me a DVD of my procedure which I have watched with amazement twice, and will again. The boys said it spooked them, but I find it amazing. It is very clear too why I had lost pretty much all sight in that eye when you see how bad the cataract was. Nothing could penetrate that, it was like looking through candle wax. The surgeon said it's one of the worst he has had for a while, and the anaesthetist was amazed at how young I was. Go figure.
Now to prove how amazing I can see I even scrapped about it allready! I wanted to record this experience (and how completely sexy I looked in my eye patch!) and if you look really closely you will see I even managed to get those teeny little pearls pretty much in the middle of the flowers on the rubons - do you beleive that? This was done Saturday afternoon, a little over 24 hours after the surgery. Amazing amazing amazing, I tell you.
Looking back (excuse the pun), I can see I should have gone to the GP about my failing sight much earlier. I thought I just needed glasses I guess. So there's a lesson there for all of us to get our sight properly checked out at the first sign of noticing changes. Never take your sight for granted as it's very scary when it starts to fail you.
Thankyou again (did I say thankyou, lol) for your love and support and emails and calls (and those yummy pumpkin scones Kathryn :) ) , I was definitely feeling the love which helped me a lot.
Onwards and upwards and back to creating,
Claire xx
You really are amazing to be scrapping already! ...and you truly are the Queen of journalling. What a tenacious person you are. Well done!
Posted by: Jacqui | June 13, 2011 at 08:13 PM
Oh!! Lovely to hear and see the wonderful results of your eye surgery. Take it easy and enjoy your new found vision.
Posted by: Bronwyn Eastley | June 13, 2011 at 08:58 PM
So glad to hear that all has gone well for you Claire.
Posted by: Mae Collins | June 13, 2011 at 09:37 PM
So very happy it all went well Claire - you have inspired me to get my pressure check up on time LOL....never know what trouble I might save......
Posted by: Sharon Davis | June 13, 2011 at 09:59 PM
Hi Claire! Sorry I havent popped in for a while.......I just can't find enough hours in the day!!
So glad you came through your surgery ok.....I can totally understand how scared you must have been. I would have cried.......but them I am a big sook! lol
Karen
x
Posted by: Karen | June 14, 2011 at 10:24 AM
I'm so glad the operation was so successful for you. I hope you're full steam ahead in no time xox
Posted by: Tina G | June 14, 2011 at 01:47 PM
It is definitely worth never taking our health for granted, something I try to teach my children. Thank you for sharing your journey and may the miracles continue for you.
And it is a great scrapbook page!
Posted by: Sherylee | June 14, 2011 at 05:28 PM
Lovely LO Claire - to be seeing so much so soon is amazing
Posted by: Nikki Sadler | June 14, 2011 at 06:01 PM
It was lovely to hear that everything went well for you and your scrapbook page is great too. Bridget xo
Posted by: Bridget Harrison | June 14, 2011 at 06:57 PM
It is so fantastic to hear all went so well! I know when my mum had her cataracts removed she was also truly amazed at what she could see. I guess we all learn to carry on and don't really realize how parts of our body are gradually functioning less over time. I hope things keep improving for you Claire.
Posted by: Helen | June 14, 2011 at 09:48 PM
I feel so happy for you Claire, that everything went so well and you can now get back to making your amazing projects. I think losing my sight is my biggest fear - I would go bonkers if I couldn't craft. Lovely scrapbook page to record your journey - even with the eyepatch, lol
Posted by: Paula Dobson | June 16, 2011 at 06:06 AM
Hi Claire,
I told you so, never in doubt.
Love Pauline.xx
Posted by: Pauline Gilbert | June 16, 2011 at 05:44 PM
I am glad that things went so well for you. I hope things continue to get better. You are an amazing person.
Posted by: Monica | June 16, 2011 at 06:05 PM
So glad to hear it was such a sucess Claire! I'm amazed at how quickly you were back scrapping! and a gorgeous layout too! mind you l'm scared now, because l cant see those pearls...lol.
Take care and look after yourself.
Posted by: Nikki Spencer | June 17, 2011 at 09:41 PM
Hi Claire, so glad your eye operation was successful. Look after yourself.
Kind Regards
Judith (just left Broome....OMG gorgeous place!)
http://creativestudio10.blogspot.com
Posted by: Judith Tetley | June 24, 2011 at 01:13 AM