Well, just in case anyone wants to know what theatre lasering is like, I thought I'd post about my experience of having the laser done in theatre this time, instead of at the slit lamp. I guess all clinics are different, but it might be helpful to get an idea of what to expect if this is coming up for you - I was told very little about what to expect beforehand, and personally I find that much worse than knowing all the scary details lol! So if you want to know, read on...if you don't, don't! 🙂
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It was... interesting! At my hospital it seems that the retinopathy lasering is done in the same theatre session as the cataract ops. They clump all the ops in groups, (so they only change the theatre equipment over once) so being the only retinopathy patient I was put at the end of the day. I had been nil by mouth since 7am, so was incredibly grateful to be on a pump, as there is just no way I could have done that on my old mdi regime - I'd have been running low by 10 (having been combating DP with extra insulin earlier on, I could never quite get it right!). Luckily when stressed my BGs rise, so I didn't have to deal with any hypos, as I was 6-9mmol all day. I am hoping they knew I was on a pump & it was a backhanded compliment that my control was good enough to leave me til last, rather than that they just didn't take into account that one of the people they'd got fasting was a diabetic on insulin...
Quite early on they put dilation drops in the eye to be lasered - i was concerned they'd wear off too soon but it seems they were more powerful ones, as my eye was still partially dilated 3 days later - I wish they'd let me know this would happen, as it was a bit disconcerting lol! Did look a bit freaky hehe!
When it was my turn to go in, I went into the pre op area where there is a bed with a special headrest in it. There they put in more drops (local anesthetic this time) and a canula in the back of my hand (another surprise lol, but understandable!). This was the first time I'd seen the anesthetist, but I think the cataract patients got to talk to him before hand, not sure why this was different for me though? Different op so different methods I guess - would have been nice to know what to expect though. Once the drops had taken effect they injected another local anesthetic, two injections that I think were either side of the eye, in the eyelid / socket. To be honest, this was the worst part of the experience, it stung & I didn't know if I had to keep my eye still or not, so I felt quite panicky (stupid, I know, but I really hadn't known what to expect!). I'm such a wooos I was really quite tearful & feeling very sorry for myself after this! 😱
By the time you're in theatre, they have a kind of wire frame thing that stops you blinking - it sounds awful but you can't really see it & don't feel it as such (certainly it doesn't feel as bad as you'd expect). All the staff have protective goggles & they put a damp piece of gauze over my good eye to protect it. The doc uses some thing that looks like a head torch, and the lights are dimmed, but you can't see much of what's going on. You're instructed to look in whichever direction they need you too. From then on, it's a bit like the slit lamp...although at one point I smelled burning! Thankfully when I plucked up courage to ask about it the doc said it was probably just an eyelash or their fingernail - eeek!! 😱 Better than anything else though lol! Someone puts their hand on yours, which I guess is for reassurance or maybe to stop you moving lol!
After the lasering they wheeled me on the bed still to a post op area for a few mins. Another thing they hadn't warned me about was the double vision afterwards - this was quite disturbing! It wore off overnight though thankfully. After a few minutes I was taken back to a waiting area in a wheel chair, and given a much appreciated cup of tea & a couple of biscuits.
Being the last patient on that list meant I didn't get the sick/fit note they had told me would be issued (at the pre op they promised to put one in with my notes for the doc to read) so they got another doc to do one -which he didn't even complete properly. My discharge letter was on the cataract form and there was no advice re how long the eye might feel sore, how to care for it etc... so when it remained red & itchy and sore all week I was quite worried, especially when my BG levels had started going haywire too at the weekend. In the end I had to go to eye casualty & they managed to get my normal eye doc to take a look, and apparently this is a fairly normal reaction due to the eye being irritated by the lasering, which in theatre is 3-4 times more powerful than the slit lamp laser...I just wish I'd known it would still be this uncomfortable now, a week / half later, as then I wouldn't have wasted their / my time. I'm still needing to take a high dose ibuprofen which doesn't feel ideal, but needs must - I'm also just having to avoid artificial light like the plague as it sets the eye off too. Wearing my patch to read is not comfortable at the mo either (there is still blood in the eye, which causes headaches unless I wear the patch when trying to read / type) as the area around the eye still feels tender & bruised, although the bruising has more or less faded now...even rolling my eye or closing just that eye feels sore.
Fun!
Please don't get me wrong, I don't mind that the whole process has been a bit unpleasant and painful, I accept that that's just because of the necessary treatment, I just wish I'd been given more info beforehand so that things like how the eye was afterwards wasn't a worry.
Anyway, hope that has been helpful rather than freaking anyone out - a good motivator for the best possible control perhaps! 🙂
Take care everyone - I'm now off to lie down in a darkened room after typing this, hate vdu's, ouch! x
***************************************
It was... interesting! At my hospital it seems that the retinopathy lasering is done in the same theatre session as the cataract ops. They clump all the ops in groups, (so they only change the theatre equipment over once) so being the only retinopathy patient I was put at the end of the day. I had been nil by mouth since 7am, so was incredibly grateful to be on a pump, as there is just no way I could have done that on my old mdi regime - I'd have been running low by 10 (having been combating DP with extra insulin earlier on, I could never quite get it right!). Luckily when stressed my BGs rise, so I didn't have to deal with any hypos, as I was 6-9mmol all day. I am hoping they knew I was on a pump & it was a backhanded compliment that my control was good enough to leave me til last, rather than that they just didn't take into account that one of the people they'd got fasting was a diabetic on insulin...
Quite early on they put dilation drops in the eye to be lasered - i was concerned they'd wear off too soon but it seems they were more powerful ones, as my eye was still partially dilated 3 days later - I wish they'd let me know this would happen, as it was a bit disconcerting lol! Did look a bit freaky hehe!
When it was my turn to go in, I went into the pre op area where there is a bed with a special headrest in it. There they put in more drops (local anesthetic this time) and a canula in the back of my hand (another surprise lol, but understandable!). This was the first time I'd seen the anesthetist, but I think the cataract patients got to talk to him before hand, not sure why this was different for me though? Different op so different methods I guess - would have been nice to know what to expect though. Once the drops had taken effect they injected another local anesthetic, two injections that I think were either side of the eye, in the eyelid / socket. To be honest, this was the worst part of the experience, it stung & I didn't know if I had to keep my eye still or not, so I felt quite panicky (stupid, I know, but I really hadn't known what to expect!). I'm such a wooos I was really quite tearful & feeling very sorry for myself after this! 😱
By the time you're in theatre, they have a kind of wire frame thing that stops you blinking - it sounds awful but you can't really see it & don't feel it as such (certainly it doesn't feel as bad as you'd expect). All the staff have protective goggles & they put a damp piece of gauze over my good eye to protect it. The doc uses some thing that looks like a head torch, and the lights are dimmed, but you can't see much of what's going on. You're instructed to look in whichever direction they need you too. From then on, it's a bit like the slit lamp...although at one point I smelled burning! Thankfully when I plucked up courage to ask about it the doc said it was probably just an eyelash or their fingernail - eeek!! 😱 Better than anything else though lol! Someone puts their hand on yours, which I guess is for reassurance or maybe to stop you moving lol!
After the lasering they wheeled me on the bed still to a post op area for a few mins. Another thing they hadn't warned me about was the double vision afterwards - this was quite disturbing! It wore off overnight though thankfully. After a few minutes I was taken back to a waiting area in a wheel chair, and given a much appreciated cup of tea & a couple of biscuits.
Being the last patient on that list meant I didn't get the sick/fit note they had told me would be issued (at the pre op they promised to put one in with my notes for the doc to read) so they got another doc to do one -which he didn't even complete properly. My discharge letter was on the cataract form and there was no advice re how long the eye might feel sore, how to care for it etc... so when it remained red & itchy and sore all week I was quite worried, especially when my BG levels had started going haywire too at the weekend. In the end I had to go to eye casualty & they managed to get my normal eye doc to take a look, and apparently this is a fairly normal reaction due to the eye being irritated by the lasering, which in theatre is 3-4 times more powerful than the slit lamp laser...I just wish I'd known it would still be this uncomfortable now, a week / half later, as then I wouldn't have wasted their / my time. I'm still needing to take a high dose ibuprofen which doesn't feel ideal, but needs must - I'm also just having to avoid artificial light like the plague as it sets the eye off too. Wearing my patch to read is not comfortable at the mo either (there is still blood in the eye, which causes headaches unless I wear the patch when trying to read / type) as the area around the eye still feels tender & bruised, although the bruising has more or less faded now...even rolling my eye or closing just that eye feels sore.
Fun!
Please don't get me wrong, I don't mind that the whole process has been a bit unpleasant and painful, I accept that that's just because of the necessary treatment, I just wish I'd been given more info beforehand so that things like how the eye was afterwards wasn't a worry.
Anyway, hope that has been helpful rather than freaking anyone out - a good motivator for the best possible control perhaps! 🙂
Take care everyone - I'm now off to lie down in a darkened room after typing this, hate vdu's, ouch! x
)