Life is always full of twist we don't expect, that is what makes it interesting. However, this twist wasn't the type that you could simply yell "PLOT TWIST" and move on. Thursday, exactly one day after my final surgery, I was to go see what felt like every eye specialist in Norther Virginia. First it was to the doctors who had performed my surgeries. I was checked out and was healing normally. My eye pressure was low, vision was great, both eyes were working together fairly well, and the lens hadn't shifted at all. Hesitantly, I was given permission to leave Friday with Scott to head back home and get back to real life. Next was the retina specialist. After what felt like an eternity, I had been checked out and everything looked great. The big black spot floating around the bottom of my vision field was an air bubble that would dissipate eventually. She was happy with everything and she gave me the same a-okay to go home.
It had been a long morning of poking, so Scott and I decided lunch was the best plan of action. While eating, literally a mere couple of hours after being told everything was fine, things took a twist. As i looked around, something seemed different. I became dizzy and couldn't figure out why. I realized it was my right eye, my vision had drastically changed. I felt as though I was in a fish bowl. Everything was warped and anything more than 5 inches from my face was blurred and almost unrecognizable. Trying to hold back my panic and I did what every independent, grown woman would do; I called my mommy. She urged me to call the doctor immediately because this was definitely not normal. I called them, hoping they would say something like, "oh it's normal, don't worry," but that wasn't exactly the case. They told me to come in ASAP because it needed to be looked at, however I would have to see a doctor I had never seen before because my doctors were in surgery or in a different office today. When I was able to get back to the office, I wasn't sure what was going to happen. The new doctor looked in my eye and said "well that's not normal". What is it with these guys and saying phrases no person would ever want to here in that situation; it is one step above "oops". He tells me that I have a pupil blockage. Being a college educated woman I was able to deeply analyze this to mean something was blocking something to do with my pupil..... ok I didn't say it was the best. Scans and pictures were taken of the interior layout of my eye. You could see the lens, pupil, iris and cornea. There was supposed to be gaps between each; these gaps allowed fluid to move within the eye keeping things balanced and in their proper place. In my situation there was something blocking the gap by my pupil. This forced the fluid to back up in the back of the eye causing my pressure to double and everything to be pushed forward. It was pushing everything so much that it was almost touching my cornea (the external layer of the eye). The best way to fix this is to remove the blockage by using a laser. They flood my recently traumatized eye with numbing medication then stick a lens on it with what is best described as a suction cup. They then proceeded to shoot a laser through the lens into my eye and to the blockage. They warned me that i might "feel a little twinge".... something I have learned in all if this is that doctors will try to minimalize pain to keep you from panicking. Every time that laser was shot, I could feel a dull poke through my eye. It took seven shots to break up the blockage. They removed the suction cup, and yes it felt as you would think it would feel to remove a suction cup. This was probably the worst pain I had experienced the entirety of this journey. I was trying my hardest to be as strong and awesome as they kept telling me I was, but I felt like a hurt child with lip quivering and tear filled eyes.
Within minutes my vision was back to normal and my pressure was lowering. It was incredible what technology could do. My eye burned the rest of the night, open-burn, closed-burn. The only relief I could find was ice cold compresses layed over the burning and aching eye. We decided to stay another day, to get checked out one more time and just in case there were any other issues.
Luckily there haven't been any other issues. We were able to get back to Tennessee and I even headed back to work. True, I went back a little too soon and tried to work a little too long, but things have evened out. I still walk into the bathroom every night and stand there wondering what it is that I came in there to do, when I realize I don't need to take out my contacts. I am still getting used to having normal eyes and seeing like everyone else, but it is a challenge I am willing to take on. I really could not be happier right now, and I can't wait to go back for my last follow up in April to show off what a perfect patient I am. :)
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