4 more days!
Mom is coming over tonight and I am going to have a "class" with her, Thad and Hunter to show them how to change my pump site, so they'll be prepared.
Michele and I made plans to take the boys to Perry Park pool this Wednesday, since it's the last day before my big transition! I hope the weather's great so we can really enjoy it!
Just trying to get some last-minute things caught up before Wednesday - laundry, vacuuming, you know, the chores!
Talk to you all soon! :)
Sunday, July 31, 2011
Saturday, July 30, 2011
5 More Days....
Good afternoon!
My cousin and good friend, Charlene, came by last night to visit a little bit. I showed her the doctor's diagram and she was also very encouraging and optimistic!
We talked about our boys and church and the latest happenings in our lives. It was very enjoyable - something we hadn't done in a while.
Today, I went to lunch and grocery shopping with Mom. Two of Hunter's buddies are spending the night tonight and have enjoyed much of the afternoon in our pop-up pool out back. Hunter's school shopping is done, except for his shoes and his haircut (but we're not talking about that yet! lol)
Still doing the eye drop thing every hour. It's getting kinda old, but I know it's helping my corneas stay healthy, or "happy", as my doctor puts it! :) He says my main goal through all of this is to keep my corneas happy! :)
Well, more tomorrow...
My cousin and good friend, Charlene, came by last night to visit a little bit. I showed her the doctor's diagram and she was also very encouraging and optimistic!
We talked about our boys and church and the latest happenings in our lives. It was very enjoyable - something we hadn't done in a while.
Today, I went to lunch and grocery shopping with Mom. Two of Hunter's buddies are spending the night tonight and have enjoyed much of the afternoon in our pop-up pool out back. Hunter's school shopping is done, except for his shoes and his haircut (but we're not talking about that yet! lol)
Still doing the eye drop thing every hour. It's getting kinda old, but I know it's helping my corneas stay healthy, or "happy", as my doctor puts it! :) He says my main goal through all of this is to keep my corneas happy! :)
Well, more tomorrow...
Friday, July 29, 2011
6 Days Til Surgery...
Well, I've figured out how to post pictures now, so I'm going for a test run today. To the right of this entry, you should see a diagram given to me by my plastic surgeon with sketches to indicate the changes he will be making.
I'm going to try to explain the diagram as well as I can.
First, I'll explain the drawings on the left side of the diagram.
He described the lower lid as having a tendon like a hammock. When a hammock is strung between two trees, you can raise it by pulling on either end. That's what he'll be doing with the tendon in my lower lids.
Also, tucked under and inside the lower lid is a muscle that has a tendency to pull the lower lid down. The goal here is to raise my lower lid, so he will be removing this muscle.
Finally, he will be stitching the outer and inner corners of each eye so that the cornea has less exposure to elements such as wind, dust, air, etc. He will only close the lids as much as he feels is necessary to protect my eyes. He will NOT be interfering with my tear ducts.
The right side of the diagram shows what he'll be doing to promote the healing process.
After surgery, he will make a stitch in my lower lid and pull it up to my brow line and connect it with a stitch there. This will help my lids to heal with the tendency of remaining up/raised. After 7-10 days, he will remove this stitch and the healing will continue.
My peripheral vision will be extremely compromised, but other than that, the vision should return to normal, provided that I do not get any more ulcers on the corneas, which is the whole point to this surgery - it's supposed to aid in preventing that.
After the surgery is done on both eyes, hopefully, the right cornea will heal and clear up enough for my regular eye doctor to remove the cataract, so vision can be restored in that eye. But we'll have to wait and see how the cornea does first.
Overall, it will be a long process, but, as I have been saying, I am SO VERY BLESSED to have the friends and family God has given me! I would not be able to face this without their loving support and encouragement!
Thank you all again for you prayers!
Love to all of you,
Debbie :)
I'm going to try to explain the diagram as well as I can.
First, I'll explain the drawings on the left side of the diagram.
He described the lower lid as having a tendon like a hammock. When a hammock is strung between two trees, you can raise it by pulling on either end. That's what he'll be doing with the tendon in my lower lids.
Also, tucked under and inside the lower lid is a muscle that has a tendency to pull the lower lid down. The goal here is to raise my lower lid, so he will be removing this muscle.
Finally, he will be stitching the outer and inner corners of each eye so that the cornea has less exposure to elements such as wind, dust, air, etc. He will only close the lids as much as he feels is necessary to protect my eyes. He will NOT be interfering with my tear ducts.
The right side of the diagram shows what he'll be doing to promote the healing process.
After surgery, he will make a stitch in my lower lid and pull it up to my brow line and connect it with a stitch there. This will help my lids to heal with the tendency of remaining up/raised. After 7-10 days, he will remove this stitch and the healing will continue.
My peripheral vision will be extremely compromised, but other than that, the vision should return to normal, provided that I do not get any more ulcers on the corneas, which is the whole point to this surgery - it's supposed to aid in preventing that.
After the surgery is done on both eyes, hopefully, the right cornea will heal and clear up enough for my regular eye doctor to remove the cataract, so vision can be restored in that eye. But we'll have to wait and see how the cornea does first.
Overall, it will be a long process, but, as I have been saying, I am SO VERY BLESSED to have the friends and family God has given me! I would not be able to face this without their loving support and encouragement!
Thank you all again for you prayers!
Love to all of you,
Debbie :)
Thursday, July 28, 2011
One week and counting...
Well, the plan today is to write out all my instructions for changing my pump site, and taking my blood sugar and blood pressure. It'll help Mom, Thad and Hunter with my care after surgery. It won't be as bad when I have the right eye surgery. When they do the left eye, I'll have a stitch in my eyelids, keeping them closed for 7-10 days while the healing begins. The vision in my right eye is so poor due to the cataract that I won't be able to do much for myself. I can see blurs of color, but no detail whatsoever. For example, closing my left eye at this moment, the only thing I see on this computer screen is a big white square, even sitting right in front of it. So any tasks involving detail will have to be done by loved ones. Praise God I HAVE loved ones!
More tomorrow.
More tomorrow.
Wednesday, July 27, 2011
T minus 8 days....
Good morning!
My good friend Michele came to visit yesterday. It was so good to spend time with her! I've missed her! We've both been so busy, it's been difficult to get together. I showed her the diagrams the doctor made of his plans for surgery. She agreed that, although it looks extensive, it doesn't look like it's going to be so bad.
I'm so very blessed to have such good friends and such a loving family - extended family as well!
Spending the day with Mom today. Going to Bible Study, shopping with Hunter for jeans and shoes for school and getting a much-needed hair cut! (Me, not Hunter! Sorry-didn't mean to get anyone's hopes up! Yes, Hunter NEEDS a haircut, but he really believes his long hair is a chic magnet! lol We'll be seriously discussing this before school starts!)
Love to all,
Deb :)
My good friend Michele came to visit yesterday. It was so good to spend time with her! I've missed her! We've both been so busy, it's been difficult to get together. I showed her the diagrams the doctor made of his plans for surgery. She agreed that, although it looks extensive, it doesn't look like it's going to be so bad.
I'm so very blessed to have such good friends and such a loving family - extended family as well!
Spending the day with Mom today. Going to Bible Study, shopping with Hunter for jeans and shoes for school and getting a much-needed hair cut! (Me, not Hunter! Sorry-didn't mean to get anyone's hopes up! Yes, Hunter NEEDS a haircut, but he really believes his long hair is a chic magnet! lol We'll be seriously discussing this before school starts!)
Love to all,
Deb :)
Tuesday, July 26, 2011
The countdown begins!
Good morning All!
Nine days til surgery. I have to say, when I first got the news, I was a little down in the dumps, worried, and wondering how this is all going to change my life, not to mention the people I love!
I've been praying daily, and everyone I've talked to has been so encouraging and optimistic that I'm beginning to feel better about the whole thing. It's not going to change who I am, just the way I look. And ya know what? It really doesn't matter because when I finally get where I'm going, I'll be beautiful in God's Presence!
I'll continue to make daily posts myself until after surgery. Then Mom and/or Thad will make them for me to let you all know how I'm doing.
I'm going to try to figure out how to post pictures on here today, so those will be available. There aren't many pictures on the Internet, so it's hard to tell what to expect. At least this way, anyone who might have to go through this type of thing or know someone who will, can get an idea of what they're up against. WARNING - they WON'T be pretty! :)
Thanks to ALL for your prayers! Keep 'em comin'!! :)
Nine days til surgery. I have to say, when I first got the news, I was a little down in the dumps, worried, and wondering how this is all going to change my life, not to mention the people I love!
I've been praying daily, and everyone I've talked to has been so encouraging and optimistic that I'm beginning to feel better about the whole thing. It's not going to change who I am, just the way I look. And ya know what? It really doesn't matter because when I finally get where I'm going, I'll be beautiful in God's Presence!
I'll continue to make daily posts myself until after surgery. Then Mom and/or Thad will make them for me to let you all know how I'm doing.
I'm going to try to figure out how to post pictures on here today, so those will be available. There aren't many pictures on the Internet, so it's hard to tell what to expect. At least this way, anyone who might have to go through this type of thing or know someone who will, can get an idea of what they're up against. WARNING - they WON'T be pretty! :)
Thanks to ALL for your prayers! Keep 'em comin'!! :)
Monday, July 25, 2011
Brief History (continued)
Okay, well, I went to see the cornea specialist in March. He said I have ulcers (open sores) on both my corneas and the nerves that supply nourishment and sensation to my eyes are damaged. He said a person without diabetes would be in extreme pain with the ulcers I have. He told me no makeup, and to limit my reading, computer work and watching TV. He told me to close and rest my eyes as often as possible and he put me on a very strict eye drop schedule to keep my eyes moist. One of the major contributors to these ulcers is extremely dry eyes. I was to take "tears" WITHOUT preservatives 8 times a day, an eye gel 4 times a day and a prescription Bacitracin ointment for eyes twice a day.
I went back after two weeks of following this regimen religiously. He said the ulcers were healing but not to the extent that he had hoped. He recommended adding serum drops to the regimen 6 times a day, in addition to the drops I was already using. The serum drops are still considered "experimental" and are not covered by insurance. They are made by taking several vials of my own blood, spinning it down and then an apothecary (specialized pharmacy) makes eye drops out of that serum. It contains the growth hormone that is not being sent to my corneas due to the nerve damage.
So - after three weeks of this therapy, along with the other drops as well, I returned to his office once more. He said the corneas look better, but still have linear ulcers and scarring, making my vision cloudy. He recommended a surgery called a tarsorrhaphy and referred me to a special optical plastic surgeon who works out of the same office building. At this point, all I knew was that the surgery involved sewing my eyes together partially, allowing the corneas to stay moist, limiting exposure to air, wind, dust, etc. In most cases, this surgery is done temporarily to allow corneas to heal after an injury or similar reason. But, in my case, it would be a permanent transition. It would be a preventive measure to keep more ulcers from forming by limiting the exposure the corneas have to outside elements.
Needless to say, I was not happy about this news! I was very upset and did a lot of praying and sharing with my family. Ultimately, I had decided not to have the surgery - that there must be other options! But I decided to go ahead and go to the consultation with the plastic surgeon to see what his plan was.
He showed me a diagram and added his own sketches to show me how my eyes would change. The plan was very extensive - more than just sewing the corners of the eyes. He plans to do some maneuvering of the tendons and muscles in the lower lids, as well as pinch the inner corners and the outer corners of the eyes. He spent two hours with us (Mom and me) and could tell that we were very concerned about the results and how this would change my appearance. He was very thorough in his explanation and answered all of our questions.
After leaving his office, I actually felt a little better about the surgery, but still wanted to explore other options, so I didn't schedule it at that time.
A friend of Mom and Dad's told her about a friend of his who is a world-known cornea specialist who has done miraculous things with cornea transplants and other treatments. Mom was able to schedule an appointment with him for just a week later!
Wow! Maybe there IS another option! I started getting my hopes up that I might not have to have this surgery after all!
I saw this doctor for a second opinion last Thursday. After a very thorough eye exam, seeing several different doctors in the office - 3 1/2 hours later - this doctor informed me that he agrees with my specialist - that there really is no other way to remedy the problem. A cornea transplant would not work because, due to the nerve damage, the same thing would happen to the new corneas, maybe even worse. There are special "contact" lenses that cover the entire eye, but again, due to the loss of sensation, the risk of infection is far too great. The only way to ensure prevention of more ulcers is to do the surgery. And even then, there's no guarantee. But the surgery would increase my defenses greatly.
So - Friday morning, I called my plastic surgeon and scheduled the surgery on my left eye.It is set for Thursday, August 4, 2011 at noon.
He will do one eye at a time. We decided to do the "good" eye first - the left one. The right one still has the cataract, so the vision isn't good at all in that eye. After seven to ten days, he'll remove the stitch that keeps my eyelids closed, and approximately 4 or 5 days after that, we'll schedule the right eye to be done.
Everyone I've talked to has been super supportive, especially my husband Thad, my son Hunter and my parents! Of course, Thad's family is also very helpful. They are always there when I need them and I know I've been in their prayers.
Well, I'll leave it at that for now. Thad and Mom are going to help me keep the blog updated after surgery. I plan to add pictures also. I thought others might like to see my progress, but the main reason for all this is to help others who might be facing the same or similar decisions. I had tried to research this subject online before making my decision, and truthfully, there's not much out there - at least not with all these factors - diabetes, neurotrophic keratitis, active ulcers, and cataracts. My hope is that maybe someone else might be able to benefit from the knowledge of my experience and that my entries here might offer some encouragement and support in their decision-making.
God bless you all!
I went back after two weeks of following this regimen religiously. He said the ulcers were healing but not to the extent that he had hoped. He recommended adding serum drops to the regimen 6 times a day, in addition to the drops I was already using. The serum drops are still considered "experimental" and are not covered by insurance. They are made by taking several vials of my own blood, spinning it down and then an apothecary (specialized pharmacy) makes eye drops out of that serum. It contains the growth hormone that is not being sent to my corneas due to the nerve damage.
So - after three weeks of this therapy, along with the other drops as well, I returned to his office once more. He said the corneas look better, but still have linear ulcers and scarring, making my vision cloudy. He recommended a surgery called a tarsorrhaphy and referred me to a special optical plastic surgeon who works out of the same office building. At this point, all I knew was that the surgery involved sewing my eyes together partially, allowing the corneas to stay moist, limiting exposure to air, wind, dust, etc. In most cases, this surgery is done temporarily to allow corneas to heal after an injury or similar reason. But, in my case, it would be a permanent transition. It would be a preventive measure to keep more ulcers from forming by limiting the exposure the corneas have to outside elements.
Needless to say, I was not happy about this news! I was very upset and did a lot of praying and sharing with my family. Ultimately, I had decided not to have the surgery - that there must be other options! But I decided to go ahead and go to the consultation with the plastic surgeon to see what his plan was.
He showed me a diagram and added his own sketches to show me how my eyes would change. The plan was very extensive - more than just sewing the corners of the eyes. He plans to do some maneuvering of the tendons and muscles in the lower lids, as well as pinch the inner corners and the outer corners of the eyes. He spent two hours with us (Mom and me) and could tell that we were very concerned about the results and how this would change my appearance. He was very thorough in his explanation and answered all of our questions.
After leaving his office, I actually felt a little better about the surgery, but still wanted to explore other options, so I didn't schedule it at that time.
A friend of Mom and Dad's told her about a friend of his who is a world-known cornea specialist who has done miraculous things with cornea transplants and other treatments. Mom was able to schedule an appointment with him for just a week later!
Wow! Maybe there IS another option! I started getting my hopes up that I might not have to have this surgery after all!
I saw this doctor for a second opinion last Thursday. After a very thorough eye exam, seeing several different doctors in the office - 3 1/2 hours later - this doctor informed me that he agrees with my specialist - that there really is no other way to remedy the problem. A cornea transplant would not work because, due to the nerve damage, the same thing would happen to the new corneas, maybe even worse. There are special "contact" lenses that cover the entire eye, but again, due to the loss of sensation, the risk of infection is far too great. The only way to ensure prevention of more ulcers is to do the surgery. And even then, there's no guarantee. But the surgery would increase my defenses greatly.
So - Friday morning, I called my plastic surgeon and scheduled the surgery on my left eye.It is set for Thursday, August 4, 2011 at noon.
He will do one eye at a time. We decided to do the "good" eye first - the left one. The right one still has the cataract, so the vision isn't good at all in that eye. After seven to ten days, he'll remove the stitch that keeps my eyelids closed, and approximately 4 or 5 days after that, we'll schedule the right eye to be done.
Everyone I've talked to has been super supportive, especially my husband Thad, my son Hunter and my parents! Of course, Thad's family is also very helpful. They are always there when I need them and I know I've been in their prayers.
Well, I'll leave it at that for now. Thad and Mom are going to help me keep the blog updated after surgery. I plan to add pictures also. I thought others might like to see my progress, but the main reason for all this is to help others who might be facing the same or similar decisions. I had tried to research this subject online before making my decision, and truthfully, there's not much out there - at least not with all these factors - diabetes, neurotrophic keratitis, active ulcers, and cataracts. My hope is that maybe someone else might be able to benefit from the knowledge of my experience and that my entries here might offer some encouragement and support in their decision-making.
God bless you all!
Saturday, July 23, 2011
A Brief History
I am a type I diabetic and have been for 32 years. I was 11 years old when I was diagnosed and started developing eye complications when I was 26. I first developed diabetic retinopathy then and was referred to a retinal specialist. After performing several laser surgeries on both eyes, he decided that the best route to take would be to perform a vitrectomy in both eyes, one at a time. Since those surgeries, I have had sensitivity to light and loss of most of my peripheral vision, but the only real consequence has been night driving restrictions. Otherwise, my vision has been pretty good since then.
After the birth of my son in 1998, I developed cataracts on both of my eyes. I had cataract surgery on both eyes, one at a time, and have only had to use glasses while reading. I had a secondary cataract develop on my left eye in 2006, but it was taken care of with a simple laser procedure, and again, my vision has been fairly good since then.
Well, things seemed to be going along fine until about a year ago, I noticed that my eyes seemed to be red all the time and I had a lot of burning and discomfort. My mother has trouble with eye redness, so I really didn't think much of it, and simply treated it with over=the-counter eye drops for redness and tried to rest them a lot.
Then in January, I noticed my vision was becoming more and more blurry, especially in my right eye, so I went back to my eye doctor, thinking I must have a secondary cataract on my right eye and that it would be a simple matter of another simple laser procedure to take care of it.
When I went in for the exam, I found out that I do indeed have a secondary cataract, but there were other complications. My corneas were both very cloudy and he couldn't see past the cornea to get to the cataract to take care of it. He referred me to a cornea specialist for further evaluation and treatment.
I saw the cornea specialist for the first time in Match.
Sorry - my vision is getting really blurry - probably straining too much trying to read on the computer. I'm gonna sign off for now and make a new entry tomorrow. I'll continue the story then.
After the birth of my son in 1998, I developed cataracts on both of my eyes. I had cataract surgery on both eyes, one at a time, and have only had to use glasses while reading. I had a secondary cataract develop on my left eye in 2006, but it was taken care of with a simple laser procedure, and again, my vision has been fairly good since then.
Well, things seemed to be going along fine until about a year ago, I noticed that my eyes seemed to be red all the time and I had a lot of burning and discomfort. My mother has trouble with eye redness, so I really didn't think much of it, and simply treated it with over=the-counter eye drops for redness and tried to rest them a lot.
Then in January, I noticed my vision was becoming more and more blurry, especially in my right eye, so I went back to my eye doctor, thinking I must have a secondary cataract on my right eye and that it would be a simple matter of another simple laser procedure to take care of it.
When I went in for the exam, I found out that I do indeed have a secondary cataract, but there were other complications. My corneas were both very cloudy and he couldn't see past the cornea to get to the cataract to take care of it. He referred me to a cornea specialist for further evaluation and treatment.
I saw the cornea specialist for the first time in Match.
Sorry - my vision is getting really blurry - probably straining too much trying to read on the computer. I'm gonna sign off for now and make a new entry tomorrow. I'll continue the story then.
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