Tracy, my (Steve) caregiver, wife and best friend begins her blog describing to our friends, family and web business clients our facedown recovery journey from my retinal detachment.
It is about time this blog has been resurrected - although I wish it were under different circumstances!
Today is Day 6 after emergency surgery to have Steve's retina reattached.
Here is a quick run-down of our very own FAQ's:
-What did he do?! Nothing. According to our surgeon, 'very few' detached retinas are caused by trauma. They are either hereditary, or in his words, "luck". (Now in 2021 I'm not convinced my retinal detachment was bad luck. As a result, I'm on a journey to reduce inflammation in my system as well as improve my breathing technique as discussed in the book "The Oxygen Advantage" ~ Steve)
-Why does he have to lie face down? During surgery, the surgeon removes part of the white of the eye and places a gas bubble in the gap. When your face is toward the floor, the gas bubble pushes upward, forcing the retina onto the back of the eye so it can begin to adhere to the back of the eye.
-For how long? We saw the surgeon on Saturday morning and he told us 10 days (hopefully)! Today marks passing the halfway mark! (I actually slept facedown for a total of 3 weeks. Overkill? Perhaps. Regrets? None. I was scared ~ Steve)
-Can he read? What does he do during the day? Most of the time he lies face down on the massage table or in a chair with his head resting on the edge of the table. He can read (books or computer/phone)to eye tolerance, although when you move your good eye, it moves your bad eye so he can easily overdo it (like he did yesterday), then he pays for it the next day. (I don't recall what overdoing it felt like. I should have made better notes but I definitely didn't know I would be running a business to help people through their own recovery ~ Steve)
-Can he see out of the eye? No. Not yet. The surgeon told us not to expect any sight in the eye for 6-7 weeks. (I had improved eyesight within the first month but the eyesight deteriorated over the next two months due to the formation of cataract. In fact at month 3 I couldn't see the big letter E on the wall at the office. All was good post-cataract surgery ~ Steve)
-Will the surgery work? In 85% of cases it does. The first 2 months will tell the future. The surgeon told us on Saturday he can see it beginning to adhere to the eye. Please pray it heals well. (Since beginning our business in 2015, I am convinced that the 85% success rate skyrockets to 95% when you follow a strict recovery protocol. Be patience!!! ~ Steve)
-Is he in any pain? It is his neck, shoulders and back that are bothering him the most as being face down is pretty taxing on those muscles. He sleeps a fair bit (amazing how much surgery takes out of you!). He is such a great patient and is so positive - even after staring at the floor for the past 6.5 days. What an amazing guy! (I wish I knew what I know now on how to properly position pillows and towels for maximum comfort. Part of my issue was that the face cradle I slept on was different from what we provide our rentals as it didn't adjust vertically or horizontally. Oh, how I wish I had what we now rent ~ Steve)
-How are you? For the past 5 days I have felt very blessed and encouraged by all the amazing answers to prayer and friends that have rallied around us. However yesterday I had a 'sad' day. I had to phone and cancel our vacation and was feeling the exhaustion of all of this settling in. "Little one" was challenging me at every turn and my upstairs (bathroom) is still pretty chaotic as it is only part way through its renovation. Sealing the floor grout was the perfect place to have myself a good cry and spend some time telling God all about it! :) Today is a better day. It is definitely a strange way to spend time together - in our "his" and "hers" beds in the livingroom and doing eye drops 24 times a day (yep, no exaggeration, 24 drops in 16 hours!). (I generally now see only two prescriptions being given to patients encompassing 8 drops a day. Extra drops are often given when there is an issue with the eye pressure ~ Steve)
We are doing our best to laugh, tease each other (I keep "threatening" to leave him somewhere because he won't know I'm gone! ... (and I keep telling her she only looks half as good as she used to ~ Steve)), and keep counting our blessings. Thank you for praying and for your love and support. I will do my best to keep you updated.
*** I added my own personal notes and observations to Tracy's blog in August of 2021 ... 7 plus years after my surgery. ~ Steve
