Eye Surgery

So on Monday July 22, 2013, I had eye surgery to fix the muscles in both my eyes.  Since it was day surgery, I rode up to Salt lake with a girl from the ward who works in Salt Lake.  She dropped me off at the Moran Eye Center, and from there the fun began.  Since Jen has moved away Bishop Warner has been my emergency contact, and he works in Salt Lake and decided this would be a fun thing to stop by and see.  I gave the Anesthesiologist a fair warning about my violent streak after surgery, and he agreed to four point restraints, and would also use some medications.  After heart monitors, compression boots, surgical gown and cap, and IV, Bishop Warner thought it was time for pictures.  I did not agree with the photo shoot.

I would like to make a point at this time.  Bishop Warner and several others kept comparing this surgery to their Lasik procedures - no.  This procedure takes four to five times longer, and is much more invasive.  Bishop Warner was just not getting it, so I made him watch the procedure on youtube on my phone.  He laughed really hard, and stopped the "when I had Lasik eye surgery...." stories.

So they carted me off to surgery and I don't remember much more after that.  Except my room mate Stephanie Noyce came to get me, and she told me some very terrible stories about afterwards.  My violent streak was much less this time, except I still had problems.

When Stephanie and Bishop Warner came to see me in post op, the nurse said "oh look, some friends to see you!" I adamantly told the nurse that neither of those people where my friends.

Stephanie and Bishop Warner had to sit on either side of me and keep me from rubbing my eyes.  Stephanie said that they were swatting my hands away constantly, so Bishop tried some reverse psychology.  "Oh Stacey loves surgery, so she is going to rub her eyes so we can come back and do this again next week"  I wouldn't rub my eyes for about a minute, before I was back at them again.

Stephanie said I was like a defiant four year old and getting pretty angry that I wasn't allowed to rub my eyes.  So in attempt to make me feel better, Bishop Warner offered to let me hit his hand.  Bad idea.  I hit him really good.  I don't remember this action, but from the sounds of it, I may need to go talk with the Stake President to repent.

Besides that I tried the normal escape from the hospital, tried to hit a few nurses, and when the surgeon came to see me afterwards I was very rude to him and told him how much I did not like him.  It actually went a lot better than any of my previous surgeries, so they wrote down the medications they gave me so we can prevent major violence in the future.

The cool part about this surgery is that I cry blood.

And one last close up.  This was taken this morning.

Stephanie was worried once she got me in the car because she didn't know how she was going to drive and keep me from rubbing my eyes.  The Anesthesiologist gave me about 12 times the amount of anxiety medication I use at home, so I fell asleep in the car.  Stephanie said I would randomly wake up and insist that she drop me off at front runner because I could get home by myself.  But I would fall back to sleep and make such a claim twenty minutes later before falling back to sleep again.

I went straight to bed once home, and that was that.  I am trying to get use to my new vision.  It is a bit different than before, and so reading and watching television is difficult.  The stitches are driving me CRAZY.  They have decided to leave them for a month!  Originally they considered just a few days.  So I am trying very hard to not rub my eyes, but sometimes I fail because they feel better when I rub.  There is a chance I will need to do this again, but it went well, so hopefully not.  It is amazing I made it this long with my eyes the way they were!

I hop you all enjoyed this, because crossed eyes are genetic and so you may be needing this for your kids.  I hope not, because it hurts!