Fozzie's Lousy, horrible, No-good day(s) Foz Surgery-Post 52

[SirFozzie]

On Sunday, the vision in my right eye went blurred. This was alarming, but similar but not so bad things had happened before (I suffere from iriitis, or inflammation of the iris, due to a condition called Undifferentiated Spondylorarthroapthy, a form of arthritis that can affect joints as well as the eyes). My first thought was to call urgent care, but at 4:35 PM urgent care had closed for the day so since Urgent care was closed when I called them, I just made a note to call the eye doctor first thing monday morning. However, over night on SUnday in to monday, things worsened, my mouth went completely dry, and I suffered pounding/pressure in and arround the right eye and below it in the jawline.

Well, I suffered throguh the night, and was talking to family on the phone early Monday morning, and suffered a bad woozy spell.. something like 45 seconds. I told them that I needed help (I was alone in the house at the time) and they said they would come and get me.

That's when, in my addled state, I did something dumb, I decided that I would get up and make sure the door was unlocked for them to get in. About 20 minutes later, my folks found me lying on the floor slouched against the bed, and semi-coherent. I tried to tell them to help me back into bed, and they said "Stay there, we're calling the ambulance."

So a few minutes later, I was taking my first ambulance ride of the day to the local hospital. They do an EKG and notice some changes. They also try to give me some baby asprin to try to regulate my system.. it didn't go well. and by not going well I mean "two catch basins filled before I was done", not going well.

So, since the problems were two fold (the EKG changes and the eye issues/wooziness/dizzyness), it was decided some time later to send me up to Mass General Hospital (cue Ambulance ride #2), who are staffed by some really good doctors, but.. it's not exactly the most calm place, so I'm lying there, trying to relax/sleep (mission impossible), and finally they find a bay. The good news is that that the cardiac enzymes test is negative, so that's one problem resolved, but the eye isssue is worrying them. But luckily, thjey have a world class eye place right next door in Mass Eye and Ear.. so at 8:45 PM or so they discharge me from the ER at Mass General and wheel me via a corridor over to Mass Eye and Ear.

So, they diagnose me as having an "actue Glaucoma attack" where the pressure on the eye is the cause for the other issues I was facing (dizzyness, upset stomach, etcetera).. now, when you go to the eye doctor and they do that little puff test with the blue/purple ring.. anything over 30 is troubling. I was at 65, which is more then troubling. it's more like OMGWTF. So they immediately start me on eye drops and pills to try to lower the level.. I'm struggling at this point (45 or so hours with no sustained sleeps, 45 minutes or so at a time tops), but I'm trying to soldier through.. but I'm really starting to fade, basically, they're giving me a regimen every ten minutes,while I'm lying on a gurney trying to rest in between.. I think my lament was "Why do you keep waking me up and setting my eyes on fire? Lemme Sleep!"

So, the pressure doesn't go down measurably, which means the iris is COMPLETELY closed, so they call the head of Mass Eye and Ear's Glaucoma department, and they decide to prep me for a procedure at 2:30 am. Basically, they find a part of the iris, and subject it to a series of laser shots to pop it open and to allow it to drain. Trust me, it's a really really REALLY hinky feeling when they do so, your eye kinda pops with each shot.

So after about 15-20 shots, they do it, and send me back down to the waiting room for more drops, and it looked like the pressure was dropping, so they finally let us go home at approximately 4 am. Trust me, I was so overwrought with lack of sleep that I woke up at 7:30 and simulatenously wanted to eat, sleep and use the facilities, and I just sat there, like a computer that had "locked up" with too many conflicting commands at one time, my body fighting with itself.

So I've had two follow up appts Tuesday and today, and while the pressure's down, they are afraid this is only a temporary thing, that the hole in the eye could re-close and cause another attack, so they've scheduled me for surgery on Monday where they will make a small incision in my eye to open the iris and to break up scar tissue from the various attacks.

So.. any thoughts/prayers/karma going this way would be greatly appreciated.

[JediKooter]

Wow man, that is pretty wild. I'd say, just try and take easy as much as possible and get as much rest as you can. Good luck with the surgery and a speedy recovery.

[CrimsonFox]

eeek yikes i've had various blur things in the morning which immediately clearthemselves, but nothing that causes faintness.

Very sorry. Hang in there. I wonder how much the lack of sleep thing helped make everything else worse.

[CleBrownsfan]

Good thoughts are with you Foz.... hang in there man!

[oykib]

You have my thoughts and prayers, man!

[PurdueBrad]

F*ck Fozzie, hang in there. That sounds awful. Positive vibes coming your way.

[GrantDawg]

Hey, think about you. Get better, buddy!

[Draft Dodger]

wow, hang in there man

[DaddyTorgo]

Fuck man! Jeezus!!

Hang in there - hope you're able to rest and at least put it out of your mind a little bit?

[Sweed]

Wow, that's a bit scary. You'll be in my thoughts and prayers.

[terpkristin]

Wow, that sounds insanely scary.

Definitely sending good thoughts your way. Hang in there, Foz!
/tk

[King of New York]

That sounds truly brutal...good thoughts sent your way!

[PilotMan]

That is really scary stuff man! Like everyone else, I'm sending good thoughts your way.

[claphamsa]

I dont pray... but if i thought it would help i would start! good people shouldnt suffer...

[BYU 14]

That is one helluva scary experience. Thoughts and prayers coming your way, hang in there and hopefully you get some much needed rest!!

[spleen1015]

Good luck man.

[AnalBumCover]

Hang in there bro.

[JonInMiddleGA]

Whoa. That's like ... damn.

Thoughts & prayers go with you.

[Kodos]

Yeesh. Hang in there, Foz. Sounds like a horrid experience.

[stevew]

Man, that sounds rough. Hopefully the insurance end doesn't hurt you any more than the pain you've already suffered. Might not be a bad idea to try to find a weed hookup, as I hear it is supposed to really mitigate glaucoma. Scary times, I hope they figure out the issues so they can be mitigated.

[JPhillips]

SOunds like that was the best of a lot of bad options though. Take care. My own run ins with the ER over the past two years make me really sympathetic.

[CrimsonFox]

keep us posted....even if it's just a need to chat with people.

[MacroGuru]

Prayers are with you.

[Lathum]

Sounds brutal man, stay strong!

[Wolfpack]

Prayers and best wishes, Foz.

[Honolulu_Blue]

Hang in there, Foz.

That sounds horrible. As someone who also suffers from the occasional bout of iritis - I've had it about 6-7 times over the last 12 years, including once particularly nasty bout of it that required a steriod injection into my eyeball - I know how painful this sort thing can be.

[Butter]

I knew it was bad when you said "first ambulance ride of the day".

Get well soon.

[chesapeake]

Scary story. Get better!

[DanGarion]

Dammit, that doesn't sound good. Good luck.

[booradley]

Wow - I certainly will be wishing for the best!

[SirFozzie]

Thanks all. I'm still not 100% emotionally/physically from Monday/Tuesday, but that's just sleep deprivation and getting my body back on an even keel. I try to joke that my friends/doctors/family are all involved with an "Conspiracy to keep Foz from sleeping", as between making sure I take all the drops/pills they've proscribed, covering my ass with the insurance companies, and dealing with worried family members and arranging for rides to the various appointments, it can get rather frustrating when all I want to do is curl up in a ball and pretend the world doesn't exist for the next little bit.

But hopefully, if all goes well on Monday, a week later I'll be at least at a decent place with my vision (I'm wearing a "pirate" eyepatch right now to filter out the blurred signals from the right eye, afterthe surgery I'll have a metal one for a couple days, and then always have my glasses on or a night shield while I'm sleeping..

My folks have given me a saying that reminds me not to get down on myself, however. Dealing with this is simple, when you boil it down to the most simplistic terms possible. "Take the best next step possible, and let the experts do what they're good at"

[Passacaglia]

Good luck, Foz!

[GrantDawg]

BTW, the Dragon Snacks crew say they miss you, and their thoughts and prayers are with you.

[SirFozzie]

Live from the mass eye and ear waiting room... I actually cant wait for this surgery. Because when its over the number of drops and pills will drop.. including one that's given me various levels of nausea during the week

[cartman]

Good luck!

Just be careful with the eyepatch. If I've learned nothing from TV commercials, it is that if you wear an eyepatch, people will think you are tough. If people think you are tough, they will want to see just how tough you are. When they try to see how tough you are, you wake up in a road side ditch. Don't wake up in a road side ditch!

[Kodos]

Good luck, Foz!

[MacroGuru]

Originally Posted by cartman

Good luck!

Just be careful with the eyepatch. If I've learned nothing from TV commercials, it is that if you wear an eyepatch, people will think you are tough. If people think you are tough, they will want to see just how tough you are. When they try to see how tough you are, you wake up in a road side ditch. Don't wake up in a road side ditch!

I know you have been waiting to use this since the commercial aired!

[spleen1015]

Good luck Foz.

[Chief Rum]

Good luck, Foz. Not sure how I missed this week; sorry you went through such an awful time. Hopefully this surgery gets you to where you need to be.

One comment on your story above--urgent care closed?!? WTF? --Hey, doc, I think I am having a heart attack. --Sorry, bud , we're closed, say hi to my mom for me.

[Vince, Pt. II]

Good luck Foz!

[MIJB#19]

No idea how I missed this initially, still: good luck, Fozzie!

[BYU 14]

Best of luck Foz

[terpkristin]

Since I presume it's done by now, hope it went well, Foz!
/tk

[tyketime]

Sending good thoughts and prayers your way!

[SirFozzie]

Originally Posted by Chief Rum

Good luck, Foz. Not sure how I missed this week; sorry you went through such an awful time. Hopefully this surgery gets you to where you need to be.

One comment on your story above--urgent care closed?!? WTF? --Hey, doc, I think I am having a heart attack. --Sorry, bud , we're closed, say hi to my mom for me.

Urgent care is where you probably need to see a doctor, but not quite ready to make an ER visit. In layman's medical terms, its for when your child falls from the tree and you need a doc to look at the aptness, or if you have a constant temp of 101.4. Real er cases you still go to the er or call 911.

Anyway, surgery was a success so far..although it had its moments. Ill type up more tommorrow after the follow up appointment where they remove the stitch from my eye... should I have spoilered that? ) and I get home to a computer

[JonInMiddleGA]

Yeah, I could have done w/out the stitch removal thought

Happy to hear about the success to this point though

[Mustang]

Get well.

[AnalBumCover]

From this point on, every day will be Talk Like a Pirate Day.

[CrimsonFox]

Originally Posted by SirFozzie

Urgent care is where you probably need to see a doctor, but not quite ready to make an ER visit. In layman's medical terms, its for when your child falls from the tree and you need a doc to look at the aptness, or if you have a constant temp of 101.4. Real er cases you still go to the er or call 911.

Anyway, surgery was a success so far..although it had its moments. Ill type up more tommorrow after the follow up appointment where they remove the stitch from my eye... should I have spoilered that? ) and I get home to a computer

I am amazed you are on a computer at all now. Get some rest (including eyerest! )

Put on some PInk FLoyd and trip to the painkillers.

[JediKooter]

Just to echo what others have said, take care and take it easy and hope all goes well from now on.