Where to start?

I am typing this out with one eye that is presently seeing 20/20 while the other I see nothing through my centre vision, it’s a hazy veil, and my peripheral vision, is webs of blood, etc.  

Once again, cataract surgery that I had last summer has reared its ugly head.  It is most likely due to the 2^nd surgery done last October, to correct a problem in one of the lenses that the ophthalmologist had not been able to insert properly in the beginning (previous blogs explain it all).  Monday comes around (Family Day here in Ontario where everything is closed), with less than a week before seeing him, for follow up, I started to see a lot of floaters, which are blood bits which originally I thought were tiny flies due to a new rose plant I’d been given for Valentine's Day.  Along with these dots, webs, flashes of light in the peripheral vision of that eye ... I thought "fruitcake" what's happening now (if I could turn back time is playing through my head alot over these past 6 months).

Of course, things go through your noggin as you search Dr. Google.  Is it retinopathy finally rearing it’s ugly head after 50+ years of having Type 1 diabetes?  Am I having a stroke (my Mum, had one back in December that caused her to lose her eyesight in one eye)?  Am I developing perhaps a 3^rd eye?

Joking aside, after making a call to see my ophthalmologist here, I’ve found what I figured it was via Dr. Google.  Posterior Vitreous Detachment or PVD. It’s common as we age, doesn’t cause blindness, yadda, yadda, yadda.  The 2^nd cataract surgery, where I felt very uncomfortable to the point of puking, which I didn’t get with the original surgery, was due to the surgeon giving the eyeball a good workout as he placed the another lens into the eye.  My personal opinion, not that the surgeon will probably admit it, is that 2^nd surgery most likely put a lot of strain on the vitreous which surrounds your eyeball.  You can read more about it if you wish from the link above that explains it all very well.

“ PVD itself is not a sign of a disease or eye health problem “

I like that above statement, since I am now looking out of one good eye, and trying my best to wait for the blobs, haziness to disappear, which they say can take up to 6 months and sometimes longer.  I am trying to make myself feel better by saying that at least the retina hasn’t detached, things could be worse.  The things we folks do with various health problems say to ourselves to stay sane.  What me sane???

Again, as my previous blogs have stated with my saga of cataract surgery … 

DO NOT HAVE IT DONE IF IT IS NOT NECESSARY!! 

Also, don't have both eyes done at the same time as a precaution against possible problems.  I would not have to be dealing with this if I’d just listened to my inner gut saying not to do it and my Mum too.

Rosina Kiff - 1935 - 2018 and me, Ann(a) Kiff >^,,<

Cranky one eyed cat

Yuppers, that's been me pretty well since my cataract surgery (see the original post HERE) - that has left one eye slightly buggered up for seeing properly. 

I am hoping I am doing the right thing here, since tomorrow, I am going back under the knife - to remove the original lens ... and have a new one put in place (with or without stitches - it all depends according to my surgeon Dr. Tarkek Youssef ... and yes ... I'm bloody scared!!! 

Like all of us with diabetes, our fear is always having diabetic complications with our eyes.  So far, touch wood, I've been blessed, but since the surgery back in July, it's been non stop problems that have left me drained emotionally, since I depend highly on my eyesight for the work I do.  I have finally, after 4 months, learned to accept my limited vision which varies daily, but it's put a lot of stress on everyone around me, since I can get a wee bit impatient sometimes!

I think my biggest fear tomorrow is ... the surgeon is performing surgery at the local hospital here in Cornwall rather than in his office (where my original surgery was done privately).  In the past (see my post of how my blood sugars over a 6 hour surgery caused DKA HERE), staff do not have much knowledge of Type 1 diabetics or the devices we use to stay healthy and out of overcrowded ER's!  It'll be interesting to see how things go with my wearing the Omnipod, and whether the PDM device also will be allowed in the OR ... along with the Dexcom CGMS.  If I was able to have my DH in the OR, or someone who has knowledge of what to do incase of alarms ... I would be more at ease. 

So, hopefully the next time you see a blog post or post on Facebook ...  I'll be more perky ... and I'll be able to perform my job that has been sadly sacrificed due to limited vision (my work requires good eyesight).  Though if I have to only have vision in one eye - I'm sure I'd be rocking a eyepatch that is out of sight!

Handmade eye patch from https://www.etsy.com/ca/shop/iPatching