Surgery #2 is over. And that is the best thing I can say about it. That it is over.
As before, let me start out by saying that I am not a licensed medical professional. My notes in this series are from my own research for my own use. Do your own research and consult with a qualified medical professional for advice specific to your own needs. Every person is different and what worked for me may not work for you.
It was incredibly foolish of me to think eye #2 would be easier than eye #1. Nope. There was a lot more going on with that eye so it was far more painful than I anticipated those first couple of days. The surgeon actually woke me up to get me to move my eyeball around during the surgery so he could get all the lesions off because there were so many. At some point on day 2 I was crying out to Jesus for mercy. Within a couple of days after the surgery, though, the pain was much improved, and I was able to use over-the-counter meds. It’s like one day you are crying out to Jesus and the next day it’s much better. The eyes are weird.
I’m told to give the eyes a full month to allow the corneas to smooth out before I get new glasses. It’s frustrating, but since my glasses cost as much as a cheap used car, I think I will wait.
Prior to the second surgery, I made some more of the Sloppy Joe recipe I was working on along with some Bolognese sauce. Both of those were helpful after the surgery. I did have a few smoothies and some of the Epic provisions meat sticks as before. I made sure to get my bone broth every day.
There were a few things that helped the second time in addition to the food. I remembered to dim all my devices prior to surgery due to the light sensitivity. It was actually worse the second time. I had to drape a small towel over the lampshade (not the bulb, just the part of the shade facing me) next to my bed because it was too bright. We have a very old light fixture in the bathroom and all but two bulbs had burned out. We didn’t change the burnt ones right away so the room would be dim enough for me to focus to get my drops in, and that was almost too bright. I finally changed those burnt bulbs about two weeks post-surgery. The eye watered so freaking much those first couple of days that I went through two boxes of tissues.
I also splurged on several audio books just so I had options to occupy myself. In addition, I discovered that a couple of the courses I had bought on Udemy could be listened to without watching too closely so those were completed. I managed to finish two audio books and two half completed courses on Udemy in the first few days after the second surgery.
Unfortunately, I was still recovering the weekend before I went back to work so I didn’t meal prep for the week. That whole week I was a bit unprepared for meals overall. I suppose I could do a bit more planning for that the next time. I seriously hope the next time is many years away, though. I would also schedule blog posts for several weeks out since I was incredibly fatigued that first week back to work.
The kick in the pants was that I developed a sinus infection after the second surgery. I guess two surgeries in less than two weeks was more than my body could handle. Normally, I would get aggressive with my home remedies, but I thought it prudent to get looked at so I wouldn’t develop a complication with my eyes since they are still healing. Antibiotics should take care of it in about a week.
That’s it. I have another follow-up with the specialist in a month. I’ll get glasses around the same time. I’ve linked to my previous posts on the topic below.
References
www.balancedbites.com, Podcast episodes 9, 36, 57 and 255
Eat the Yolks by Liz Wolfe
www.eatright.org/resource/health/wellness/preventing-illness/5-top-foods-for-eye-health
www.eatright.org/resource/fitness/training-and-recovery/endurance-and-cardio/eating-for-strength-and-recovery
www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/15018479
Practical Paleo by Diane Sanfilippo
www.todaysdietitian.com/newarchives/011315p10.shtml