Retina surgery recovery
November 26, 2015 1:09 PM Subscribe
I had a detached retina on October 30 and then surgery on Halloween. The doctor put a gas bubble in my eye and said I had to be positioned face down all the time so the bubble would float up and hold my retina in place. Do you know what the percentage of gas remaining needs to be so you can stop with the positioning?
I've read everything I can find on the Internet and most things say the patient needs to remain in the recovery position for a few days or so. I can find a couple of blogs where patients had to stay face down for several weeks. I am now on day 27. After surgery, my doctor said definitely two weeks before I could drive, maybe three. At the one week appointment, it turned into definitely 2 more weeks face down because the gas needs to be 50% gone. At the three week appointment on Monday, I saw a different doctor (more experienced doctor) who said I need to stay face down for another two weeks because the gas is only 50% gone. I didn't ask a lot of questions after that because I could pretty much only say "but... But... But... Noooooo..."
Whatever answers I get here, I will still follow the doctor's orders, but I'm worried that I'll go back for the 5 week appt and they'll say, "Eh, two more weeks." Also, is the positioning important at this point to keep holding the retina together or is it because of the danger of developing a cataract? I am starting to get one - he said on a scale of 1-10, I have a 2. When I look down, the bubble blocks most of my vision and when I look straight ahead, it's about halfway, vertically.
I'll probably call the doctor next week and ask her but she's out of town for thanksgiving this week. YANMD.
I've read everything I can find on the Internet and most things say the patient needs to remain in the recovery position for a few days or so. I can find a couple of blogs where patients had to stay face down for several weeks. I am now on day 27. After surgery, my doctor said definitely two weeks before I could drive, maybe three. At the one week appointment, it turned into definitely 2 more weeks face down because the gas needs to be 50% gone. At the three week appointment on Monday, I saw a different doctor (more experienced doctor) who said I need to stay face down for another two weeks because the gas is only 50% gone. I didn't ask a lot of questions after that because I could pretty much only say "but... But... But... Noooooo..."
Whatever answers I get here, I will still follow the doctor's orders, but I'm worried that I'll go back for the 5 week appt and they'll say, "Eh, two more weeks." Also, is the positioning important at this point to keep holding the retina together or is it because of the danger of developing a cataract? I am starting to get one - he said on a scale of 1-10, I have a 2. When I look down, the bubble blocks most of my vision and when I look straight ahead, it's about halfway, vertically.
I'll probably call the doctor next week and ask her but she's out of town for thanksgiving this week. YANMD.
I had this exact same procedure. I was only required to spend 48 hours in the recovery position and then was encouraged to do my best to sleep on my stomach for several weeks after. My retinal re-detached about a month later and I needed to have a scleral buckle done. I have no idea whether the short time in the recovery position had any effect on my likelihood for a redetachment, and my detachment was pretty severe to begin with, so take that for what it's worth.
I also developed substantial cataracts.
I would follow your doctor's instructions and recognize that, shitty as it is, it's a small price to pay for saving your vision.
posted by 256 at 5:24 PM on November 26, 2015 [1 favorite]
I also developed substantial cataracts.
I would follow your doctor's instructions and recognize that, shitty as it is, it's a small price to pay for saving your vision.
posted by 256 at 5:24 PM on November 26, 2015 [1 favorite]
Response by poster: I'm going to do what I'm supposed to do, I just want to know why it's turned into more than five weeks instead of two. (I don't go back to the doctor until Day 40.) I have many hours a day to obsess and try to compare today's bubble to yesterday's bubble and I'm trying to figure out at what point the bubble is small enough for me to do normal things again. I want a goal, I guess. I wouldn't care if it was just me being bored with a sore neck but I have a job and three kids and a husband who works all the time and has to do everything now.
posted by artychoke at 9:08 PM on November 26, 2015
posted by artychoke at 9:08 PM on November 26, 2015
My husband had a similar experience. Each week when he had his appointment the doctor would say keep the head down for one more week. This went on for six weeks until the bubble was pretty much gone. It was so aggravating having to deal with it week to week. My husband was very careful to keep his head down to avoid having a cataract but he developed one anyway.
I also had a detached retina. I don't think it was too severe. I was off work for one week while I kept my head down. I returned to work but had one more week of head mostly down. The gas bubble went away pretty quickly for me. Pretty much two weeks. I don't know why. I also developed a cataract.
It takes a lot of patience to get through this. Best wishes.
posted by goodsearch at 10:50 PM on November 26, 2015 [1 favorite]
I also had a detached retina. I don't think it was too severe. I was off work for one week while I kept my head down. I returned to work but had one more week of head mostly down. The gas bubble went away pretty quickly for me. Pretty much two weeks. I don't know why. I also developed a cataract.
It takes a lot of patience to get through this. Best wishes.
posted by goodsearch at 10:50 PM on November 26, 2015 [1 favorite]
My recollection is that, the longer your lens is exposed to something other than vitreous fluid, the greater the propensity for cataracts [p. 3 of this article says that cataracts happen with "intraocular gas contact with the posterior lens capsule", eventually ]. So, if your eye is halfway refilled with replacement goo, then that's great! You're just about at a point where the lens will be immersed in its proper medium at all times. I stared at the ground for about six weeks and I, too, ended up with a mild cataract. Part of the reason for my long duration of rug-gazing was because my body produced new fluid at a slower than expected rate. If memory serves, when I was cleared to look at horizons for any appreciable period, my ophthalmologist estimated that there was still about fifteen to twenty percent of the volume taken up by the gas bubble.
As incredibly frustrating to deal with this kind of recovery is, even without throwing in all of the family stuff you're not able to participate in, please keep in mind that you're most of the way there, already! This self-care is not superfluous! It's a thing that will help you be your best self with them, once your body has healed up. Some bodies heal faster than others.
Good luck, and I wish you good health.
posted by the letter at 11:18 PM on November 27, 2015 [1 favorite]
As incredibly frustrating to deal with this kind of recovery is, even without throwing in all of the family stuff you're not able to participate in, please keep in mind that you're most of the way there, already! This self-care is not superfluous! It's a thing that will help you be your best self with them, once your body has healed up. Some bodies heal faster than others.
Good luck, and I wish you good health.
posted by the letter at 11:18 PM on November 27, 2015 [1 favorite]
Response by poster: Marking this resolved - my doctor ended up telling me I could stop the face down positioning when the bubble was at about 1/3 or less which was at about the 5 week point. I still have a little bubble now - over 8 weeks after surgery - and I definitely need cataract surgery when it goes away. I can see but it's very cloudy. Oh well!
posted by artychoke at 8:25 PM on December 28, 2015
posted by artychoke at 8:25 PM on December 28, 2015
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posted by artychoke at 1:27 PM on November 26, 2015