On Saturday, February 5th, I finally got up the nerve to get my eyes operated on with Lasik Eye Surgery. I have
dreaded thought about this day for several years. I knew that I wanted to get it done when I was done having children and when my eye prescription wasn't changing. Fortunately for me, my eye prescription hasn't changed in about 6 years. I have worn contacts since I was 16 years old but have had glasses as a back-up also. I got some new frames when we were first married but about three years ago, Carlee was playing with my glasses and broke the frames so I did the "nerdy look" and taped them together on the side with masking tape. I only wear my glasses in the morning to drop my kids off at school (Hee Hee) and at night to read before going to sleep but Joe was giving me a hard time about the tape so I decided to order some new frames right after we moved to Las Vegas. (Yes, I have been a nerd for three years, although others would definitely argue longer.) We placed the order and some new glasses were going to cost around $400! I decided that I would cancel the order and put that money toward Lasik.
Two years later, I was still wearing contacts and my taped glasses. We went to dinner with some friends and started talking about it. Our friend announced that he had just gotten it done 6 days earlier and was raving about it. I have had many friends that have done it and all have said the same thing. "It's the best money I have ever spent!" "You will love it. Just do it!" "It's the best decision I have ever made!" "You'll regret not doing it sooner!" And I knew that they were right but I am a scaredy cat regarding things out of my control and especially surgeries. I knew that I would be that tiny percentage that would have a complication or go completely blind! Joe and I discussed it on the way home from dinner and after listening to all my worries and concerns, he put his foot down and told me that he would leave me if I didn't do it! I told him that my eyes weren't worth the risk so he better start packing!
Since my husband felt so strongly about it, I called Lasik of Nevada a few days later (I still had to think about it) and went in for my consultation. The consultation was free so I had nothing to lose. They told me that I was a perfect candidate--young, healthy, strong corneas, steady prescription, etc. After the consultation, they pulled out a calendar with some available dates. I knew Joe's schedule and some of the dates would not work so that he could come with me. And then she announced that they do surgeries on Saturdays! So I scheduled the date and asked what the latest time would be to back out. I texted the date to Joe and it was for 9 days after my consultation. I think he was more excited than I was.
Joe gave me a blessing before we left and I was ready to do it! I arrived and they checked my eyes to make sure we were good to go. I hadn't been wearing make-up or contacts for the last week so we were all set. We met with the doctor and he explained the procedure and the post-op care. I sat back down in the waiting room and about 10 minutes later, they called me and I was first! Joe watched from outside the operating room with a silly, excited grin on his face. He was so happy to see me get tortured!
I laid down on the chair and they gave me a stuffed caterpillar to hold. They numbed my eyes so that I wouldn't blink, taped one eyelid shut, and put the little speculum in the lids to hold my other eye open. I remained calm and told myself to keep breathing while I watched a flashing red light above me. The doc told me that I would feel some pressure and the light would disappear for about 10 seconds. I didn't feel anything but saw the lights moving and get blurry and then everything went black. He calmly counted and told me that the light would reappear after about 10 seconds. I waited for that light to appear and then there it was! Then they took the laser and cut the corneal flap. The sound of crackling and popping with a nasty smell was a bit interesting and could cause some worry but I was prepared. Then he taped that eye shut and did the next one. The whole procedure took less than 10 minutes.
When I sat up, things were blurry and since I have high expectations of everyone and everything, I asked him if that was normal. I had expected to see perfectly clearly when I sat up ;) He explained that it was and my vision would slowly improve over the next 3 months as long as I used my eye drops and followed his instructions. He looked at my eyes in the microscope and said that everything went smoothly and looked great. Then I got some really cool, dark shades to wear for the rest of the day and some clear goggles to wear at bedtime for the next two weeks. They were to protect me from my husband during the night so that he wouldn't accidentally hit me or cuddle me too much.
Joe and I headed home. He kept asking me to read road signs and look far ahead but I was supposed to keep my eyes closed for the next few hours. We had to stop at the hospital for him to round on a patient and during my wait, my eyes started watering like crazy. That was expected with possible stinging or irritation but it was a little ridiculous. Tears were streaming down my face and my nose was running. That is why they tell you to go straight home, take a sleeping pill, and sleep the misery away. Two hours after my surgery, we arrived home (after making two more stops) and I immediately took a Tylenol PM to sleep off the rest of the watery eyes. Luckily, I didn't have any pain, stinging, or the feeling of irritation at all.
When I woke up about 3 hours later, it was completely silent in my house and Joe had taken the kids out to dinner. I just laid there in the dark trying to go back to sleep. I woke up again about an hour later to the commotion of my family arriving home and the smell of my Red Robin barbecue chicken wrap. Red Robin, Yum! My eyes had stopped watering, there was no pain, I felt great, and I could see much more clearly through the dark shades of my sunglasses. It was awesome. After eating, I got ready for bed and went back to sleep for the night.
The next morning was Sunday and I had a post-op appointment, so while Joe took the kids to church, I actually drove myself back down to the eye center. It was so great to be able to see things without the hassle of contacts. Dr. Rothman said everything looked fantastic and when they performed the eye exam, I could see 20/15 in both eyes and was tied for first place with the best vision from his Lasik patients the day before.
I now can share my testimony of the joys of Lasik eye surgery. It truly is a lifestyle change and an improvement. I don't need to worry about contacts falling out of my eyes when I'm water-skiing, tubing, four-wheeling, running, dancing, or wrestling with my family. I can see which child comes into my room at night or in the morning. I can see the clock in the middle of the night. I can see my husband's goofy facial expressions as he's teasing me when I am across the room from him. I can see things more clearly outside. I can read road signs and street addresses without having to squint. It is fantastic! I agree wholeheartedly with all of the opinions of friends and acquaintances that have had Lasik for years. It is a lot of money but worth every penny and I do regret not doing it about 6 years ago. Cheers to Lasik Surgery and my finally getting up the guts!
