Great Disappointment Today

[piper]

Hey all, sorry to be the sad-sack today, but you all will understand this. Few others, anyplace else, will.

i went in early to the optham and optometrist today, hoping to get a contact lens on my graft and get a date for the second , simple DALK transplant.

Well, I was measured.....measured again.....measured by someone else.......viewed carefully......measured again and finally got a test contact.....made no difference in the vision or view of the little letters. OK,,,,,,try another lens.....then measure 2-3 times with the lens in.

OK, roll out the big guns. Got BATTED...with a sort of lighted chamber held over the graft with a small round window in the far side. "Can you read the letters now? " sure.....about like before. Then, BANG.....they turned on a bright light in the little chamber. "How about now?"......damn, the little round window had disappeared.

Then, down the hall to take a contour map of my retina, after the drops that enlarge the pupil.

Then, back to the optham to look at the retina, etc with all sorts of big handheld magnifiers.

Finally, troop in all the opthams to be, lined up and taking turns , since, "Mr Davis is a very interesting case, everyone look very carefullly than come outside and tell me what you see, and where." said the chief optham.

Later, the head honcho, a man of great skill and high regard comes back in and sits down on the desk and says, "Well, here is what's going on here.....I think the graft is OK......it looks like your retina is OK....but you now have a cataract in your graft eye, and also one in the ungrafted eye. We'll let the graft eye go for now, and do a PK on your left eye and install and new lens at that time."

All I want is just what you all want.....I just want to be able to see.

I have been pretty upbeat about the whole thing till now.....thinking that we were on the road to being corrected. Today I hit the bottom and could have sat there and cried except that the tears would have made the doctors' work even tougher. Dammit. Thanks for reading my complaint!!

Piper

[jayuk]

Piper

Dont be down! Thats not a big deal....although I know it sounds like one..

I have two Cataracts in both my eyes...although very mild and they were picked up before my graft.....having them removed is small fry when compared to having a Graft.....

I think to date you have had excellent results and success with your transplant.

In persepctive

- You are recovering very well
- you have probably had the best recovery process ive ever read
- your graft is clear and all is well

Yes, you will need the lens replaced...but its not as bad as it sounds.....this minor setback will only put you on track for a better recovery and eventual outcome.......i can feel it!

J

[Pat A]

Hey Piper - really feel for you. But, don't be too despondent - I've had a cataract op recently, so have others , and Andrew is having his done on Wednesday! It really does make a huge difference to the clarity of vision - and if you are short sighted - which most of us KC patients are - it will cure that for good 'n all!

I'm sure it will all work out ok - but thinking of you right now - it can be such a disappointment when things don't seem to go right - I know when I had my cataract op and it didn't solve my problems at the time I was absolutely devastated - was convinced I had a brain tumour - but the good news is that it led to a proper diagnosis of KC. If I hadn't had it done my sight would be far worse than it is now.

Keep your chin up!

[GarethB]

At least the graft is OK, I know that is small conselation with what you were told today.

You are now in the esteem company of Andrew, Michael and Pat to name but a few.

It would seem catarcats and KC go together at the moment.

You know you are in good hands with the excellent graft recovery. If they work the smae magic on the other eye and the catarcat too you will have full vision again in no time.

Good luck.

Gareth

[Lesley Foster]

Piper,

virtual hugs to you.

Lesley.

[Michael P]

Hey Piper, like everyone else , I'm sorry to hear that those damn cataracts are slowing things down for you,

I have not had a graft but have just had a cataract op and it was a doddle.

All the best.

[Andrew MacLean]

Piper

A PK with a cataract op at the same time does not sound too bad. I am going tomorrow for a cataract op on my PK eye.

The cataract in your DALK eye sounds bad, but it can be corrected also.

PK offers far faster recovery time than a DALK.

I know all this came out of the blue, but the news is not as bad as you may at first have thought. I'll let you know how I get on with my cataract surgery tomorrow.

Meantime, I find it a help to have my Mac set to "white on black". Useless for looking at photographs, but when I visit the Hubble site I can always pout it back to "black on white".

All the best

Andrew

[John Smith]

Sorry Andrew, but can I challenge your statement? My DALK graft "healed" my faster than the PK graft.

A PK graft will however reach the eventual vision faster than a DALK graft.

[Prue B]

From my reading on this site I came to the conclusion I was at a greater risk to cataracts because I had, had grafts. I informed my husband of this, because I felt it was interesting. He said "Of course you are, hadn't you realised that before" disheartening when my perfectly sighted husband, knows more about corneas than I do. Always felt I was pretty clued in.
My nan and Pa had cataracts removed, they are one of the most comman surgerys here. We are more prone due to the uv exposure here as well. So the idea I was more prone did not fill me with dread, but it weird what we know, what we assume and what we fear. My sister wont have her eye surgeries under a local because she is too scared, and I wont have them under a general because I am too scared. Cataract surgey does not worry me, if I need it I will just insist they do it while I am awake.
Piper that being said any unexpected set back is a kick in the guts, so I am hoping things improve for you soon.

[GarethB]

The thing that concenrs me regarding cataracts is the length of time graftees are on the steroid drops compared to 20 years ago.

Me personal view is that longer use of steroid drops gives a greater risk of their sideeffects in later life.

Steroids was hinted at being the cause of my KC because I was exposed to strong steroids to treat my exczema as a child. Although the nurses kept it away from the immediate area of my eyes, you move around in your sleep and it is thought the steroid cream I was coverd in could have been rubbed into my eyes.

Never proven, but it has always been a concern of mine.