The doctor's visit was a downward spiral in my ocular health. I was given antibacterial drops which worsened my eyesight and sent me home Thursday afternoon. Friday I was doing worse and could only keep my eyes open for a second or two before I had to close them. I headed back to my doctor (their emergency clinic anyway) at 5pm on Friday. There the doctor went with the same diagnosis as the one on Thursday which was bacterial conjunctivitis. They gave me a shot of antibiotics, new antibacterial eye drops and a neosporin-type steroid cream to put in my eyes.
I should pause here and explain that I am HORRIBLE about anything going into my eyes and drops are hard for me to deal with much less a salve. I did it though, all on my own. The trick I was taught was to pull my lower eyelid out a little to form a pocket and put the drops in there and then blink. I did the best I could. The second set of drops were milky and my eyes felt gritty.
I suffered through all of that on Saturday but when I woke up Sunday morning I couldn't open my eyes enough to even get the drops in. My eyes were in constant pain and felt as if coated in sand. I squinted and concentrated hard enough to redial the doctor's phone line (seeing had been nearly impossible since waking up Friday). The recording on the doctor's line said they would be open in the clinic at 1pm. Bear in mind, this is Easter. I tried waiting but was in too much pain and resorted to calling my friend Donna who had driven me to the doctor on Friday. It was around 9am, I think, when I broke down and begged for a hospital.
We went to Parkwest ER and it was great because it was small and not many people were there so I was seen in less time than it takes at the regular doctor's office. They numbed my eyes and it was the best thing I could have hoped for...no more pain. They then stained my eyes and looked at them with different light/colored lenses. There were 2 “chunks” missing from the center of my corneas. The doctor said they were symmetrical and oval and directly centered. He had never seen anything like it. He figured the drops were doing more harm than good but couldn't figure out the injury. I thought it was because the only relief I could get from the "sand in my eye" feeling was to pull my eyelid away from my eye ball. I know, it sounds odd and gross but I was desperate and didn't do it for very long. I figure that is what caused the tear though. I asked how long the numbness would last and was disappointed to learn it would only be for 30 minutes. You can't keep numbing your eyes either because it will burn them. The doctors at the ER said to stop the current drops and salve and go back to the first drops and see an ophthalmologist in the morning. They gave me a prescription for percocet to get me through the pain.
After a comedy of errors with the prescription we got the drugs and I was dropped off at home again. I am losing trust in doctors. I couldn't see anything and one doctor gave me a medication meant for another person and the ER didn't sign theirs so we had to go back for a signature. Really people, be more careful! I couldn't double check anything....I couldn't see.
Somehow I was able to get “wait wait don't tell me” podcasts going on my computer and listened to them for hours over a course of days. I also found out that one percocet does nothing for me but 1.5 (which the perscrption was for 1 to 1.5 pills every 4 to 6 hours) does at least keep me in bed, although it didn't make me drowsy which was a bummer. So there I stayed on Easter. I also just ignored all the drops since the ER thought it was viral as well which meant the drops weren't going to do any good anyway. I woke up Monday without much pain. I could see a little better too. Donna took me to the ophthalmologist and my tears were healing up ok. He said I should be much better by Wednesday night. He agreed with not using the drops and said to just keep my eyes lubricated really well and they would heal. I didn't have any signs of pink eye and just needed to mend.
Not having eyesight made my head spin. There was nothing I could do. I couldn't watch movies, I couldn't do anything that involved reading. Monday people from work emailed and tweeted to me but I couldn't read it. People I spoke with while things were going on didn't seem to get the severity of the situation. I was feeling for corners of walls and openings to get around. I ate more bologna sandwiches than I can remember because it was the easiest thing for me to make and eat blindly. I didn't get to do anything with John all week, including camping.
The last thing I did before the whole pink eye thing was put the tent up in the back yard. We were going to camp in the back yard for a few days. It was sort of a dry run of camping for me. Could I put the tent up by myself? What was I missing from my camping arsenal?
I did at least find out I can put the tent up by myself and that it is a much calmer event if I just do it alone and take my time.
John was disappointed that I couldn't pick him up and camp, go to Easter egg hunts, dye eggs and make cookies like we had planned and so was I. I was even chastised a bit for telling John throughout the ordeal that I would hopefully get better enough to pick him up. I was told that he would be hopeful and then disappointed. Talk about adding insult to injury.
It was a horrible week. I am happy to have non-painful, although blurry sight back. As for Easter? I am thinking of egg dying and Easter dinner on Sunday with John and friends since I missed out last week.
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