Now that my surgery date is fast approaching (one week and two days, ahhhhh!!) I thought it might be worthwhile to give you an update on how I’m preparing for the big day!
First off, Mr Juicy has booked his surgery for the same day as mine! The jammy bugger is suitable for Lasik which has a much quicker and less painful recovery than my Lasek surgery. He found out at his consolation that they do the surgeries in groups of 5 so there will be 3 strangers at the clinic with us, all looking extremely nervous no doubt! I do feel better that my boyfriend will be going through this with me though. Even though our surgery isn’t exactly the same, it’s still a laser in your eye at the end of the day so I think we’ll still feel like we’re “in it together”.
Mr Juicy is not remotely interested in preparing himself for surgery day and is very relaxed about the whole thing. I on the other hand, have a lot of nervous energy which I feel I have to chanel somewhere! This has led me to create a Laser Eye Surgery Survival Kit....yes I’m a crazy, neurotic freak...I know, I know.
So, what’s in my kit.....
500gm Vitamin C Tablets
Apparently taking 2 of these tablets a day can help reduce the risk of corneal hazing after surgery and is good for building your immune system and helping your body heal. I’ve been taking these for the past few weeks now and will continue to do so for a few months after the surgery. It might not help at all but it won’t do any harm either! Google “laser eye surgery and vitamin C” for more info.
1-a-day Cod Liver Oil Tablets
Taking cod liver oil is supposed to help prevent dry eyes which is a common complaint following laser eye surgery. I've also seen a lot of people mention flax seed oil for the same thing. As with the vitamin C, I've been taking this supplement for the past couple of weeks and will continue to do so for some time after my surgery. Google "laser eye surgery and cod liver oil" for more info.
Blink Eye Drops
I've never used eye drops before but after surgery I'll need to take hydrating drops, steroid drops, antibiotic drops and possibly aesthetic drops to ease the pain. I thought it might be a good idea to get used to putting drops in my eye by practicing twice a day with these hydrating drops from blink. It's also helping to prevent the dry eyes I usually get after 8 hours of working at a computer each day. Obviously after I've had my surgery I'll stop using these drops and start using the ones given to me by my surgeon instead.
Painkillers, Painkillers, Painkillers!!
It goes without saying that I've stocked up on painkillers! Optimax will give me some as well but I thought it would be a good idea to get some of my own in anyway.
Kool 'N' Soothe Head Patches
I image I'll have a good few sore heads after my surgery while my visions settles down. I always find that a nice cold compress on my head helps with headaches so I bought some of these cooling patches. I think they'll be a bit less messy than having a water soaked flannel on my head!
Audio Books
I've been told that I'll just want to lie in a dark room with my eyes closed for the first few days so I've bought some audio books to help stave off boredom! My vision will be too blurry to watch TV, read or use a computer even when I don't feel like sitting in the dark so it's probably going to be a loooong week of recovery! People have also suggested listening to movies with audio description on and learning a new language using the language CD's where you repeat what they say!
I may be going a bit crazy with all the prep for my surgery but it's helping me feel a bit more in control of the situation, even though I know that the end result is largely going to be down to the equipment, the skill of the surgeon and luck!
