Travel Vaccines - Tetanus and Hepatitis A

I'm one of those people who avoid doctors like the plague and haven't been to one in a long time. Prior to getting a physical last year to clear me for the Visian ICL surgery, I probably hadn't been to a doctor since high school. Yeah, it's been that long.

But since I really want to travel, I figured I better get going with these shots as some need multiple doses in order to be effective. I've also got to do this while I'm still employed, because who wants to pay full price for these expensive vaccinations and visits?

I made an appointment and went in to Queens Medical Center's Travel and Immunization Clinic on Tuesday for a consultation. They have a person there who specializes in overseas travel, which is rare in Hawaii. I think the only other place is Straub Clinic & Hospital. Because my friend just came back from Africa and China, I went with her referral to Queens even though Straub is just minutes from my work place.

After a brief consultation, I decided to get the tetanus, diphtheria and pertussis (Tdap) and Hepatitis A vaccination. I've already got my Hepatits B done. I've never liked needles, but I have to say that these shots weren't all that painful. I'm not sure if it's due to the fact that the person administering the shots was good or if my childhood memories were just blown all out of proportion. Anyhow, they didn't hurt too bad . . . or so I thought.

On Wednesday, when I woke up in the morning I noticed that my right arm was a little stiff. The nurse had warned me that the Hep A shot would feel as though someone punched you in the arm, but it was the Tdap arm that was throbbing. When I got home after work that day I had to take an Advil. I even fell asleep while waiting for a friend to call me for dinner!

Now, two days after the shot my Tdap arm is still killing me, and I've got this huge pink welt on my arm. I think the medicine is slowly spreading throughout my arm. It doesn't help that I've got sensitive skin so the inflamed area is probably larger than normal. I'm still dead tired, although this could also be due to work as we're extremely busy this week planning for a company retreat. When I got home from work today, I actually felt like going to sleep at 4:00 in the afternoon. I got chills (another side effect of the shot), which I found ironic since it was so damn hot outside. All in all, these shots suck.

The nurse gave me some literature on shots to prevent rabies, typhoid, Japanese encephalitis and yellow fever. It's hard to decide which ones to take though (and if I really need them) because my travel plans are so wide open at this point. I'd rather be safe than sorry so I might end up getting all the vaccinations I can get in case I change my mind and really do want to visit Egypt or Thailand.

Oh, and my exit strategy at work has been revised due to my shot schedule. I definitely have to stay through February now as I need to do a second dose of Hep A six months from now. March would be the earliest I could travel.

You've Got A Cute . . .

WARNING: Any male readers may want to turn away at this point in the blog. I'm going to get into girly topics. You've been warned.

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Most females I know would be happy to be on the receiving end of a statement like, "You've got a cute . . ." no matter what is being complimented nor who is doing the complimenting.

For instance:

"You've got a cute purse."

or

"You've got a cute dog."

or

"You've got a cute smile."

or even

"You've got a cute butt."

But today I got the oddest compliment of all . . .

"You've got a cute cervix."

[See male readers. I told you to turn back at the start of this thing.]

First of all, isn't that the oddest thing you've ever heard or what? Secondly, can a cervix even be cute? I mean, to be honest, I don't even know what one looks like so I guess I can't really be a good judge of cervixes, but that's not a body part that I naturally think of when I think of "cute."

So, obviously I went to the OB/GYN today and got the engine overhauled. Not only did my doc check to make sure the headlights were working, she looked under the hood as well. After a bit of poking around to make sure none of the wires were crossed and that all the lines were clear, she sat back and made the crack about a cute cervix.

To make matters even weirder, I guess the place I go to is a teaching hospital/clinic. My doc had a med student with her and this is who she was really speaking to when she made the cervix comment. Of course, the med student didn't answer her (she was probably as shocked as I to hear about a cute cervix) so maybe the doc was just thinking aloud.

So anyone else had any weird experiences in the doctor's office?

Eyeball Update

I went in for my follow up visit today. It appears that my eyeballs are doing well. They're slowly healing and my vision is better than my last visit. It's gotta be around 20/20 at this point. There seems to be no need for Lasik, which is nice. My pressure is still a little high, but I guess it's within the normal range. I'm supposed to continue with the one drop per day thing till the next visit.

From my perspective, my vision seems to be the same as last time, but all the fancy machines say otherwise. I guess I must be used to it or the correction is so slight that mentally I can't perceive it. When testing my eyes individually, my left eye seems to see clearer. However, this has always been the case because I think the astigmatism in my right eye is worse.

Overall, I'm totally happy with the results of the Visian ICL surgery despite all the prolonged issues I've been having. I'm still amazed that I can wake up in the middle of the night and look over and see my clock. It's like whoa. I don't even remember when I was able to do this last without squinting. Technology is pretty darn cool.

Visian ICL Follow Up - Again

Today I went in for a two-week follow up visit after my second procedure. I heard the doc and his assistant say the procedure's name today, but I've forgotten it already. They used some acronym for it anyway, so it wasn't really the real name.

Anyhow, my vision seems to have improved quite a bit. But the pressure in my left eye is still messed up a bit. It's high again. The right eye is a-okay from a pressure standpoint but it's a bit blurrier than the left one (when tested separately). I may need to do a quick Lasik operation even after all of this to get it right.

This quickie procedure is dragging on and on. I've just gotta be the special one, right? Still, I guess it's better to be safe than sorry. I'm basically an anomaly and the doc has no real medical reason as to why the pressure is messed up. He said it's probably genetic and so I'm having a reaction. There are no plans to remove the lenses at this point though (which is very good to hear). Again, we play the waiting game.

I forgot to ask about any precautions regarding diving under water. However, since I'm going in again in two weeks I can ask at that point. It's probably not a good idea at this point to do the shark dive with JC. I might need to tell her that I can't go and that she should find another friend. Damn it! I really wanted to do that.

Visian ICL Procedure Follow Up

Yesterday was the big day - a month since my last visit to the eye doctor. If all tests came out okay, my doctor would do an in-office procedure to fix the residual issues I have after my Visian ICL procedure. The main problem is that I have about one diopter refraction in both eyes post-Visian surgery because of some astigmatism. My vision was so bad before that the astigmatism was mild in comparison and didn't really make a difference in whether I saw things clear or blurry. Now that my vision is corrected, the astigmatism is apparent.

When I got to the office I underwent about 30 minutes of testing on about four different machines. All the readings were consistent with my previous visit, so I was cleared to do the in-office procedure. I don't even know what this procedure is called. However, I have to say it was pretty quick and fairly painless. It was quite freaky though, but that's a separate issue.

Basically some numbing eye drops were put in both eyes and some clamps were used to keep my eyelids from closing. Then the doctor used a pen and some type of intrument to mark my eyes for the incisions he was going to make. After marking and double checking the marks, he went ahead and apparently made a tiny cut in each eye.

The entire process was just bizarre. It honestly felt like he made more than one incision per eye, but when I asked about it afterward they said only one in each eye. I couldn't feel anything for the most part except for the pressure on my eyeball. I had my chin and forehead resting against a machine and was looking at a light the entire time with my eyes wide open. It was so much easier to do during the Visian procedure, but I guess I was drugged up and on my back during that one as opposed to sitting upright in a chair.

Anyway, my eyes felt a little scratchy after the procedure and were sensitive to light. I was given a bottle of drops and am doing one drop per eye twice a day for the next five days. Today when I got to work I noticed that I could read some things on my computer that were blurry yesterday. Quite amazing really.

I'm supposed to go back for a follow up in two weeks. I sincerely hope this is the last of it. I don't really want any more complications. But I guess even with all this extra stuff going on with my eyes, the Visian ICL procedure was worth it. Also, despite all the trouble and weird issues that I developed, my doctor has been very good about everything. I'm sure he's tired of seeing me as much as I'm tired of going in for all the follow ups. I think I'd definitely recommend for others to look into this procedure and see if it's right for them. Now that I've had all these problems throughout the process, everyone else's experience should be problem free. I've gotta be the one in one thousand who experience them. Everyone else might as well go for it now.

Vision Update

I went for a follow up last Tuesday to check out the pressure in my left eye. Apparently it's finally about normal. After some testing and whatnot, the doc said that my vision is off by only one diopter for each eye. They both are also plagued with slight astigmatism.

The good news is that this will not require Lasik to fix and can be done in the office. He said for me to come back in a month and re-check my eyes. If everything is stable and consistent, we'll go ahead and do the procedure that same day. Upon healing, it should clear up the last bit of nearsightedness that I have. I can't wait.

This is great news! However, I suppose this means that I'll have to put off the shark dive I was planning to do with a friend in January. Hopefully she understands. Maybe we'll go sometime in the spring? My eyes should've healed by then, right?

Visian ICL - Update

I went in for another of many follow-up visits today, and because it's been about a month since I posted an update, I figured I should say something.

I've been going in about every two weeks to get my eyes checked. The pressure in my left eye is apparently still higher than my doctor would like. Every time I go in, it's pretty much the same story. I don't see 20/20 and my pressure is slightly high. At this point, I'm only using eye drops in the left eye. The right eye is normal I guess.

Two weeks ago, the doctor took some scans and measurements of my eyes so he could take it up to a conference. He was going to show his buds and get their opinion. Today he told me that his friend from Phoenix, who has won some kind of award for doing over 1,000 Visian ICL surgeries, said that he's only had one case like me in his 1,000 patients. This is good and bad news. It's good because at least I'm not the first to experience these weird pressure problems. It's bad because, hey, I wanted to be special LOL

The plan of action after talking with other doctors is to let the eye settle itself down on its own (The other option would be to remove the lens and try a size down). I've got another appointment scheduled in six weeks to reassess things.

Interestingly enough, my doctor told me that some of his colleagues (or perhaps the Staar people who make the Visian ICL lens) said he should talk to me because of what I'm saying on this blog. Wow, who knew I had lurkers on this blog!! Maybe I should start tracking visitors and things? Anyway, the point is that it was surprising that a large company like Staar would even give a second thought to a lil' ol' blog like this. I guess that's one of the real benefits/dangers of the internet, right? People have instant access to it whenever they want it. Ah, the beauty of it all.

Eye Pressure Normal - For Now

I went in today for a follow-up visit after the drama and trauma that was yesterday. I'm happy to report that my eye pressure is normal. I'm to continue various eye drops but have been instructed to slowly cut them off after the next couple of days. I have another follow-up appointment next week to see how things are.

While not 20/20, my vision is better than it was yesterday. My left eye is definitely in better shape despite still being a little red. Both eyes feel normal - or as normal as they have been since the surgery. I'm hoping over the next few weeks they'll heal up and kick it up to 20/20.

The doctor said that apparently I'm a special case. While all these things could happen, they've never happened to him before and I'm the first. Wow, lucky me. I asked him whether my vision would get better as they healed. He said this was possible, but it's hard to predict since my pressure keeps going up and down. Normally these little anomalies wouldn't bother other people so much. However, I seem to react very quickly to inconsistencies like the little flap of epithelials closing the iridotomy. He said we'll have to wait and see how my eyes heal up before determining what to do next.

All I can say is that I'm glad I'm not blind! It felt like touch and go for a while there, especially looking at my left eye in the mirror yesterday morning. Spooky man! I hope my eyes heal better than they have been in the next several weeks. How am I ever to go shark diving if my eyes don't heal?

Visian ICL Update

Man, last week was pretty bad in terms of post-Visian surgery. I was experiencing minor headaches on the left side of my head as well as seeing stars in my left eye whenever I'd stand up from a seated position or sit up from a prone position. I found it difficult to look at the computer or read paperwork for long periods of time. My vision would become blurry.

On Friday I called up the doctor's office and asked to move my appointment up from Oct. 2. They scheduled me for Sept. 30. After work, my vision got really bad and it seemed like a gauzy curtain had fallen over my left eye. I could still see but things were obscured by this whiteness. However, when I woke up on Saturday things were fine.

Yesterday after my Hawaii Literacy class, I got home to the same situation. At this point I was pretty freaked out, and of course, started to think about the worst. My headache was back and my eye felt like it was going to pop out. I immediately went to sleep thinking it might be strained somehow and just needed rest. As the night progressed, I decided I'd call the doctor in the morning and see if he could look at it. When I woke up around 5 a.m. though, I saw that my eye was extremely red and the cloudiness was worse!

I panicked and called my dad to see if he could drive me to the hospital since I couldn't really see out of my left eye. I then called the doctor's office, which of course was closed. I called the physician's exchange number, which is an answering service. The rep called me back and told me the doctor said to come in when the office opened at 9 a.m. What the eff man?!?!

So my dad and I waited till about 8:30 a.m. and went into the office. After explaining what happened to the technician, she checked my vision and eye pressure. Next the doctor came in and looked at my eye. He said that because the iris has many layers of cells, he thinks one layer was not cleared out thoroughly and was flapping to and fro blocking the iridotomy (a hole on the outer edge of the iris that allows fluid to flow between the different parts of the eye). When I read, it seems like the flap would close up, causing a build up in pressure. This led to seeing stars and headaches.

After numbing my eye, the doctor tried to clear the pathway with a needle (I assume. I didn't actually see it coming to my eye). I suppose that didn't work well enough for him so we went over to the Surgical Suites and he used a machine to redo the iridotomy. It was basically one of those machines where you stick your chin on the platform and forehead against the bar, then look straight ahead. He aligned the laser, which I could see was a red grid-like thing, and zapped. The zap was really quick but I did feel it. He said afterward that it probably wasn't the laser I was feeling. It was probably the release of all the pressure in my eye.

We went back to his office and he checked out my eye again. He got another needle and made sure the laser got all the extra cells. He upped the number of times I need to do my drops, then retested my eye pressure and vision. I could immediately start to feel my eye getting better. He said the pressure dropped pretty dramatically since it was taken several minutes before. I could also see more of the eye chart after the zap.

Now, about four hours after coming home, my vision is definitely back to normal and clear. My eye aches a little when I move it around but I guess that's from the laser zap. The white part of my eye is still red from the stress I suppose. He said it'd go away eventually. I felt a little nauseated when I got home so I haven't eaten anything. I should be starving as I only had lunch and a Jamba Juice on Sunday and a third of a bagel this morning, but somehow I don't have an appetite. Yes, very odd indeed.

Hopefully this is the last of my adventures with this Visian thing. I didn't go to work today but will probably go in tomorrow. I have a follow-up appointment at 9:45 a.m. It's a wonder that of all the people out there, I'd be the one to experience these issues with Visian. While it's theoretically possible, why does it have to be me?

Post Op - Eye 2, Day 3

It's been three days since I had surgery on my right eye and my vision is clearing up little by little. It's still blurry and is no where near 20/20. My left eye is now also getting blurry too. I'm not sure if that's to compensate for the right eye or not.

At my follow-up visit to the doc's on Thursday, he said to give it a while and see what happens. Swelling of the eye and residue left over from the surgery could be causing the lack of clarity. So far I don't think that's the problem.

While I can definitely see much better than pre-surgery, the clarity is not as good as I'd like. I'm not sure what else to do about it. I'm still putting in various eye drops three times a day. As far as physical pain or discomfort, there is none. Every once in a while I do feel like there's something in my eye (like dust or even like there's a contact in there) so I know my eyes are still healing. They said you'll feel this way for a while after surgery.

I really do hope that my eyes get better. At the follow up, my left eye's vision went from being 20/20 to about 20/30, which sucks. The high pressure in both eyes did return to normal though, however, I was seeing more clear with the pressure up in my left eye than I am now that it's normal. It's really bizarre. I'm not scheduled to go back in till Oct. 2, so hopefully thing will get better during the next two weeks.

Visian ICL Surgery - Eye 2

Today I went in to get my right eye done. It was basically the same procedure, except this time I had a better grasp of what was going on around me since I could see through my left eye. There weren't many patients today so I got done about 30-45 minutes early. I ended up going home to wait for my follow up appointment instead of staying at the office.

At the follow up, the doc said that the pressure in my right eye was a bit high. Same deal as my left eye. They also had me read from the screen and again my vision was at about 20/80. The only difference that I could tell between my right and left eyes post-op is that my right eyelid felt a bit fat. I'm not sure why it was swollen at all, but now it feels alright. I'm supposed to go back tomorrow at 10 a.m. so hopefully things are still going well.

After the check up, I came home and took a nap. Last time I didn't really feel tired, but this time I did. Could be old age LOL I slept for about three hours and would've tried for more except I could hear kids playing outside and I was hungry.

At this point, several hours post-op, I still can't see the words I'm typing out of my right eye. It seems that my left eye recovered faster than this. The doc said that it could be because my body's not pushing out the viscous fluid they need to use to insert the lens as quickly. Because there's still fluid in there, it could be causing the blurriness. We'll see how tonight goes though. My eye is still dilated and huge so I'm typing in the dark but the screen is still pretty bright. Other than that, things are going fine.

Post-Op Day 5

I went in to check up on my left eye since the pressure was up on Thursday. Apparently the pressure is still higher than normal, but we're proceeding with the surgery on my right eye on Wednesday. The doctor instructed me to stop doing the drops he gave me on Thursday and gave me a new one. He said the pressure could be affected by one of the original two drops I was given, but he's not ready to stop those yet. We'll see how things work out.

I don't feel any difference in that eye because of the pressure though. I still feel a little off-balanced. Maybe that's because of the pressure and not because of the clear vision? I tested at 20/20 again today so that's a good sign. Also, that blood clot thing above my iris seems to be fading. The redness is seems to be dissipating and it's not as bright or concentrated as it used to be. Other than that, I seem to be doing okay.

Post-Op Day 4

My vision seems to be getting better with each passing day. However, I do have a small spot of blood above my iris behind my eyelid. When I went in last Thursday, the doctor said not to worry about it and gave me another bottle of eye drops to use. I suppose this spot is due to the fact that I'm a bleeder as he calls me.

Other than that though, it seems to be going fine. Today I began the antibiotic drops in my right eye to prep for the Wednesday surgery. I've got so many bottles now but at least they're all on the same schedule.

When comparing my left and right eye for vision, it seems like my left is now more sharp than my right. So, I guess the analogy of HDTV and analog that was given to me by the coordinator is pretty accurate. It's not that my right eye is bad with the contact on. It's just that my left eye post-surgery is very, very clear. I wonder if it's better than 20/20 at this point? The doctor said it could get better as it heals.

Because of the sharpness of one eye, I still feel a little off - as if my balance or depth perception isn't right. I suppose once they do my right eye, things will balance out. Right now it feels like when you get a new prescription and things are extra sharp so you feel a little disoriented or maybe even spacey. It's not too bad though and hasn't prevented me from driving or caused any illness (dizzy spells or nausea).

Post-Op Day 1-2: Seeing 20/20

Yesterday I went in for a follow up visit to the eye doctor. It took longer to get into the exam room and to wait for him than to actually get checked. Isn't that usually the case?

When I finally saw him, he checked my left eye and told me that the pressure was a little high. He said this could be due to some of the gunk they put in pre-op and during the surgery not being flushed out. He gave me yet another bottle of drops to use - one drop twice a day. I added it to my collection of bottles. I also had to schedule another visit for Monday so he could check on it prior to working on my right eye.

When the tech checked my vision, it turns out I can see 20/20! Amazing if you ask me. The letters are still blurry and not completely crisp, but the fact that I could see them is just crazy. They told me that prior to surgery I couldn't even see the big E on the chart. That's how bad my vision was.

Overall, the only weird thing is that I feel a little disoriented because my eyes don't seem to be on the same page. What I mean is that I have a floating sensation like I don't have good depth perception. It's not too bad though. When I described it to my friend Elle, she said that she recently got a new monitor at work that had been cranked up so that everything was super crisp and clear. It made her feel dizzy. That's the best description for what I'm feeling now. Hopefully when my right eye gets fixed everything will balance out. It's like one eye is HDTV and one eye is analog.

Last night I wore my racquet ball goggle to sleep and didn't have a problem with it. It's not uncomfortable so it's ok. Also, I suppose subconsciously I know that I just had surgery and don't roll around too much in my sleep.

Today I have one last day at work before the weekend. Yesterday wasn't bad though. I just need to bring my bag of eye drops and keep on schedule.

Visian ICL Surgery

Today was the big day. My dad picked me up at home and dropped me off at the doctor's office around 9:45 a.m. The pre-op staff of nurses quickly had me sign some forms, then ushered me into a room. They had me change into a hospital gown, but I got to keep my pants on at least so there was no mooning going on. They took my temperature, blood pressure and measured my oxygen intake. They also stuck a sticker on my forehead, above the eye that was getting operated on. That's a good thing because you don't want them messing with the wrong eye. Once that was over, they took me back to the waiting room.

They had magazines on the table (lots actually), but hello, most people aren't able to read them. They're there for eye surgery you know? Luckily for me I brought my iPod with me so I listened to '50s and '60s doo wop tunes. Around me sat numerous old people and their spouses. I swear I was the only one under 70 in the room. Then again, I was also blind as a bat without my glasses so I could be wrong.

Next the nurses started me on all kinds of drops. Every 10 minutes, they'd come by to drop more drops into my eye. I'm not sure what they all were. Sometimes they'd use two bottles. Sometimes there'd be four bottles. They weren't too bad though. There was even one that was supposed to burn a little, but I didn't really feel much.

When a seat opened up in the surgery lounge they moved me. There were about five La-Z-Boy-like chairs in this area. They gave me a blanket to keep me warm and some surgical booties to wear. I was wearing slippers so next time I'll be sure to wear shoes. It was a little hard to keep the booties on my feet. The nurses continued with the drops and also started the IV line.

I don't know about you, but I've never been to the hospital and rarely go to the doctors. I've only had blood taken from me a handful of times in my life. I was a little apprehensive about the IV needle. However, they did it right because one nurse worked on the IV and one continued with the drops. I kept as still as possible when the drops went in because I didn't want to get pricked by the needle. In the end, it wasn't that bad really.

I sat around a while longer and then it was my turn. I met the anesthesiologist who asked me a bunch of questions and then was led into the operating room. Again, because I was blind I have no clue what the drug doc looked like. I know he was Japanese because of his last name, which seems to have escaped me now. That's about it though.

Once in the room, they had me sit on a chair. They covered me with a heated blanket and reclined the back of the chair. I felt like one of those people who claim they've been abducted by aliens. There were about three or four pairs of hands around me. One lifted my arm to attach a blood pressure wrap. One hooked me up with drugs, I assume. I couldn't really see anything. One stuck that oxygen reader onto my finger. One taped my eyelashes back and covered me with one of those plastic operating sheets. Then a hole was cut around my eye so I could see out of it.

More drops went into my eyes. I assume they used some kind of plastic ring to hold my eyelids open and stabilize my eyeball. All I could really see were three bright lights above me. I could feel pressure on my eye but no pain. The doctor moved in and did some poking with the needle. Of course, I didn't feel anything at the time. I just visualized it from the vids I saw on YouTube. I couldn't feel anything when he inserted the lens. It seemed to take him a while to get it in place though. Every once in a while he would flush my eye out with saline or whatever. He said I'm a good bleeder, so apparently the blood vessels around my eye bled easily.

I gotta admit these were some tense minutes. I felt a little anxious but not too bad. I suppose it's just a natural response. It's not like there was any pain or discomfort during the process. It was probably all psychological - like I knew I was getting poked so my body tensed up. When everything was said and done, they taped a clear patch to my eye to prevent any contact. I'm supposed to wear it all day and night. Tomorrow I can take it off and only wear it when I sleep. I was wrong about it being a pirate patch though. It's more like half a racquet ball goggle.



The total procedure was about 15 minutes, maybe less. Afterward, they led me outside to a chair and offered me somethng to eat and drink. They had pb&j and juice or water. That was nice considering I hadn't eaten since midnight. They gave me brief instructions about what I could and couldn't do.

I got done around 12:15 p.m. and decided to wait for my 1 p.m. follow up appointment instead of going to lunch. I hung out at the doctor's office for my appointment but they were running late. They didn't see me till 1:20 p.m. or so and I was examined for about 10 minutes total. What a waste of time. I should've just worn the Terminator glasses they gave me and went out to eat lunch.



They tested my vision, which was still blurry at this point. My eye pressure seemed to be okay though. Apparently the vision is supposed to clear up as time passes. The doctor said I could start the antibiotics and anti-inflamatory drops today even though the instructions I got said to wait till tomorrow. I guess my eye seems to be doing okay and can handle the meds. Who knows?

Right now it's about three hours after surgery. My vision is still blurry but since the time I started writing this I've noticed that it's gotten a bit clearer. If I close my right eye (the good one with the contact in it), I can at least make out the letters on some lines that I type. When I started, it was all blurry.

I hope my vision clears up over the next 24 hours. It'd suck if after this surgery my vision didn't get any better. At this point I can't even tell if it's better or worse than before surgery. I think it's probably better but it's hard to tell with this patch on one side and the contact on the other.