A Chicken No More......Or Not!!!

Joe's been wanting me to get Lasik done on my eyes for eight years now. I have politely refused because I have been pregnant, nursing or chicken. I am no longer pregnant or nursing, but still very chicken.

Joe brought it up again recently and I finally relented....I am chicken no more....well, sort of.

I decided I'd been putting it off long enough and went in for my pre-op appointment on Thursday. They ran a few tests and determined I didn't qualify for the typical Lasik procedure. My corneas are too thin, at 465 - normal eyes are around 550, by whatever measurement they use - so having my cornea cut into would only make them thinner, which wasn't a good idea. So, the only surgery which I qualified for is PRK. I'd never heard of it, but this will give you some idea -

They place a cylinder on your eye and put alcohol in it. The alcohol removes the thin layer of skin covering your eye (with a little bit of scraping - ouch). Once this is removed they use the laser to correct your vision, much as they would once they've cut your eye open in the more common Lasik procedure. It takes a while for the eye to regrow the skin and heal. They place a band-aide contact over the eye to help it heal and keep the cornea moist.

Here's the kicker, the reason people don't frequently get this particular procedure is two fold....1. It is considerably more painful (you know the whole alcohol in your eye and deteriorating and regrowing skin thing). 2. Unlike Lasik, you can't see immediately following the surgery. It takes a few days before your eyesight isn't all fuzzy.

I wasn't too excited about the slicing of my eye, but I think I'm even less excited about the foreign fluids in my eye dissolving tissue. I won't be able to see for a few days and I'll be in pain....WHY AM I DOING THIS!!!!

I keep telling myself it will be worth it, but I'm not convinced.

On top of all this, the procedure is scheduled for Saturday around 4. I will have a post-op appointment the next day and then Joe is leaving for Vegas, Ben has school Tues-Thurs and Maggi and her hubby are in California all week on Spring Break....I'll be taking care of five kids, alone, blind, in pain......suck. Whose idea was this anyway?!?!

I'm hoping for the best, but expecting the worst. I wanted to post before and after pics or something cool, but I am not sure I'll be able to see my darn computer to post anything. So, you get this lovely, depressing pre-op post instead! I'll see if I can't get Joe to help me put some pics on tomorrow night or Sunday morning....you'll have to check back to find out how it goes!!

Wish me luck....this chicken's going to need it!