After 20 years with my original implant, I finally took the plunge and had it changed out for a different one. What most people don’t realize is an artificial eye is made up of two portions. The implant, and the prosthesis. The implant is a small ball which is wrapped in left over muscle and tissue after your real eye is removed. The prosthesis is essentially a cover which is formed to the implant. It is the part you see which is removable and painted to match your remaining real eye.
Over time my implant shifted to the left, leaving my prosthetic a pretty poor area to ‘form’ to. This causes poor movement, and poor fit in general. My new implant removed the small smooth ball and replaces it with a nearly double the size porous ball that the muscles will essentially fuse to. This will make it impossible for it to move around like the old one and should make a much better foundation for the prosthetic to form to. Better forming together means better fit and hopefully much better movement. Surgery was quick, but recovery beat the hell out of me.
Dad and I went up to Ottawa on Sunday night (May 29) and stayed till Thursday (June 2). Monday was pre-0p. Tuesday was surgery. Wednesday rest at the hotel and Thursday follow up and trip home. Pain from the time I woke up until Thursday morning was pretty intense. Even opening my eyes was extremely painful. It was a long ride home. Dad drove home. Good thing, because opening my eyes still hurt badly. Looking around was impossible. Couple days home an tons of tylenol 3 I started feeling somewhat better. Each day was an improvment in both pain amount as well as energy levels. But the Sunday/Monday after the surgery things were looking up finally. By Thursday/Friday I was feeling much more like my self. Today marks 2 weeks since the surgery and I’m nearly 100% again. All thats left now is a follow up in Ottawa June 30 to make sure the socket has healed, and providing all is well, July 12th I will have a new prosthetic formed and I will be ‘complete’ again. No more patch or walking around with a clear eye in.
Thanks to my Dad for coming with me and making sure I was taken care of. Had to be a boring trip for him seeing as we were stuck at the hotel and I couldnt even stand the TV on. Sorry Pops. I will make it up with a better trip sooner or later. Thanks again! Love ya!
I think the worst part of the whole thing was leaving Shannon and the kids for several days without being able to even talk to them realy. Missed you guys.
Speaking of missing them… While I was away, my little boy decided to take a good tumble which resulted in a couple stitches on his lip. Poor little dude. He just had to be like his sister and get his first stitches at under a year. He only made it by a few weeks seeing as he turns 1 on Friday!