Feeling calm before the surgery and how it went

This is the day I’m been excited, nervous, anxious about for weeks. It is finally here!

I slept almost 10 hours. Feeling rested and calm.

I need to be fasting from food and water until after the surgery. I’ve never done a water fast. So far I am feeling okay, had last water intake 1:20am (half liter). 5 hours to go.

I am calmer than past few days, I guess because nothing else to decide. I am going for the surgery.

I had so many doubts about whether to cancel it or not last week, reading positive reviews and potential complications. Finally, I reached out to the doctor via email. He responded within 2 hours on a Sunday with detailed response. That was assuring. Then I read that he’s actually among the 100 best refractive surgery doctors in the world, even more assuring.

Here’s today’s plan:

9:45am arrival at the center.

2 hours of prep. Last checks, eye drops, anesthesia (partial as I can still hear).

11:45am the procedure

12:15pm-3pm: rest for observation

3pm: final check up and go home.

What actually happened:

I arrived on time. Changes to grown and was seated in a very comfortable sofa chair that could lay down. Given blanket. Then a couple of nurses came to check information, gave me eye drops to dilate my eyes. Then I was given test medicine through IV for sedation later, pain meds, and wait for the pupil to dilate. The doctor also checked my eyes and made marks before the dilation in color mark.

My phone was taken by then so I didn’t have a sense of time. Just waited and relaxed. I was not nervous by then as I saw other patients taking rest as well.

Then the nurse said it was my turn for the operation. I laid on the bed, they put oxygen tubes on my nose, my hands were locked I guess to avoid movement during surgery. Quickly I entered the OR, anesthesiologist gave me sedation, without any wait, the doctor came. He put someone on my face with only hole on my right eye. Then he started doing something. I didn’t feel anything other than feeling the liquid, seeing some color lights. I could feel the room so I was not asleep/sedated as I was expecting. I think it was less than 10 min, doctor said all good and done. He quickly moved to the other eye, and even faster than right eye it was finished. They said 10 min per eye but I felt it was quicker than that.

I waited in the bed for a while, they checked my vital signs. Then transferred me back to my sofa. They did one check of my eye pressure, and let me rest. My friend came in by then so we just chatted as I was fully awake. An hour later they checked me again for eye pressure and I was good to go home. The nurse came me 3 types of eye drops, post-op care, and good to go.

I could see better than pre -op without glasses right away. But it was blurry especially my right eyes. I could feel foreign object on my right eyes as well and felt some discomfort when blinking.

I was given protective glass, to be wore for 2 weeks. Not so stylish but not too bad

3pm was when I first had water, that was hard. Once I got home, alone again, I ate some yogurt with granola. Not really hungry but I thought I needed to eat something.

I was started to feel dizzy, sleepy, as the sedation process just started. I ordered take out and water. By 6:30pm I started to develop headache so I took the med that I was given. I also nauseous as warned by the nurse as consequence of anesthesia. I didn’t vomit but I wasn’t feel well. I ate dinner, waited an hour to put the meds before going to bed by 8pm.

Overall the process was smooth, cautious, painless except the IV process, and quicker surgery time than expected. Vision improved right away but blurry and right eye discomfort. I hope I wake up feeling better.