Advice Needed on Retinal Tear

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blainejennifer
blainejennifer Member Posts: 1,848
edited January 2018 in Stage IV/Metastatic Breast Cancer ONLY

I've got one! Started out as a few floaters and flashers, but in the last few days, the right eye became fuzzy as well as having "dementor" type floaters.

So I head off to the eye doc this morning, and he sends me to the Retina/Vitreous specialist, and I am assessed as having a retinal tear with vitreous hemorrhaging. He could try to laser the tear, but the field is really bloody and clouded. So, I'm in line for a partial vitrectomy, with laser goodness. Then, for a week after surgery, I have to do "positioning". That's being face flat for at least 95% of the time.

Have any of you guys done this? I knew I was heading for cataract surgery, sooner rather than later, but this new development scares me.

I'm scared and sad, and want to kill my child because he's 18 and just being a needy monster about the whole thing.

Off to go blub some more, and do laundry.

Jennifer

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  • Tina2
    Tina2 Member Posts: 2,943
    edited January 2018

    Damn, Jennifer! If it ain't one thing...

    I have floaters and have had a few flashes that sent me to a retinologist, but that was it. I'm sorry you're in this fix. Face flat 95% of the time for a week--really? How are you supposed to do that?

    Maybe you can get that young man to go out and rent you a massage chair--you know, the kind with a hole for your head? Make him bring you drinks and food you can slurp through a straw. Make him hold a book up to your face and turn the pages on your command.

    But seriously, 18 is old enough to help you and not be a selfish/self-centered kid.

    Feeling for you,

    Tina


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  • Snickersmom
    Snickersmom Member Posts: 926
    edited January 2018

    Tina - aren't they going to try to reattach the retina? My daughter had her retina detach when she was 31 weeks pregnant. They had to take the baby by emergency C-section and then turned around and did laser retina surgery 6 days later. They did what's called a buckle to try to reattach it where it had detached. Unfortunately, it was not successful. She has had numerous laser surgeries in the 10 years since it originally detached.

    I am not clear on what they are going to do for you. Sorry I can't be of more help.

    An

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  • Cure-ious
    Cure-ious Member Posts: 2,626
    edited January 2018

    Jennifer, My husband had this- they eventually decided he needed surgery in both eyes, and the surgery often causes cataracts to form, which was the case for him, so then they did cataract surgery. Things then calmed down for him, but it was a lot of surgery and wait, and his eyesight is much better...

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  • Jaylea
    Jaylea Member Posts: 478
    edited January 2018

    Jennifer, I had the same thing - retinal tear with hemorrhage that rendered my right eye useless. It was like someone smeared dirty Vaseline over it. They lasered it to tack the retina in place but didn't remove the vitreous, hoping it would resolve itself over time. I don't remember having to do the positioning for that procedure. Unfortunately about 4 weeks later I saw a black crescent emerge in the dirty Vaseline. Went to doctor, sure enough, my retina was detaching. Bad news, went into surgery to repair. Good news, they removed the vitreous so I could actually see. Bad news, that's when I had to position with the gas bubble keeping pressure on the retina. It wasn't too bad, and DH stepped up big time to help.

    Good luck!

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  • blainejennifer
    blainejennifer Member Posts: 1,848
    edited January 2018

    Jaylea,

    Today is my first day post positioning. The surgical eye is still weird. Went to the doctor yesterday, and he said everything looked great.

    Do you have any wise words for this recovery period? I can still see the gas bubble, and am anxious that the eye will never get back to form.

    Let's hear it for the helpful spouses! Mine has been a dream. DS Also really stepped up. They took turns watching me at night to make sure that I didn't go out of position. I got to do left side as well as face down. I think pure face down would have been terribly hard. The only time the torture team allowed me to get up was to head to the restroom.

    My pouty five year old inner child wants to be all fixed now.

    Op Doc says that we have to supervise the other eye carefully as it "came from the original manufacturer".

    Hoping your eye is doing great, and everything else as well.

    Jennifer

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  • Jaylea
    Jaylea Member Posts: 478
    edited January 2018

    Hi Jennifer, I'm so glad your doctor says things look good. Prayers that you continue to heal. I don't have any words of wisdom for the healing process, other than do exactly what the doctor says. I remember being so afraid that when I was sleeping I would inadvertently lay on the 'wrong' side. But somehow my subconscious kicked in and I never did. Since you can't read, maybe you can catch up on some great podcasts!

    I had a couple of friends that went through the same issue and they came out just fine. It wasn't a perfect outcome for me, unfortunately. Due to the scar tissue from the two procedures I went through, I have partial loss of vision in that eye, in the right lower quadrant. They probably mentioned cataract surgery to you at some point. I also developed a cataract within a year, but that surgery wasn't bad. I've adapted to the vision loss and barely notice it anymore. And yes, they tacked down the other retina as they saw what was referred to as 'latticing'.

    Praying for you to have the best possible outcome.

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  • Outfield
    Outfield Member Posts: 1,109
    edited January 2018

    I hope a bit of humor is OK: my mom tore hers reading "Fifty Shades of Grey."

    She hated the lying down but recovered great in the end.

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