Tarsorrhaphy day tomorrow

[Suu]

Hi all

Maureen - can the spots 'heal' that we get on the cornea?

Is there a place on the site where we can write our feelings and just get it all out of our system so we may be able to move on?  I'm scared of what's coming next with the nerve graft.

♥ ´)
.•´¸.•*´¨) ¸.•♥ ¨)
(,.•´ (.♥ •´ *Suu

[moe]

- can the spots 'heal' that we get on the cornea?

Is there a place on the site where we can write our feelings and just get it all out of our system so we may be able to move on?  I'm scared of what's coming next with the nerve graft.

Good question. I don't really know if the spots heal themselves. Good question for your weekly visits.
You can write your feelings here, just start a new post. It's ok, and it's normal to be scared...The nerve graft surgery was one of my easiest surgeries, if that is any help
Maureen

[Nickittynic]

I think whether they heal on their own or not depends on what kind of "spot" it is. 

Before I had the tarsorrhaphy I had what's called "dellen" in my cornea.. it looked like a little divot or dimple on my eye. My doc explained that the cornea is like a sponge - soft, squishy and 'full' when moist but dense, hard, and kind of 'sucked in' when dry. So the dellen is a dried out spot that kind of dents in. If it's left like that it can turn into an ulceration, but if it's remoisturized it can go back to soft and full - again like a sponge. One thing I read said this can happen in 24 hours. Mine reversed itself with more drops and ointment.

The other kind of spot I was told I have is an "SPK" which I had to look all over to find any useful info on because there are a bunch of other conditions that can cause them. SPK stands for "superficial punctate keratopathy". The stuff I've read sounds like it's basically a localized, surface corneal irritation with little clumps of dead cornea cells.
(http://books.google.com/books?id=hHN2S3WSBm4C&pg=PT307&lpg=PT307&dq=Superficial+Punctate+Keratopathy&source=vrt&ots=tAHFxr0Zqo&sig=WDzC6tr6JC-bFnM6jruT1DJDof0&hl=en&ei=79mOTZ2sKMqM0QHO65SvCw&sa=X&oi=book_result&ct=result&resnum=12&ved=0CHQQ6AEwCw#v=onepage&q=Superficial%20Punctate%20Keratopathy&f=false)

According to the Merck manual (http://www.merckmanuals.com/home/sec20/ch230/ch230b.html) SPKs can be healed with treatment of the cause (for us, dry and overexposed eye).

For me, they said I needed the tarsorrhaphy because all the damage was along the 1mm where my eye didn't close all the way. They said even with all the drops if I wasn't able to blink the tear film across to that area, it could still get over-dried and continue to break down.
The end of this blog post http://buginthebrain.blogspot.com/2010/11/one-year-appointments.html tells some of my eye saga and there's a link to a video of a dellen.

I'm thinking more serious "spots" maybe don't heal fully?

[Suu]

Thanks for the link, Nic. I'll have a good look at it when I get back online.

Maureen - I don't have weekly visits to any of the doctors. Do you? And why? And should I be having more regular contact?
I'll whinge when, and if, I get like I did the other day.    I wasn't liking the new me at all.

♥ ´)
.•´¸.•*´¨) ¸.•♥ ¨)
(,.•´ (.♥ •´ *Suu

[moe]

Hi Suu,
Oops, I thought I read in your previous post that you are going weekly to the eye doctor? Maybe that was changed since you are doing the lubing  of your eye
I just go once a year now to get the cornea checked.
Hope your eye is feeling better
♥ ´)
.•´¸.•*´¨) ¸.•♥ ¨)
(,.•´ (.♥ •´ ~Maureen

[Suu]

Hi Maureen
I take it in turns with all the doctors it seems.
One week neuro, next is ENT, after that is Eye, and then my General Practioner who loves to learn from me 

I'll be phoning the ENT doc tomorrow to see if I have a date for the nerve graft.

At the moment I'm having a bit of 'I don't like this new me' syndrome but can't do anything about it. Might have to ponder that little conundrum closer.

♥ ´)
.•´¸.•*´¨) ¸.•♥ ¨)
(,.•´ (.♥ •´ *Suu

[moe]

Yes, I understand the "I don't like me" syndrome.
Usually I just say "I hate my brain." because, that is what started it all, and the annoying shrilly ringing, 24/7. Hang in there!!!! One day at a time. Treat yourself to something every day.
And most important, keep that eye lubricated (gotta stay on topic, ya know  ) AND also remember you are less than one year post op.. Recovery CAN be a full time job, in your instance.
♥ ´)
.•´¸.•*´¨) ¸.•♥ ¨)
(,.•´ (.♥ •´ ~Maureen