Detached retina

[nkped 1,208]

Okay, it is 2020.  Get up on Sunday, May 17 and there is a noticeable problem with the vision in the left eye.  It was a shadow on the field of vision on the right side, couldn't see the tip of my nose.

Detached retina came to mind, so I googled it.  Yes, that's what it appeared to be and it's an emergency.  Probably should have just headed for the hospital and presented myself, but didn't do that.  Checked the BHP website looking for a doctor specializing in that area who had Sunday office hours.  Picked Dr. Attaporn Suwannik, who is a woman.  It was a good pick and the fact that she was a woman may have been a factor in my choice.  Sent an email.  Nothing was available, she was in surgery, but an appointment for Monday.

Go in, the standard dilation and shining bright lights in the eye.  Yes, you have a detached retina and surgery should be soon although not same day soon.

Tuesday, go see my cardiologist to get his input.  Also, got a covid test, not terribly pleasant but not as horrid as I feared.

Check in on Wednesday, surgery late in the afternoon.  General anesthetic.  Not sure, but I think I may have vigorously tried to escape coming out of it.

Eye bandaged, couldn't see much beyond light and color but not a lot of pain.  The procedure is an incision in the eyeball and injecting a gas bubble to push the retina back into place.  Sounds strange but it worked.

There had been some hope of going home the next day, but ended up staying three.  I think it may have been a matter of the pressure inside the eyeball.  The GF stayed over each night, a great psychological help.

Sent home with with a lot of eye drops.  Been back three times.  Progress was slow, but Dr. Attaporn seemed to think things were satisfactory so no panic.  The gas bubble has not been fully absorbed .  Going back on July 6.

Improvement has been slow, but no longer oozing blood and the last few days observable improvement in the vision so I actually am optimistic as opposed to cautiously hopeful.

 Yes, the cost was real money--289,673.70 baht.  I have the great good fortune to have employer subsidized health insurance which continued into retirement and which paid the hospital directly.  Even in normal times, getting on a plane to the US would not have been an option.

[awesum4 2,319]

I'm glad this has worked well. May you recover completely real soon.

[nkped 1,208]

A couple of other things that reflect favorably on BHP.

The room was a bit warmer than ideal for me but not enough to complain.  The GF noticed and told the nurses, hey, he likes it like a meat locker (loose translation).  Repair guy showed up, fiddled with the thermostat and it was cooler.

Dr. Attaporn told me to sleep on my side after the surgery.  Said I couldn't, the bed was too hard.  They rolled in a bed with a thicker mattress.

[chippendalesam 37]

On 6/28/2020 at 6:32 PM, nkped said:

A couple of other things that reflect favorably on BHP.

The room was a bit warmer than ideal for me but not enough to complain.  The GF noticed and told the nurses, hey, he likes it like a meat locker (loose translation).  Repair guy showed up, fiddled with the thermostat and it was cooler.

Dr. Attaporn told me to sleep on my side after the surgery.  Said I couldn't, the bed was too hard.  They rolled in a bed with a thicker mattress.

Thanks for the feed-back on your surgery, a good and valuable read.

P.S. I guess you are a big Tom Osbourne fan?

[sailingbill 1,015]

Glad you did well, thanks for the post. My GF had significant vision loss in her 20"s  Took her to Phaythai Siracha. Total disaster. After waiting and the usual basic exam we were told eye doctor not here ,i did call before..  Not a fan BPH and your experience while good for you has me staying with Bumrungrad

[nkped 1,208]

7 hours ago, sailingbill said:

Glad you did well, thanks for the post. My GF had significant vision loss in her 20"s  Took her to Phaythai Siracha. Total disaster. After waiting and the usual basic exam we were told eye doctor not here ,i did call before..  Not a fan BPH and your experience while good for you has me staying with Bumrungrad

A few years ago I had cataract repair (other eye) at the Rutnin Eye Hospital in Bangkok and had been going back there for annual exams.  That just wasn't an option for something this urgent.

Perhaps a month before I had some blurring and floaters in the left eye and saw a different, male doctor,  at the BPH eye clinic.  He was a bit of a jerk and said deal with it.  In the US, I might, for the first time ever, be giving some thought to a malpractice action.  I might even consider it here, but seeing Dr. Attaporn and and other doctors in the hospital, that would probably be taking a dump in my own mess kit.

Edited July 9, 2020 by nkped

[sailingbill 1,015]

Nkped. it is good to keep your post alive . We need to know about options i Know Martin and Kev Liked BPH, i dont. i may very well be wrong.There is an American insurance company ad. We know a thing or to because we have seen a thing or to. I undderstand you were happy with the Doctor, You have should have been in the OR whith in a hour not days i know a thing or to because iv seen a thing or two

[nkped 1,208]

3 hours ago, sailingbill said:

Nkped. it is good to keep your post alive . We need to know about options i Know Martin and Kev Liked BPH, i dont. i may very well be wrong.There is an American insurance company ad. We know a thing or to because we have seen a thing or to. I undderstand you were happy with the Doctor, You have should have been in the OR whith in a hour not days i know a thing or to because iv seen a thing or two

On the biggies, this and atrial fibrillation, I've done well, although I did wonder about the delay.  Had one or two misses such as overlooking a crack in my shoulder.

[nkped 1,208]

Almost 14 months on, the eye is fine.

Something I thought of.  They clearly wanted to see if my insurance was going to pay for it.  This was Bangkok Hospital after all.  Don’t know if the surgery would have been scheduled sooner, but I should have told them don't wait for the insurance, put it on my credit card.

[sailingbill 1,015]

13 hours ago, nkped said:

Almost 14 months on, the eye is fine.

Something I thought of.  They clearly wanted to see if my insurance was going to pay for it.  This was Bangkok Hospital after all.  Don’t know if the surgery would have been scheduled sooner, but I should have told them don't wait for the insurance, put it on my credit card.

Very happy to hear this. I of course follow this thread.  My eyesight is crap and i pay 20K-30 K for glasses and have 5 pairs.  Im done and when this virus is reduced im getting IOL's  at Bumrungrad.  I am responding because for the new fellows a good counsel was to have a high limit CC for medical expense. I have excellent insurance but if the hospital doesnt want to deal with it i can go forward. 

'

[Gottsy 46]

That's so cool. back in the late 70s I suffered a badly torn retina after a car smash. I had an operation to try and repair the retina which Included putting something called a dissolving 'Boat' into my eye to hold the retina in place against the back of the eye. It was the most painful 2 months of recovery I have ever suffered and the operation didn't work. when I went back to the Hospital I asked them if they had taken the outboard off the boat before they shoved it into my eye!.

The retina in my left eye has now slowly folded down and I lost the vision in it. But its incredible how ones brain makes up for the loss. To be hones I just dont realise I can only see out of one eye, except when trying to see something in 3D which just doesn't work with one eye.

[chippendalesam 37]

On 7/4/2021 at 10:54 PM, sailingbill said:

Very happy to hear this. I of course follow this thread.  My eyesight is crap and i pay 20K-30 K for glasses and have 5 pairs.  Im done and when this virus is reduced im getting IOL's  at Bumrungrad.  I am responding because for the new fellows a good counsel was to have a high limit CC for medical expense. I have excellent insurance but if the hospital doesnt want to deal with it i can go forward. 

'

I just had an IOL put in my right eye(cataracts) I  highly recommend getting it done asap. Changed my life in a positive manner. Good luck to you, as I  am envious of you being in Thailand. I plan to be there within the next 2 months. Cross your fingers for me, lol lol lol.

[sailingbill 1,015]

4 hours ago, chippendalesam said:

I just had an IOL put in my right eye(cataracts) I  highly recommend getting it done asap. Changed my life in a positive manner. Good luck to you, as I  am envious of you being in Thailand. I plan to be there within the next 2 months. Cross your fingers for me, lol lol lol.

Thanks for posting. Yea im not going delay but as you probably know things are bad here with little vaccine and current lockdown.  Did you get Multi or single focus? Also please post your experience on traveling back.  I have 2 tickets Nov and Dec but starting to worry i may end up cancelling.

[chippendalesam 37]

I had the single iol

 put in. I am thinking of getting my left eye done in Thailand in a year or two. I am trying to depart for Thailand in September. 

[sailingbill 1,015]

On 7/19/2021 at 6:13 AM, chippendalesam said:

I just had an IOL put in my right eye(cataracts) I  highly recommend getting it done asap. Changed my life in a positive manner. Good luck to you, as I  am envious of you being in Thailand. I plan to be there within the next 2 months. Cross your fingers for me, lol lol lol.

2 weeks out now and very happy. After 65 years of having my glasses at exactly the same position on the bedside table i still reach for them in the morning. Told the Dr. i was hoping to have a cataract by this age as insurance would pay. "You have a small cataract" Insurance paid. For the first time i'm able to see my face w/o glasses. Not pretty. Next stop Blepharoplasty.     Looking more encouraging for your return if November works.