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04-15-2016, 04:06 PM
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#1
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Thinks s/he gets paid by the post
Join Date: Jun 2002
Posts: 1,637
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Trabeculectomy?
Has anyone here had one? If so,
- how long before you were back to "normal" activities? Particularly vigorous exercise like cycling?
- did you also have a stent? If so, any comments (positive or negative?)
- were you able to stop drops as a result?
- knowing what you know now, would you do it again? (And please say how long it's been,)
Thank you.
O
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friar1610
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06-11-2016, 05:53 PM
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#2
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Thinks s/he gets paid by the post
Join Date: Jun 2002
Posts: 1,637
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Well, I had one a couple of weeks ago. So if this question comes up again, I will be able to share the answers to my previous questions (at least as they relate to my own experience.)
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friar1610
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06-11-2016, 06:14 PM
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#3
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Full time employment: Posting here.
Join Date: May 2008
Posts: 599
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Well we all wish you well. People might not answer because they don't recognize the term and the doc's in don't want to give random advice where it is it all depends.
I didn't want to google it because I catch everything I read about on the web-(I've had prostate cancer twice..and I'm a girl) Now that I see what it is I probably do have it. Pressure on eye. Who diagnosed you ? Optometrist or GP?
Are you back to normal or waiting for the okay?
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06-11-2016, 06:23 PM
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#4
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Moderator
Join Date: Apr 2012
Location: San Diego
Posts: 14,212
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I just looked it up. Yikes. Did everything go well. I am not a good candidate to have anything done to my eyes.... scares me.
I hope it went well and you are seeing (get it) improvement.
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Retired June 2014. No longer an enginerd - now I'm just a nerd.
micro pensions 6%, rental income 20%
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06-11-2016, 06:47 PM
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#5
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Thinks s/he gets paid by the post
Join Date: Feb 2007
Posts: 3,681
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Quote:
Originally Posted by lemming
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I didn't want to google it because I catch everything I read about on the web-(I've had prostate cancer twice..and I'm a girl)
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OMG, I laughed out loud at this! I don't read possible side effects of medications because I'm sure I'll have all of them.
Back to the topic of trabeculectomy...
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Married, both 69. DH retired June, 2010. I have a pleasant little part time job.
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06-11-2016, 10:22 PM
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#6
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Give me a museum and I'll fill it. (Picasso) Give me a forum ...
Join Date: Jul 2014
Location: Spending the Kids Inheritance and living in Chicago
Posts: 17,094
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I had to look it up too, pretty weird as I've never heard of it.
We are ALL now anxious to know the answers to your questions, I can feel the pressure building
Seriously, how did you know you needed this ?
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06-12-2016, 07:29 AM
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#7
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Recycles dryer sheets
Join Date: Jun 2007
Posts: 62
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Sorry, I just saw your original post today.
I had a trabeculectomy at the Cole Eye Institute at Cleveland Clinic about 8 years ago. I needed it because the pressure in my right eye went sky high and I was in immediate danger of losing my sight in that eye. Two laser procedures did not help so they went to the trabeculectomy which creates a drain in the eye to relieve the high pressure which damages the optic nerve.
I did not have a stent put in. I had a patch on my eye for about three days, then went back to work. Also made several planned visits to the surgeon to check the results. Luckily my trab was working fine and no adjustment was needed. Sometimes they have to make adjustments to get the right eye pressure. I would certainly do the surgery again if that was needed.
Since the surgery I have not needed eye drops in that eye and my pressure is fine. I have not lost any vision. I also have glaucoma in my left eye (no surgery) and I take eye drops daily to control the pressure in that eye.
How are you doing with your trab?
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06-12-2016, 07:47 AM
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#8
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Recycles dryer sheets
Join Date: Jul 2012
Posts: 129
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I had this surgery about eight years ago due to a deteriorating optic nerve. All went very well. It was a very weird experience to be awake and have the sensation that someone is poking around in your eye and you cannot react. The night after surgery was no picnic as I had to sleep sitting up, but things improved quickly. I did have several shots in the eye over the next couple weeks to slow down the healing process since I was healing too quickly. Pressures dropped dramatically in both eyes. I was on drops morning and evening before the surgery and have used only the evening drop since then. I returned to normal activities within a few weeks although I felt ready sooner. No stent was required. The only side effect if this could be considered one is that the bleb that grew afterwards is slightly visible on the edge of the iris. Occasionally people tell me I have something in my eye. The surgeon said he could correct this, but I prefer to live with it. Some people develop cataracts after this surgery and I have although I probably would have developed them anyway. Mine are in the beginning stage with the right eye being slightly more advanced. I am considering that surgery in the next year mainly due to glare. The amazing thing after having the trabeculectomy on the right eye, the optic nerve In my left eye stabilized and surgery is no longer needed. Yes, I would definitely do a repeat if I had a do-over!
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06-12-2016, 05:45 PM
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#9
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Recycles dryer sheets
Join Date: Jul 2012
Posts: 129
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Friar1610, sorry I didn't see your post on the date it was written nor did I look at the dates of the other posts when I wrote earlier. Hope all is well and your recovery is going smoothly.
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06-14-2016, 12:17 PM
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#10
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Thinks s/he gets paid by the post
Join Date: Jun 2002
Posts: 1,637
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I am about two weeks removed from my trabeculectomy surgery. (I misspoke in the earlier email when I said it had been "a couple of weeks" at that point.)
Undergoing the surgery was easy. I received something to "relax" me as well as a local anesthetic in the area of the eye. Was told that the relaxant would leave me drowsy but still aware of what was going on. Not the case for me. I was zonked out the entire time and didn't wake up until after it was over. The needle stick from the local left a small black eye which let me use the old line, "You should have seen the other guy" when people asked me about it.
The healing process is ongoing. The eye feels a little uncomfortable at times and I have been using 2 different drops in that eye, initially 4x daily. They have reduced the drops somewhat but the alarm on my iPod seems like it is always going off to remind me to put more in. The vision in the that eye has not returned to normal - it's still blurry and I don't believe I could function if both eyes were like that. The doc says this should get better over the next month or so and a new glasses prescription should help too.
I've been back to the doc in Boston (this was done at Mass. Eye and Ear) a total of three times since the surgery. The first was the next morning. Just a post-op check and pressure check. No drop in pressure then. Several days later I went back and the pressure was still at 16 (goal = 10.) At that time she lasered one of the several stitches on the slit she had made thus removing it. This had the effect of reducing the portion of the slit that is supposed to heal and enlarging the portion that remains open to allow aqueous humor to drain. Goal was to have this reduce the pressure and it worked. When I went back yesterday pressure was at 10 in that eye. No real change to the pressure in the other eye as some have reported. (I'm still doing my daily regiment of 3 different drops 3, 2 and 1 X daily, respectively in that eye.) I know some report pressure reductions in pressure in the unoperated eye but that hasn't happened (yet) with me. She reported that everything she saw by looking in my eye indicates it is healing normally.
I still have concerns about the blurry vision - I would really be bummed if that didn't resolve itself over time. (I could function OK with one good eye even if the other remained blurry but if I eventually have to have the good eye operated on and that one permanently ended up just as blurry it would be a significant problem for me.) But, we'll stay positive and see what happens over time.
I appreciate the comments and good wishes from those who have posted.
As an afterthought and by way of background, I have been tracked and ultimately treated for glaucoma for a long time. My mother had it and since it its often hereditary, I guess that's one of the very few things I can fault her for. I'm 71 now and they first began noticing rising pressures when I was in my 30s. I think I was in my very late 40's when I first started using drops and the number of drops has increased over time. I've had both ALT and SLT laser procedures on both eyes but they didn't seem to help at all. For quite a few years I've been seeing an opthalmologist 3 or 4 times a year with at least annual visual fields, photos and the whole deal. It was suggested about 5 years ago that I might want to have the trabeculectomies done then. But I got a couple of second opinions that indicated otherwise, so I put it off. When I moved to MA three years ago my current opthalmologist said it wasn't essential yet, so I stuck with the drops regimen. Then at my last regular appointment she said the time had come for the right eye, so I went ahead with it.
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friar1610
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06-17-2016, 07:44 PM
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#11
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Recycles dryer sheets
Join Date: Jul 2012
Posts: 129
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Glad all went well for the surgery and the recovery is moving along. The regimen of drops can be tedious, but adhering to it strictly will help the eye heal properly and reduce the possibility of infection. Good to hear that the pressure has been reduced as a result of the surgery. Hope the blurry vision improves soon. It sounds like you are in good hands with a very skilled and knowledgeable surgeon. Best wishes for a speedy recovery!
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06-21-2016, 02:45 PM
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#12
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Thinks s/he gets paid by the post
Join Date: Jun 2002
Posts: 1,637
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Quote:
Originally Posted by healthyandfun
Glad all went well for the surgery and the recovery is moving along. The regimen of drops can be tedious, but adhering to it strictly will help the eye heal properly and reduce the possibility of infection. Good to hear that the pressure has been reduced as a result of the surgery. Hope the blurry vision improves soon. It sounds like you are in good hands with a very skilled and knowledgeable surgeon. Best wishes for a speedy recovery!
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Thank you. As for the drops, I have been taking them for so long in both eyes that my day seems incomplete without them. So I'm sure I will stick with those needed for recovery from surgery.
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friar1610
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06-21-2016, 11:25 PM
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#13
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Give me a museum and I'll fill it. (Picasso) Give me a forum ...
Join Date: Jul 2014
Location: Spending the Kids Inheritance and living in Chicago
Posts: 17,094
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Good to hear you are making progress.
Thanks for detailing how you knew this could be an issue, I was a bit worried that this type of thing was just a possible surprise event.
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06-22-2016, 09:35 AM
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#14
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gone traveling
Join Date: Apr 2016
Location: Tenerife
Posts: 67
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