This post was brought to you by the word Diplopia

[erastes]

OK - here's the full story!

I was at my Dad’s on Sunday as usual, and we’d just been out for lunch. I came in, sat down and my eyes “went funny” – i thought a lens had dropped out of my glasses, because that’s what it felt like, but when i looked at them I could see that hadn’t happened. I just saw… double. It was hugely scary.

Dad took me to the A&E – after half an hour, while we waited to see if it was temporary – but that was a mistake, the nearest hosp with an eye doctor on call was 30 miles away from Dad, and he got stressed driving there, because he couldn’t remember where we were going and why. And when we got there – we were seen by the triage nurse in about half an hour, but in that time, Dad had harassed the receptionists three times. The triage nurse said that it would be 3-4 hours wait and I said that we couldn’t possibly wait. My GP consequently complained to me about that, but it would have been impossible. If it had been just me there, the wait would have been a pain, but doable, but having Dad with me made it utterly UNdoable.  So we drove home – all the while Dad getting stressed because he didn’t know where we’d been and why… And I pretended to Dad that all was well, put a patch over my eye and drove home. Yes, I know I shouldn’t but I had no choice.

Went to the GP on Monday, and was booked straight into the Admissions department at the James Paget Hospital. They were pretty good there, I have to admit. The assessment ward rocks- they don’t let you sleep much, because the assessments go on during the night – my examination was at 3.30 am!!! – but that means that can assess around the clock and subsequently see and move on more patients.

The GOOD news I had was that 1. My blood pressure is (amazingly) low and I closed at 122/80 which is ENTIRELY normal. This is caused (even though I am dangerously obese) because I have inherited LOW blood pressure from my father. 2. My blood sugar level was 6.4 (normal parameters are 5-7) so it looks like I don’t have diabetes despite having most of the symptoms!! Oh well. 3. I also had a CT scan which proved I had a brain. Who knew!?  (That was “normal” too, which I disagree with)

Went for the eye exam on Tuesday and was tested pretty thoroughly in every way possible which proved I definitely had double vision. Strange that. I kind of guessed I had. :D.  They tested me with “prisms” (a kind of very thin clear membrane that went over the lenses) but none of them entirely reduced the double vision and kept it away. However, they put a semi opaque “occlusion” over the left lens and that' helps much more. The double vision is forced away (because one eye is blocked) and I get a small amount of depth perception from what I can see out of the edges of the glasses.

Went back for another test of Wednesday and the doctor said that she was very pleased that there was a marked improvement in 24 hours. Then saw another consultant who said he wanted an MRI, and full blood tests including cholesterol.  I may have to go to Newmarket to have the MRi. And no. Not to the hospital. I’ll let you guess where, but the location is key…And the reason I’m going to have to go elsewhere is directly related to Winnie the Pooh and a certain day when he got stuck in Rabbit’s hole.  Oh God. Now I’ve squicked my slashy self.

Anyway – there was a lot more stuff, a rude orderly, blagging my way out for an hour to feed the cats – Mary who I met there, who is 84 and wants to be a published writer – but that’s just incidental things.  Bottom line is that I’m housebound, can’t drive by law and will have to “wait and see". The eye clinic have written to my GP to get the bloodwork done, and they’ll be letting me know when I need to go back – around 2-3 weeks, they say. they will be monitoring the progress from now on. 

The eyes seem to be getting better, yesterday morning they were certainly single vision for a few minutes and slipped to double after a few, so I’m not going to force it, just carry on wearing the occlusion and hope for the best. After all, I can do nothing more!  It seems that the occlusion is working well enough for the PC, so tomorrow I’ll try and get back to the novel.

Thanks once again for the thoughts and the messages and the phone calls and the emails etc etc etc.  Although I have no RL friends within visiting distance, the fact that there was such an outpouring of care made the whole experience so much easier to deal with.

  - -

Comments

[changeling72.livejournal.com]

Lordy, it's all going on in your world. I hope it gets sorted out soon.

[beckyblack]

The only place I know of in Newmarket is the race course. :D I assume they don't have an MRI at the race course...

[erastes.livejournal.com]

Yep. They do. And you have it right.

[ariadneelda.livejournal.com]

I'm glad about all your good news. :) And wanted to wish you again a quick recovery!

[beckyblack]

Weird! :D Ah well, it's all grist to the mill for a writer. The weirder the better.

[aunty_marion]

I read Too Many Dick Francis books. Newmarket has a racecourse, yes, but it also has a lot of racing stables, and consequently vets to care for all those expensive nags.

I'm sure some of the up-to-date vets have MRI scanners for the horses. Not that I'm saying Erastes is as big as a horse, but... *g*

[aunty_marion]

*g* I'm assuming that one of the Newmarket vets has an MRI scanner that's, er ...larger than the ones in the hospital?

I also assume, since they've told you not to drive, that a) your GP is accessible on foot and b) you can walk that far and c) they'll be sending an ambulance to get you in for all the tests etc?

What's going to happen with your Dad? Is he OK on his own without you popping in?

Hope you're All Better soon!

[rikibeth.livejournal.com]

There's no such thing as Too Many Dick Francis books, especially since there won't be any more now. It's fascinating reading the earlier ones now since the world is so different!

And hooray for larger MRIs so Erastes won't have to have the techs use her feet as a towel rack.

[aunty_marion]

They'd have to find some 'improving' books to read to her! (Now *there's* a challenge!)

I think I've got the full set of DF books, apart from the last couple or so that he did with his son. (But I've had those from the library to read.) They have their own shelf.

[leni-jess.livejournal.com]

I'm glad you're home, and that stuff looks controllable, but still - no driving, what to do with your dad (and with the Carer arrangements? if you're sick, as you manifestly are, what happens?) Not prying! Just, worrying. I hope it all works out and that Social Security gives you no hassles.

Most importantly, I hope the eye problem goes off, and proves not to be a symptom of something else - it's dire enough by itself!

If you feel okay to get on with the current book, excellent!

[crawling-angel.livejournal.com]

Do they use it for horses too?

[crawling-angel.livejournal.com]

Good things are looking up...ack, wrong choice of words there. :/

This whole thing must have been so scary for you. *hugs* I hope they find out soon what's going on.

[spindriftdancer.livejournal.com]

/sends you flowers, so you can look at them and see twice as many, which is actually a good thing (:

That was very brave of your father to try and help you like that.

I hope you find out what the issue is, and can get it speedily (and easily) fixed.

[baritonejeff.livejournal.com]

Honey, I'm so glad that you're home and have a plan of attack to find out what this is all about.

I do, though, need to butt in here and clarify some misinformation, and hope very much that it is not too upsetting to hear. The test they gave you for diabetes, the A1C, listed your hemoglobin sugar level as 6.4. Doing some very rough calculations in my head, that means your average blood sugar for the last 6 - 12 weeks is rather substantially over "normal" (which is roughly 85 - 100). A "normal" reading for an A1C is 4 - 6, not 5 -7 (and 6 means a BS level that is higher than the normal listed in the previous sentence, and is looked at by most doctors as qualifying for being at the very least "borderline diabetic".)

Someone whose pancreas is functioning well, on a random finger stick at *any* time, will have a reading of 100 or less. Your 6.4 reading means that a random stick would probobly produce a reading of more like 180 - 220 (again very roughly calculated off the top of my head.)

I'm no doctor, but I've lived with diabetes a long time, and I stongly believe that you are, again at the very least, "borderline". Believe me, honey, you will want to get that under control, rather than start down the long road I have been traveling (neuropathy in my feet, repeated eye surgeries to keep from going blind, heart issues, dialysis.) Everything that they tell you that diabetes will do to you, it *does* do.

On a more positive note, diabetes *is* treatable, and starting now is the key to preventing those complications. Doing so will have a bunch of other health benefits for you, too.

I sincerely hope that I haven't freaked you out, but I couldn't just not say anything when you have been given misinformation that *will* seriously impact your life.

[gehayi.livejournal.com]

I hope that they find out quickly what's wrong; it's scary not knowing. And I'm glad that the occlusion is helping. Kudos to your dad for trying to help you.

I'm sorry about the rude orderly.

Good luck at Newmarket Races! I guess I lucked out when I had to have MRIs done; the one at UConn Health Center took up half of a gymnasium-sized room. I was told to keep my eyes shut while they did the MRIs, though.

I do disagree with the doctors about you having a normal brain, however. That's positively insulting.

[semioticwarrior.livejournal.com]

Goodness, what a scare. I'm glad your blood pressure is fine and there's no diabetes. Here's hoping it was just some sort of a glitch and the rest of the tests turn up normal. Whew!

[lee-rowan.livejournal.com]

That makes sense--jockeys get horrendous trauma (I've read Dick Francis too) and on-site diagnosis probably saves lives.

[lee-rowan.livejournal.com]

It's good that your brain is not AB normal (sorry, Mel Brooks humor.)

If you've got all the symptoms of diabetes... it would not hurt to get into a diabetic-friendly diet. BaritoneJeff makes some good points, and almost everyone would be better off eating to balance blood sugar.

That blood-pressure is textbook perfect, though.

Still keeping my fingers crosed!

Scary stuff, this...

[belluthien.livejournal.com]

So glad you're back home and things seem to be slowly improving. Please take good care of yourself!
And thank you for letting us know how it went and continues to progress.
y

::hugs::

[cassiopaya.livejournal.com]

Hopefully, you don' have a parasite in your eye!

::fingers-crossed::

[alex-beecroft.livejournal.com]

I'm glad to know that the eyes are carrying on getting better. I hope they're going to send you an ambulance to take you to Newmarket?

[erastes.livejournal.com]

That's exactly it. They can't fit me into the MRI machine so I have to go to Newmarket to use the ones they use for the horses. I dind't think i was being THAT obscure!!

[erastes.livejournal.com]

Thanks you!

[erastes.livejournal.com]

1. Yes. Horse sized. :)
2. Yes, no, and no - taxi. I'll ask about transport to the hospital, it's 15 quid each way otherwise.
3. Taking it one day at a time right now, phoning him daily - and he phones me if there's a problem. I've only been doing daily for 3 months after all - he's done 2 years plus before now.

me too, thanks!

[erastes.livejournal.com]

I don't know at the moment, to be honest. I will do something about it next week - been too shattered to even think about it this week. He's managing ok on his own (I've only been doing daily for 3 months after all - he's done 2 years plus before that)

And me too, but it is a big worry. Thanks, dear.