I (Eye) was incapacitated

I’m supposed to write about these 2 weeks ago but I was incapacitated, nursing from a surgery. It was 5th November, Monday morning, just after the Regatta. I was scheduled to undergo a mini operation at Gleneagles Hospital at 8.45 am. I arrived quite early, feeling apprehensive, tense and fretful. The nurse on duty said “take this, you need them for the operation.” And she gave me an assortment of pills – different sizes and colours. While lying on the operating table, they took my blood pressure and dosed me with local anesthetic. After a while, I felt drowsy and sleepy. I’m aware that they were doing some kind of incision to my eyes but I was too sedate to feel anything.

An hour later, I was brought into another room to rest. When I woke up, the first thing I did was to gaze at the mirror. I couldn’t believe what I saw. I looked like a zombie! My eyes were so bruised, bloodshot and swollen. It appeared I’ve been badly beaten and battered on the face. The hospital was kind enough to lend me a pair of sunglasses to go home. For the next 5 days, I was confined at home, cleaning the wounds, putting cold compress on my eyes to ease the swelling and keeping my head in an elevated position. No computer and TV for the initial 2 days coz my eyes couldn’t take the glare. It was agonizing and uncomfortable at times due to the itch and the swelling. 5 days seemed so long when you have nothing to do and can’t really do anything but rest. I was counting every minute, every hour, every meal, waiting for time to pass. On day 6, the condition improved slightly and I was ready to have my stitches removed.

It’s been 2 weeks now. The swelling has subsided considerably. The bruises been diminished. The scars almost indistinctive. I still have to return to the hospital for further check-ups. A full recovery takes about 2 to 3 months. Currently, I’ve to put on shades to protect the eyes from light and dust. But I have resumed normal activities – teaching classes, rowing and started gyming. Back in action – feels great!