News Postings is our version of a BLOG and will address topics under multiple categories including: Reflections, News, Events, Christopherisms and others we may add in the future. These categories are intended to give you a glimpse into our life as we deal with the diagnosis of ALS. We invite you to click on comments and give your feedback which will appear on the site. The comments you make may spark further discussion and are greatly encouraged. If you don't want your comment public, just send us an email instead. Thank you for being here!
Jennifer and I were pleasantly surprised, once again, by the willingness of KUSA-TV 9News reporter, Dr. Steph Clements to cover my surgery as an ALS human interest story. It is amazing how things work out. A friend of ours that we met when we were on the Parade Magazine cover in 2003, Jacque Montgomery, is the Media Relations Coordinator for Kaiser Permanente. We recently had breakfast with her and mentioned the LASIK surgery and how it came about. She mentioned that Dr. Clements was looking to do an ALS story and this might fit in. She pitched it and Dr. Clements commented that she couldn’t imagine the 9News directors not going for it.
At about 1:15pm on Friday, September 3, 2005 I checked in for my surgery, accompanied by Jennifer and Christopher. Our boy had the day off from school anyway and thought it might be cool to see Dad’s eye surgery. I was given a sticker that included my name, type of LASIK procedure and the code signifying both eyes were to be done. Shortly thereafter, Dr. Clements and her Photo Journalist, Dave Delozier joined us as well as Dr. Jimmy Jackson, my Ophthalmologist, Dr. Hans Kell and his wonderful wife, Dr. Jennifer Tasca-Kell. Introductions were made and a microphone was placed on my shirt. Dr. Clements mentioned that she really didn’t want to disrupt anything so the pre-op process began.
At Insight LASIK they are extremely kind, comforting and thorough. Dave Delozier started filming. I was asked to sit in a waiting area where I was given a sanitary cap and booties, administered dilating drops and consulted on the LASIK procedure, by Dr. Jimmy Jackson. He even put a sticky star on my head as a redundancy, signifying what type of surgery and that both eyes were to be done. There was not one detail missed as he explained what I would see, hear, feel and smell during the operation. I thought they must be going a little overboard with the explanations since the TV crew was there, but I couldn’t have been more wrong. While waiting for my eyes to dilate, Dr. Clements asked questions about what this surgery would mean to me, how I was feeling, etc. She was very outgoing, friendly and easy to talk to.
Dr. Keith Miller escorted me to an exam room where he placed dots on my eyes for surgery purposes and looked in both eyes for anything they might have missed. He then guided me to room I had been to the Wednesday prior for my initial exam and he mapped the shape of my cornea. I was getting a procedure they call CustomCornea, where they take into account any irregularities of the cornea and throw that in with the programming of my prescription.
I then went into an exam room, one last time to visit with the surgeon, Dr. Jim Montgomery. The standard instruments were used to look into my eyes to make sure everything was in order. He calmly asked if I had any further questions, which I did not, and we proceeded to the operating room.
I lay on the table and was asked if I wanted a blanket. I had also been handed a small squish ball to squeeze during anxious moments. I was really not nervous at all and couldn’t wait to get started! The LADARVision machine hung overhead where I watched a red blinking dot. I had also seen this before with my initial exam.
Dr. Montgomery taped my eyelids open on my right eye and then inserted an instrument to widen it further. This was probably the most uncomfortable part. The computer spoke my name other pertinent information unique to me to make sure they were doing the right procedure on the correct person. Just another redundancy that is in place that makes you feel comfortable. The laser that is used also tracks the eye at about 4000 times per minute to anticipate any possible movement of the eye.
He then placed a vacuum over my cornea to pick up any possible contaminants. My vision went dark, as previously explained as I saw and felt something placed on my eye and glide over. I realized this was the creation of the flap. In a haze I saw the flap being pulled over. Did I mention they had applied numbing drops to my eyes? Anyway, the laser then went into action and the computer stated the percentage of completion and time remaining for actually etching in the prescription. The odor of burnt hair permeated my nostrils as Dr. Jackson had foretold, which was the release of gases when the laser made contact with the cornea. My eye was irrigated and then I could see the flap being replaced and smoothed until seamless. The great thing was being able to focus on this red blinking light the whole time. I figured if I could see the blinking light, everything was going as planned! The instrument holding my eyes wide open was removed as was the tape holding my eye lids. Everything was repeated exactly for the left eye.
I have to tell you, I really enjoyed experiencing the surgery because of the great job Dr. Jackson did of setting my expectations. There were no surprises and I remained perfectly calm. It was fascinating to know exactly what they were doing, when and why. It allowed me to concentrate on all the sensations during the procedure without worry.
After the left eye was complete I was guided to the other side of the waiting area to lay back with my eyes closed and just recover for about thirty minutes. During this time there were 2 or 3 other people waiting to go into surgery and getting the exact same explanation of events to come that I had received. It was then I realized there was no ‘show’ for the TV crew when I was getting my pre-op consultation. These guys are really have their checks and balances for safety purposes and want to set your expectations appropriately so there are no surprises. I was out the door before 3:30pm. They are just fantastic!
Post-op continued with a three sets of drops with directions to take home. I also received a pair of goggles so if I got the urge to rub my eyes, I would hit the goggles as a reminder not to. I was not really supposed to open my eyes for about 4 hours. On the way home, about a twenty minute drive, there was a bit of a burning sensation, but keeping my eyes closed helped. I proceeded straight to bed for about a 4 hour nap. I awoke with my eyes feeling just great and my vision just a touch blurry on the edges.
My post-op appointment with Dr. Kell, my Ophthalmologist, was scheduled for 9:15 the next morning. After looking at my eyes with the appropriate equipment, he determined the surgery aspect was “pristine.” Then on to the eye chart…drum roll please…20-15 vision after just 18 hours!!! I am absolutely thrilled with the results. I just glanced at my computer time when I wrote that last sentence and it is 4:44 (Search under 40th birthday for relevance.) I was praying for better than 20-20 results. As of today, I am on the last day of post-op drops and will continue with wetting drops only as necessary.
As for 9News airing the story, Dr. Clements was scheduled to be at our house on Labor Day, for a follow up on the results. However, she was reassigned to cover the Hurricane Katrina victim relocation to Lowry Air Base. I certainly don’t think we can complain about that. They definitely will be airing the LASIK story with the follow up, but probably not until October. Be certain that we will let everyone know as soon as we do when that will be happening.
At this point, I just need to recognize some very special people and hope you might patronize them. I don’t think they get any better. First and foremost, thank you Dr. Hans Kell from Front Range Eye Health Clinic for just thinking to ask if it could be done and all the pre and post-op work. Next, thank you to Dr’s Jim Montgomery, Jimmy Jackson and Keith Miller at InsightLASIK for opening your incredible facility to us in such a generous manner. Your staff are fantastic and you all are a tightly run ship. Thank you to my Jennifer and Dr. Jennifer Tasca-Kell for having the initial conversation about putting contacts in for me and giving Dr. Kell the idea. Finally, thank you to Dr. Steph Clement and our friend Jacque Montgomery for making this story public.
Dr. Clement said we are due for some good news and this is certainly one of those stories. This surgery can help an incredible amount of people with ALS, Parkinson’s, Arthritis, etc. It was painless and with these top notch doctors working on me, absolutely worry-free. If your contacts or glasses are hindering your quality of life do not be afraid to pursue this treatment. I caught myself last night thinking I should get up and take my contacts out and didn’t have to. I also found myself looking for my glasses this morning realizing they were not needed. Yesterday morning, while still in bed, I saw Christopher washing his hands in our bathroom. I just enjoyed watching him as he tends to get distracted and was looking at all the things by my sink. I couldn’t see that stuff clearly before. I will absolutely not miss the contact rituals I explained in my previous posting about this surgery. Maybe I will have more endurance to type and get more articles out. Yikes, is that good or bad?!!
