I agree, that is very rude.  Last time I saw a GP he did use his PC but also swivelled his chair to talk to me directly in between.  It is just good manners really.

 

 

Just to say that it isn't that I haven't bothered to post an update on my mum's eye appointment.  She missed the last one because of her ongoing problems and has just had to cancel today's.  She unfortunately has ongoing IBS-type symptoms (very bad for the last couple of years, progressively getting worse) and it makes it very difficult to keep appointments.  She is at long last seeing a gastro-enterologist but I think he is barking up the wrong tree in deciding her migraines have returned and are causing the sickness/bowel problems.  So tablets are prescribed and then we have to wait weeks and weeks between appointments so it just goes on and on.  Any person of working age could not continue a normal life or go to work in this state and for this length of time, so I am wondering whether treatment is less hurried because of my mum's age.  If not, I guess that a working age person would just have to go on disability benefit or long term sickness from work.  I know the situation is depressing for her and my dad, but I also want to scream ...

Managed to get my mother to the hospital for her follow-up and it was fine.  I asked about the other eye and the consultant said that the second eye takes longer, as does a second  hip replacement, etc, because of government waiting list targets and because it is thought that it is better to one one good eye or hip etc first.  Anyway as her second eye is quite bad it will be 3-6 months, according to the consultant.  I thought this was quite reasonable. When my father had phoned the clinic a while before he was told 12-18 months and that they don't bother unless the patient is in danger of losing sight or in pain.

 

Hi Kaz

   Amazing.  What you and your mother were told is completely the opposite to my husband's experience and what he was told.

   When he had the first eye done on 2nd April he was warned that he might find it 'intolerable' because there would be so much difference between sight in the two eyes and in that case, they would do the second one quicker - it would be 3 months normally.  When he went for the review on 20th April after the first one he said yes, it was intolerable.  The second was done just 7 weeks later on 14th May. At no stage did anyone talk about 'one good eye being acceptable' or that they 'don't bother'.

   However, it's good that your Mum was able to go for the review appointment eventually! They're talking 3-6 months, but don't they take into account the length of time that has already elapsed since the first eye was done?

   Best wishes,  Margaret 

Hello, As a new arrival on this website I could not believe my luck that you had been discussing the very subject I am involved in and puzzled on different opinions on cataract surgery, Like Margareht with the choose and book scheme I had my first appointment at my chosen clinic and then told the surgery would be done at the main hospital,the one I did not chose,Querying this with my G P and was told yes,1st visit is at your choice but they do not carry out the proceedure there only at the main city hospital. Checkin my list of choices I found They all did the proceedure.I complained but each medical addviser I spoke to asured me of the good treatment,at this hospital, But it isn't the surgery I am concerned about,The consultant having explained the main risk was infection I already have cellulitis in my leg,the second time in 6 months and was aware then it can take a long time to clear up  I also have an infection in the eyelid on the eye to be done first, although the consultant said it was inflammation of the lid and yet I have to bath the sticky matter befor I can open the eye ?.My concern is getting further infection after the cataract proceedure.  I have now received the date for the operation, in 2 weeks time.  I can only hope I am worrying for nothing and the infections are no reasons for delaying the cataract surgery I need. Any words of comfort and wisdom will be very welcome.

Beth.

 

Hello Beth

   Again, from my husband's experience, what he was told is that any infection in or near the eye is extremely dangerous, therefore the opthalmologist would insist that the infection is cleared up before surgery is attempted.

    I'm not going to the private hospital where I had the appointment, but not for the reason you describe.  I chose not to.  I didn't like the way the consultant patronised me.

    Our local hospital has improved a lot over the last few years.  Opthalmology has been completely rebuilt and they do treat patients like human beings, which was different from what I found at the private hospital.  A&E has recently had a major update, extension, re-equipping and redecoration.  I had to go there last week - fell over and have a fractured pelvis - and I was well impressed with the way I was treated: prompt, efficient, courteous.  And NO age-discrimination at all! 

   Margaret

Crikey - 7 weeks - that seems good.  Well my mother now has an appointment for a pre-assessment in July, so things are looking quite good.  This time I will ignore the rude nurse (or whatever rank she was) who sat and stared at us in silence for ages.  Then later when she was probing my mum's eye with an instrument huffed and stood up straight with her arms folded - my mum said 'oh, have you finished' and she replied, no, she couldn't do it if my mum kept closing her eyes.  So I got up and stood in front of my mum with my hand up, so she had something to focus on.

I am sorry to hear about your fall and wish you a very quick recovery.

Kaz

This is just an update.  I went to the opthalmology dept of the local hospital earlier this week.  Just a couple of points:
    I found it much more thorough (and time-consuming!) than the appointment I'd been to at the private hospital, and that was mainly because it involved seeing different people and waiting in between.
   I saw a nurse at first who asked me 'Do you know why you're here?' I was a bit gobsmacked at that, and I said 'Well, I darned well hope so!'  She explained that the majority of people who get referred from their optician to opthalmology have no clue why they're there.  They say things like 'I only went to the optician's to get my glasses changed and then I got an appointment letter through the post'.
   I found this a bit hard to believe, but she was so convinced of it.   Apparently some opticians refuse to tell patients that they have a cataract and need to be seen.  I said 'I would insist on knowing - what am I paying for?'  But then, I've discovered before, I am a lot more assertive and decisive than many women of my age.  I'm a bit like Churchill said 'up with this I will not put'.
   Anyway, next thing was to see the consultant.  And if he wasn't the same patronising b*stard I saw at the private hospital then he's twin brother to one.  'Cataract surgery is serious, there are risks, IT'S NOT JUST FOR A WHIM!'
    This got my dander up.  I retorted that it's far from being 'a whim', it affects me in all sorts of ways, driving, reading (I've always been a big reader), computer, all sorts of things.  I mentioned figure work, the maths exams etc.  Oh, then, we got into the ageist discrimination.  'How old are you?' '71'. 'Why are you doing maths?' 'Have you not seen the ads on TV where the little gremlins pop up and say "oh, you can't do that, you're no good at it...." ' 'So you're doing it just to prove that you can'.  I thought of my daughter and her Ancient Greek studies for her classics degree, I thought of all the people who climb mountains and say 'just because it's there'.  And I said 'Is there a better reason for doing it (to prove that I can)?' He laughed then and said 'No'.  He's put me on to the waiting list.
   Next stage: see another nurse.  And this is where you get measurements taken for the replacement lens - it has to be exact.  It was explained to me to keep very still, blink if you must but don't keep saying 'sorry' (apparently some people do), don't talk, just keep as still as you can because the measurement must be accurate.
   So that was all done.  I MAY possibly not be as lucky as my husband, who now needs no glasses at all except for reading (and plain sun-glasses for driving because he's more light sensitive than he used to be).  The second nurse said my glasses are stronger than she's ever seen, 'you really are blind as a bat aren't you!' It may not be possible to get rid of glasses altogether.  She said these glasses are heavy, I said 'half the weight they would be, they're a special prescription, cost a fortune'.  It would be lovely not to need glasses at all, but it may not happen.  Even if I need them for driving only, I won't complain.
   All this made me think - if I hadn't argued with the consultant when he talked about it being a 'whim', and what the first nurse said.  I might have said 'Oh, do you think so, well, if that's what you advise, I'll wait another year or two' (the cataracts are 'early') The point is, I don't WANT to keep on waiting and becoming more and more blind!  Everything I normally do requires sight, and I'm not prepared to wait.
   So, probably about October.
   Margaret

Just another update - my left eye is going to have the cataract surgery on Tuesday 18th September.  That's just 2 months since I went to ophthalmology clinic and was put on the waiting-list.
   We're away that weekend (Saturday/Sunday 15th/16th, back on the Monday).  I'm dragging my husband to a political conference, although he says he hates all politicians!  It's the annual conference of the English Democrats Party of which I'm a member.  Saturday evening we're going to the Conference Dinner at Leicester City Football Club. 
   We just came back from a wonderful weekend away in Wensleydale, riding the steam train on the Wensleydale Railway!  Next time, I'll be able to see the colours more brightly and the scenery more clearly. I think it's marvellous that these things are possible now, and available to us.
   Oh, and I got a 'D' for GCSE Maths.  Not brilliant, but a lot better than anyone would have thought, those who knew me years ago and said 'oh, she can't do sums...'
   Has your Mum's other eye been sorted out yet?
   Best wishes

When I was a young man of 45,60 now, I had to defend my Father-in-law from the abuses from a hospital in Aberystwyth, he had a problem with his leg, when he got into hospital it went a worse, they kept him drugged up, as he was in agony, he was seeing things, in the end I made an appointment to see the surgeon, he came in all arogant, and said his time was up and it was a waste of time and money to take his leg off. I told him if my Father-in-law was an animal he would be charged with cruelty, he said so you want his leg off, he took it off that afternoon, and he is still alive 14 years on.

Hi Kaz
   I wondered what is happening about your mother, her eyes and her other problems.
   I'm having the first cataract done this afternoon.  I'm actually hoping for the same kind of results that my husband has had.  For the first time in 60 years he doesn't need glasses, has 20/20 vision, but obviously there is still the adjustment from distance to close that gets more difficult as you get older, so he does need reading glasses but only the weakest prescription. 
   I've bought some non-prescription optically-correct sun-glasses because I was warned about the glare after surgery.  Paid for them at the local optician's, £32, claimed it back from HSA, no problem.  Today's day surgery counts the same as a night in hospital so I'll claim from HSA for that.  It all helps!
   Best wishes

Hi MargaretClare

Sorry for the delay in replying.  This is Kaz with a new name as I forgot my password and my email address didn't work for some reason so I had to register all over again.

I hope your cataract op went well and you are now recovering.  My mum had her first eye done and has new glasses now - she is now waiting for her second eye.  Kept missing appointments because of her stomach probs but the next appt will be for the surgery.

As for her stomach problem.  We missed several consultancy appointments because she was unwell, but finally managed to get there recently.  A member of the original consultant's team explained the findings of the last hospital stay extremely well and we then realised that the hospital should have continued investigations and not discharged her (now a year ago).  She is now awaiting a date for a further hospital stay and another colonoscopy.  It is a shame because if she needs surgery it could perhaps have been done a year ago if the hospital surgeons had completed their investigations properly.  Anyway, it looks like diverticulitis or a complication of it.

Well done on passing your maths exam!  A few years back I decided to do the same exam and attended eve classes.  I found them very easy and wondered why I struggled at school.  So ... I thought I'd enter for the HIGHER GCSE but hadn't really done the work for it.  How humiliating - I went to the exam and didn't know how to do it, so didn't even bother to attempt it!   Needless to say I told most people that I just hadn't bothered to sit the exam.

A last note on eyes.  I have always been short sighted (lop sided - one eye bad, one almost normal) but am now finding I need reading glasses for close up work.  Very annoying as I now need four pairs (indoors, sunglasses for driving, indoor reading glasses, sunglass reading glasses for reading on the beach!). 

Hello Kazzie, welcome back
   I had cataract surgery on my left eye a week ago, Tuesday last week, and I'm very pleased.  There's a lot of waiting about first - everyone attends at the same time for either morning or afternoon session, you get eye drops in, a lot of hanging about in the little day-room and I was really pleased I had my iPod with me because what else would you do all that time?  In fact the actual surgery took 15 minutes and that was it.  I had to sit for another half-hour afterwards and then I was home.
   I sympathise with your Mum.  In fact my tummy always plays up when I'm stressed and I ended up running to the loo several times.  I did the same in the middle of the first maths exam!!! 
   Warned by my husband's experiences, I bought a pair of sun-glasses and took them with me, because I found the light was very bright following surgery.  The day after, I woke up seeing the pattern on the bedroom curtains for the first time ever - without glasses! I couldn't see to use the computer though, so we went to Asda and I bought a pair of reading-glasses, the weakest strength, the surgeon warned me I'd need reading glasses afterwards, but he said 'wait till the second eye has been done and settled down' - I couldn't wait that long. I'm hoping the second eye will be done in the not-too-distant future.
   Now I've just been to the orthopaedic clinic to see the consultant who did my revision of hip replacement 18 months ago, just to check that there is no damage from my recent fall and fracture of pelvis.  And there isn't, there's no loosening of the prosthesis, everything's fine.  Great.  Nothing to worry about in that direction.
   Best wishes to you and your Mum.

Glad to hear everything is going well for you and you are recovering from both your eye and your nasty fall.  I must say I was a bit worried when I read about your fall as I had never thought about how a fall would affect someone with hip replacements.  My dad has both replaced and walks with a limp and a stick (he is very overweight though and doesn't really help himself in that respect). 

When my mum had her cataract surgery she was terrified at the thought of it and so was given a tamazepam (spelling?) early in the morning.  She had trouble staying awake for the op itself!  She has no worries about having the second one done, anyway, so one less thing to worry about!

Hi Kazzie

Nothing happened to the hip replacement in the fall - the impact just travels along to the next weakest spot, which was the pubic rami.  There was a bit of concern that the prosthesis might have been loosened, but it wasn't. 

It's extremely difficult to lose weight, the older you get.  This is because (a) your metabolism slows with passing years and (b) you lose muscle from age 30 onwards, and it's muscle that burns up fat.  However, here's a useful site that I've found: www.weightlossresources.co.uk

However, having said that, it depends how you eat etc.  It's possible to eat very well within calorie limits, and even if you don't lose, you avoid piling it on.  Anyone who is more or less sedentary, walking with a stick etc, should REALLY watch what he eats, to avoid putting more on.  It all puts strain on the joints and the replaced hips.

My orthopaedic consultant was quite impressed this morning, when he saw that I don't use any form of a walking aid and I told him we'd walked a couple of miles at the weekend to see the avocets.  I must walk more, even if it's only round the block.

Best wishes