The Most Difficult Decision You Ever Made,,Will Make or Made Already

pchrise

pchrise

Member
Location
West Coast
For me many decisions long gone , the one facing me now I cant see very well any
more option :

1. Surgery Risk lose site altogether
2. Surgery and die in the middle of it
3. Do nothing and let nature take its course and I lose all abilities to do things. already to that point now , seeing the print on the computer , driving almost over.

All I know met someone had some eye thing done , now cant drive his RV or travel the insult paid thousands for nothing

No such thing as minor anything at any age. I'm leaning a bit to just doing it and what ever happens oh well. I just do not know

Gordon Lightfoot Sundown
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iGu24kvWUPU
 

Dear pchrise, it sounds as if you have already made your mind up. If it were me, I would have the surgery.Good luck.
 

No have Not made my mind up just conflicted while going blind. Just wanted some thoughts. I'm scared I have CHF
 
pchrise said:
No have Not made my mind up just conflicted while going blind. Just wanted some thoughts. I'm scared I have CHF
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Pchrise, I recently went through about the same feelings that I imagine you are now going through, so I wll share with you what my experience was.
I am 69, have had CHF and A-fib for over 12 years (that was officially diagnosed) and my heart has continually been losing strength and ability over the years. They have been treating me with medication, but the last echocardiogram they did showed that my heart was only working at about 25%EF, or less, and they now thought that they should try an operation on my heart.

I had about the same fears as you, just relating to my heart, rather than my eyes. What if the operation actually made my heart worse, or just didn't help ? What if I died during the operation ? But if I didn't have it done, then my heart would just keep deteriorating until I just died from the CHF.

So, after a lot of worried deliberation, I decided that if I had even a slim chance the operation would make my heart better, I should take the chance, because otherwise the only option was to get worse.
I had the operation, and it was a success !
I am now not in A-fib for the first time in years. I can breathe again, and even walk more than I was able to before, so I think it also helping the CHF. The cardiologist said that it might help that also, since the heart was not under the stress of the A-fib anymore.
I can't tell you enough how happy I was to see my daughter's face after the operation-----that meant that I was still alive ! !

This is a decision only you can make Chrise, but it worked out well for me. The doctor's have been operating on cataracts for a lot of years, so I think that it would probably help you as well.

That being said; one of my relatives had cataracts, and she ate pumpkin seeds, and it cleared her eyes up with no operation being necessary. I was only a young girl at the time, but I remember how happy she was that she could see again and didn't have to have an eye operation.
 
Hubby had cataract surgery and a lens implant 10 years ago.. He had no problem.. and didn't find the surgery to be difficult to recover from. In fact, it is done with twilight sleep and not deep general anesthsia.. So the risk is VERY small. His sight is still fine.

I have cataracts but they are not near so severe that I need surgery.. When the time comes I will not hesitate. I have them checked once every year or so by my opthamologist.
 
Happy flower lady
So happy for you, I hope I do whats needed being sad does not help. Having someone that cares does. I wanted to go into hospice that how much I have given up. Looking into what I need to do. Thank you.
 
I have a very high PSA level indicating I had prostrate cancer. I had all sorts of tests and scans but at the last stage I dropped out of the treatment pathway and have not had any treatment. Prostate cancer treatments all carry huge risks of side affects which are worse than the problem itself and I decided, after much research, I was too young to take those risks. Will I regret it, I do not know? Ask me in 10 years. More men are adopting my attitude to leave things alone unless the cancer causes major problems. The likelihood is that I will die of something other than cancer before the prostate cancer gets a chance to kill me.
 
I had cataract surgery needed to get it straight in my head but it worked out okay.
Had a hard time figuring out how to put my cat down and that was hard.
The hardest decision is going to be the end. If I have a choice I aint laying in bed plugged into a machine. I dont want pain nor a long time waiting for the end, sedated. get it done, fast!
 
pchrise said:
Cataracts , if it seemed like I had made up my mine is because I do not care if I do no wake up some times
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I'm confused. Do you have CHF (congestive heart failure) or cataracts or both?

I have no experience with CHF but have had cataract surgery on each eye - at separate times, of course. I asked for and received lens for mono-vision. Surgeries were done several years ago and last checkup - about 6 months ago - shows I have 20/20 vision. I can read very fine print (newspaper and phone book) without glasses. I do needlepoint and stitch on 22 count canvas. Also without glasses. I'll be 84 yrs old next month.

I know that my surgery was unusually successful ... not everyone has such good results. Also, not everyone can adjust to mono-vision but even regular cataract surgery (which means wearing glasses following surgery) is performed very successfully these days. Deep sleep is not required and after-care is simple.

I thank God every day for my good fortune.

Having cataract surgery was a 'no-brainer' for me. Most difficult one will take some more thought.
 
pchrise said:
Cataracts , if it seemed like I had made up my mine is because I do not care if I do no wake up some times
Click to expand...

I'm confused. Do you have CHF (congestive heart failure) or cataracts or both?

I have no experience with CHF but have had cataract surgery on each eye - at separate times, of course. I asked for and received lens for mono-vision. Surgeries were done several years ago and last checkup - about 6 months ago - shows I have 20/20 vision. I can read very fine print (newspaper and phone book) without glasses. I do needlepoint and stitch on 22 count canvas. Also without glasses. I'll be 84 yrs old next month.

I know that my surgery was unusually successful ... not everyone has such good results. Also, not everyone can adjust to mono-vision but even regular cataract surgery (which means wearing glasses following surgery) is performed very successfully these days. Deep sleep is not required and after-care is simple.

I thank God every day for my good fortune.
 
patcaf said:
I have a very high PSA level indicating I had prostrate cancer. I had all sorts of tests and scans but at the last stage I dropped out of the treatment pathway and have not had any treatment. Prostate cancer treatments all carry huge risks of side affects which are worse than the problem itself and I decided, after much research, I was too young to take those risks. Will I regret it, I do not know? Ask me in 10 years. More men are adopting my attitude to leave things alone unless the cancer causes major problems. The likelihood is that I will die of something other than cancer before the prostate cancer gets a chance to kill me.[/QUOTE

As a Prostate Cancer Survivor of 25 years I think I qualify as very knowledgeable on this subject. First---A high PSA by it's self is no indication of Prostate Cancer.A multi core biopsy will determine if cancer is present and how aggressive. In my case the biopsy showed a very aggressive cancer. I considered all the different options carefully and went with complete removal of the Prostate (Radical Prostatectomy) at Stanford U.
Click to expand...
 
Cataract removal with a lens implant is about as common a surgery as there is. Nothing beats clear 20/20 vision. Not everyone will wind up with 20/20 but close beats a white cane with a red tip.

Sedation isn't always needed. My wife had both eyes done using laser cataract technique one at a time with no sedative. Watching the little suction tube pull the pieces from the surface of the eye was fascinating. Once hers were done I did mine. Same way same good results.

It is an odd feeling not reaching for reading glasses after so many years of doing that. Even better is driving at night with no blurring.
 
I had cataract surgery 3 times. The first time in 1976 they kept me in the hospital 2 nights. The last time in 1997, I went in in the morning and was home for lunch.
The process has advanced a lot over the years, I would not hesitate to get it done.

I have had 7 other surgeries over the years and I am still chugging along at age 83. My birthday suit looks like a quilt.
 
Another interesting older thread, I would say it would have to have been my daughter and the decision to go forward with jaw surgery when she was 16 it was agonizing surgery but ended very, very well. Another big decision but in the end turned out very well was our family relocation all the way across the United States for retirement thank goodness that also ended well.
 

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