I think this one might win for longest delayed blog on my 30 Before 30! I am going to chalk it up to wanting to make sure it sticks before I blog it, haha :) So I have always wanted to get LASIK surgery, but I knew that I needed to wait until my vision was stabilized. I also knew that I wanted to use pre-tax dollars set aside to pay the several-thousand dollar cost. So before the end of 2012, I went in to an optometrist in Ann Arbor for a vision-check and found out that I qualified from a vision-stabilization standpoint. Then, I had to go to the actual Lasik place to make sure that my corneas were thick enough for laser-correction to fix my vision. I went in in December and went through a series of tests on fancy-looking machines. They dilated my eyes, puffed them with air, you name it. At the end of the day, I passed all the tests and was deemed a candidate for LASIK!
I put it off a little, but in early 2013, I finally called and scheduled my surgery for April 17, 2013. What's funny about that particular date is that it happens to be almost exactly a year before my due date with Eli (April 16, 2014). A couple of weeks before my surgery, I went in for a re-check to make sure that I was still a candidate. Then, I left to go visit my mom in Arizona for her 50th birthday. While we were there, we decided that it would be great if she could be at our house for the surgery to help me out. It also coincided nicely with our housewarming party on April 20th so we bought her a ticket (with miles!).
April 17th rolled around and my mom was in town. We headed to TLC LASIK at around 11am. I checked in and was asked to pay for the procedure. It was around $2,500. I first tried to use my credit card, but it was declined! I had never made a purchase that expensive and I think it caused me to hit my credit limit (oops!). Then, I tried to use my FSA money but since the charge was for more than my balance, that too was declined. My mom ended up having to run to Taylor's school and bring back his AMEX to pay with. Embarrassing! After I paid, I sat down and waited for them to be able to see me. The wait was quite long, so I planned to work right up until the procedure. First, they called me in to check my eyes to make sure everything was still in good shape for the procedure (no new stigmatisms, etc.). I passed the test and was sent out to wait some more.
They called me in for the procedure around 1pm. The doctor was new to me (to that point I had only seen technicians. He was really nice. In the room there was also a nurse to assist the doctor. First they walked me through what to expect, then they got started. First, they propped each eye open separately. I was wide awake for the whole procedure, but did not feel any pain, just pressure. Each eye lasted just a minute or two. After the procedure was done, they covered my eyes and lead me to another room while they confirmed (via their machines, I suppose) that everything had gone well. Then, they led me out to the waiting room where my mom was waiting and we headed out to the car. I was able to open my eyes just a slit to see that my vision was perfect! I was in no pain or anything, but I kept my eyes closed like they told me to :)
Straight from the office, we headed to Starbucks where my mom went in and got me an iced coffee. Then, we went to Home Depot to pick up the cover for our new grill. It was when we were in the parking lot at Home Depot (my eyes were closed and I wasn't "cheating" anymore) that my eyes started to feel VERY scratchy, itchy, and watery. It was like a light switch switched and all of a sudden I was miserable. After Home Depot, we headed home. Our friend Randy came by shortly after we got home to drop off the grill (he had picked it up for us). It was funny because I was still not able to open my eyes, so I had to thank him with my eyes closed!
I went in to our bedroom, shut the shades, and laid there with my eyes closed for several hours. Slowly, the burning and itching started to wear off. By late evening, I was feeling well enough to open my eyes a little bit. The doctor said to limit my "open" time to an hour or so, which I did, but I have to say, it was AMAZING to be able to see so well! I went to bed and when I woke up, I honestly did not even feel like I had had a procedure at all. Besides the fact that I had to do these milky-white sticky drops twice a day for a few days and then sensitive eyes drops for a month, I couldn't even tell anything had happened. I had to go back to the eye doctor for checkups at 1 day, 1 week, 1 month, 3 months, 6 months, and one year, and each time, everything has looked great. I go weeks without even thinking about my vision because it is perfect now and I never have to put in contacts or put on glasses. It's one of the best things I have ever done, and I'm so glad I did it!
April 17th rolled around and my mom was in town. We headed to TLC LASIK at around 11am. I checked in and was asked to pay for the procedure. It was around $2,500. I first tried to use my credit card, but it was declined! I had never made a purchase that expensive and I think it caused me to hit my credit limit (oops!). Then, I tried to use my FSA money but since the charge was for more than my balance, that too was declined. My mom ended up having to run to Taylor's school and bring back his AMEX to pay with. Embarrassing! After I paid, I sat down and waited for them to be able to see me. The wait was quite long, so I planned to work right up until the procedure. First, they called me in to check my eyes to make sure everything was still in good shape for the procedure (no new stigmatisms, etc.). I passed the test and was sent out to wait some more.
They called me in for the procedure around 1pm. The doctor was new to me (to that point I had only seen technicians. He was really nice. In the room there was also a nurse to assist the doctor. First they walked me through what to expect, then they got started. First, they propped each eye open separately. I was wide awake for the whole procedure, but did not feel any pain, just pressure. Each eye lasted just a minute or two. After the procedure was done, they covered my eyes and lead me to another room while they confirmed (via their machines, I suppose) that everything had gone well. Then, they led me out to the waiting room where my mom was waiting and we headed out to the car. I was able to open my eyes just a slit to see that my vision was perfect! I was in no pain or anything, but I kept my eyes closed like they told me to :)
Straight from the office, we headed to Starbucks where my mom went in and got me an iced coffee. Then, we went to Home Depot to pick up the cover for our new grill. It was when we were in the parking lot at Home Depot (my eyes were closed and I wasn't "cheating" anymore) that my eyes started to feel VERY scratchy, itchy, and watery. It was like a light switch switched and all of a sudden I was miserable. After Home Depot, we headed home. Our friend Randy came by shortly after we got home to drop off the grill (he had picked it up for us). It was funny because I was still not able to open my eyes, so I had to thank him with my eyes closed!
I went in to our bedroom, shut the shades, and laid there with my eyes closed for several hours. Slowly, the burning and itching started to wear off. By late evening, I was feeling well enough to open my eyes a little bit. The doctor said to limit my "open" time to an hour or so, which I did, but I have to say, it was AMAZING to be able to see so well! I went to bed and when I woke up, I honestly did not even feel like I had had a procedure at all. Besides the fact that I had to do these milky-white sticky drops twice a day for a few days and then sensitive eyes drops for a month, I couldn't even tell anything had happened. I had to go back to the eye doctor for checkups at 1 day, 1 week, 1 month, 3 months, 6 months, and one year, and each time, everything has looked great. I go weeks without even thinking about my vision because it is perfect now and I never have to put in contacts or put on glasses. It's one of the best things I have ever done, and I'm so glad I did it!
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