Hello. I am new to this forum and wondered if anyone had experience of the recovery process. I understand a gas bubble is injected into the eye and this has to be kept in place by “posturing” ie. keeping your head facing down. How on earth is this achieved. I tried lying on my front in bed and lasted less than 5 minutes.
Grateful for any advice.
I have had this surgery and although my consultant didn't agree that posturing was necessary I didn't know this beforehand so had got some equipment prepared to help me.
There is a company called Facedown Support Hire who will hire equipment to you such as a massage table which has a little cut-out for your face so that you can breathe! They also have a sleep support with a similar cut out, also one to use sitting at a table and even a chair. They were extremely helpful and although it isn't cheap I know it would have made a huge difference if I had needed it. They are quite expensive though so another thing you could try is a travel pillow for the neck. If you put that on the bed and lay with your face down on it that also gives you something to balance your cheeks and forehead on but has a hole in the middle so that you can breathe. I used one of these to lay face down at times because I wasn't convinced my consultant was right about not needing to posture. You can also buy massage tables online at a lower cost than hiring one.
I did also buy a strange looking item from Ebay which had a very large cut out piece but still supported your head, sorry but I can't remember what it was called or give a very good description of it but if you Google facedown support equipment you will be suprised how much helpful stuff comes up.
I would also recommend you make sure you have plenty to keep you occupied. I spent a lot of time listening to talking books and quiz shows on TV. You would also be able to read with a couple of the items from Facedown Support.
Good luck.
Thank you very much for your advice. I suppose one would ideally need day time sitting support and something for lying down/ sleeping. Must say Ive never felt like sleeping when I’ve been face down on a massage table though!Hope you had a successful recovery.
My sister (who was my roommate) had surgery to repair a severe retina tear. She had the gas bubble put into her eye with instructions to look down for hours each day. The gas bubble is required to press on the surgical area to keep the stitches in place while the eye heals. This is my understanding.
The required hours lessened as time went by, but I remember it being about 10 hours every day for two weeks, then 8 for two weeks, etc. (It's been a few years, so my memory is not perfect on dates and times.) She spent the days and evenings sitting looking at the floor. I got audio books on C.D. from the library and set up a "boom box" beside the sofa, and she listened to book after book. (It helps if you like to read, which she did.) Sometimes I would turn the t.v. on and she would listen to it. For sleeping, she just tried to sleep as close to "face down" as possible, no new pillow or any device. Her head probably was turned to the left or right during sleep, but this apparently did not impact her successful recovery.
Her doctor was a Retinal Specialist, who I see now for my wet Macular Degeneration shots. She's a brilliant doctor and surgeon, and I'm grateful to have her. My sister was nearly blind in the "bad" eye, and after the surgery and the healing time, she had nearly 20/20 in that eye, and could see colors once again.
I am in California, so I know seeing doctors and specialists is a different routine than for you in the U.K. I wish you the very best with your treatment.
Thanks for the insight whiskbroom. Not looking forward to the enforced inactivity as Im presently out most days dry stone walling and woodland conservation work. Just want to get on with it now - if our NHS will oblige.
In my humble opinion, it should be dealt with asap.... serious stuff. I hope the NHS comes through for you. Good luck with everything!
Hi Blinker and welcome to the forum. I have copied a link for the RNIB which gives so much info on surgery for a macular hole. If you click it, then click on their "Download our macular hole factsheet in word" box, there is lots of info. including posturing (which is near the bottom) on there. Good luck.
rnib.org.uk/eye-health/eye-...
Thank you springcross. The RNIB info is more positive than some I have found independently.Kind regards
Dear Blinker,
We have macular hole treatment buddies; individuals who have had a vitrectomy and are willing to talk to others who are due to have one:
macularsociety.org/support/...
Please contact us if you would like one of our buddies to give you a call.
The Macular Society Advice and Information Service is open 9am – 5pm Monday to Friday on 0300 3030 111.
Alternately, you can contact us via:
help@macularsociety.org
Kind regards,
Rosalyn
Thank you very much Rosalyn. Everyone had been very kind replying to my post.
Hello Blinker. I am wondering how your recovery is going. I had a Mac hole which was dealt with in July. Only ten minutes ago the gas bubble finally vanished. It ended up like an annoying fly I kept swatting. Apparently mine was full depth and they said it’s unlikely to work but yay! they now say it’s not full but near as damn it. The posturing apparently helped. I was fine in the day I walked around looking at the floor safely but found the sleeping a problem as was sweltering hot. Best wishes for good results.
Thanks Cittychatty. I’ve not had surgery yet - still going through the referral processes. Did you use special sleeping equipment to manage the face down posturing?
hi Blinker. I did buy something off Amazon thinking it would help but in the end I resorted to an ordinary travel horseshoe neck pillow. I lay sideways across bed with a big stool type thing for head on floor. cushions either side of head with neck pillow in centre so I could get air. sounds ridiculous like some sort of torture device. It was in July and unbearably hot so I ended up rolling over anyway. you sort of find a way that suits I think.Good luck and best wishes.
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