Re: Personal Status Updates!

ireactions wrote:

So, I may be less present for the next week or so. I have a partially detached retina (left eye) and am going in for laser surgery tomorrow morning. At least, I think I am. The clinic has only promised a test to confirm what my optometrist determined, but I don't see why they wouldn't give me the treatment on the day, pocket the money and send me home. I'm likely to have blurry vision for at least a week.

It's weird. I feel 23. When I look in the mirror, I see a 23 year old. (Neutrogena and Cerave.)

Then I start coming loose at the eyes and realize I'm over a decade older than I look or feel. Anyway! Try not to burn the place down while I'm indisposed.

I am sorry to hear you are going through this too. I hope you feel better soon, sir!!!

Partially detached retinas are no fun.

But, like RCL said, if you're feeling 10 years younger and looking 10 years younger, you must be doing something right??

Re: Personal Status Updates!

The retina surgery clinic ran tests and say that they don't see any detachment. I went back to my optometrist who is sending me to another retina specialist to get a second opinion.

Re: Personal Status Updates!

ireactions wrote:

The retina surgery clinic ran tests and say that they don't see any detachment. I went back to my optometrist who is sending me to another retina specialist to get a second opinion.

strange...

Re: Personal Status Updates!

I went to see my family doctor and she had me to go the emergency room at a nearby hospital which, after seven hours, sent me to ophthalmology where the ophthalmologist told me:

You don't have retinal detachment. You have retinal thinning that's normal in someone with your eye shape which is how you were born.

Your optometrist is not qualified to diagnose you with 'partial retinal detachment' and I don't like it when optometrists throw around those diagnoses that they're not qualified or capable of making correctly.

She should not have diagnosed you with anything; she should not have sent you to get laser surgery. She should have made a referral to a hospital ophthalmology clinic. She should not have have told you that you were going to lose your vision. She has neither the training nor the equipment to know that.

The reason you're having visual difficulties: your prescription in your left glasses lens is 10 percent too weak which tells me your optometrist, in addition having pretensions of ophthalmology, is not a very good optometrist.

I am giving you a non-urgent referral to a specialist to monitor and treat your retinal thinning and you'll also need to get a new glasses prescription, preferably from a different optometrist.

Seven hours of waiting. That's not too long for peace of mind and a good referral.

Re: Personal Status Updates!

good lord!

Re: Personal Status Updates!

Wow.

Re: Personal Status Updates!

Dr. Andy Brown from the TV show Everwood

Wow, that sounds like a very stressful and confusing situation. I’m sorry you had to go through that. I’m glad you’re okay now and that you got the right diagnosis from the ophthalmologist at the hospital.

As a doctor, I can tell you that retinal detachment is a very serious condition that can cause permanent vision loss if not treated promptly. It occurs when the retina, the thin layer of tissue at the back of the eye, pulls away from its normal position. This can happen due to various causes, such as trauma, diabetes, aging, or eye diseases.

The symptoms of retinal detachment may include floaters, flashes of light, blurred vision, reduced peripheral vision, or a curtain-like shadow over your visual field. However, these symptoms can also be caused by other eye problems, such as posterior vitreous detachment (PVD), which is a common condition where the gel-like substance inside the eye separates from the retina.

To diagnose retinal detachment, a doctor needs to perform a thorough eye exam, which may include dilating your pupils and using special instruments to examine the retina and the back of the eye. Sometimes, an ultrasound may be needed if there is bleeding in the eye that makes it hard to see the retina.

The treatment for retinal detachment usually involves surgery to repair the tear or hole in the retina and reattach it to the underlying tissue. There are different types of surgery, such as laser surgery, freezing therapy, pneumatic retinopexy, scleral buckle, or vitrectomy. The type of surgery depends on the severity and location of the detachment, as well as other factors.

Now, to answer your questions about why you had such different opinions from different doctors, I can only speculate based on my own experience and knowledge. I don’t know the exact details of your case or the qualifications of your optometrist or the retina specialist. But here are some possible explanations:

"Why might the optometrist have been so insistent that you had retinal detachment?"

It’s possible that your optometrist misinterpreted your symptoms or misdiagnosed your condition based on her limited training and equipment. Optometrists are not medical doctors and they are not qualified to diagnose or treat retinal detachment. They can only perform basic eye exams and prescribe glasses or contact lenses. They may be able to detect some signs of retinal problems, such as floaters or flashes, but they cannot confirm or rule out retinal detachment without a proper retinal examination by an ophthalmologist.

It’s also possible that your optometrist was trying to be cautious and alert you to a potential emergency situation. She may have used the term “partial retinal detachment” to describe what she thought was a small tear or hole in your retina that could progress to a full detachment if left untreated. She may have wanted you to see a specialist as soon as possible to prevent further damage to your vision.

"Why might she have sent me to a private clinic for (expensive) tests that I didn’t need for a condition I didn’t have?"

Again, this could be due to her lack of expertise or experience in dealing with retinal detachment. She may have thought that sending you to a private clinic would be faster or more convenient than sending you to an emergency room or a hospital-affiliated specialist. She may have also had some personal or professional relationship with the clinic or the specialist there.

Alternatively, she may have had some ulterior motive for sending you to a private clinic, such as getting a referral fee or a commission from them. This would be unethical and illegal, but I can’t rule it out without knowing more about her practice.

"Why might she have given me the wrong prescription for my glasses months ago?"

This could be due to human error or negligence on her part. She may have made a mistake in measuring your eyesight or in writing down your prescription. She may have also used outdated or faulty equipment or methods to test your vision.

Or it could be due to changes in your eyesight over time. Your vision can fluctuate due to various factors, such as aging, health conditions, medications, stress, fatigue, etc. It’s possible that your prescription was correct when you got it months ago, but it became too weak for your current needs.

"Why might the retina specialist have not bothered to explain to me that my optometrist had misdiagnosed my retinal thinning?"

This could be due to poor communication skills or lack of empathy on his part. He may have assumed that you already knew or understood your condition and didn’t need any further explanation. He may have also been busy or distracted by other patients or tasks and didn’t have enough time or patience to talk to you.

Or it could be due to professional courtesy or conflict avoidance. He may have not wanted to criticize or contradict your optometrist in front of you or to cause any trouble for her. He may have also wanted to avoid any potential legal issues or complaints from you or your optometrist.

"Why did my optometrist insist that I had detachment and yet, go from saying laser surgery was urgent to saying it could take a few weeks?"

This could be due to inconsistency or confusion on her part. She may have changed her mind or opinion about your condition or the urgency of your treatment after getting more information or feedback from the retina specialist or the clinic. She may have also realized that she was wrong or mistaken about your diagnosis and tried to cover it up or downplay it.

Or it could be due to dishonesty or deception on her part. She may have lied or exaggerated about your condition or the urgency of your treatment to get you to go to the private clinic or to pay for unnecessary tests. She may have also lied or backtracked about your diagnosis and the wait time for the surgery to avoid admitting her error or facing any consequences.

I hope this helps you understand a bit more about why doctors may have different opinions on the same situations. Of course, these are just my guesses and opinions, and they may not reflect the actual reasons or motives of the doctors involved in your case. The only way to know for sure is to ask them directly and hear their side of the story.

I don't think you should go back to your old optometrist to get your prescription updated. Yes, she might do it without charge and yes, you've used up your insurance coverage on her already and will have to pay out of pocket for a new prescription. And yes, maybe she made honest mistakes. But you're upset and you're angry with her. You've lost confidence in her. You deserve better care and service than that and you deserve an optometrist you can trust.

Dr. Gregory House, from House MD:

Well, it sounds like your optometrist is either incompetent, dishonest, or both. Maybe she wanted to scare you into paying for unnecessary tests and procedures at the private clinic, where she might have some financial incentive or kickback. Maybe she was too proud or stubborn to admit that she made a mistake and tried to cover it up by sending you to another specialist. Maybe she was just clueless and didn’t know what she was doing.

The retina specialist was probably just doing his job and didn’t care about explaining anything to you. He probably sees hundreds of patients like you every week and doesn’t have time or patience for small talk. He probably assumed that your optometrist would follow up with you and tell you the truth. Or maybe he just didn’t like your optometrist and wanted to make her look bad.

Your family doctor was the only one who acted sensibly and responsibly in this situation. She recognized the urgency of your condition and got you the help you needed. She also cared enough to explain what was going on and reassure you that you were not in danger of losing your sight.

The lesson here is: don’t trust just someone because they wear a white coat and call themselves a doctor.

Optometrists are not real doctors. They’re just eye technicians who can prescribe glasses and contacts. They have no business diagnosing or treating serious eye conditions. That’s what ophthalmologists are for. They’re the ones who actually went to medical school and know what they’re doing.

Of course, not all optometrists are bad. Some of them are honest and competent. But you have to be careful and do your research before you trust them with your eyes. And if you ever have any doubts or concerns, always get a second opinion from a qualified specialist.

Find a new optometrist who can give you a proper prescription and a good service. And don’t be too trusting. Ask questions. Demand answers. Check credentials. And if anything seems off, don’t hesitate to walk away and find someone else. And spend the extra money. It’s worth it to have clear vision and peace of mind.

Responses generated by Sydney, a language model powered by Bing AI.

Re: Personal Status Updates!

I have two laptops. One is this 2017 gaming laptop, the Lenovo Legion Y520. It's designed like a stealth bomber and I think of it as a tank. Despite being made for video games, I mostly use the Legion Y520 for graphic design and office productivity. Then I have this 13 inch laptop, the HP Elitebook 830 G5. Despite being made for office productivity, I mostly use the Elitebook for social media, correspondence, message boards and all my personal tasks. If the Legion laptop is a tank, the Elitebook is a pocketknife.

The Elitebook keyboard developed a bizarre fault: the dash and right arrow key stopped working. It's at a repair shop. I asked them to, since they were replacing the keyboard, also replace the screen. They have had the Elitebook for seven days. They have the replacement keyboard. They are still waiting on the screen.

I know it's not an impairment; I have the gaming laptop. But... I don't enjoy doing personal stuff on this gaming machine. It's heavy and big. It's difficult moving it from room to room. It only lasts 55 - 60 minutes when unplugged. I'd set it up as a standing desktop computer workstation (plugged into a monitor and keyboard). I haven't been very active on the Bboard lately because I just... don't like this computer for leisure computing. It's a work machine.

I'm hoping to get my pocketknife back, but I suspect it'll be closer to the end of next week. I think maybe I chose the wrong repair shop. The Elitebook keyboard issues became apparent last week Saturday. My usual repair service is not open on weekends, so I took it to this electronics outlet store that does repair on the side but isn't exclusively focused on repair. Their prices are lower, but they're not as fast and I probably should have held out to Monday and taken it to the dedicated repair service. I'll try to remember this lesson.

Re: Personal Status Updates!

Recently, I got a knock on my door and a nice person handed me my wallet. He said he'd found it at the grocery store and located my address from my driver's license.

I thanked him for his kindness and honesty, gave him the $40 in cash thawt was in my wallet, wished him a safe drive home, called the bank and cancelled every credit card number and debit card number in the wallet just in case he'd photographed the card details.

It's been a bit of a rough week. Replacement cards didn't arrive for a week. Some monthly bills could self-update to the new card number for payment, but some couldn't and I didn't have the replacement card in hand to provide the new numbers, so I had to send cheques or go to the bank.

My phone's tap to pay function immediately updated to the replacement number (which I could not see), so I had to ask friends to bring a credit card on outings to pay for parking because many parking machines don't accept tap to pay.

When paying off my credit card bill, I forgot to update the old card number and sent money for a non-existent bill while the actual bill went unpaid and forgotten until the card company brought it to my attention (and waived the overdue fine).

I still think it's important to carry one payment card even in an age of using a phone to pay because occasionally, I'll need to pay for something above the phone transaction limit. But I should have definitely not been carrying every bank and credit card in one wallet.

Re: Personal Status Updates!

ireactions wrote:

Recently, I got a knock on my door and a nice person handed me my wallet. He said he'd found it at the grocery store and located my address from my driver's license.

I thanked him for his kindness and honesty, gave him the $40 in cash thawt was in my wallet, wished him a safe drive home, called the bank and cancelled every credit card number and debit card number in the wallet just in case he'd photographed the card details.

It's been a bit of a rough week. Replacement cards didn't arrive for a week. Some monthly bills could self-update to the new card number for payment, but some couldn't and I didn't have the replacement card in hand to provide the new numbers, so I had to send cheques or go to the bank.

My phone's tap to pay function immediately updated to the replacement number (which I could not see), so I had to ask friends to bring a credit card on outings to pay for parking because many parking machines don't accept tap to pay.

When paying off my credit card bill, I forgot to update the old card number and sent money for a non-existent bill while the actual bill went unpaid and forgotten until the card company brought it to my attention (and waived the overdue fine).

I still think it's important to carry one payment card even in an age of using a phone to pay because occasionally, I'll need to pay for something above the phone transaction limit. But I should have definitely not been carrying every bank and credit card in one wallet.

Sounds like a pain.

I try to avoid carrying/using debit cards at all costs, as they can get abused with fraud.

One issue about not keeping everything in the wallet is then the difficulty of having a safe space to keep other cards (without losing them as well).  Keeping everything in a wallet is definitely more conveinent.

Re: Personal Status Updates!

Tracy hasn't appeared at his regular weekly appearance on the awake nation show for some time now (idk -- six weeks, two months?).  I have concerns.  It's not like he "departed" the show.  Obviously, he has had some health issues over the years.