craig1410
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 posted on 13/7/09 at 11:32 PM |
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Ingenuity required...
Hi,
A good friend of mine is about to have eye surgery for a "Macular Hole" and although the operation is quite straightforward, the recovery
involves lying face down for 50 minute in every hour for 4-6 weeks!! 
I know that the Locostbuilders forum is frequented by people from all walks of life and those people have more than their fair share of ingenuity so I
thought I'd ask a question on my friends behalf.
Have any of you had to endure this sort of "face down for 4-6 weeks" recovery for eye or back/neck/other reasons and if so, how did you
remain comfortable and indeed sane?? His operation is in 2 weeks and he is trying to research suitable beds, massage tables, head restraints etc which
might help. If any of you have experience of this or have any ideas then please let me know and I will pass it on. He is a keen computer user and is
hoping to be able to use a laptop to keep in contact with the world but this needs something like a massage table to support his face down posture. He
also needs to be able to stay face down when sleeping which may require some form of restraint to avoid rolling over.
In case you are wondering, a macular hole is a hole in the back of the eye which can be fixed by injecting a bubble of gas into the back of the eye
and using it to hold the edges of the hole in place while they heal. Unfortunately, due to gravity only acting perpendicular to the earths surface the
patient must lie face down during the 4-6 week healing time. 10 minutes in every hour is permitted for toilet/eating and any other essential
activities but the patient must keep chin on chest during these times.
Any help would be much appreciated as this is currently a daunting and imminent situation for my friend.
Many thanks (from both of us) in advance,
Craig.
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blakep82
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| posted on 13/7/09 at 11:36 PM |
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jesus that sounds terrible  as soon as i read the first bit, i thought of a massage table. he could even put the laptop under it, and a usb
keyboard up near his side for typing.
as for sleeping, will the nhs give him one of those head restraints they use with spinal boards? i guess they won't give him one... but they
might know how he can get hold of one.
wish him all the best, it sounds like a terrible thing to endure
________________________
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cloudy
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| posted on 13/7/09 at 11:39 PM |
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You need to build him a centrifuge in the garden - would be fairly trivial to attain 1g in the correct axis - depending on how big you made it he
could live a fairly normal life! 
www.warnercars.com
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Steve Hignett
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| posted on 13/7/09 at 11:41 PM |
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I have never had to lie face down for that period of time, or even heard of that sort of healing regime before, so my good wishes/thoughts go out to
your friend.
The thing that initially sprung to mind would be to adapt a couple of bed type appliances to enable as varied amount of life as possible.
For eg - An exercise bench so that he will be able to do some exercises while he is in that position so the onset of muscular dystrophy isn't
severe.
A series of pulleys suspended a steel framed bed so that even though he will be on his face, a slight angle to enable a tiny bit of a different view
may be a benefit. But also if he could raise himself up and down he may feel a little more self sufficient. He may also be able to raise himself up so
as to enable to remain face down but also see visitors semi beneath him.
Obv the above are just random suggestions...
ATB
Steve
[Edited on 13/7/09 by Steve Hignett]
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bigrich
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| posted on 14/7/09 at 12:32 AM |
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Chris,mac1ZR has just gone through this for a detatched retina, gas filled eye to hold the retina in place and about 8 weeks looking at the floor, not
very plesent and a right pain in the neck by all accounts. but his eye has recovered well and he is now back driving etc
.JPG)
A pint for the gent and a white wine/fruit based drink for the lady. Those are the rules
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MakeEverything
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| posted on 14/7/09 at 06:11 AM |
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quote:
Originally posted by bigrich
a right pain in the neck
How big are his eyes????
Kindest Regards,
Richard.
...You can make it foolProof, but youll never make it Idiot Proof!...
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Dangle_kt
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| posted on 14/7/09 at 06:43 AM |
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a family freind had the same operation. No wonder cure except lots of support from his wife.
he is fine now btw, so worth the bordom - but I dont envy him!
just thought of a massage bed with a telle lying on the floor?
[Edited on 14/7/09 by Dangle_kt]
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smart51
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| posted on 14/7/09 at 07:09 AM |
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A chiropractic table (with a hole for your face) with a shelf below it for a magazine or a portable DVD player. Make sure the face rest is slightly
lower than the table to relieve pressure on their neck. Remember that your face sticks out farther than your chest.
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Mr Whippy
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| posted on 14/7/09 at 07:21 AM |
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I'd be worried about bed sores after such a long time and mussel wastage. When he's not lying down I'd expect him to be exercising
like crazy. Poor guy
I think I'd want to be laying on something super soft, like a sheepskin rug or some hot women with huge breasts...oh minds
wandering..................................
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02GF74
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| posted on 14/7/09 at 08:59 AM |
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quote:
Originally posted by Mr Whippy
I'd be worried about bed sores after such a long time and mussel wastage. When he's not lying down I'd expect him to be exercising
like crazy. Poor guy
yeah, I hate shelfish too.
regarding muscle wastage, one of those electrical stimulation things you get in argos, strapped to varisou parts of anatomy or just do lots of
press-ups!!
a walkman and a tv or laptop on the floor.
should be failry easy to make a table to lie on - piece of plywood board with hole cut out for face - then some padding to make it more comfy to lie
on.
sounds a night mare but 4 weeks will soon pass.
wish him well.
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Mr Whippy
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| posted on 14/7/09 at 09:05 AM |
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quote:
Originally posted by 02GF74
quote:
Originally posted by Mr Whippy
I'd be worried about bed sores after such a long time and mussel wastage. When he's not lying down I'd expect him to be exercising
like crazy. Poor guy
yeah, I hate shelfish too.
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SteveWalker
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| posted on 14/7/09 at 09:33 AM |
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My father had similar for a detached retina. They injected a bubble into his eye and he had to lie face down for weeks, with the bubble holding the
retina up at the back of the eye. The hospital provided him with a device that attached to the bed, so that he could lie with his head supported
overhanging the end of the bed.
As an aside, he'd never have reached the stage of his retina detaching (while abroad!) if they hadn't messed him about. First, having seen
him, they decided to wait three months to see him again, then they delayed that appointment by a month (because with all the new students coming in at
that time, they wanted fewer patients to deal with) - the retina finally detached during that extra month
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Mr Whippy
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| posted on 14/7/09 at 09:37 AM |
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^ oh boy thats nasty
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cd.thomson
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| posted on 14/7/09 at 09:45 AM |
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audiobooks and podcasts are what got me through the three weeks it took me to recover from laser eye surgery (I was, unfortunately, the 1 in 99
problem cases you hear about!).
I didn't have to lie down but I was painfully visually incapacitated (I could see but opening my eyes was fantastically painfilled). I listened
to all the ricky gervais podcasts, music and some audiobooks to stop me going stir crazy.
Hope this helps, and itll be worth it
Craig
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Mr Whippy
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| posted on 14/7/09 at 11:14 AM |
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quote:
Originally posted by cd.thomson
audiobooks and podcasts are what got me through the three weeks it took me to recover from laser eye surgery (I was, unfortunately, the 1 in 99
problem cases you hear about!).
I didn't have to lie down but I was painfully visually incapacitated (I could see but opening my eyes was fantastically painfilled). I listened
to all the ricky gervais podcasts, music and some audiobooks to stop me going stir crazy.
Hope this helps, and itll be worth it
that sounds awful, all the folk I know have had no trouble, are your eye's better than they were before the surgery though now they've
healed???
Did they also say why that had happened?
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cd.thomson
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| posted on 14/7/09 at 11:20 AM |
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the issue was diagnosed quickly and the support was excellent as you'd expect after paying so much for private surgery. I had an instant private
consultation with the surgeon and there was no infection. Basically the issue centred around a very slow healing rate on my left eye - unfortunately
this meant I couldn't use the prescribed anethestic drops as these slow it further.
Added on top of this I had a particular type of correction called LASEK rather than the common LASIK for which the healing time is slower and more
painful anyway.
My eyesight is perfect now, but it took 6 months for the hazing to disappear in my left eye and it is now permanently scarred (although I can't
"see" the scar).
If I hadnt have nearly completed my application for the RAF then it wouldnt have been an issue at all. As it was it completely screwed everything
up.
[Edited on 14/7/09 by cd.thomson]
Craig
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Mr Whippy
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| posted on 14/7/09 at 01:19 PM |
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cheers for the info, I have a family member who is just about to get their eye's done.
but glad it worked in the end
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craig1410
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| posted on 14/7/09 at 08:10 PM |
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Hi guys,
Sorry for the delay in responding but it's been a busy first day back at work after 2 weeks in Ibiza. Don't ask if it's nice to be
back...
Anyway, thanks for all the replies - you've done yourselves proud as always with a mixture of practical ideas, humour and filth (yes Mr Whippy
I'm talking to you although I suppose if the breasts were really large they could act as a head support as well)
Regarding exercise I agree muscle (or mussel ) wastage is a concern but he has been told he can't lift any more than 5 pounds in weight (at
least to begin with) as the pressure might upset the healing process.
I like the idea of a large centrifuge in the garden and he does have a large garden so maybe...
Steve, thanks for mentioning the device your Dad got from the hospital - this is the sort of thing I think he needs but his hospital don't seem
to know of such a device. Maybe he could try one of the larger hospitals or some of the medical suppliers.
Thanks also for the stories of people who have had similar op's and have come through them successfully, I'm sure that will be of some
encouragement. I'm sure he will get lots of support from family and friends and we'll all try our best to keep him amused and sane. Maybe
he could write his memoirs or something to pass the time.
As one of you said, there is no easy way around this, he will just need to take one day at a time and try to keep his spirits up.
Thanks again to all,
Craig.
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prawnabie
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| posted on 14/7/09 at 09:08 PM |
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Please don't think im making fun of the situation, but is there anything stopping him from walking with some kind of neckbrace to keep his head
pointing down?
I know it would be very painfull after a while, but may give him a few hours of respite per day
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craig1410
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| posted on 14/7/09 at 10:29 PM |
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quote:
Originally posted by prawnabie
Please don't think im making fun of the situation, but is there anything stopping him from walking with some kind of neckbrace to keep his head
pointing down?
I know it would be very painfull after a while, but may give him a few hours of respite per day
It's not so much the head that needs to point down but the eye needs to point downwards. It is possible to walk while looking downwards and use
a mirror to see where you are going. However, for the hole in the back of the eye to heal it needs to remain relatively still and even the eye motion
caused by reading a book will slow down the healing.
Essentially the stiller he remains the quicker the recovery will be so it is a balance which needs to be struck between greater comfort and longer
recovery or greater discomfort and shorter recovery.
Thanks for the suggestion though, all are welcome.
Craig.
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iank
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| posted on 15/7/09 at 09:10 AM |
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quote:
Originally posted by Mr Whippy
cheers for the info, I have a family member who is just about to get their eye's done.
but glad it worked in the end
I've been told that the best place in the UK for laser eye correction is Moorfields eye hospital.
http://www.moorfields-private.co.uk/TreatmentsConditions/Lasereyecorrection
I was told they are the place you get sent the 1% of difficult cases where it's gone wrong and needs to be fixed up.
Another idea, though more expensive and taking longer is to get one done at a time. That way if you have a problem that affects the healing
you've always got one good eye and aren't going to be completely blind (very rare thankfully).
--
Never argue with an idiot. They drag you down to their level, then beat you with experience.
Anonymous
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