Definition of a Really Bad Day - DPChallenge Forums

12/12/2003 03:40:01 PM · #1

So I thought I was having a really bad day until a sales guy of ours showed up this afternoon. It seems like he is always having some sort of crisis, but this one really topped 'em all.

He was visiting with a client a couple days before Thanksgiving, and suddenly his vision went weird in one eye. He described it as looking like a black piece of tape had furled itself over the middle portion of his field of vision.

Being so close to the holiday, his doctor told him he'd see him that Saturday, thinking it was no big deal. When Saturday rolled around, the doctor took a look and said "Wholly crap" (although with a worse word than that). He immediately referred him to a specialist in a nearby community.

So Randy went to this doctor who said, "You're going to have surgery in 15 minutes!" Randy was a bit stunned by this, and he asked, "Or else what?" The doctor said "Or else you will go blind in that eye."

Within 15 minutes he was having surgery to repair the problem (and I don't exactly remember what it was -- something to do with a tear in the retina, I believe...?).

The procedure involved popping his eye out, making an injection into his brain, and injecting some sort of frozen substance in his eye before reattaching it.

Oh, did I mention he was AWAKE for this procedure!?! Ugh! If anyone needs me, I'll be over here in the fetal position.

Message edited by author 2003-12-12 15:41:14.

12/12/2003 03:42:24 PM · #2

sounds more like a bad couple weeks to me...

did he get poked in the eye? not sure how you tear a retina just walking around..

12/12/2003 03:44:07 PM · #3

They had a fancy word for it ("idio-somethingerother"), but it simply meant "We don't know what caused it." He is expected to regain up to 80% of his vision in that eye. He said that right now it's like looking through a window that has been smeared with Vasoline and has goo dripping on it.

Originally posted by soup:

sounds more like a bad couple weeks to me...

did he get poked in the eye? not sure how you tear a retina just walking around..

Tamron SP AF 28-75mm f/2.8 XR Di for Canon

12/12/2003 03:44:37 PM · #4

Suddenly, I feel much better about the dog having peed all every piece of white furniture in the house that I'm housesitting at. At least my eyeballs are still in their sockets.

Nikon AF Zoom-Nikkor 18-35mm f/3.5-4.5 ED-IF

12/12/2003 03:48:14 PM · #5

until the home owner gets back and pokes them out ;}

ps- you have the let the dog out a couple times a day...

rmahan

Nikon D3

12/12/2003 03:49:34 PM · #6

Believe me, it can happen. My wife tore her retina while doing a line dance. She said it was like fireworks going off in her eye! She still dances but not those which are high impact. Her's wasn't as drastic as you describe ... she didn't need surgery, just rest. Good luck to your friend. (Sure would mess up someone who's into photography, wouldn't it!)

Tamron SP AF 28-75mm f/2.8 XR Di for Canon

12/12/2003 03:51:56 PM · #7

Originally posted by soup:

until the home owner gets back and pokes them out ;}

I know. :(

Originally posted by soup:

ps- you have the let the dog out a couple times a day...

I was only gone like six hours! Can't they hold it that long? I don't think he really had to go anyway, it was more a retaliation thing.

12/12/2003 03:54:41 PM · #8

Originally posted by mk:

...I don't think he really had to go anyway, it was more a retaliation thing.

I've been having the same issues with our two idiotic cats. They have been leaving me little retaliation surprises all over the basement, and it has been driving me absolutely insane. Until now, I hadn't considered popping their eyes out......

Tamron SP AF 28-75mm f/2.8 XR Di for Canon

12/12/2003 04:03:09 PM · #9

Originally posted by alansfreed:

Until now, I hadn't considered popping their eyes out......

Hahahaha, this gave me a really good ~~idea~~ laugh.

(I think I'd rather explain stains on the chair than a dog with no eyes.)

Neil

Fujifilm X-T30

12/12/2003 04:04:49 PM · #10

Originally posted by mk:

I was only gone like six hours! Can't they hold it that long? I don't think he really had to go anyway, it was more a retaliation thing.

The dog felt you were going to live there and was only marking it's territory. I presume it's a male. Very natural, though a housebroken dog should have generalized and only marked the territory outside!

Canon 12x IS USM (S3 IS built-in Lens) -- 36-432mm (35mm EQ)

12/12/2003 04:07:34 PM · #11

ahh

mk had been sitting in the dogs chair ;}

GeneralE

Canon PowerShot S3 IS

12/12/2003 04:28:38 PM · #12

Originally posted by alansfreed:

Idiopathic is the word we use when we know something's wrong but not why. I can't IMAGINE anyone with medical training hearing your friend's description of the symptoms (as you've told it) not referring him to an ER immediately (like by ambulance, not him driving himself).

You might inquire if they used cocaine as the local anesthetic.

Message edited by author 2003-12-12 16:29:12.

Jacko

12/12/2003 04:31:29 PM · #13

Reminds me of the scene in Evil Dead where the old lady Zombie tries to climb out of the basement trap door. Our hero Bruce Campbell jumps on top of the trap door, her head is stuck squished by the door, and one of her eyes goes flying and lands in one of the girl's mouth. One of the best scenes ever cought on film. lol.

12/12/2003 04:32:25 PM · #14

Originally posted by GeneralE:

Idiopathic... that's the one!

I don't know if they used cocaine for him, but I almost needed some after hearing his story.

12/12/2003 04:35:42 PM · #15

Originally posted by Jacko:

...one of her eyes goes flying and lands in one of the girl's mouth...

Eww!

This reminds me of an incident from my childhood. My great-grandmother had just gotten a glass eye, and for a while she only had it in during some number of hours of the day. She had to take it out for periods of time as the muscles in the socket grew strong enough to hold it.

Well, I was visiting with her, alone, when I was about 10 or so. While we were talking, PLINK, her eye bugged out and got stuck between her face and her glasses. I was completely freaked out and I ran the hell out of there. She didn't even realize it had happened.

Message edited by author 2003-12-12 16:53:45.

JC_Homola

Canon EF 135mm f/2.0L USM

12/12/2003 04:42:00 PM · #16

OMG..... get the depends,, I'm laughing too hard!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

OneSweetSin

Nikon D3000

12/12/2003 04:44:16 PM · #17

I have heard of that before my aunt had a detached retina before. In her case she went to bed with vision that was perfectily normal only to wake up the next morning with no vision in her one eye. She called her doctor who sent her to a specialist at Hershey Medical Center to have surgery later that afternoon.

Canon 12x IS USM (S3 IS built-in Lens) -- 36-432mm (35mm EQ)

12/12/2003 04:47:13 PM · #18

isn't cocaine more of a general anesthetic? ;}

Originally posted by GeneralE:

You might inquire if they used cocaine as the local anesthetic.

GeneralE

Canon PowerShot S3 IS

12/12/2003 04:56:36 PM · #19

Originally posted by soup:

isn't cocaine more of a general anesthetic? ;}

Originally posted by GeneralE:
You might inquire if they used cocaine as the local anesthetic.

Taken systemically is is mind-altering and upsets many other body functions (raises blood pressure precipitously, triggers ventricular fibrillation, etc.) but its anesthetic properties are quite local.

It is of course the (purified) basic natural drug from which the common synthetic local anesthetics (xylocaine, lidocaine, "Novacaine," procaine, etc.) are derived.

GinaRothfels

Olympus OM-D E-M5 Mark III

Olympus 8mm f/1.8 M.Zuiko Digital ED Fisheye PRO Lens

12/12/2003 06:36:58 PM · #20

My mother had a detached retina two or three years ago, which had to be operated on. The operation certainly wasn't anywhere near as scary as what is described here. And these things really do occur without any abnormal occurence as cause - some people just have a weakness and it seems it can run in families.