Evidently eyeballs and MRSA don't mix...

[cravertosu]

So last Monday I had Refractive eye surgery so I could see a bit better. Vision wasn't terrible but it's free and my time in the Army is running out.
Surgery went really well. Unfortunately, the MRSA I carry decided to come out and play at the same time.

For those of you that don't know MRSA is the bug that causes those staph super infections in hospitals. I picked it up down at dive school in Fl after the hurricanes stirred it up. Once you get it, you usually have it for life. Every so often it pops up and you have to get some big antibiotics to knock it down. I had a cut in my leg get infected while I was down at school. Only had one other incident where it flared up about a year ago.

Anyways, so on Wednesday following my surgery my left eye became all sorts of swollen and painful getting worse throughout the day. Headed into the hospital Thursday morning, doc was rather impressed and said "that's not good." Put me on some drops and other stuff for Thursday with instructions to come back Friday morning. Friday morning much less pleasant as I was shown to eye doc after eye doc. Turns out NONE of the eye docs at Bragg have ever seen an infection that bad. Over 40,000 refractive surgeries at bragg and only 5 MINOR infections.....then there was me! Doc put me on "super" fortified antibiotic drops every hour, on the hour since Friday morning.

Well up until yesterday(Sunday) they weren't sure if they were going to even be able to save my eye. But this morning, the main doc was VERY happy with how it looked and I should keep my eye. How well I'll be able to see after all the healing is done, can't say. Nothing else to compare it to. Still hoping I won't need a cornea transplant! Doc can't rule it out yet.

Either way, I can still hunt and fish with one eye!! Don't have a whole lot of pain any more either so that's good. OH, and my right eye tested at 20/15 this morning!

If the story didn't convey it, the Eye Docs at Ft Bragg's WOMAC medical center have been awesome!!

Included some pics that the doc took, don't know how well they'll show. Not to mention I'm no eye specialist!

[SeaBiscuit]

Dang Tim, I sure hope the infection clears out and your eye returns to good health.
Good luck,
Nick

[cravertosu]

Thanks Nick,

That was some good news we got today. Doc is pretty sure the bug is all dead. Just have to wait for all the dead tissue to slough off and see what the damage was. For now it just looks like I'm looking through a plastic walmart shopping bag with my left eye.

Glad it was before the bluefin showed up!! Should be healed up enough in a week or two to get out on the water if the weather is good.

Tim

[Ace1st]

Tim....
You take care of that. Looks bad! We'll say a little prayer for you man. Make sure you take them drops like the doc says!

[Deep C]

Jeeeziz... I tote that nasty bug with me too. Lucky you nailed it when you did. I had a few rounds with it. Had a break out of it on my arm one of those times. Told my doctor what it was (back when it was rare) he looked at me like I was some nut and prescribed me Amoxicilin. That was a friggin end all mistake there. My arm blistered like 3rd degree burns, the skin fell off, I swelled up in all kinds of places and damn near died. Another round set up camp in a wound from a sailfish bill in my neck.

I wish you a speedy recovery...

[neilinov]

Damn dude that sounds aweful. I hope you get better quickly!

[clt_capt]

Take care of yourself - If you have any doubts, get back to the Docs ASAP...

Nasty stuff...

[nautiduck]

Wishin you the best Tim. Hope the eye clears up fast.

[quackkilla76]

tim hope that you get healed up soon... i too carry that crap with me it sucks i know....get well man

[Ponce]

Hope it all works out. Sounds like you are already doing it, but make sure you do what the docs tell you to do.

On a side note I had PRK done at Camp Lejuene, a couple of years before I retired. Best move I've ever made those docs were great as well.