Chapter 158
AUNT MARY
Everyone was already in the room with Arthur waiting to be picked up for surgery, Alice was extremely nervous, she tried to be calm so as not to scare her son, but she was not being so successful
Arthur - Mom, no need to be nervous, I'll be fine, I'm strong
Alice - Trying to disguise it - but I'm not nervous
Arthur - Mom, do you think I'm stupid? Yes, you are nervous, all of you are, you don't need to worry, I'll be fine, uncle over there will take care of me mom.
Dr. Estevam - good morning everyone, I see that my patient is prepared?
Arthur - better than my parents and my sister uncle, tell them I will be fine, because babies can not be nervous
Dr. Estevam - I did not know that you are pregnant, congratulations
Matteo - I don't care doctor, this boy thought that Luna was pregnant and now his mother is pregnant.
Dr. Estevam - Well, are you ready boy?
Arthur - Yes, I can't wait to get rid of those boring glasses.
Dr. Estevam - The young man knows that he won't get rid of his glasses yet, and he has to do everything right, otherwise he will lose the surgery.
Arthur - crossing his arms - how annoying this is
Alice - scolding - son, it's for your own good, don't be like that, if you do everything right soon you won't need to wear glasses anymore.
Dr. Estevam - That's right, are you ready?
Arthur - If not there is no way I am, right?
Dr. Estevam - great this is the nurse Clarice and this is Lourdes she will take care of you and take you to the other room that will be the surgery in the super bed with wheels
Arthur - I like you, your name is the same as my cousin's, but she didn't come, she is with my uncles Tom and Annie who stayed at home taking care of my twin brother Bernardo and my little sister Melissa
Nurse Clarice - how nice, now how about you say goodbye to everyone and say goodbye later?
Arthur - bye tata, Matteo, dad and mom. Ah mom, you don't need to cry, in a little while I will be back, my big uncle will take care of me.
Alice - that's right son -
Alice and Luís kiss the boy goodbye and then Luna and Matteo do the same as the nurses take him out
Dr. Estevam - Well the surgery is not as simple as I said before, but it is not the most difficult, the risk of life is minimal as you know, but the biggest risk is that he will lose it completely, something that if he did not have the surgery would happen anyway and then there would be no solution
Luis - But there are chances of it being a success, right?
Dr. Estevam - Of course, 50% of the chances.
Luna - Doctor, how does this procedure work?
Dr. Estevam - Well Miss, you are his sister, aren't you?
Luna - That is right, I am his older sister, I live here in London with my boyfriend
Dr. Estevam - that is good, he will have people to pamper him in the recovery process which is more boring than the surgery
Matteo - why do you say that?
Dr. Estevam - well for anyone to be blindfolded for a few days is boring, imagine for a boy of his age with all the energy that he demonstrates
Luna - that is true, but how is the procedure?
Dr. Estevam - Vitrectomy is one of the most used treatments in retinal detachments. The removal of the vitreous gel is commonly combined with filling the eye with a gas bubble (SF6 or C3F8 gas), BSS or silicone oil. One of the advantages of using gas in this operation is that no myopia is induced and the gas is absorbed after a few weeks.
Silicone oil can be used in certain situations and is removed after a period of 2-8 months if necessary. Silicone oil is usually used more in cases associated with vitreoretinopathy proliferation (PVR). The disadvantage of vitrectomy is that it leads to faster progression of cataract in the operated eye. This is why I will use the silicone oil on Arthur
Matteo - and is only one surgery enough?
Dr. Estevam - 85% of the cases are successfully treated with only one surgery and the remaining 15% require two or more operations. Visual recovery takes a few weeks, as visual acuity may not be as good as it was before the detachment, particularly, if the macula was involved in the area of detachment.
Luna - so is it praying for surgery to be enough?
Dr. Estevam - and stay on top of it to do the post-operative care properly so as not to miss the surgery
Matteo - and how does it work?
Dr. Estevam - A plastic eye shield should be worn when sleeping for the first week after surgery, and should be worn for at least the first three days after surgery when bathing.
Lying face-down
The patient is often told to lie face down and remain still for up to three weeks after surgery. This is to ensure proper healing as natural eye fluid slowly replaces the mixture of air and gas that was placed in the eye during surgery.
Eye drops
Eye drops are typically used for a few weeks after surgery to minimize inflammation, prevent infection, minimize pupil scarring, provide comfort, and to keep the eye pressure down.
Luna - does that mean that Arthur won't be able to travel for a while? will he be staying here?
Dr. Estavam - Exactly, if everything goes well he will stay for at least two to four months. Everything will depend on his development and if he obeys
Matteo - I want to see my brother-in-law keep quiet
Alice - ah but he will, oh if he does, he knows that if he doesn't do it right he will have to operate again and be like this again
Dr. Estevam - Well, I'm going to go because he and my team are waiting for me, and if there are any questions I can answer them without any problems.
Luís - Thank you Doctor
The doctor goes to the operating room, leaving Luna, Matteo, Luis and Alice in the room where Arthur will be hospitalized. But it would be an hour of agony for them.