January 15, 2008
7:40 A. M. PST
Heres the dowload on my emergency eye surgery. I tore the re retina in my left eye, and am now half blind in it. Literally. My vision in the left half of the eye is gone, it’s looking like a giant black curtain has been pulled over it, and my vision in the other half is clouded and full of black floaters ( blood, protein, from broken vessels ). Got worse overnight, Dr. screwed up yesterday and didn’t leverage a surgeon to see me until today, while warning me the retina can rip more, minute by minute. Well it did. If the laser surgery today won’t work, then they will have to send me elsewhere for a more complicated process of literally stapling/buckling the retina back together from behind.
And I have to get on a plane to get there. And we’re on a tight edit schedule…and my other “good” eye ain’t so good right now either, working on that….can’t drive, really can’t read, but can type from finger memory and the little red lines that appear if I make a mistake.
Developing…
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Our prayers to you Pat.
January 15th, 2008 at 8:03 amThat sucks.
January 15th, 2008 at 8:40 amNo need to torture yourself to keep us updated then, we’ll just imagine you’re kicking somebody’s ass and all will be as it should be.
January 15th, 2008 at 9:02 amJeez, Pat.
We appreciate all the hard work you’ve been doing.
Take some time off, get your EYES (both of them) fixed up, and come back when you’re fresh.
Bash can hold down the fort while you’re gone. Get well soon.
January 15th, 2008 at 9:15 amThey can take all my other senses but, I need to see in 3D and hear in stereo. I’m sure they’ll be able to fix it then you’ll be as good as new.
January 15th, 2008 at 9:25 amIf you are in California I recommend Dr. Christine Ku. She could do cosmetic surgery on a butterfly. So strong but oh so precise. Dr. Ku moved to the Bay Area (I believe) from the East Coast recently.
I’ve had both eyes go thru this. The first time the Opthamologist went straight for the “Buckle”. I’m glad she did, complete recovery, all progress, no setbacks. the second eye was more problematical, requiring 3 procedures to correct.
The good news is that the buckle procedure has a great prognosis, the lazer for a separation is the most painful ordeal I ever experienced and it didn’t work, requiring the buckle for the second eye. That took and my vision is better than before because all the lazering and other procedures grew cataracts needing lens implants which are built to a prescription which gives me 20-25 without contacts or glasses.
Take this very seriously Pat. You will be recovering for quite awhile. They will probably put a bubble of air in the eye to apply internal pressure against the retina helping to glue it back down. Your movements will be restricted until that bubble is absorbed. Keep still! Follow those restrictions to the letter, help it heal.
You are going to be alright. You’ll be able to work on the computer soon but remember, no handball. The absolute best fortune to you sir. Keep us posted.
January 15th, 2008 at 10:41 amCorrection: Have Bash keep us posted.
January 15th, 2008 at 10:43 amdouble down on Zeke Eagle, listen to the doc on this one
January 15th, 2008 at 10:52 amWow, so sorry to hear that, Pat. My thoughts and prayers for a speedy and full recovery.
January 15th, 2008 at 11:26 amGlad Zeke Eagle gave a blurb on what’s going on with your eyes. Sounds tricky so Zeke’s recomendations sound the way to go.
Bash, was this caused by a stop at his local “Stop-and Sock” for a friendly brawl, or maybe something from his time in Iraq?
January 15th, 2008 at 12:37 pmyour life is getting ridiculously hectic =\ I hope you can get back on track and get healthy!
January 15th, 2008 at 1:15 pmI kept pondering about your eye-trouble all day, Pat.
Zeke Eagle is right. I’ve been told by a professor that in stead of an air-buble they sometimes place an oil-buble. It depends on the condition the eye is in and how bad the injury is.
In both cases, the bubbles need to get absorbed slowly by the body. This will take time. Please Pat, take that time. Your “now good” eye was already “not so good”. Seems your “best eye” got hit hard.
Keep up the faith, lid an extra candle for you tonight.
January 15th, 2008 at 2:20 pmBad news Pat
But I know you’ve got it in you to pull through to the better side of this! Good luck and heal up fast! (Make sure those docs take you seriously!!!!!!)
January 15th, 2008 at 2:25 pmBASHMAN, PLEASE!!!! Try to get in contact with Pat to give him this important info. PLEASE!!!!
“Got worse overnight, Dr. screwed up yesterday and didn’t leverage a surgeon to see me until today, while warning me the retina can rip more, minute by minute. Well it did. ”
This so called S.O.B-Dr. would be better of selling pastrami then leaving his patiënt getting worse.
Fucking hell, this makes me so darn angry.
The professor told me and my dad that THE MOMENT my dad would get the first “warning signs” for retina-trouble, I had to get him to the hospital a.s.a.p. Even if it was in the middle of the night. Because, EVERY MINUTE COUNTS!!!!, giving the needed treatment and surgery, lowering the risks for a “worst-case-scenario”.
“And I have to get on a plane to get there”.
So, if the laser-treatment won’t do the trick, you need to get transport to another hospital for the stapling or bukcling treatment.
Pat, I think you won’t be allowed to fly to this hospital. The cabine-pressure could do the last damage, leaving the eye in-operable.
And, It’s a known fact amongst people who have suffered from your present condition that the “good eye” gets worse for a while as well. Will improve, so don’t bother about that.
All I can do right now is pray that the laser-treatment will work. My dad had it done but he got injections IN the eye-ball with a pain-killing substance. (I was allowed to watch the whole procedure.)So, the awfull pain Zeke talked about can be diminished. Knowing Pat, he’ll just GRIND
Just in case it won’t work….
Can anyone of us do the most important thing in those circumstances?:
Drive Pat from one to the other hospital for the nescessary stapling/buckling treatment?
Just try to help, some important info for damage-control.
And, the air-buble will probably require a certain body-posture for the coming 2 weeks. This could be the most problem-some thing Pat will have to encounter.
I just hope I was able to help with this info. If needed, I can get up with more and maybe the telephone-number from the professor. At the hospital where my dad is treated a few new approaches were developed considering these problems. (It’s an Academic Hospital who teach their knew knowledge around the world.
BASHMAN, you can get your hand on my e-mailaddy. Just mail me, I’ll do whatever it takes in case I can get Pat some help.
January 15th, 2008 at 2:57 pmI hope you listen to these folks here and the doc Pat.
You need your eyes. We need your eyes. Most of all your brothers depending on you need your eyes. Take care of them first however it is best. The work will be here after that.
Bash can handle things here while you are on the mend. No need to update us until your situation resolves. You will be in my prayers for all to go well and that you heal quickly.
January 15th, 2008 at 4:27 pmSorry bro, Semper Fi
January 15th, 2008 at 4:41 pm“Got worse overnight, Dr. screwed up yesterday and didn’t leverage a surgeon to see me until today, while warning me the retina can rip more, minute by minute. Well it did.”
Pat - I agree with Jeanet that you should sue the bastard!
January 15th, 2008 at 5:51 pmDamn it that sucks…Take the time to heal it!
January 15th, 2008 at 8:06 pmPat . . . everyone’s given their VERY good advice so all I’ll say is you’re in my prayers and God’s speed to a quick recovery. Hope you listen to what these great people have to say and do exactly as you are told.
January 15th, 2008 at 8:08 pmFor fucks sake dude, even Marines aren’t immortal, let alone “honorary” ones. You need to take some advice from these people that care about you or maybe we should get an officer to visit you and give you a direct order. Lay the fuck down and do not move, don’t even breath until you are told to do so. You’re scaring the piss out of a lot of people and we understand(a little) why you are doing it but you can’t complete the mission if you take yourself permanently out like this.
January 16th, 2008 at 12:51 amI am sorry.
Do what is necessary to heal properly.
Eyes are very important.
If the worst happens pain wise do not give up on it, it will end.
I will pray for you. Things like this always happen and only later you find out why.
January 16th, 2008 at 4:38 amYou will be in my thoughts and prayers.
January 16th, 2008 at 5:38 amOkay, I feel I need to appologize
AND set the record straight.
My reactions probably were rather emotional. So be it, I’m human and female.
Beside that, I’m a daugter of an eye-patient. (Over 60 years Diabetics.) And since 6 years in close contact with people I love to refere to as “my guys”. Not Marines but the Dutch equivelant of them.
The latter changed my life completely. (In more than one way I can tell you.)
I came across Pat over a year ago and since then I followed him, his story and this site. I just can’t stay away from here in spite of my trouble-some life.
Not knowing Pat “in the flesh” it feels like I’m having a brother I care about a lot.
I agree completely with Sandy about the man-military guy-marine-thing. And, I feel the female need and responsability to jump in now and then.
No doubt about it, guys just won’t listen, military guys just laugh a bit and a Marine will look at you for a second, only to continue what he’s supposed to do, HIS DUTY!
I love guys like Pat. They never complain, they work extremely hard, they’re trustworthy and they’ll never break there word or a promise. Untill…….
At my volunteer-job, that’s where I come in. Know I’m confrontated with the fact that I live across the ocean, being completely unable to actually DO something. (I’m not much of a talker, more a DO-er, I take ACTION.) This is so darn frustrating to me, I could tear my hair out of my skull.
The whole situation with Pat’s eye-condition is “up close and personal” to me because of the experiences with my dad. Kind of “been there, done that, got the t-shirt etc.”.
E.g. Doctors who work clumsy, make stupid decisions, the results of this kind of stupidity etc. (What makes me even more frightened, Pat is experiencing the same scenario my dad had to go trough a few years ago, including a S.O.B-Dr. that seems to have other things on his mind except doing his job.)
Anyway, my dad had me. I learned quickly that “staying friendly and accept” didn’t do the trick. I had to “play up” more then one time, otherwise the situation with my dad would have turned into a real-life nightmare. And, I informed myself with the speed of lightning to avoid being “parked at a side-track” by some doctors.
THAT’s exctly what I’m so concerned about right now. Pat is under treatment. But, he’s alone, already worked his but of in an extreme way for “his baby” Young Americans for the last months and especially the last weeks. We all know that there’s also a scan on the way because of the hidden damage after his confrontation with two IED-hits.
No doubt about it, Pat is strong in many ways and hardly a pathetic case that needs some one to guide and comfort him. He is a rock.
But in everybodys life their comes a moment where you need help, comfort and some back-up in the flesh. Some TLC and soothing words that will guide you trough a rough periode in your life. People who will en dare to fight for you, your health, your life.
Why?
Because you think this person needs it, this persons deserves it, because this person is so important for you, as a human. Because this person is fighting a fight that is so darn important it can hardly be explained in words.
And here I sit, in the Netherlands, being a DO-er, having the knowledge and experience, with nothing but a keyboard and words. And Pat hardly seeing anything with his already “bad eye”, his “good eye” being inflicted by a retina-rupture that wasn’t treated the right way the instance and YA in its most important development-state ever.
:evil:,
and 
Once again, I appologise for my emotions. It’s not the MARINE way at all. But, like I said before, I’m only human, I have a heart……..and I’m a woman.
January 16th, 2008 at 5:39 am