Coping With Geographic Atrophy in a Crisis
I have been living with macular degeneration for 10 years now, and more recently with geographic atrophy (GA). It has taken me a long time to get comfortable managing my life with vision loss.
With the use of various devices, including a lot of magnifiers, I can handle household chores, pay bills, and enjoy my hobbies. It’s when one of life’s unexpected crises comes along that I can get overwhelmed.
My husband needed surgery
My husband Robert has been experiencing back pain and instability of his legs for several months. He finally agreed to see a neurosurgeon and learned he needed surgery. He told me it was a minor operation to remove bone spurs and would require an overnight stay in the hospital.
We arrived at the hospital, and our first challenge was checking in. Check-in was done digitally on a small device well below eye level. My husband couldn’t bend over to read it. I could barely make out the tiny text and had not thought to bring a magnifier. I finally got his name and date of birth entered and skipped the rest of the questions.
Trouble using the hospital coffee machine
After a couple of hours, my husband was off to surgery, and I was directed to a waiting room. I was excited to find coffee available. Unfortunately, I couldn’t figure out how to open the Keurig to put in a pod.
I asked an attendant that directed me to push the button. The button was black like the machine, so there was no way I could see it. I explained my vision problems, and the attendant kindly made my coffee.
I couldn't read the cafeteria menu
The surgery went on much longer than I expected. I decided to eat in the cafeteria and ran into the usual challenges. I couldn’t read the overhead menu. I saw what looked like beef stroganoff and ordered that. Imagine my surprise when I tasted it and the beef turned out to be all mushrooms. Since I don’t like mushrooms, I settled for eating the roll that came with the meal.
Avoiding driving in unfamiliar territory
My husband’s surgery turned out to be a major one that required a 3-day stay. Once Robert was settled in his room, I decided to make a trip back to the cafeteria. I was so disappointed when I found out the cafeteria did not open for dinner. I mentioned my dilemma to a couple of nurses passing by. I explained my reluctance to leave the hospital and attempt to drive in an unfamiliar area for food. The nurse smiled, pulled out her phone, and ordered a guest tray sent to my husband’s room.
I slept in the reclining chair in my husband’s room, since driving to a motel was out of the question. Since my GA diagnosis, I only feel safe driving in familiar areas. The staff were so nice to offer pillows and blankets.
Advocating for myself in a crisis
Over the course of 3 days, many other challenges came my way. I was able to manage by speaking out about my vision loss to staff and strangers.
My lesson learned was to be better prepared in the event of a future crisis.
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