Second Opinion

James saw Dr. L this afternoon. I was armed with questions another doctor friend (not eye doctor) told me, questions like: What is the success rate of surgery? What are the risks and complications? What would happen without surgery? (e.g. stay the same? get worse? get better?) Will the condition become stablized? Can you just monitor him?

Now both specialists recommend the surgery called Vitrectomy to repair the macular hole in James' left eye so to (1) regain some (if not most) central vision, and (2) keep his retina attached. The surgery involves removing and replacing the jelly like substance in the eye with a gas bubble. Recovery requires the patient to be in a face down position 24 hours a day (at least 90% of the time) for two to three weeks. According to the doctors, "When he is facing down, the gas supports and pushes the retina to the back of his eye, and hopefully new cells will grow and close the hole naturally in the macular." In other words, although doctors can treat, only God heals.

At the end, I asked, "If James was someone in your family, what would you recommend?" He looked at me and said, "Because he is so young, I would recommend him to have the surgery."

We shared a practical concern with this doctor as well. "We have already bought tickets for a mission trip to Europe during Christmas and New Year. Can we (the surgery) wait until we get back?" He answered, "The gas will take 6 to 8 weeks to dissolve. Before then, it will not be safe to get onto a plane. Waiting may be okay but it should be done sooner instead of later."

During our meeting, I intentionally did not bring up the name of our friend Dr. D who is a colleague of Dr. L. I wanted to see how God works. Now, James and I have a lot to think about. Which specialist should we choose? When should James have the operation? Who knows the best answer?

"I guide you in the way of wisdom and lead you along straight paths" (Proverbs 4:11).