Curveballs…

It is just over a month since I have done an entry on this site. One of the problems with a journey such as this is the curveballs life throws at you. From forgetting your passport, losing some of your belongings, dealing with scammers, mixing up train stations and medical issues to blame a few as they say.

I am currently in Cyprus and have been for almost a month. After leaving Oslo, I made my way to Germany, Poland, and Serbia. From Serbia I headed to Greece (Athens). This journey was a bus journey of some 17+ hours. After spending a few days here, I boarded a ferry to Cyprus. I arrived on a Friday afternoon. Kept my day low key as I rested up after travelling a fair distance over the last few days. On the morning of my first full day (13 June), I was having breakfast when the retina in my right eye detached itself from my eye.

I quickly spoke to a local eye clinic in Limassol (where I am currently based) and arranged eye surgery – not recommended. The eye surgery that is not the clinic. I thought I could fly home and get it sorted. The eye doctor was quite clear that was not happening. Damaged eyes and cabin pressure are not good bedfellows. I had to stay in Cyprus to have my surgery. This took place on 19 June.

I was given a local anaesthetic. My face was covered by a medical sheet with a hole in it. My injured eye was the only facial area on show. The vision from my right eye was like looking at the world through frogspawn. The doctor informed me that they were going to remove the lens on my eye. The next thing I knew I could see blood moving back and forth across the eye and it reminded me of an ocean moving back and forth. What I will say is this. I did not panic when this happened but the last colour I saw was red. Then the vision in my right eye went black.

I had to sit straight and not move - I was in a dentist’s chair. The doctor told me that the surgery would take an hour. It did not, it lasted over two hours. A laser was used to seal the injury in my eye. However, the eye was damaged more than they realised, and the medical team had to work hard to seal it.

At one stage I heard the doctor ask one of the assistants to turn the laser up to 50. She queried this and he repeated his instruction. She turned it up. I swore loudly – my anaesthetic had worn off by this stage. I was given more anaesthetic. I distinctly recall my body going cold and having a fit of the shakes. My body had gone into shock but it only lasted seconds.

Eventually the surgery was over. Before the sheet was removed, I knew my eyesight had been restored. I saw two colours – blue and yellow. The removal of the sheet confirmed it. Quite an ecstatic moment for me. The medical staff told me this was the longest surgery that they have done.

I have had two post-op meetings with the doctor (the second being today). Thankfully, he has been pleased both times. I have a final one (fingers crossed) in over a week's time. When the injury occurred, I could not stay in my hotel - it was already fully booked. I rented a holiday apartment and, to be honest, it gave me a bit more freedom from hotels. I think getting back into apartment life again has allowed me to relax.

I leave Cyprus on 28 July. At the moment I am planning to head north for 2-3 days to see that part of Cyprus before returning to the apartment. One thing is for sure, my visit to Cyprus will be remembered for all the wrong reasons.