What are we paying for? Take 2

Sunrise at Secret History camp in mid February

Back at the end of 2016 I published a post titled "What are we paying for?" which discussed comparative health costs and care expectations between the U.S. and Mongolia. It has become my second most popular post of all time. I'd like to continue and expand that discussion here. In recent weeks I've had a few more experiences that I think are worth sharing and noting. 

First, I had lasik eye surgery done about 10 days ago. I went to THE revered eye clinic in town--Bolor Melmii. A fellow expat teacher during my first year at the elementary school had the surgery to great success. From then until now I had filed it away as something to look into. A good number of the Mongolians that work at my school have also been to this clinic for the surgery or have had a family member who has. My faith and belief in the place grew as I learned this. At the beginning of March I went and was tested to see if I was a good candidate for the surgery. After a battery of tests it was determined that I was. But as I'd only been wearing my glasses for a couple days (I'm a long time soft contact lens wearer) I had to continue wearing them and repeat the tests in two weeks. As I didn't want to be wearing glasses any longer than necessary, I pushed on another two weeks, returned, and yes, was qualified for the surgery to correct my near-sightedness. That always sounds confusing....as the surgery would make it so I could see distance without corrective lenses. They were very clear that I would need "readers" for reading and my computer screen as I was over 40 they reminded me. :)

About three years ago I graduated to bifocals. If I wasn't wearing my glasses, then with my contacts I had already been using readers so this was no big deal. 

The night before Zorig left for U.S.

So the surgery was done on March 15 and I've been seeing distance now, without corrective lenses, for 10 days. I still want to remove contacts at bedtime so I'm still adjusting and still certainly on the eye drop regime prescribed by my doctor. I believe she is the doc in the cover photo for the clinic. All the nurses and doctors I spoke with and worked with were Mongolian. The doctors speak English. Enji accompanied me on the day of the surgery to get me home as Zorig is currently in the U.S. pursuing business endeavors for the family cashmere company. 

It is extraordinary to wake up in the night or in the morning and be able to see across the room without first putting glasses on. Wow...what a gift!

That said, I don't know if I could do it again knowing what it feels like. Of course there is not any real pain, your eyeballs are numbed! But it is downright freaky to have your eyeballs worked on because you are watching the entire time. I couldn't get the image of Mel Gibson in "Conspiracy Theory" out of my mind. After numerous drops in your eyes, you lie down on a table facing up. They do one eye and then the other. The whole thing takes less than 10 minutes total. They use a small device to hold your eyelids permanently open (hence the Mel Gibson vision). They place some sort of barrier over the space and then open for access to your eye. Using a blade they cut a flap in your cornea. This doesn't hurt and it's fast, but there is a sensation and you know what is happening. Then you are told to hold still and stare at the green light in the machine over you. The light was a mix of colors--red, orange, green, and blue. It's bright and you do as you're told. Then you feel very cool air blowing on your eyeball while the laser is turned on and someone counts from 1 to 5. It's turned off briefly and then engages again for another 5 second burst. I felt the cool air and could smell the laser burning my cornea. I would say it was burning flesh...but it wasn't exactly flesh, so I'll go with burning membrane. It's very disconcerting to say the least. Once the laser is finished the second round then the doctor replaces the cornea flap and you watch while some sort of paddle is used to smooth the flap out and get it placed just so. Then they irrigate your eye with some fluid before releasing your eyelids to close. The process is then completed for the second eye.

Once both eyes were completed I was led into the holding area where I joined my fellow patients. There were four of us that day and I was number three of four. I think we were there about 30-40 minutes during which time the shock hit me. My eyes had started to burn a bit and it did hurt, though on a scale of 1 to 10 I'd put it only around a 5 or so. My body does this funny thing when having procedures done that are somewhat traumatic--my blood sugar plummets and I faint or pass out. This happened a few years ago when I first had an IUD implanted. I literally blacked out that time. This time I could feel it coming on--I felt nauseous first and then that strange wavy feeling throughout my body that was a mix of feeling hot and numb. I thought, Oh No....I'm going to faint! I was in a room with three others that seemed to speak no English. The doctor was only one room away, but I wanted to try and manage it. I grabbed on to the seat of my chair and breathed deep breaths and the waves flowed throughout me but I managed to NOT pass out. Shortly thereafter my "wounds" were checked and I was sent home with instructions (which Enji translated) and lots of eye drops. You cry A LOT in those first few hours. Shortly after i got home I began to feel much better. The burning had subsided and it was obvious I could already see better. I rested and then returned the following morning.

Celebrating Tsagaan Sar with friends

My cornea flaps had curled under just a tad (sometimes a minor complication that is easy to fix) so the doctor numbed my eyeballs again, lifted up and then replaced the flap again. I got to watch again as the paddle smoothed my cornea flap out and then the eye was irrigated. Process was repeated on eye number 2. Then I rested with eyes closed for 30 minutes after which time the doctor checked the wounds, all was good, and I was sent home for the weekend with three different kinds of eye drops to use on various intervals. I returned on Monday afternoon and all was as it should be. I'll return in another week for my next check up. 

I opted to do this procedure while in Mongolia because of the reduced cost. I had considered doing it in the U.S. before I departed but ran out of time and money. The cost here, including the testing, procedure and follow-up care, as well as the various taxi rides to get to the clinic, was just under $1200. From what I know about the procedure in the U.S. this was about half price--or rather I got both eyes corrected for the cost of one eye correction in the States. I can certainly see why medical tourism is a thing! Obviously I'm not here as a tourist but I did opt to have a medical procedure done here and not in my home country.

I've spent so much time on the lasik event thatI will save the other comparison post for another day. It will discuss having a full health screening done! Hope this post finds you doing well and enjoying Spring! We broke above 60 degrees Fahrenheit today which feels a bit early--but I'll happily take it. My battle for the next couple weeks will be trying to keep the dust out of my healing eyes!