My retina detached (family history plus other eye had the same 8 years ago) and I had surgery last Wednesday. I have a buckle and gas bubble. Recovery and laying still is driving me nuts. Seeing the surgeon on Thursday. His initial advise was no running until the gas bubble dissipates. That’s 2 months 
Any advice on how/when I can resume training??? Thanks in advance!
This is my advice: Listen to your doctor and follow his advice 100%. I don’t know how any “advice” you will get from this forum will be any better than what you doctor says.
(you asked for it…)
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If you let it heal, you might be able to resume pre injury activity. I personally wouldn’t do anything.
If you wont listen then, I really don’t see anything wrong with zero impact activity after a couple of weeks. Stationary bike , aqua jogging(wait a couple of weeks until off antibiotics)… No downward dog yoga or anything that raises intracranial pressure changes. Anything that creates strain or rapid movement of the eye are no good. Come see me when you develop a cataract.
I had a guy redetach post operatively swinging a gulf club…
I can ask my sister - she’s an MD-PhD ophthalmologist at Hopkins and one of the best in the world at what she does - but I know what she will say, “LISTEN TO YOUR DOCTOR.” But if it helps to hear it from someone who likes to do triathlon (she’s not an Ironman, but she does do sprints), I’ll get her to tell you…
My retina detached (family history plus other eye had the same 8 years ago) and I had surgery last Wednesday. I have a buckle and gas bubble. Recovery and laying still is driving me nuts. Seeing the surgeon on Thursday. His initial advise was no running until the gas bubble dissipates. That’s 2 months
Any advice on how/when I can resume training??? Thanks in advance!
I definitely agree about the NO running part. Retinal detachments are tricky no matter what. Even with the best of surgical procedures they can redetach for a variety of reasons. The success of the surgery depends on your retina successfully being adhered back to the wall of the eye and no more fluid getting into the subretinal space. If I had a previous history of an RD in one eye, and now had it in the other eye, I would do everything my surgeon told me 100%. There is nothing “fun” about recovering from a retinal detachment repair
I had the same thing in fall of 2012. No family history of it whatsoever. Had a vitrectomy and then spent the next 7 weeks basically staring at the ground, 24x7 until it healed and the gas bubble dissipated. I knew immediately that this is not the sort of issue about which you dare think that you know better than your doctor. I did exactly what he said. In fact, I took an extra couple of weeks of not running/biking/swimming beyond what he said I should, just to be safe.
First activity I did – only with his permission – was some light pool running, maybe 9 weeks afterward. Didn’t do a regular until 11 weeks and didn’t run regularly until 13 weeks. Mostly I rode my bike very lightly in those first few weeks back A few weeks means absolutely nothing now.
You’ve heard it several times here already but let me reiterate: Your doctor knows better.
Incidentally, eye3md (who has responded already on this thread) was a big help to me on this.
My retina detached (family history plus other eye had the same 8 years ago) and I had surgery last Wednesday. I have a buckle and gas bubble. Recovery and laying still is driving me nuts. Seeing the surgeon on Thursday. His initial advise was no running until the gas bubble dissipates. That’s 2 months
Any advice on how/when I can resume training??? Thanks in advance!
Holy Crap!!
It’s your eyesight, you dumba$$.
Tell me why you would do one thing to jeopardize that?
Not an Ironman ophthalmologist, just an Ironman heart surgeon.
I had retinal detachment, treated with gas bubble, and with initially good results. Unfortunately I had re-detachment that was treated with scleral buckle and vitrectomy.
It seems so trite…but it’s easy to take our eyesight for granted.
Best to follow your doctor’s advice. Entirely.
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my brother is a retina surgeon. The answer, as noted many times above, is: listen to your doctor. Don’t mess around with this.
Not a Dr but have to agree. I was on a wk long bike ride a long way from anywhere when I had “an eye event”. Noticed walking back to my tent an an annoying blinking light and realized it was coming from me. Still there next day along with what looked like a church stained glass window. Had to arrange to be driven to nearest small down over an Hr away.
while I’m OK now afer been checked out regularly by a retina specialist for yr plus, I do have a permanent “friend” (black spot) in my eye that I find annoying as hell. It’ s like been in a Disneyland #3d seat and wanting to bat at the fly. There all the time noticable in pool, skiing etc.
This is one aear to respect the dr aND your sI tuition aND go wit it. just plan on walking alot.
Definitely do what the doctor says. If he says no exercise, no exercise. Just imagine explaining to your future extremely-visually-impaired self “oh, the run where I reinjured my eye was totally worth it for the immeasurably small increase in marginal fitness”.
If you’ve got to keep your eyes shut for long periods, there are couple entertainment options, that I partook when I had corrective eye surgery in 2011:
-I like podcast addict on my phone. Download a bunch of podcasts on topics you’re interested in, and listen to them.
-Audiobooks are another obvious choice, but I found that it was too easy to miss 30 seconds while I thought about something else, and then not be sure what they’re talking about after that. Podcasts at least have short chunks and you can pick back up.
-There’s actually a decent amount of videogames written for blind people, much of it free: http://www.audiogames.net/list-games/ I unfortunately forget which one, but I enjoyed one of the racing games in there.
-I wouldn’t be surprised if easy mileage on the trainer is permitted, but check with the doctor first. Sounds like running is too strenuous, swimming probably has pressure and debris issues, and cycling outdoors has too much drying wind and debris.
Thank you all!! Saw the dr today and what do you know…he said “do absolutely nothing for at least a month.” I can take walks as long as it doesn’t raise my heart rate.
I haven’t been a couch potato since I got into tri’s 6 years ago. Now that I’ve accepted this temporary set back I’m actually looking forward to it a little. Biggest challenge will be to watch the calories. I’ve already gained 5 lbs.
I’ve always wanted to learn how to play guitar. Maybe I’ll give that a shot. Well for now I’ll live vicariously through everyone else’s updates.
Getting back into it come Jan 1 will feel awesome.
Good for you on coming to grips with the reality of the situation. If you haven’t already, and don’t want to gain too much weight while resting, download a calorie counting app and use it religiously. Probably the best thing you can do for your future fitness at this point.
I’m with ya - my retina crashed last Thursday, retinopexy surgery on Friday night. I saw a dark shadow on Tues if I looked full right, Wed it was a clear distorted circle, then Thursday, the day I drove the car to head home/to doc it pretty much fully detached.
Doc says not related but a year ago I took a colossal blind side hit in hockey, few weeks later I got some annoying floaters. Went to an eye-doc showed no retinal issues, and I didn’t really fully understand what detachment was, in particular the macula.
We had to drive 3-4 hours to Victoria for the surgery & thanks to the doc (a cyclist) he worked OT to fix me up. C3F8 gas, cryotherapy etc. Two follow-ups a lot of time looking in my eyeballs. To position the bubble on my left side. He wants more time as well. It has been 7 days.
I have no desire to “train” because just a walk to the mail box I can feel the eye flaming up. Also screen or reading, even if shut it gets sore.
Vision is back, but cloudy and some distortion. The key is staying attached. Another road trip next week. I just traded my car for an A8L, drove it once, now I am riding in the back with a hired driver!
I’m with ya - my retina crashed last Thursday, retinopexy surgery on Friday night. I saw a dark shadow on Tues if I looked full right, Wed it was a clear distorted circle, then Thursday, the day I drove the car to head home/to doc it pretty much fully detached.
Sorry to hear about that!! Get well soon.
Same to you.
Re: gas bubble - C3F8 is the longest lasting, the spec on that is 5 weeks to clear.
What gas did you get and is two months correct? I wouldn’t run for 8 weeks in any case, if the first week is any indication btw.
I didn’t get a buckle, just needles for freezing, then the cryo/freezing solution, then the 0.6ml or so of the gas. All done.
I don’t recall the exact specs on the gas but I definitely heard “long lasting”. Its been 11 days and I can tell the eye actually see’s again (so Retina is back in place) but all I see is the gas. I can make out shapes & colors but thats about it. Wearing a patch helps from getting headaches because of this. I’m definitely going to stay away from running and swimming till next year. Will ask the Dr. if I can maybe ride the indoor trainer when I see him next week for the next checkup. Started using a calorie counter app so I keep the weight gain to a minimum.
They used air in the early days but the medical gases are 5 or 6 times denser than air.
I could “see” the next day post op- that is dark images, light as the retina started to grab that quickly. 9 days later, just drove the car around the block. I can watch a hockey game, the players skate into “angel dust” meaning my macula is having issues at the moment with pinpoint vision. On top of wavy lines and cloudiness. But overall I can live with it if the scaling (zoom) issue gets better. Images in the recovering eye are smaller than in the normal eye. Doc tomorrow.
So you want to learn some chords and strumming on the guitar?? I could post lesson #1. Get you playing faster than you can run lol.
Do you have to stare down most of the time while it heals?
I did. I found a friend with a massage table and set it up in my living room. Took a flat-screen TV and put it on the floor. Spent most days watching television – which was permitted, thank god.
Do you have to stare down most of the time while it heals?
I did. I found a friend with a massage table and set it up in my living room. Took a flat-screen TV and put it on the floor. Spent most days watching television – which was permitted, thank god.
Lucky for me no. How you position your head controls where the bubble pressures and seals the defect. To tamp the retina back in place I was face pointed down for 4 hours (drive home), then to cover off the break, switched to on my left side. The bubble seals the retina defect and forces fluid out from behind the retina layer back into the eyeball. (Think of a vinyl swimming pool liner with a hole)
I think small holes (not visible in your vision) can heal themselves with the pump action that takes fluid out of the retina space.
Was at the doc yesterday and my big retina break is closed, good to go. After office hours went back to the hospital eye lab and the doc lasered any small spots that were past issues or looked like they could become a problem. That laser is bright and burning = ouch. Talked about the tour, pro cycling for a bit too, but with that work not much time to chat!
I keep taking it easy, still have the gas bubble and sleep left. If you sleep on your back with the bubble it is not good, it’s just wrong. But it can also cause cataracts and you don’t want to pressure your lens.