Dr. Fay
Thank you for taking time to read my letter. Upon visiting you June 2, 2010 I was hopeful that you were going to be able to help restore my eye and once again make it pain free. This was incredible news due to the pain I have been living with for over 18 years now. From all of my findings and research you were the only doctor that seemed to have any promise of relief and/or healing.
The doctor that sent the recommendation to your office stated in his letter that if my eye was unable to be completely restored then my next priority would be to relieve my pain. When I flew up to visit you I relayed the same desire to first have the procedure to allow my eye to fully close and then once those results where achieve to move onto a cornea replacement. I also relayed the desire to not have my eye sewn shut as it seemed there was great promise in your ability to perform a procedure that would allow this healing and proper closure of the lid to be accomplished. With the plan that you explained to me you led me to believe this could all be accomplished.
The surgery went well, even though the visit was not what I had expected. The busyness of your practice ( due to your incredible demand) was a bit dis hearting in terms of follow up care and attention to detail. I am not sending this to suggest how to run your practice; I am merely noting the experience that I had. All of these experiences did not however diminish the hope that was given to me by you during our first meeting and your optimism regarding my case.
After the past visit on August 5, 2010, all hope you had given me was quickly snuffed out by the details of the visit. You stated the procedure you did looked great and that I should now talk with the cornea specialist. However our conversation from the beginning has revolved around 1st, restoring my eyelid and 2nd to relieve the pain, however necessary. Your response to move on to the cornea specialist I found to be surprising as my eyelid did not fully close, as this was the basis for the entire procedure performed under your care.
Towards the end of our conversation you mentioned an option that had never previously been mentioned, which was to have my eyelid sewn shut. This could have been coming from multiple angles as I know your extremely busy and have a million conversations and projects going on at one time.
At this point my future dreams and visions for what can be, rest upon our initial meeting and the hope that was relayed by your expertise and suggestions. I have made three trips to Boston so far and am willing to make more if necessary to properly accomplish what we discussed in our initial meeting. Do you feel that we can achieve the outcome that was discussed in our first meeting? As far as the option to have my eye sewn shut, that could have been accomplished by making the 2.5 hour drive to Atlanta. Thus consequently rendering all of my time and money that was spent on this endeavor useless and wasteful.
With great appreciation to the hope you instilled.
Eric C. Gray
Much to my surprise, I received a response within a couple of days...
Dear Eric,
Thank you for taking the time to write such an open and honest letter. I first would like to apologize for my own shortcomings and any perceived shortcomings of my office organization.
As far as restoring vision to your right eye, I understand the priorities are to reduce or eliminate chronic pain, and to restore vision, all without having to close the eye. At this point, I have NOT given up hope that we can indeed accomplish these goals.
I am pleased with what we accomplished in stage I. At the outset, i had envisioned a single-stage eyelid reconstruction that could be followed soon thereafter by cornea surgery. After hearing from Dr Chodosh, however, I realize that the cornea procedure will require even better eyelid coverage that I had first anticipated. Although we were able to create a space between your eyelid and eyeball where they were fused previously, The eyelid still does not move enough independently to close the eye. Therefore, in order to prepare the eye to Dr Chodosh's satisfaction, we will need additional eyelid surgery.
A complex problem like yours should be evaluated continuously; we are not limited to our initial evaluation and plan. As the situation changes, so can our goals and plans. As we proceed through each stage of evaluation and treatment, both you and I become more educated about your eye, what is achievable, and what it might take to reach the desired goals. Fortunately, we have not lost any ground, and I think we have indeed moved closer to our ultimate objectives.
I understand the emotional, physical, and financial stresses you are experiencing. Only you can decide how much you want to invest in this process. What I can do is help to advise you so you make reasonable choices, and so you understand the possibilities. No doubt, your case is complex and difficult, which is why very few doctors will accept these challenges. NEvertheless, I believe we can improve your condition and I believe we have a reasonable chance to reconstruct a painless eye, possibly with meaningful vision.
Again, I am sorry to have fallen short of your expectations. As long as you want to, I will be here to work with you. If we get to the point where I cannot improve things further, I will surely tell you so.
Sincerely,
Aaron Fay, MD
I know what you are thinking!!! Thank GOD!!!!! So needless to say I am headed up to see him September 14th for the next phase of "Operation Eyeball"
THank You all for keeping me in your prayers. The love and support is truly felt! I know the Lord has great plans for my life and I am looking forward to seeing what is next!
yahh!
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