Wednesday, August 11, 2010

Wed, Aug 11, 2010: SAME weather....but 2nd Eye is healing!!

OK.....yesterday just disappeared into the haze of the heat and humidity!! Same old thing.....heat index of 110-115 with haze, hot sun, unbearable humidity!! Sooo, what's new?????

Well, as of this ".....Moment in Time", I have about recovered from the sleeping juice that I took in my IV's this morning while they sucked out the cataract from my left eye and implanted a new lens. Arrived at the Surgery Center in Cape about 8:50 for a 9:20am appt. Hmmmm, for the first time I had to wait....and wait.....and get hungrier and thirstier and more and more in need of black coffee.....and, finally at 10:30AM, they called my name and off I went into the myriad of small rooms and curtained-off cubicles behind the waiting room. Removing my shoes, my shirt, donning paper sock covers, one of those ass-showing gowns that is wide open in the rear....I had my regular summer shorts on.....and then a gorgeous blue...my color....hair covering "net" was placed on my head. Soon, into the correct cubicle I went......on went the BP cuff, the finger clip like what we use on open bags of potato chips, oxygen tubes into my nose, and a silent and soft little prick into the blood vessel on my right hand to get the IV started. Ahhhhh, the most important thing next was.....the WARM blankets that were laid across my sagging, shaking, shivering hulk of Me! Yep......it was toooooooo freezing cold back there in that sterile space!

After the required check of who I was, my birthday repeated by me, asked why I was there, which eye, etc., etc.....and then on my forehead the required marking over my left eyebrow to be SURE that was the eye that would receive the incision! Then a few minutes later the Dr. came in and initialed right above that mark so HE knew which eye to work on. And then.........oh my.....I began to feel my levitate....yep....that wonderful floating feeling entered my sagging hulk....which to my knowledge didn't seem like it was sagging on the bed any more....but flowing freely just above the mattress!!! Whatever the hell they put in that IV.......it was GREAT stuff!!!!!!

About 20 minutes of free floating.....and then they rolled me out and down the hallway and into this brightly lit room. Oh yeah.......they had already put 8 different drops into my eye....the first one made from jalapeno peppers....must have been as it burned like fire!!!! But......since I still take those little "pee pills" (like Flowmax), they have a way of counter-acting these dilating drops, so they must give me the STRONG, HOT PEPPER drops!!!!! Well....that was enough to get all my liquids moving....as my eye watered like Niagara Falls then.

I couldn't take the bright lights in the operating room.....but, it wasn't 15 seconds before they told me they were changing the IV.....and.....then....I....was......gone...........

15 minutes later I was awakened and I was in a different cubicle.....the recovery area. There was a patch over my left eye.....and before long, the tubes were removed from my limp and very weak body, I was still half-ass floating, but the descent was in progress!! Water through a straw soon entered my parched mouth.....and I took at least two glasses of that cold, refreshing water!!

Before long, the 1st Lady was there....and after about 30 minutes I was sitting up, having her put on my shoes, and then she left to get the car at the discharge door. OK......I needed an arm...and this nurse kept my wobbly legs from collapsing on me.......and then it was into the car. OK....COFFEE.....COFFEE....COFFEE....I yelled in my parched voice!!!!!!

We headed to a Deli for a light lunch....and Becky and Rachel met us to dine with us. Did I really feel like eating lunch?????? Not really, however.....it was good to see them.....don't think I uttered a damn sentence.....I just sort of sat there in my Ray Charles dark glasses and looked off across the table, not seeing much of anything nor hearing too much......just in my dark little world as I still was descending down to this earth from wherever I had been for a couple of hours!

After being there for about an hour and a half......at least that is what the 1st Lady told me.....we got into the car and an hour later we were at the sticknbrick. Wobbling into the house.....I just sat and tried to regain some strength......but, it took all afternoon and into this evening before my weak legs and arms began to cooperate with my wishes!!! Wow.....GOOD stuff!!!

And so.....I am off to bed.....AFTER I get my plastic eye patch installed by tape across my face. I need to take a picture of this great, stylish look of being a 21st century plastic patched pirate!!! The morning will arrive quickly tomorrow as I have to be back in Cape for my 8:30 post-op exam. Obviously, the 1st Lady will have to drive me down and back..........Anxious to see....SEE without the sleeping juice and dilated eye keeping me from seeing what Life is going to look like without glasses. I KNOW I will need reading glasses, but have to wait until my lens adjusts to whatever they hook it up with .........

Not the usual day.........but, it wasn't supposed to be usual! However........as always......

LIFE IS JUST REALLY, REALLY GREAT!!!!!!......And, I hope it is for all of you, also!!!!!! (and, try to get some of those IV floating sleeping juices!!)

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