Brand new eyes

I know - I haven't updated in FOREVER. But, now, I actually have something to write about that I think might be helpful/interesting.

I've wanted to have Lasik eye surgery since I was fifteen. At the time, I was doing a lot of babysitting, and both members of one couple I worked for had had the surgery with great results. I had just developed dry eye syndrome, which made wearing contacts uncomfortable & full of hassles. But I knew that I would have to wait - until my eyes stabilized, and until I had enough money to pay it.

When I moved to Cincinnati, wearing contacts suddenly became impossible. It's very dry here (great for my hair) and I couldn't keep contacts in comfortably for more than a few hours. So you'd think - great, time for the surgery, right? But, my prescription suddenly changed, for the first time in four years. So, I splurged on a fancy pair of "corporate librarian" eyeglasses. Thick, nerd frames - but made by Coach! These glasses are so great, that, after a year, I was almost sorry that it was time to finally go for the permanent fix.

I made sure that I was eligible for the surgery last fall, so that I could put enough money in my 2008 health spending account to cover the surgery (tax free, baby). I also scheduled the surgery during my mom's school vacation. I didn't expect any difficulties, but I thought, big stress situation, great time for mom support.

Then, last Wednesday, two days before the surgery, I got a call. From my dad. Dad never calls, so I realized pretty quickly, that my mom wasn't coming. He distracted me with small talk for a bit, then I asked. He confirmed that she was "having car trouble." I barely slept that night. Big scary surgery. Deposit already paid. Money already in the health spending account. Damn it.

I went to work the next day and started asking people for rides. I asked Kathy, who is always willing to offer help to drive one way. She offered to drive two. But I didn't want to disrupt her day that much. Megan, another fabulous coworker, who also lives in the city near me, agreed to drive me to work in the morning. And I thought of the perfect person to drive me home - Marcia, my former boss, works early days, so she wouldn't have to leave early, and she loves dogs, so she could help me out with Toby.

The surgery itself was just as scary as I thought it would be - but not in the way I thought it would be. It was difficult not to move my eyes during the pre-surgery scan that would determine how they would correct my vision. Then, the process of anesthetizing my eyes was horrible! All kinds of things being jammed into my eyes.... The laser bit was easy by comparison, though I was again stressed about being able to concentrate sufficiently on the red light.

BTW, the people at Lasik Plus were great. They talked to me almost the whole time (except when the procedure required me to be still). I just have problems with things being jammed into my eyes.

After the surgery I called Marcia to tell her to pick me up - but she was already there. Which was great, because I was super stressed. We had to stop to pick up a prescription, and I realized that I had forgotten my health card. Marcia again saved the day and agreed to come back & get the prescription with my card. I was crying at this point, from the combination of stress and pain in my eyes. For some reason, I didn't really realize that this would hurt. I was concentrated on the fact that the surgery would be scary but quick.

Marcia got me home & took Toby (always happy to make a new friend) out for a walk. I tried to go to sleep while she went to pick up my prescription. I couldn't lay still. I wanted to open my eyes. Every time I did, it hurt. I was miserable. I took two generic Vicodin, left over from my oral surgery, since I knew that it was part of what was in my prescription. The medication calmed me down considerably, but I was still in pain. I also felt like I was freezing to death for some reason. Marcia came back with all my medicine and a loaf of pumpkin bread - comfort food. She took Toby for another walk (this was amazingly helpful, since, he didn't ask to go out again for the rest of the night & I'm not sure if I could have handled taking him out again).

I managed to keep my eyes closed for the required two hours. Then I started to using the drops. I'm not actually sure what they do, but I decided that they were relieving the pain. But that might have been the Vicodin. I dozed off for about an hour with the tv on. I stayed up until about 10:30 so that I could fit in three cycles of the drops. Then, I went to sleep with a pair of goggles taped securely to my face.

I woke up this morning for my post-surgery check up, and most of the blurriness was gone. But my left eye HURT. I drove myself in to the office, worrying that I had messed something up. Strangely, my vision is better (for now) in the eye that hurts than in the other one. And my vision is 20/20. We won't know how it will stabilize for a few months. The doctor told me that everything is in the right place, including in my left eye.

I went over to Trader Joe's to pick up some food, since I might not leave the house for the rest of the weekend. The check out guy chatted with me about my surgery. I'm actually having trouble talking - I feel shaky, almost like I might faint (but I'm not a fainter).

I drove home with no problems. I think knowing that everything is okay made my eye feel a bit better. But I'll be glad when the burning sensation goes away.

It's weird feeling so bad because of something that I chose to do. I'm still sure that it's all worth it. Time for another nap, I think.