One Down, One to Go

This morning was the surgery for the removal of the first cataract.

We were awake at 4:30, I showered and ate a bagel, then we left the house around 6.

We arrived at the outpatient surgery center by IU Arnett before our scheduled 6:30 time, but that was good because there was no line and we were checked in quickly.  Kathy, the person who checked us in, was a former student of mine, so that made the process easier and more relaxing for me.

Before we could finish the paperwork about medications, Hilary arrived and we were called back to the pre-op room.

Pre-op was extremely easy.  No gowns.  No removal of my shoes even.  Hilary reminded me that my stress about removing the polish on my toes was not needed because my shoes and socks never left my feet.  Note to self- no removal of toe nail polish the next time.

Lots of prep work on my eye from gooey stuff, drops, and cleansing.  Some pads were attached to my chest and back to monitor my heart rate.  I was given a liquid under my tongue to relax me, and I think it did because I really don't remember much of what was happening.  Well, some...but not many details.  All a blur.  Was that a pun?

The actual procedure seemed relatively simple from my viewpoint (another pun?).  A sticky tent on my face to isolate my eye.  Lots of water dripping in my eye and on my cheek.   I could hear talking about the remodeling of the house of one of the nurses.  She was changing her living room, which one would enter from the garage to her kitchen and making her kitchen, which one would enter from the front door, into her living room.  Someone had finished priming the walls last night and she hoped the painting would be today.  She was talking about new cabinets and something that happened outside that cost her $15,000.    Other than that, I really don't remember much.

When I returned to the room, Hilary and Gary were there.  More drops put in the eye.  Pads removed.  Directions given.  Dr. Larew came in to see me.  Then we left.

We arrive there around 6:15.  We left at 9.  

It really was easy.  

Now I am waiting for the fuzziness to clear.  i am scared to even reach up to my eye because I don't want to damage anything.  I felt like there was a blob of something in the outer corner of my eye.  Gary looked and saw it, so he touched a kleenex to the corner and removed it.  Now I am waiting for my pupil to un-dilate. I  am hoping that when I wake up tomorrow morning, I can see really well.  Because I can't now!!

Typing this has been an ordeal.  I can't see the keys so I am trusting my knowledge of the keyboard and the back space key to get me through the post.

I have been isolating myself in the bedroom, relaxing on the bed and taking naps when I want to.

Sometimes when I think that I can go ahead and resume activity as normal, it backfires on me and I have another day to recuperate.  I thought it would probably be best to rest today, then hit the ground running tomorrow in the Thanksgiving prep work.

At the appointment on Thursday morning, which is my first follow-up, I need to tell the doctor that we will be gone at the end of December and most of January so the second eye can be scheduled soon.  I want to be able to see!

Won't it be great to be able to sing "I can see clearly now.." and really mean it?