Wednesday, January 13, 2010

I'm back...

Howdy peeps!
We are going to be having almost normal temps by the end of this week, hooray!
Rumor has it that we may be seeing high seventies by Friday, wow!

Yesterday was my simple cataract surgery.
And to say that the experience was unique would be somewhat of an understatement.
We arrived at the surgery center, with ten minutes to spare, the trip to south Fort Myers took over an hour and the waiting room was teaming with activity … it seemed many patients were there to have something repaired or fixed, PS this is one of those specialty surgery centers only for eyes.
I was taken aback by the quantity of people throughout the holding area, a bumper crop of patients, and I appeared to be the youngster in the group.
Sure enough, one after another as they repeated their date of birth, 1925, 1934, 1937, 1946 etc, etc, etc into infinity it appeared! I was the kid, since my year is 1950!

Before I take you through the next step of my surgery experience let me just give you a little taste of the trip down there. We left at 11:00 A.M. and took the interstate I75 south to exit 136 then a zig and few zags and we were there.
Along the way, not on the highway mind you, but there on that major roadway it did seem that most must of them had very important appointments to get to since the speed limit was not set high enough for them; where’s a cop when you need one?
Any-who, once off that speedway we entered the congestion of the outskirts of one of the local most populous cities, Fort Myers; in the old days this was quite the sleepy little hamlet, but has grown by leaps and bounds since!
On the side roads to my vision improvement we noticed how many were actually texting and speaking on their cells phones while behind the wheel.

Now I speak from experience when I say that is not safe!
Back in 1994 when I was a district manager for an international environmentally safe products company and traveled 3000 miles a month in the state of Florida to five different stores in five different counties I had an accident on the entrance road to I95, and guess what folks I was speaking on my cell and it was my fault! Fortunately no one was hurt seriously including me, but the car, my Saturn, a year old was damaged so severely, I destroyed one third of its value, with its smashed in front end. And it took ages to repair, and cost me a fortune, since I had to rent a car for work for months, longer than my insurance covered, which cancelled me and so I had to get insurance on the rental! So I do know.

Back into my enticing journey in to the sighted world….after I was asked the magic questions of a most personal nature, height, weight, DOB, and illnesses on a fill in page.
The wait was still quite a while, and this has always confused me since we made sure we were on time but no doctors ever are, you notice that? We arrived at 12:10, ten minutes early from my 12:20 scheduled appointment, and yet it was after one by the time Hubby and I parted company, I was going in to be prepped for surgery, but he couldn’t come in and neither could my new stone jewelry, necklace and earrings, and I thought since it was a no, no on makeup and it was, but they wrote that hearing aids were OK! See my confusion, earrings are not that dissimilar to hearing aids in weight and consistency, what
a dilemma, but easily rectified, since I had brought a baggie in case that was the case and it was, got it?

Once behind the ominous door within the no turning back realm, I was taken to a gurney that for some reason appeared to be way too narrow to hold me, but oddly enough it did.
It had an abnormal rounded out section with what looked liked a blue terry towel on it with metal structures on either side, one could only assume head holds? I used my walker to do this project and the nurses aided me in getting situated upon this odd looking bed of torture?
Different for me anyway, I suppose others may have been familiar with this type of gurney and believe me I have seen quite few, but this was definitely unique.
The medicas, a new word ala Tobi, female medical personnel hooked me up with grace and diligence to oxygen, a blood pressure cuff, and a pre tap needle for the IV for the actual surgery anesthesia, I was blanketed and left there like a piece of meat on a slab.
The room filled quickly with other victims waiting also to be cut up; they’re must have been ten or twelve beds.

As quickly as they filled they were rolled out to who knows where, since I don’t actually remember leaving the room just receiving the happy juice, and then we were all done!
And I was alive; you ask how did I know? I woke up sillies!

The last nurse gave me and Hubby instructions for after care, while I was being also given apple juice and a blueberry muffin it was 2:30 and I could see the clock! Hubby had had a big Mac and read a book while he waited.
The nicest touch was the mug that had Eye Health on it and under that, “each patient is a valued guest” with flowers in it that were mums and carnations that matched my blouse in purple, how thoughtful. I sort of felt bad that I only have one more eye to do. It had turned out to be a rather nice place to visit.

On that note I will bid you all a good night and to all count those blessings and pray for all those Haitians and help them if you can! We will.

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