brief lasik story, and update 5 days post surgery

A tiny bit of background first. My dad had RK surgery back 10 or so years ago, well before laser anything was an option. I remember him telling me about it, and I remember saying something to him like "You mean you were AWAKE while they CUT on your EYES???!?! I could NEVER do that." Funny how time and circumstances will change one's perspective on things. Not only was I not avoiding eye surgery, I was looking forward to it. :)

So anyway Wednesday I slept in a little, then Tim and I ate some breakfast before my 11:00 appointment. We got to the center and they took one more picture of my left eye that the surgeon wanted. When we go into the surgical lobby, a tech has us put those hospital booties on our feet, and has me wash my eyelids and put on a showercap thing to cover my hair. Then she gives me a Valium-type pill and has me wait for an hour or so.

Just before I went into the first laser room, the tech puts the numbing drops in my eye. They sting a little but are not unbearable. I go into the room with the Intralase laser that will cut my flap. Each eye took 60 seconds of laser time. Tim got to watch it all on a monitor. This laser "docked" onto a suction ring that was on my eye and was slightly uncomfortable, but not painful. The worst part was the "eyelid speculum" that held my eyelids open and that was just a small poking sensation like there was something in my eye that I couldn't quite blink away.

After my flaps were made they had me rest with my eyes taped shut for 10 minutes or so while the bubbles dissipated (the laser that made the flap does so by lots of tiny bubbles just under the surface of the cornea). Then I went to the main laser. I had the eyelid speculum again, but no suction ring this time. Tim got to watch this one on a video too. He told me that when they worked my flap open it looked like they used a little hook. My right eye took 36 seconds on this laser and my left took 51. After the laser did its thing they smoothed down the flap with what looked and felt like a little spatula. The surgeon looked at my eyes afterwards and said everything looked good.

We got my post-op instructions and drops, etc and then came home. I rested on the couch for the rest of the evening, getting up twice to do my series of medicated drops. The next day Tim gave me a ride to work and I tried to work as best I could... because I was not seeing 20/20. I wasn't even seeing 20/40. I took a few phone calls and made heavy use of the magnifyer on the computer (a neat thing to play with when you don't need it, but a pain in the bootie when you depend on it... Start, Programs, Accessories, Accessibility, Magnifyer). I had my 1-day followup on Thursday afternoon and they told me that my vision w/o glasses before was 20/2200, and now it was 20/100, so even that was a big improvement. They check my eyes and said that there are some rough spots on the top layer of my cornea that would heal up on their own in time. They requested I come in again on Saturday.

Saturday I'm still not seeing clearly. They check my eyes again and my cornea is apparently still rough. They ask me if I'm having any pain and I tell them that I'm not. My eyes are dry and itchy, but not painful. They told me that if they were hurting me then they could give me some "bandaid contacts". I had never heard of such a thing and almost thought that it was too bad that I couldn't try them out. :P

Sunday I was seeing a little better than Saturday (very VERY gradual and slow improvements and healing), but then today it almost feels like I've had a regression again and that I'm back to Saturday's or even Friday's vision. I know I need to be patient and they said that my vision would fluctuate, but I just wish I healed up faster than this. I got the Intralase and the CustonVue (using wavefront measurements instead of just a straight perscription) to get the best results possible. I just wish the wait wasn't so long. I've been using all my drops as instructed, and not rubbing my eyes, or anything. I need to be patient. I've heard of delayed gratification. The tech who put my numbing drops in told me that I wouldn't see very well on Wednesday but that the next day would be "like Christmas." Maybe my Christmas will be in March instead of February. More updates to come in a few days.

2 day countdown for my lasik surgery

Well I had my final pre-op appointment today. They took measurements of my eyes again and put green drops in them, shined a blue light on them, and had me look into a purple whirlpool. Not all at the same time. The first thing they did was check my vision using one of those "standard" machines at every optometrist's office (you know, the one where they keep flipping lenses on you and say "which one is clearer, #1 or #2..... #2 or #3.... etc.), then they did other measurements, and at the very end they checked my right eye's vision again based on some of those middle measurements. I hope everything will turn out OK. I am getting excited. :)

my rotary cutter will be the best thing that happened to my sewing

Wow. I should have splurged and bought a rotary cutter and cutting mat a long time ago. I haven't sewn in a while because of time and space issues, but the last several times I did, I would have my fabric laid out on the carpet, and I would be kneeled over it with my scissors, turning every which way to get the curves, etc cut out of the different pattern pieces.

Well, several months ago, rotary cutters and mats went on sale at the fabric store I like. They were half off. So I bought the largest mat they had (34" by 36"), the smallest cutter they had (1" or so diameter so I can do the tight curves), and several extra blades. I got motivated yesterday evening to do a little sewing, so I dug out a pattern and some fabric from my stash and got to it. I had the mat on the table, with the fabric and pattern laid over it, and I got the cutter and started cutting. Before ever using it I was skeptical because fabric is pretty sturdy (so is paper for that matter), and if I tried to cut fabric or paper using, say, a knife... or just one side of a pair of scissors, it wouldn't work and I would just end up with creases or maybe tiny tears.

But I used the rotary cutter and WOW. It sliced it through neatly like butter, completely effortless. I've never cut out an entire pattern so quickly before. Unfortunately I put a tiny cut in the dining room table too, but oh well. Now it will look lived on instead of pristine and untouchable. :) I can hardly wait to finish this dress so I can cut out another one. :P But I must work more on my drawings first.

how to play an extra large joke on someone

One of my coworkers, L, has a husband, G, who is out on the road a lot. A few months ago, they traded in the pickup they had for a different one that would get better gas mileage for their horse trailer. While they were out shopping, they looked at this one Chevy crew cab that has a TON of enhancements and decorations, etc. Wood trimmed dash, nice interior and exterior package, etc. MSRP around 68,000 - same price as a fairly decent starter home around here. So anyway L has been talking for a few days that she has a friend over at the dealership and wondered if he would let her "test drive" that truck and take it home, stashing her other two vehicles at a friend's house, and pretending that she bought herself a new truck when G came home the next time. We all would laugh at what his reaction would be but no definite plans were made until today. L even called their contact at the bank and got him in on the deal too. He was more than happy to help her play this joke on G. She had to leave early because he was getting home close to the time we were getting off work, and she called us on the road and is going to meet him at a restaurant... in "her" new truck. We are all excited to hear "the rest of the story" tomorrow.

trial and error with cheesy bread

So I have several packets of dinner roll/pizza crust mix (with yeast packet) in my cabinet. Well actually I am down to just one left I think. Anyway last night I used one of them to make a thin crust 14" pizza, and a sheet of cheese bread. I lacked parmesan so I couldn't use that, but I rolled out the crust and then had a mixture of mozzarella, cheddar, and spices that I put on it before I baked it. But next time I make cheese bread, I will bake the crust first by itself until it's mostly done and THEN add the cheese, or use more cheese to start with, or a combination of the two. The cheese was DONE on the cheese bread and the crust was just medium done. But when we dipped it into enough marinara sauce then it wasn't so bad. And the regular pizza I made was pretty good too. I think I finally have it down to how much sauce I need on the crust, and it really isn't very much. It just needs to be enough to make a little layer between the cheese and the crust, too much and it will make a soggy messy pizza (said from personal experience). I can't wait until the next time I can make some cheese bread. Yum.

happy valentine's day

So today is another holiday where people in a serious relationship usually exchange gifts. But Tim got me mine on Friday since he was off. He surprised me at work with a pink, white, and red rose bouquet; a card with a poem he wrote himself in it, and a few other tiny gifts and candies. I jokingly told him that he can't buy my love. :P The roses arrived still in bud form and it was just yesterday and today that they are finally opening significantly. I gave them their second pouch of "flower food" today. I was curious what cut flowers eat, but I decided to only sniff the packet instead of taste it. Whatever it is smells slightly sweet. Sweet, just like the love that Tim and I have for each other.

Ok that was really, REALLY sappy. LOL. Anyway happy Valentine's day to everyone. :)

thinking of others more than myself

Tim and I went to another of the Bible studies about the home last night. This time the subject was dating and courtship and how you should determine whether you want to marry someone or not. There were about 12 people there but only 3 of them were single. But we all can use tips and hints to help improve our marriage.

Afterwards, we stayed over there and talked until midnight-ish. I found out a few struggles that some of our friends are going through. One couple had lost their first baby last month, and now one of her coworkers is expecting. She is struggling a lot right now so I am keeping her in my prayers that she may be strong, and that God may bless them with another baby soon.

Another couple is a blended family, and because of a spanking (not done in anger, not done anywhere but the bottom) left a few bruises on one of their children, they are now under investigation for child abuse. It is possible that they may lose the children permanently. When I used to work at Walmart as a cashier, I would bump into parts and corners of my "register cubicle" and get bruises. I even managed to give myself a 4" by 1" one on my thigh one time. Bruises are going to happen sometimes, and of course there are plenty of people out there who bruise easier than others. Granted I am not sure if the child falls into that "bruising easily" category, but I have seen nothing but love in that family. We've even had them over to our place for dinner and games and they are one of the happiest, well-adjusted blended families I've known of. Nobody yelled, the children were well-behaved and smiling, etc. I pray that they will be able to get their children back, but if it is not God's will then I pray fervently that the parents will be able to find healing and be able to forgive, and that it will not be a strain on their marriage.

On a lighter note, my mother in law is taking me to An Affair of the Heart today, a large craft-show bonanza thing. Maybe I can get some decorating ideas for when and if Tim and I ever get our own house.

the litter pan hole is now more than an inch

I cut the sitz bath hole a little larger this afternoon. Now it's a little more than an inch all around. I am still not ready to put water into the mixing bowl though. The hole is still too small for it to really have any effect. Things could get interesting here in a month or so because Tim and I may take a few days off to go see some dear friends in Alabama. They lived in Oklahoma for a while and I got to meet them. The husband even is the one that married me and Tim, but they had moved back to Alabama by the time of the wedding so we haven't seen them since then. Our best man, who currently lives in Texas, is going to be in Alabama when we plan to also... he is a preacher too and is going to hold a gospel meeting there. Some of you out there may call it a "revival". We would be gone about 5 days, and Tim's brother would come watch the cats for us while we were gone. I may or may not be ready for water at that point. Probably not. I probably will keep taking the "hole cutting" very slowly and then go a tiny bit faster after we get back from that trip. That would probably be easiest on all parties involved.

frito pie should not just be for southerners

So at work today I got a call from a lady at another company that mine works closely with. She needed me to check a particular order, and I was in the process of downloading the group of orders it was in right then, so we made idle chat while it downloaded. (for about 5 minutes). She was in Seattle and mentioned that she didn't think I have much of an accent, and thought that I lived somewhere else besides Oklahoma before I moved here. I told her I did, but it was Texas, so it's still a Southern state to her. :) We got to talking about the differences between north and south, and I remembered on those www.knot.com message boards I was on (which are now also on www.thenest.com) that someone posted wanting a recipe for Frito Pie. We Southern girls accommodated her and gave her the "recipe" (bowl of Fritos, put chili on it, put cheese on it, heat and eat). I was mentioning this briefly to the lady in Seattle and how there are other things besides an accent that differs regionally. I told her about Frito Pie and she wanted the "recipe" too, so I told her how to make it and she said that it sounded good. Something that she has that we don't is a bunch of Starbucks and other coffee places.

litter, little e-baby, lasik

Well I haven't had any trouble with the cats (except for the occasional miss because of their positioning, not them being obstinant and aiming badly on purpose), but I also haven't been enlarging the hole every Tuesday and Friday like I had planned. I did enlarge it tonight though and am thinking that once a week or so is probably a better rate for them. I did have to sit the sitz bath in a metal mixing bowl in the toilet since our litter technically isn't flushable even though it is paper. Right now there is no water in the mixing bowl. I am waiting until the hole is a little larger (it's about quarter-sized right now) until I add the water so I can still reuse the litter that falls through for now. Once I add water I will be going through litter much faster. Maybe I can start off with just a little water.

My "Nano Baby" is now 23 lbs, and 1 1/4 years old. The instructions said that when the first baby turns 3, you can press two of the buttons and a sibling is born. Then you raise THAT baby to 3 also and the game has its sucessful ending of a happy family.

Over Christmas, Tim called one of the LASIK facilities here in town because they were giving away some discount gift certificates. He wants me to have my eyes done. We'll have to use part of our tax refund to get a jump start on the payments. At least they have a 12-month interest free option. Anyway I had my initial consultation on Tuesday, to make sure my eyes were in the right condition to be eligible for the surgery, and they are. I am nervous now and excited. The surgery is 20 days from now. The countdown is on.