Well, it’s been four weeks now since the emergency eye surgery to reattach my retina, and I’m doing pretty good, I think. It’s weird how you can spend over 60 years taking your eyes for granted, never thinking about your retina, and then, Pow! That’s all you can think about. The whole thing’s pretty amazing. In the olden days, I’d have been blind in that eye for the rest of my life for sure. Yikes!
I’m still not back at the A&P. I decided to take the rest of the summer off, and go back the day after Labor Day. There are plenty of college kids who are glad to pick up the hours. I want my retina to be good and healed before I gear back up because I don’t want to backslide and have to go through this whole rigmarole again. No way, no how!
Like the doctor said, the surgery wasn’t that big a deal: same day, in and out. But like she also said, the recovery’s been kinda grueling. See, once the retina is attached, they inject a gas bubble in there to hold it in place while it heals. God knows how they do it. The bubble slowly gets absorbed by your body until. It’s genius, really.
But here’s the deal: you have to make sure that bubble stays in place. So the first week, no activity, nothing, and you can only look down. Sounds easy, but try it. I basically sat on the couch with my iPad on a little step stool below me and watched “Project Runway All Stars.” Seven seasons. It was the perfect diversion. Plus, in bed I could only sleep on one side with two pillows and my head twisted down. My eye never really hurt that much, but my neck and shoulders? Ug! It was brutal.
The second week, I could look up to about a 45 degree angle and take fifteen minute walks, and I could sleep on either side. Wahoo! And for the last two weeks, I’ve been able to look up like normal and get back to walking, though I still have to be careful not to overdo it.
My bubble has been slowly shrinking. I’m guessing it’s at about 30 or 40 percent right now. That means the bottom third of my eye has a bubble jumping around with every movement of my head. Plus, it’s shooting streaks of light up and sometimes doubling images. It’s freaky, and makes me feel weird when I’m out in public, kinda vulnerable, you know? I’m afraid someone won’t be paying attention, and bump into me, knocking my retina loose again. I’m not driving, of course, but riding around I’m kinda nervous, too, feeling like a little fender bender could be game over for that eye.
The rest of me is fine. Still, I get kinda tired as the day goes on. Can’t quite figure out why. My eyesight just seems real, well, noisy. Like when they change the newsfeed on your Facebook and it seems cluttery and you can’t really read it until you get used to it. Like that.
I ordered an eye patch to wear, thinking that would help, but it’s too uncomfortable. Plus, I ordered a plain black one and the thing arrived with a friggin’ Jolly Roger on it. Seriously! What’s next? All I need know is a parrot and a peg leg and I could go full pirate.
Gotta say, though, all this is a small price to pay for getting my eyesight back. When I close my good eye, I can actually make out objects in the part of my recovering eye that’s not covered by the bubble. They’re fuzzy and a little distorted, but they’re there. With my glasses on, I’ll be okay. And it’s supposed to continue getting better for three to six months. I can get my prescription adjusted in October, and I’m real hopeful my sight will be up to snuff by then. Phew. Jeesum crow! What an adventure!
That’s it for now. Catch you on the flip side!
P.S. I’m not quite up for doing a recording today. Baby steps!