Throughout this week I have endured extremely stressful times. The factors involved in creating this stress don't amount to much alone, but the whole is much more than its parts.
- Cataract surgery, early Monday, when everything should have gone as before.
- Seeing through a "red plastic screen" in afternoon.
- Add many floating drops of "oil" to the gauzy screen on Tuesday morning.
- Poking, prodding, bright lights for examination.
- Doctor adds additional drop twice a day, burning assures me of correct placement.
- Wednesday morning, sight has gotten worse, second doctor consulted.
- Concerned mutterings accompany the poking, prodding, extremely bright lights.
- Immediately sent to downtown Houston for specialist appointment, without eating, drinking.
- Strange directions, congested traffic and enormous, costly parking garage.
- Dodging traffic, with the aid of an assisting arm and the aid of only one eye.
- Dilation, waiting, bright lights, examination, poking, prodding and no answers.
- By late afternoon, quick bite and the puzzle of finding way home.
- More drops, more waiting, more questions, more fear, not much sleep.
- Thursday, nothing to eat or drink, before returning to downtown Houston.
- Patience is wearing thin, with traveling, traffic and no answers, just more questions.
- New doctor, new lights, new drops, new tests, new examinations, new questions.
- After consultation, treatment is determined.
- Explanation is given and fear is at a peak.
- Needles are to be inserted in the eye socket, below the eye.
- During this part of procedure, I came to the edge of passing out from the pain.
- Since I didn't want to start over, I convinced myself that I could and would stay alert.
- Withdrawing fluid and inserting antibiotics into the eye was weird, but painless.
- Multiple drops applied and patched for the journey home.
- Two hours later, midway home, patch removed for drops and the world was duplicated.
- Double vision, double the anxiety and double the pain.
- Pain medicine made the rest of the ride home tolerable.
- Early Friday morning, return to doctor in different part of Houston.
- Tension by this time was equal to the frustration with incomplete sight.
- Drops, bright lights, examination, waiting, more examination, more poke, prodding.
- A slight increase in vision was the ultimate reward for this painful, frustrating week.
- Two more prescriptions (total of seven types of drops) and we wait.
- Monday morning, local doctor and then Friday we return to Houston.
- Eye of the Tiger.
- Lying Eyes.
- Eye of the needle.
- Beats a poke in the Eye with a sharp stick.
- Eye of the beholder.
- Eye on the sparrow.
- Shut-Eye.
- In the blink of an Eye.
- Bedroom Eyes.
- Betty Davis Eyes.
- Got my Eye on you.
- Can't believe my Eyes.
- Evil Eye.
- Eyelets.
- Eye piece (microscope).
- Eye glasses.
- Eye drops.
- Eye lashes.
So in closing, let me leave you with this somewhat familiar quote. I only knew the first two sentences, but the last two made me laugh in a week without many smiles.
“Cross you heart, hope to die. Stick a needle in your eye. Jam a dagger in your thigh. Eat a horse manure pie!”
