survived

Hey, look at this. I can do it with two eyes now, which is kind of fun. Of course one eye is pretty blurry and I really can't make out any letters, but I can sort of see black smudges across the white screen, and that is about 40 times better than what I could see out of that eye a week ago. Now, sometime between three months and a year, the swelling in my eye and cornea will go down and I can get my vision corrected, and see even better. How much better? No one is making any promises, but this is a good start.

I was a bit nervous going into this. People had begun to quietly relate how they had a friend who went in to surgery to get his finger fixed and then died of a blood clot, or was asphyxiated by anesthesia, or were stabbed in their aorta, and such stuff. But, when I got to the hospital all I saw were people going into the door looking nervous, and people coming out with eye patches. Then, after almost four hours of just waiting, an hour of prep, a hour and a half of operating time, and a half-hour cool down, that was me, walking out with an eye path.

The coolest part (Warning -- this may gross you out) was that I was awake the whole time. I was mostly sedated with some relaxing drug. The effect of this drug was measured by the anesthesiologist who asked "Does it feel as if you had one drink or two?" Then he pumped a local into and around my eye, and I was off the surgery.

I watched as they covered m other eye, lowered a microscope and light over the bad eye, and then I could see more light when they cut the dead cornea off, and then removed the cataract, and then began stitching up the cornea. I had a team of two women surgeons working on me. They have worked together for twenty years. They gave and took directions about stitches and angles and placement. And they talked about their kids, and how they don't like electronic medical records, and how the paperwork is much worse.

The next day I went to the doctors office. She took off the patch and wiped away all the goop, and I can see. Not too clearly, but it certainly is a good start.

Psychologically, I was asked one question by the admitting nurse: How do you feel about this operation? I think it will help me see," I answered. "Optimistic" she put down. There was no follow-up question about my thoughts on waking up and being unable to move.

Doesn't matter, I'm moving now. Slowly, but that's fine.