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Tuesday, March 12, 2013

I Once Was Blind

Good news: I am not typing this by braille! I had my LASIK and survived! I just wanted to alleviate the suspense that I'm sure was created after my last post.

I'm just going to back up a bit and say that I've been planning on getting LASIK done for over a year, but laziness and business and hesitation has made me put it off until now.  Jason had it done a few years ago at the Katzen Eye Group.  I decided to go there also.  Even though it is a bit of a drive to Baltimore, it was worth the extra drive time to me to go to a doctor I had a personal recommendation for and who also made me feel at ease.  I don't get anything for saying this, but I'd definitely recommend them. 

Overall, it was a painless process.  They gave me a Valium a few minutes before the surgery to "take the edge off."  I was a little concerned while sitting in the waiting room that it wasn't going to be enough and actually asked the receptionist, "Shouldn't I be taking the Valium now? How long does it take to feel the effects?"  I needed the full effect!  Also in the waiting room, I tried to look at pictures of Jason just in case, you know.  I started scrolling through my phone pictures for one last look at my hubby: food pictures, my niece, more food pictures, my god daughter, a purse I want to buy, more niece pictures, finally Jason making a funny face.

The surgery itself was weird, because you know what is happening but can't feel anything and can only see a blinking light.  In my Valium-induced haze I could hear the doctor describing his every step while using a device to keep my eyes open, and the nurse counting down the number of second they were running the laser.  I pictured myself looking a little bit like Mel Gibson in "Conspiracy Theory" when they taped his eyelids open although I'm pretty sure I actually looked the opposite of Mel since I was hugging a turtle shaped pillow, and at one point I asked if my eyes were open when they were actually closed. 

The rest of the day was a bit of a blur, both because I napped and everything literally was blurry to me, but I could wake up the next morning and actually see things that were farther than 5 inches from my face, an experience I haven't had for over a decade!  Since then I've still been seeing good and get to wear some pretty cool protective goggles around the house.  Actually, I only have to wear them while sleeping, but find myself rubbing my eyes when I'm not supposed to, so I'd rather be on the safe side and just wear them whenever I'm at home.  They kind of look like safety goggles you wear when doing construction projects, so the good news is I'm ready for any emergency drilling or sawing the next few days.  Huge thanks to my mom for driving me on surgery day and Rose for driving me to the post-op appointment and to everyone else praying and caring for me!

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