September 14, 2017
I had the second treatment with the macular specialist for my right eye yesterday.
Before I saw the doctor, the technician did the usual "read the chart" thing, and did a scan of the back of my eyeball. I did better with the chart than I did last month, and my scan results were spectacular! The doctor was impressed. He said they don't usually see results like this until nearly a year into treatment. His excitement was palpable.
It's nice to get some good news. And again, I felt nothing when he did the shot into the eye.
-------------------------------------------
I think I forgot to mention it, but I finally got another mammogram a week or so ago. I had a followup visit with the radiation oncologist and he asked when I'd had my last mammo, and I said it was over a year ago, before the diagnosis, and I'd been asking when I'd get the next, and everyone just shrugged, and I was getting concerned, so he wrote me the prescription for a diagnostic scan right then and there. (A diagnostic mammogram is different from a regular mammo - it's done with a radiologist looking at it in real time, as it's happening, so if there's anything questionable they can reshoot or zoom in right then, and you get the results immediately.) I am all clear. I was concerned about all the scar tissue in the right breast, and the underside of that breast where there's some hard scar tissue is very sensitive to pressure, but she said no problem, they could see clear through it.
Another way the diagnostic mammo is different from a regular is that the diagnostic mammogram is much more, uh, I don't know the word to use. It's much tighter, and they cram more of the material in, like you're being eaten by the machine. I still have the chemo port implant in my chest, about 1.5 inches below my collar bone. The technician crammed so much of my chest into the machine that the port was actually squished between the plates. Remember, I'm in my 70s, and that breast is a DD, so the breast is pretty far down these days. So to squish up to less than an inch from the collar bone is pretty durn impressive. In my entire life, that's the first time a mammo hurt - that port is hard!
My left breast is a DD. Now that the mutilated right has settled down, I estimate it to be about a C. I like the C much better! When I wear the right bra that raises up and cinches down the left, and clothing that skims rather than clings, you can barely see a difference. (Yes, there is a difference, but it's not immediately obvious.) However, because of the tenderness in the scar tissue, I prefer to do without a bra as much as possible, and then the difference is glaring. The unfettered left is MUCH lower, and it, uh, swings, whereas the right is high and tight. Sigh. By the time I'd be medically approved for surgery to reduce the left to match, I'll be too old to care anymore.
Anyway, clear, both breasts. Not much, but I'll take it.
---------------------------------------
Oh, something I don't understand. The chemo doctor said that if I get a tumor in the left breast, or another in the right, it is not considered a a recurrence of the original cancer (not metastatic), but brand new cancer with likely different characteristics. If bits of the original tumor has traveled at all, it would go to the lungs, brain, liver, kidneys, bone, etc. etc. etc. Not the other breast.
I don't understand why it doesn't ever metastasize to the other breast (his implication). Doesn't make sense to me. If I were a wandering breast tumor cell, that's where I'd go....
.
Showing posts with label eyes. Show all posts
Showing posts with label eyes. Show all posts
Thursday, September 14, 2017
Wednesday, August 16, 2017
5106 Medical update - eyes
Wednesday, August 16, 2017
As if surgery, chemotherapy, radiation, meds that make me ache, and three teeth pulled in one day weren't enough, I am now getting monthly injections in my eyeball. Yeah. In the eyeball. Told ya it was icky.
I've had this eyeglass prescription for like five years now, so back in maybe early May when I noticed I was having difficulty reading street signs, I wasn't surprised. It's about time. Went to my optometrist. Couldn't read anything on the screen with my right eye. The big "E", but nothing else. Left eye was fine.
She freaked and did a bunch of more tests, and informed me that she suspected macular degeneration, in both eyes, and recommended that I see an ophthalmologist ASAP.
Macular degeneration? For many years I've had one of those grids, you know, all the little squares with the dot in the middle, on my refrigerator. You're supposed to look at the dot with each eye, and check that the grid looks regular. I really have been doing it occasionally. Always looked just fine to me.
I called the optometrist's first choice recommendation, and got an appointment several weeks out. I gave them my insurance info, she assured me the accepted it, and my optometrist sent copies of my scans etc.
The DAY BEFORE the appointment, the ophthalmologist's office called to inform me that they didn't actually take my insurance. Oops. Appointment cancelled. Three weeks plus down the drain.
I went online to my insurance company to find a doctor on their list of physicians, and there were no ophthalmologists listed. The next Monday I called the insurance company, and got two recommendations. I made an appointment with the first. Two weeks later, that office called to ask what specifically I was calling about, because they noticed I was an adult, and their office handles mostly pediatric strabismus. Another two weeks down.
So I called the second recommendation. I actually made it into the office that time, and got examined. When I told the ophthalmologist that the optometrist suspected macular degeneration, she shook her head.
"Um, no, I don't do that. You need a macular specialist." Like, I'm supposed to know about the specialties, and who does what? So I asked her to examine me anyway and see if she agrees with that preliminary diagnosis, and if so, can she recommend a macular specialist?
She said ok, and diagnosed wet macular degeneration in both eyes, the right more advanced, and gave me some names that she was sure took my insurance, one of whom she highly recommended.
Great. After two months, we're making some headway. In the meantime, the right eye has deteriorated. It had gone from sometimes no noticeable problem on some days to now constant grayed-out blurred central vision every day, and the past couple of weeks I'm getting some roundish areas of sparkle. Oh, and the grid on the refrigerator is now wavy - when the right eye is clear enough to see it.
Saw the finally right doctor on Friday, August 4th. Exam. I think it was last Thursday Daughter drove me in for the first treatment. You know, I knew I was going to get a shot in the right eyeball, but for some reason I wasn't nervous at all, which surprised me!
The technician put several kinds of drops in my eyes, then several rounds of numbing drops, then a shot of Novocaine (!) very shallowly under the outer layer (I forget whether that was the doctor or the technician) which worried me at first because that crap hurts when you get it anywhere else, but I didn't feel anything at all. At. All!
Then the doctor futzed around a bit, once for all of two seconds using a clampy thing to hold the eye open while telling me to look at the tip of my nose, then he announced all done. I don't even know when I got the injection.
I said, "That's it?" I asked him why we're treating only the right eye if both are degenerating, and he said that the right eye is wet, the left is dry. The left may at some time go to wet, but for now we don't have to mess with it. He also said that we can halt the progression, and with the least little luck we can probably even get regression and restore much of the right eye vision.
I'll get a shot in the eye of Avastin once a month now for I don't know how long.
When the numbing wore off, there was no pain. That evening I had a small blood spot on the top, under the upper eyelid, but the next morning it was gone.
-----------------------------
I hate New Jersey. I swear I didn't get old until I moved here.
Oh, and what bugs me the most is that no one will give me a new prescription for lenses, even just for the left eye, because "it will change as you go through treatment", so I STILL can't read street names until I'm almost on top of them. No fair!
Also, if you look up wet macular degeneration, you'll see examples of the vision loss. I'm not that bad. I can see big things with my right eye just fine. I can't see detail. I can see the microwave across the room, I can see the clock on it, I just can't read the time on it. On good days I can read the time.
.
As if surgery, chemotherapy, radiation, meds that make me ache, and three teeth pulled in one day weren't enough, I am now getting monthly injections in my eyeball. Yeah. In the eyeball. Told ya it was icky.
I've had this eyeglass prescription for like five years now, so back in maybe early May when I noticed I was having difficulty reading street signs, I wasn't surprised. It's about time. Went to my optometrist. Couldn't read anything on the screen with my right eye. The big "E", but nothing else. Left eye was fine.
She freaked and did a bunch of more tests, and informed me that she suspected macular degeneration, in both eyes, and recommended that I see an ophthalmologist ASAP.
Macular degeneration? For many years I've had one of those grids, you know, all the little squares with the dot in the middle, on my refrigerator. You're supposed to look at the dot with each eye, and check that the grid looks regular. I really have been doing it occasionally. Always looked just fine to me.
I called the optometrist's first choice recommendation, and got an appointment several weeks out. I gave them my insurance info, she assured me the accepted it, and my optometrist sent copies of my scans etc.
The DAY BEFORE the appointment, the ophthalmologist's office called to inform me that they didn't actually take my insurance. Oops. Appointment cancelled. Three weeks plus down the drain.
I went online to my insurance company to find a doctor on their list of physicians, and there were no ophthalmologists listed. The next Monday I called the insurance company, and got two recommendations. I made an appointment with the first. Two weeks later, that office called to ask what specifically I was calling about, because they noticed I was an adult, and their office handles mostly pediatric strabismus. Another two weeks down.
So I called the second recommendation. I actually made it into the office that time, and got examined. When I told the ophthalmologist that the optometrist suspected macular degeneration, she shook her head.
"Um, no, I don't do that. You need a macular specialist." Like, I'm supposed to know about the specialties, and who does what? So I asked her to examine me anyway and see if she agrees with that preliminary diagnosis, and if so, can she recommend a macular specialist?
She said ok, and diagnosed wet macular degeneration in both eyes, the right more advanced, and gave me some names that she was sure took my insurance, one of whom she highly recommended.
Great. After two months, we're making some headway. In the meantime, the right eye has deteriorated. It had gone from sometimes no noticeable problem on some days to now constant grayed-out blurred central vision every day, and the past couple of weeks I'm getting some roundish areas of sparkle. Oh, and the grid on the refrigerator is now wavy - when the right eye is clear enough to see it.
Saw the finally right doctor on Friday, August 4th. Exam. I think it was last Thursday Daughter drove me in for the first treatment. You know, I knew I was going to get a shot in the right eyeball, but for some reason I wasn't nervous at all, which surprised me!
The technician put several kinds of drops in my eyes, then several rounds of numbing drops, then a shot of Novocaine (!) very shallowly under the outer layer (I forget whether that was the doctor or the technician) which worried me at first because that crap hurts when you get it anywhere else, but I didn't feel anything at all. At. All!
Then the doctor futzed around a bit, once for all of two seconds using a clampy thing to hold the eye open while telling me to look at the tip of my nose, then he announced all done. I don't even know when I got the injection.
I said, "That's it?" I asked him why we're treating only the right eye if both are degenerating, and he said that the right eye is wet, the left is dry. The left may at some time go to wet, but for now we don't have to mess with it. He also said that we can halt the progression, and with the least little luck we can probably even get regression and restore much of the right eye vision.
I'll get a shot in the eye of Avastin once a month now for I don't know how long.
When the numbing wore off, there was no pain. That evening I had a small blood spot on the top, under the upper eyelid, but the next morning it was gone.
-----------------------------
I hate New Jersey. I swear I didn't get old until I moved here.
Oh, and what bugs me the most is that no one will give me a new prescription for lenses, even just for the left eye, because "it will change as you go through treatment", so I STILL can't read street names until I'm almost on top of them. No fair!
Also, if you look up wet macular degeneration, you'll see examples of the vision loss. I'm not that bad. I can see big things with my right eye just fine. I can't see detail. I can see the microwave across the room, I can see the clock on it, I just can't read the time on it. On good days I can read the time.
.
Wednesday, January 23, 2013
3691 Jasper is a good boy.
Wednesday, January 23, 2013
Jasper hadn't seen a vet since we moved him here, partly because he freaks out so badly in the car that he has seizures, so he's way behind on checkups and shots. Two of Daughter's three cats are similarly afflicted with car anxiety, and lucky for us, there's a vet who has outfitted a large RV as an office complete with x-ray and out-patient surgery. He parks in the driveway and you bring your beasty out.
One of Daughter's cats had injured a paw last Thursday night, so Daughter made a Friday appointment for her cat, and for Jasper.
HOW DO CATS KNOW!? The minute I got off the phone with Daughter, Jasper's ears went up, his eyes got big, and he ran and hid. It ended up two hours later, appointment time, with me chasing him in circles around the house. He started to run into the laundry room, realized that was a dead end, and just as I got to the doorway he changed direction and dodged out between my legs. I reached for him, tripped over him, and jabbed the door frame with an over-long fingernail, bending it back mid-bed. It HURT! And it bled. And the most amazing thing happened.
Jasper stopped, came back, sniffed my finger and my face as I sat there on the floor whimpering, and pretty clearly asked if I was ok. He was apologetic. He let me pick him up and bundle him into the carrier with a minimum of fuss.
He's such a good little boy. (Also 12 lb. and very healthy. And fascinated by the rabies tag on his collar.)
---------------------------------
Last January the eye doctor mentioned that I had a spot of dry macular degeneration in each eye. The first time a doctor had mentioned them was in the late '90s. Oddly, not every exam has produced mention. The spots must small enough to miss on older equipment. I'm older now, so I guess I should pay closer attention. I made an appointment for today to check if there had been any progression.
There's been no change. The doctor recommended a special vitamin/mineral plus lutein supplement.
---------------------------------
I mentioned a problem at the hospital. Someone else's intake form was in my folder in the ER.
In my post of 1/02, I find in retrospect I had made excuses for some of the doctor's and the hospital's actions. It was not true that I had any kidney failure going on. That whole thing was because I had mentioned that my last hospital stay was because of the kidney thing, and my kidney doctor was on staff, and he sort of moved in on me and took over and tried to force me into some tests I had previously refused . Note - he pissed me off so much in the hospital that I have fired him. It was not tachycardia that got me the heart monitor. I had no chemical imbalances. My sodium was fine. I think it was the other woman's intake form that made things look worse than they were.
It IS true that the lung guy said that it was the worst case of pneumonia he'd ever seen. It's also true that the nurses used a phrase in front of me (they thought I was asleep) that's code for "may not last the night, check often". However, again, that prognosis may have been in error.
For the first three days, they had me listed as diabetic. They were poking me several times a day to check my blood sugar, and the kitchen had me on a diabetic diet - wouldn't give me Jello or ice cream when I asked for it. I'm not diabetic! My blood sugar stayed rock solid, until once when I had two glasses of fruit juice just to see what would happen, and it went up one point. Then right back down again. I DO NOT HAVE DIABETES! Yes, I do mostly follow a diabetic diet, because my father's family is riddled with it so I'm at risk, but hey, you don't wait until you have a heart attack to follow a heart-healthy diet! I finally convinced them it was not necessary to keep testing, and to take me off the diet restrictions.
Also for the first three days, they had me on the cardiac floor, wearing a 24-hour heart monitor, and I had many visits from a cardiologist, and several ECGs, some kind of heart sonogram, and a heart CT scan. Duh? When I first arrived, my pulse rate was 100, but a) I tend to historically have a rapid heart beat anyway, usually in the low 80s, b) I had just arrived at the hospital and was upset, and c) it went down to normal (for me) rapidly and stayed low.
Finally, about the third day, I asked the cardiologist (who kept urging me to make an appointment with him as soon as I got out of the hospital) why people seemed so concerned about my heart, and he said, "We have to address your chest pain." I said, "What chest pain? I have no chest pain. I haven't had any chest pain." He said, "The chest pain you reported when you arrived at the ER." I reiterated that I'd had no chest pain, and had NOT reported chest pain.
Within hours, the monitors were removed, and I was moved from the cardiac floor to a medical floor. The cardiologist stopped visiting, too.
So, I'm wondering if some poor woman had arrived about the same time I did, with diabetes and reporting chest pain, and because the intake forms were screwed up I was treated for her problems (you know the intake info went directly from the form into the computer), and God only knows what treatment she was getting, possibly based on my intake info.
Also, I wonder what UNNECESSARY tests, monitoring, and doctor visits MY insurance is going to be billed for (and I will be co-paying on). I can get copies of the reports and stuff, and an itemized bill, but I wonder if there's any way to determine what was necessary, and what was the hospital's error. You KNOW they're not going to simply admit an error.
.
There is a direct correlation between the size of the hoop earring
and the sluttiness of the wearer.
--------------------------------------------------------
Jasper hadn't seen a vet since we moved him here, partly because he freaks out so badly in the car that he has seizures, so he's way behind on checkups and shots. Two of Daughter's three cats are similarly afflicted with car anxiety, and lucky for us, there's a vet who has outfitted a large RV as an office complete with x-ray and out-patient surgery. He parks in the driveway and you bring your beasty out.
One of Daughter's cats had injured a paw last Thursday night, so Daughter made a Friday appointment for her cat, and for Jasper.
HOW DO CATS KNOW!? The minute I got off the phone with Daughter, Jasper's ears went up, his eyes got big, and he ran and hid. It ended up two hours later, appointment time, with me chasing him in circles around the house. He started to run into the laundry room, realized that was a dead end, and just as I got to the doorway he changed direction and dodged out between my legs. I reached for him, tripped over him, and jabbed the door frame with an over-long fingernail, bending it back mid-bed. It HURT! And it bled. And the most amazing thing happened.
Jasper stopped, came back, sniffed my finger and my face as I sat there on the floor whimpering, and pretty clearly asked if I was ok. He was apologetic. He let me pick him up and bundle him into the carrier with a minimum of fuss.
He's such a good little boy. (Also 12 lb. and very healthy. And fascinated by the rabies tag on his collar.)
---------------------------------
Last January the eye doctor mentioned that I had a spot of dry macular degeneration in each eye. The first time a doctor had mentioned them was in the late '90s. Oddly, not every exam has produced mention. The spots must small enough to miss on older equipment. I'm older now, so I guess I should pay closer attention. I made an appointment for today to check if there had been any progression.
There's been no change. The doctor recommended a special vitamin/mineral plus lutein supplement.
---------------------------------
I mentioned a problem at the hospital. Someone else's intake form was in my folder in the ER.
In my post of 1/02, I find in retrospect I had made excuses for some of the doctor's and the hospital's actions. It was not true that I had any kidney failure going on. That whole thing was because I had mentioned that my last hospital stay was because of the kidney thing, and my kidney doctor was on staff, and he sort of moved in on me and took over and tried to force me into some tests I had previously refused . Note - he pissed me off so much in the hospital that I have fired him. It was not tachycardia that got me the heart monitor. I had no chemical imbalances. My sodium was fine. I think it was the other woman's intake form that made things look worse than they were.
It IS true that the lung guy said that it was the worst case of pneumonia he'd ever seen. It's also true that the nurses used a phrase in front of me (they thought I was asleep) that's code for "may not last the night, check often". However, again, that prognosis may have been in error.
For the first three days, they had me listed as diabetic. They were poking me several times a day to check my blood sugar, and the kitchen had me on a diabetic diet - wouldn't give me Jello or ice cream when I asked for it. I'm not diabetic! My blood sugar stayed rock solid, until once when I had two glasses of fruit juice just to see what would happen, and it went up one point. Then right back down again. I DO NOT HAVE DIABETES! Yes, I do mostly follow a diabetic diet, because my father's family is riddled with it so I'm at risk, but hey, you don't wait until you have a heart attack to follow a heart-healthy diet! I finally convinced them it was not necessary to keep testing, and to take me off the diet restrictions.
Also for the first three days, they had me on the cardiac floor, wearing a 24-hour heart monitor, and I had many visits from a cardiologist, and several ECGs, some kind of heart sonogram, and a heart CT scan. Duh? When I first arrived, my pulse rate was 100, but a) I tend to historically have a rapid heart beat anyway, usually in the low 80s, b) I had just arrived at the hospital and was upset, and c) it went down to normal (for me) rapidly and stayed low.
Finally, about the third day, I asked the cardiologist (who kept urging me to make an appointment with him as soon as I got out of the hospital) why people seemed so concerned about my heart, and he said, "We have to address your chest pain." I said, "What chest pain? I have no chest pain. I haven't had any chest pain." He said, "The chest pain you reported when you arrived at the ER." I reiterated that I'd had no chest pain, and had NOT reported chest pain.
Within hours, the monitors were removed, and I was moved from the cardiac floor to a medical floor. The cardiologist stopped visiting, too.
So, I'm wondering if some poor woman had arrived about the same time I did, with diabetes and reporting chest pain, and because the intake forms were screwed up I was treated for her problems (you know the intake info went directly from the form into the computer), and God only knows what treatment she was getting, possibly based on my intake info.
Also, I wonder what UNNECESSARY tests, monitoring, and doctor visits MY insurance is going to be billed for (and I will be co-paying on). I can get copies of the reports and stuff, and an itemized bill, but I wonder if there's any way to determine what was necessary, and what was the hospital's error. You KNOW they're not going to simply admit an error.
.
Saturday, February 04, 2012
3456 Jasper says, "Eat more cat food!"
Saturday, February 4, 2012
I'm having fits about food.
I have osteopenia - mainly as a result of suppression of calcium absorption caused by years on Nexium and Prilosec for severe acid reflux when I was heavy. So my GP said to increase my calcium intake, both dietary and supplements.
The nutritionist whose recommendations helped me to lose the weight wanted me to get most of my proteins from from beans, nuts, and dairy products like eggs, yogurt, and cheese. When I eat a carb, it should be combined with a protein, like peanut butter with an apple. I usually eat only one palm-sized serving of meat a day, maybe four or five of the seven days a week.
To slow down any tendency of the macular degeneration to grow, the ophthalmologist says I should eat more dark green vegetables, like kale, collards, spinach, and chard.
So far, it all goes together.
BUT
Because my kidney stones are calcium oxalate, the urologist says to curb my calcium and oxalate intake.
The dairy products are full of calcium. The dark greens and peanuts are full of oxalate.
I'm going nuts trying to figure out what I CAN eat. It's like I have both Jack Spratt and his wife inside.
Maybe I should just throw it all away and go on my grandmother's diet. She lived into her middle nineties on pot roast, cabbage, and root vegetables like parsnips, turnips, radishes, carrots, onions, potatoes, and rutabagas. And the occasional macaroni salad. And lots of Welsh cookies. Which are full of lard. Which makes them good.
Or I could take Jasper's advice.
.
When fascism comes to America, it will be wrapped in the flag and carrying a cross.
--Sinclair Lewis --
(Yep. I hear ya, man.)
-------------------------------------------------------------------
--Sinclair Lewis --
(Yep. I hear ya, man.)
-------------------------------------------------------------------
I'm having fits about food.
I have osteopenia - mainly as a result of suppression of calcium absorption caused by years on Nexium and Prilosec for severe acid reflux when I was heavy. So my GP said to increase my calcium intake, both dietary and supplements.
The nutritionist whose recommendations helped me to lose the weight wanted me to get most of my proteins from from beans, nuts, and dairy products like eggs, yogurt, and cheese. When I eat a carb, it should be combined with a protein, like peanut butter with an apple. I usually eat only one palm-sized serving of meat a day, maybe four or five of the seven days a week.
To slow down any tendency of the macular degeneration to grow, the ophthalmologist says I should eat more dark green vegetables, like kale, collards, spinach, and chard.
So far, it all goes together.
BUT
Because my kidney stones are calcium oxalate, the urologist says to curb my calcium and oxalate intake.
The dairy products are full of calcium. The dark greens and peanuts are full of oxalate.
I'm going nuts trying to figure out what I CAN eat. It's like I have both Jack Spratt and his wife inside.
Maybe I should just throw it all away and go on my grandmother's diet. She lived into her middle nineties on pot roast, cabbage, and root vegetables like parsnips, turnips, radishes, carrots, onions, potatoes, and rutabagas. And the occasional macaroni salad. And lots of Welsh cookies. Which are full of lard. Which makes them good.
Or I could take Jasper's advice.
.
Sunday, January 29, 2012
3449 Jasper says, "Catnip?"
Sunday, January 29, 2012
I don't seem to be updating much lately. Don't know why. Oh, well....
-------------------------------
Back when I was choosing my new glasses and lenses, the rep talked me out of progressives. After I had researched progressives and realized she had given me very good advice probably at the cost of a larger sale, I wrote a letter to LensCrafters' corporate complimenting her.
Early last week I went in to pick up the gold glasses, that they had told me would take about two weeks. They took a lot less. I was fitted by the store manager. He was really nice. The glasses were perfect, and then they replaced the badly-cut lenses in the silver frames, and they were perfect, too. Then as I stood up to leave, he said, "I want to thank you for the letter you wrote to corporate. That was really nice of you."
Wow. I thought it would be anonymous. Well, I've accidentally discovered the way to get great and fast service, I guess.
-------------------------------
I still don't understand men's ties. They've got to be more idiotic than women's high heels (although not as idiotic as those stupid platform shoes). And if you absolutely have to wear the tie because it's "traditional" and says "serious business attire", then what the heck is wrong with clip-on ties? Does it HAVE to be difficult and uncomfortable to count?
--------------------------------
I watched "Driving Miss Daisy" on cable a few days ago, and was shocked by something I missed the first umpteen times I'd watched it. I think it was probably the late '60s when the son gave the chauffeur a $75/week raise. It knocked me over. In the late '60s a teacher's starting salary was $4,500 per YEAR! The usual decent raise was $300 per YEAR! When I started with IBM, a programmer made about $9,000 per year.
I think I went into the wrong profession.
I mentioned it to Daughter, and she said quite seriously that when she graduated from college with the engineering degree in three areas, chauffeurs were earning more than she, and she had seriously considered switching careers.
Now, I think the chauffeur's raise in the movie had more to do with appreciation for his care for Miss Daisy than with the job, but although he showed appreciation for the amount, his reaction was not like he'd just won a million-dollar lottery, which is more like it. It was his "Wow. OK. Thanks." reaction that floored me.
--------------------------------
I had a brief discussion re macular degeneration with Zarina in the comments on a previous post. I agree with her that sometimes it can move quickly, and I'll need to have it checked often. Later I remembered something.
I'm trying to remember when it was. Jay was alive and healthy, so it must have been before 1998. My vision plan didn't cover optometrists but did cover ophthalmologists, so when it was time for a new prescription, I went to an ophthalmologist. I don't remember exactly what he said, but he did mention macular degeneration, both eyes, very small, nothing to worry about, but --- he gave me a square grid with a dot in the middle. I was to put it on the wall somewhere that I'd see it every day (I put it on the refrigerator), and I was to call him immediately if the lines ever got wavy.
It was there for years, got aged, stained, and tattered, and then one day somebody "helped" me by cleaning all the junk off the refrigerator (yeah, Daughter, I'm looking at you), and the grid disappeared. (The opthalmologist had died suddenly a few years before, and the scandal in the village was that his landlord had thrown out all his records.) I didn't bother replacing the grid.
Between then and now, probably 15 years or more, I've had four or five exams, all with dilation, some with ophthalmologists and some with optometrists, and no one has mentioned macular degeneration until this recent one.
So, it doesn't seem to be progressing. And the spots are in exactly the same place in both eyes, so it might even be congenital. Evidence arguing for a congenital spot of insufficient blood supply is that every ophthalmologist and optometrist I've ever seen since the age of 12 has remarked that they can't get me to 20-20.
So I doubt that it's a big deal. On the other hand, I have to watch for the effects of age, so it's a good idea to get an eye exam every year and mention that they should look for it.
.
A conclusion is the place where you got tired of thinking.
-- Steven Wright --
---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
-- Steven Wright --
---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
I don't seem to be updating much lately. Don't know why. Oh, well....
-------------------------------
Back when I was choosing my new glasses and lenses, the rep talked me out of progressives. After I had researched progressives and realized she had given me very good advice probably at the cost of a larger sale, I wrote a letter to LensCrafters' corporate complimenting her.
Early last week I went in to pick up the gold glasses, that they had told me would take about two weeks. They took a lot less. I was fitted by the store manager. He was really nice. The glasses were perfect, and then they replaced the badly-cut lenses in the silver frames, and they were perfect, too. Then as I stood up to leave, he said, "I want to thank you for the letter you wrote to corporate. That was really nice of you."
Wow. I thought it would be anonymous. Well, I've accidentally discovered the way to get great and fast service, I guess.
-------------------------------
I still don't understand men's ties. They've got to be more idiotic than women's high heels (although not as idiotic as those stupid platform shoes). And if you absolutely have to wear the tie because it's "traditional" and says "serious business attire", then what the heck is wrong with clip-on ties? Does it HAVE to be difficult and uncomfortable to count?
--------------------------------
I watched "Driving Miss Daisy" on cable a few days ago, and was shocked by something I missed the first umpteen times I'd watched it. I think it was probably the late '60s when the son gave the chauffeur a $75/week raise. It knocked me over. In the late '60s a teacher's starting salary was $4,500 per YEAR! The usual decent raise was $300 per YEAR! When I started with IBM, a programmer made about $9,000 per year.
I think I went into the wrong profession.
I mentioned it to Daughter, and she said quite seriously that when she graduated from college with the engineering degree in three areas, chauffeurs were earning more than she, and she had seriously considered switching careers.
Now, I think the chauffeur's raise in the movie had more to do with appreciation for his care for Miss Daisy than with the job, but although he showed appreciation for the amount, his reaction was not like he'd just won a million-dollar lottery, which is more like it. It was his "Wow. OK. Thanks." reaction that floored me.
--------------------------------
I had a brief discussion re macular degeneration with Zarina in the comments on a previous post. I agree with her that sometimes it can move quickly, and I'll need to have it checked often. Later I remembered something.
I'm trying to remember when it was. Jay was alive and healthy, so it must have been before 1998. My vision plan didn't cover optometrists but did cover ophthalmologists, so when it was time for a new prescription, I went to an ophthalmologist. I don't remember exactly what he said, but he did mention macular degeneration, both eyes, very small, nothing to worry about, but --- he gave me a square grid with a dot in the middle. I was to put it on the wall somewhere that I'd see it every day (I put it on the refrigerator), and I was to call him immediately if the lines ever got wavy.
It was there for years, got aged, stained, and tattered, and then one day somebody "helped" me by cleaning all the junk off the refrigerator (yeah, Daughter, I'm looking at you), and the grid disappeared. (The opthalmologist had died suddenly a few years before, and the scandal in the village was that his landlord had thrown out all his records.) I didn't bother replacing the grid.
Between then and now, probably 15 years or more, I've had four or five exams, all with dilation, some with ophthalmologists and some with optometrists, and no one has mentioned macular degeneration until this recent one.
So, it doesn't seem to be progressing. And the spots are in exactly the same place in both eyes, so it might even be congenital. Evidence arguing for a congenital spot of insufficient blood supply is that every ophthalmologist and optometrist I've ever seen since the age of 12 has remarked that they can't get me to 20-20.
So I doubt that it's a big deal. On the other hand, I have to watch for the effects of age, so it's a good idea to get an eye exam every year and mention that they should look for it.
.
Wednesday, March 26, 2008
1741 Dilatory Day
Wednesday, March 26, 2008
I visited the optometrist today. My eyes were dilated at 3:30 pm, and it's now 11 pm, and my pupils are still wide open. I had to wait four hours before I could leave the mall, and then it was only because I had some good sunglasses, and was driving east. I'm still having some difficulty focusing.
My prescription hasn't changed much. I'm a little less nearsighted than last year. I went ahead and got new lenses for my old everyday frames (I like the frames, and they still look good), but didn't get the sunglasses or the backup glasses changed. I don't know why my lenses are so expensive - $225, extra lightweight, scratch resistant, bifocal, no other coatings.
If you're nearsighted, that's one big benefit of aging - your eyes get better.
I had the full exam, and the only place I'm less than "just fine" is depth perception. I got only one out of four on that, but it's because I read so much, and I'm a left-brain reader, which means that my right eye does all the work and the left eye just goes along for the ride. That screws up depth perception. If I read more fiction, my eyes might share the load more, I guess.
I'm rather pleased because both my grandmother and mother were starting cataracts by my age. I'm clear.
--------------------------
The volunteer folks called while I was out, left a message and followed up with an email. The county office for aging wants someone to come in every other Monday all summer to handle scheduling, appointments, and fliers for the mobile medical exam van.
I can't seem to convince these people that I want no assignments that require an ongoing commitment, I don't want to commit too far out, and I want to keep weekends free from Friday 5 pm until Monday noon. I want just SWAT-team type stuff, like manning an desk at a clinic, or swinging a hammer some afternoon. I can commit to weekend days no more than two or three weeks ahead. I don't want ANY responsibilities that extend beyond one stint.
Their problem is that they do have a lot of volunteers who do want something to do, something regular to make them feel useful, who want responsibility, but most of them are verging on senility, and they really can't handle the jobs they're assigned. They get confused easily, and don't know that the problem is with them...they think the problem is the materials.
------------------------
The temperature today was in the mid-60s. Snow is predicted for Friday. Sigh.
.
I visited the optometrist today. My eyes were dilated at 3:30 pm, and it's now 11 pm, and my pupils are still wide open. I had to wait four hours before I could leave the mall, and then it was only because I had some good sunglasses, and was driving east. I'm still having some difficulty focusing.
My prescription hasn't changed much. I'm a little less nearsighted than last year. I went ahead and got new lenses for my old everyday frames (I like the frames, and they still look good), but didn't get the sunglasses or the backup glasses changed. I don't know why my lenses are so expensive - $225, extra lightweight, scratch resistant, bifocal, no other coatings.
If you're nearsighted, that's one big benefit of aging - your eyes get better.
I had the full exam, and the only place I'm less than "just fine" is depth perception. I got only one out of four on that, but it's because I read so much, and I'm a left-brain reader, which means that my right eye does all the work and the left eye just goes along for the ride. That screws up depth perception. If I read more fiction, my eyes might share the load more, I guess.
I'm rather pleased because both my grandmother and mother were starting cataracts by my age. I'm clear.
--------------------------
The volunteer folks called while I was out, left a message and followed up with an email. The county office for aging wants someone to come in every other Monday all summer to handle scheduling, appointments, and fliers for the mobile medical exam van.
I can't seem to convince these people that I want no assignments that require an ongoing commitment, I don't want to commit too far out, and I want to keep weekends free from Friday 5 pm until Monday noon. I want just SWAT-team type stuff, like manning an desk at a clinic, or swinging a hammer some afternoon. I can commit to weekend days no more than two or three weeks ahead. I don't want ANY responsibilities that extend beyond one stint.
Their problem is that they do have a lot of volunteers who do want something to do, something regular to make them feel useful, who want responsibility, but most of them are verging on senility, and they really can't handle the jobs they're assigned. They get confused easily, and don't know that the problem is with them...they think the problem is the materials.
------------------------
The temperature today was in the mid-60s. Snow is predicted for Friday. Sigh.
.
Saturday, April 14, 2007
1207 Eyes
Saturday, April 14, 2007
Ever since the optometrist said I have "albino eyes"(an exaggeration) I've been reading about eye color, why eyes look the color they do. According to what I've read, the only color actually in the iris is some degree of some shade of brown. The other colors are caused by the eye reflecting in the blue wave length.
The iris is multi-layered. The cells in each layer (inner and outer, to simplify) can be some degree of translucent or opaque, and can have some degree of some shade of brown.
The opacity determines how much blue is reflected. If there is no brown and all layers are translucent, then no blue is reflected and you get the pink eyes of the albino, rare in human albinos. Pink eyes don't block light, and are very sensitive to and can be damaged by light.
If some or most of the cells are opaque, and have no brown, then you get clear blue eyes. The degree and location of the opacity determines the shade of blue. The more opacity the more blue and the more to the outer layer the more blue. A mostly translucent outer layer and some opacity scattered toward the inner layers will move toward gray, since the light is reflected less evenly.
Brown eyes are easy to figure out. Lots of color. Some brown eyes have a blue cast. That probably indicates a translucent outer layer over a well-colored inner layer.
Green eyes happen when the outer layer is colorless and mostly translucent, and the inner layer has some degree of light brown. Blue reflected over light brown gives green.
Liz Taylor's violet eyes? No brown, and a mix of opacity and translucence that allows some pink through with the blue.
My mother's eyes and Jay's eyes were very dark brown. Lots of an even brown color and translucence in an even mix in both layers.
Roman's eyes I call "kaleidoscope eyes", having flecks of every color. He must have a royal mix of opacity, translucence, and shades of brown color. A speck of clear on top of a light brown with a speck of dark brown right next to it with a heavy dose of opacity next to that, and so on.
Daughter's eyes range from gray through blue through turquoise, depending on her mood. I don't know what that means.
My father's eyes were the silvery blue of a winter sky. Translucent outer, opaque inner, no color. My father had "nearly albino" eyes, having no color, and high translucence.
My eyes? The outer layers are translucent and colorless (except for a visible brown spot in the outer layer of one eye). The inner layers are opaque, with small flecks of light brown. That makes them look light gray. BUT, because of the light brown, there are hints of green, especially in the right light, and usually in mirrors (mirrors cut blue, that's why blue-haired ladies don't know they have blue hair). I suspect something has changed, because my eyes were definitely green in high school. Something faded.
So when the optometrist said I had albino eyes, he was referring to the very small amount of color I have. Near albino would have been more accurate. Or like, maybe, Nordic.
All that reminded me of deer eyes. Just as you can tell a doe's footprints from a buck's by the shape, you can tell a doe from a buck by what their eyes reflect. If you've ever caught a deer in your headlights, you know that their eyes reflect a bright glow.
A doe's eyes glow toward pink, and a buck's eyes glow toward yellow or green.
Betcha didn't know that.
.
Ever since the optometrist said I have "albino eyes"(an exaggeration) I've been reading about eye color, why eyes look the color they do. According to what I've read, the only color actually in the iris is some degree of some shade of brown. The other colors are caused by the eye reflecting in the blue wave length.
The iris is multi-layered. The cells in each layer (inner and outer, to simplify) can be some degree of translucent or opaque, and can have some degree of some shade of brown.
The opacity determines how much blue is reflected. If there is no brown and all layers are translucent, then no blue is reflected and you get the pink eyes of the albino, rare in human albinos. Pink eyes don't block light, and are very sensitive to and can be damaged by light.
If some or most of the cells are opaque, and have no brown, then you get clear blue eyes. The degree and location of the opacity determines the shade of blue. The more opacity the more blue and the more to the outer layer the more blue. A mostly translucent outer layer and some opacity scattered toward the inner layers will move toward gray, since the light is reflected less evenly.
Brown eyes are easy to figure out. Lots of color. Some brown eyes have a blue cast. That probably indicates a translucent outer layer over a well-colored inner layer.
Green eyes happen when the outer layer is colorless and mostly translucent, and the inner layer has some degree of light brown. Blue reflected over light brown gives green.
Liz Taylor's violet eyes? No brown, and a mix of opacity and translucence that allows some pink through with the blue.
My mother's eyes and Jay's eyes were very dark brown. Lots of an even brown color and translucence in an even mix in both layers.
Roman's eyes I call "kaleidoscope eyes", having flecks of every color. He must have a royal mix of opacity, translucence, and shades of brown color. A speck of clear on top of a light brown with a speck of dark brown right next to it with a heavy dose of opacity next to that, and so on.
Daughter's eyes range from gray through blue through turquoise, depending on her mood. I don't know what that means.
My father's eyes were the silvery blue of a winter sky. Translucent outer, opaque inner, no color. My father had "nearly albino" eyes, having no color, and high translucence.
My eyes? The outer layers are translucent and colorless (except for a visible brown spot in the outer layer of one eye). The inner layers are opaque, with small flecks of light brown. That makes them look light gray. BUT, because of the light brown, there are hints of green, especially in the right light, and usually in mirrors (mirrors cut blue, that's why blue-haired ladies don't know they have blue hair). I suspect something has changed, because my eyes were definitely green in high school. Something faded.
So when the optometrist said I had albino eyes, he was referring to the very small amount of color I have. Near albino would have been more accurate. Or like, maybe, Nordic.
All that reminded me of deer eyes. Just as you can tell a doe's footprints from a buck's by the shape, you can tell a doe from a buck by what their eyes reflect. If you've ever caught a deer in your headlights, you know that their eyes reflect a bright glow.
A doe's eyes glow toward pink, and a buck's eyes glow toward yellow or green.
Betcha didn't know that.
.
Thursday, March 22, 2007
1178 New Glasses
Thursday, March 22, 2007
I've been reading through old journal entries. Even a year ago I had things to say: observations, philosophy, personal experiences that affected the course of my life. I had opinions and passion. Some of it was interesting to me, rereading, and I already know what it says!
Quite different from entries these days. I don't seem to be thinking much. It's like I'm on hold. Waiting. Listening to the uninspiring music in my head.
-------------------------------------------------
Today I got the Aerio checked out, and as expected, it was a loose heat shield. They removed it. Seems like every car I've ever owned eventually lost its heat shield. One of these days I'm going to park in high grass and burn a village down.
Then I went to the mall and got a major eye exam, four different kinds of drops, dilation, six different machines to peer into, the works. Conclusion: I don't have hardening of the eyeball or rotting of the retina. And just for fun, I got a definitive analysis of my eye color.
The doctor kept saying "Your eyes are such a beautiful color", so I asked him, "What color are they, exactly? There's always been some difference of opinion there, and you should be an expert." He said "Gray, uh, gray-blue, uh, gray-green? Gee, I don't know." So he said "Let's go back to the microscope, and I'll tell you exactly what you've got in there."
I don't know if it's common or rare, but he seemed to be surprised by what he found, or what he didn't find. I have some bits of brown right around the pupil, and some specks of definite green throughout the rest of the iris, but that's the only color there. NO blue, and NO gray. What was surprising is that most of the iris has NO COLOR at all! None. There's no pigment. He said that's what causes the silvery color, and also why they can be very different depending on what I'm wearing, and the ambient light.
(So, if I have mostly no pigment, why am I not more sensitive to strong light?) Anyway, he kept marveling over how light my eyes are. Oddly, they've never looked particularly light to me, but things do look different in a mirror. Mirrors affect color. Ladies with blue hair think it's steel gray.
I lucked out on the frames. Among the thousands of narrow frames, there was one small stand of rounder, deeper frames, and they were on sale! I bought two pairs (I am so dependant on my glasses, I always get two), one at $98, and the other at $87. The $87 ones were originally $250, and they're the ones you can bend every which way and they spring back. They're both half-frames, with the nylon thread around the bottom of the lens. The lenses, on the other hand, were $250 per pair.
The whole procedure took five hours, and cost $500 after the 30% discount AAA got me. I do have vision insurance through The Company health plan, but, well, nobody but a few private practice ophthalmologists accept it.
It takes ages for my eyes to "undilate", so that shot the rest of the day.
Dr. said there was a large change in my prescription, I'm a lot less nearsighted now (one of the few benefits of age) and it might take a few days for me to get used to the difference.
I notice no difference, other than that I can now read the newspaper.
.
I've been reading through old journal entries. Even a year ago I had things to say: observations, philosophy, personal experiences that affected the course of my life. I had opinions and passion. Some of it was interesting to me, rereading, and I already know what it says!
Quite different from entries these days. I don't seem to be thinking much. It's like I'm on hold. Waiting. Listening to the uninspiring music in my head.
-------------------------------------------------
Today I got the Aerio checked out, and as expected, it was a loose heat shield. They removed it. Seems like every car I've ever owned eventually lost its heat shield. One of these days I'm going to park in high grass and burn a village down.
Then I went to the mall and got a major eye exam, four different kinds of drops, dilation, six different machines to peer into, the works. Conclusion: I don't have hardening of the eyeball or rotting of the retina. And just for fun, I got a definitive analysis of my eye color.
The doctor kept saying "Your eyes are such a beautiful color", so I asked him, "What color are they, exactly? There's always been some difference of opinion there, and you should be an expert." He said "Gray, uh, gray-blue, uh, gray-green? Gee, I don't know." So he said "Let's go back to the microscope, and I'll tell you exactly what you've got in there."
I don't know if it's common or rare, but he seemed to be surprised by what he found, or what he didn't find. I have some bits of brown right around the pupil, and some specks of definite green throughout the rest of the iris, but that's the only color there. NO blue, and NO gray. What was surprising is that most of the iris has NO COLOR at all! None. There's no pigment. He said that's what causes the silvery color, and also why they can be very different depending on what I'm wearing, and the ambient light.
(So, if I have mostly no pigment, why am I not more sensitive to strong light?) Anyway, he kept marveling over how light my eyes are. Oddly, they've never looked particularly light to me, but things do look different in a mirror. Mirrors affect color. Ladies with blue hair think it's steel gray.
I lucked out on the frames. Among the thousands of narrow frames, there was one small stand of rounder, deeper frames, and they were on sale! I bought two pairs (I am so dependant on my glasses, I always get two), one at $98, and the other at $87. The $87 ones were originally $250, and they're the ones you can bend every which way and they spring back. They're both half-frames, with the nylon thread around the bottom of the lens. The lenses, on the other hand, were $250 per pair.
The whole procedure took five hours, and cost $500 after the 30% discount AAA got me. I do have vision insurance through The Company health plan, but, well, nobody but a few private practice ophthalmologists accept it.
It takes ages for my eyes to "undilate", so that shot the rest of the day.
Dr. said there was a large change in my prescription, I'm a lot less nearsighted now (one of the few benefits of age) and it might take a few days for me to get used to the difference.
I notice no difference, other than that I can now read the newspaper.
.
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