Feel like I have been grounded! Haven't been able to travel anywhere as I have been healing and attending follow up appointments from my surgery.
This whole experience has shown me that I am far from a patient person! Was told how long the healing process would be and what to expect, and it has been pretty much as described, and yet I find myself frustrated - did I expect that I would be special?! Have been living with the mantra of "4-7 weeks, 4-7 weeks, 4-7 weeks" - this is the time period that I was told it would take before I really started to see results with my vision. Trying not to get ahead of the healing and not be frustrated or feel regret for getting it done... I'm sure in a few months I will be gushing that this was the best thing I have ever done :)
Had the surgery on June 1st, follow up appointment the next day, and then 3 days later to remove the protective contacts - that was a bit of a shock as my vision went really cloudy and it felt like I had sand dumped in my eyes. Eye drops have been my friend, to keep my eyes moist and help the healing process. The cornea is loaded with nerve endings and they control the amount of tears produced to keep your eyes moist (separate from your tear ducts), and because these are damaged during the surgery, your eyes end of very dry as they heal.
For the first few weeks it took awhile to open my eyes in the morning as they were very sensitive to the light and if I opened them too quickly it felt like I had ripped cells off my eye (which I pretty much had - is this getting too graphic for some?!). So it took a 10-15 minutes and lots of drops to get them going in the AM. Usually had to rest mid day. Not sure how somebody working would go back on a computer as it was too bright and very tiring trying to read. Print is still not clear and I have to take time to write things. I use the zoom in function a lot.
Have some good days where things seem more clear, and then the next day could be worse - all par for the course I am told (ARGH!). Still can't drive a car.
Have my next appointment on July 10th, and am interested to see the changes over the next couple of weeks. Reading is still tough so am borrowing large print books from the library! Initially I was listening to audio books, and had found a fabulous site online with old radio shows - love the old mystery shows! They were perfect to keep me busy.
Got to spend one of the longest visits with my parents that I have had in years, and helped them move into their cottage for the summer. It's on Hamilton Island between Cornwall and Lancaster - with a gorgeous view west up the St. Lawrence. It's great to sit and watch storms blow in, or the sun set and turn the clouds brilliant colours. And enjoying some time at Scott's cottage in Ipperwash on Lake Huron - we often don't get up here much in the summer, so this is a treat. Love walking the beach and getting to visit with the Bergey clan. Felt a little stressed, and perhaps "guilty" that I wasn't running off to some exotic place, but moving at a slower pace for awhile and being at the cottages has been a treat, so maybe good that I have been grounded.
Hoping to head off somewhere in late July or August...

My latest "adventure" may not seem as exotic as I am still in Toronto, but it is certainly exciting for me... I had laser eye surgery on Monday June 1st.

I had started thinking about this some years back, but was always too scared to get it done - who goes in for elective surgery on their eyes?! But over the past few years I have been meeting more and more people who have had it done, and have been thrilled with the results. I seriously started asking questions, and then began to research online. I chose 3 clinics to visit in Toronto and completed the initial assessment at all of them (very thorough eye exams), asking my list of questions (I can see my friends smiling who know I like to do my research and know the details). All of these clinics had been recommended by people who had had the procedure done. I decided on the Herzig Eye Institute - certainly not the cheapest (I'm not shopping for a bargain on my eyes after all!) but was most impressed with their service and care, and follow up. As well, I found out that many hospitals and doctors refer their patients to Herzig for cataract and other eye surgeries. Several months went by, and I finally decided i just had to book the appointment and go for it... There were several days in the previous week that I was ready to call up and cancel! The Internet can be a good thing for research, but it also can provide "too much" information - depending on what I read each day, my mood and resolve would change. Scott kept me committed (though he had his doubts as well).

My uncorrected vision was -7.25 and -6.75, plus an additional correction for an astigmatism in both eyes. For people who don't have poor vision - without my glasses and contacts all I saw was blurs of colour, no distinct shapes of any sort - in other words I couldn't do anything without my glasses.

Due to the shape of my eyes, prescription and corneal thickness I could not have the typical Lasik surgery that involves the corneal flap, but was a candidate for PRK (photorefractive keractectomy). The results will likely give me sharper vision then somebody doing Lasik, but will require a much longer and more "uncomfortable" healing process (nobody uses the word painful :)

Monday arrived and I was much calmer then I expected. The whole time at the clinic took about 2 hours, but the actual procedure was about 15-20 minutes. I arrived and read the release forms (of course!) and then sat down with somebody to go over any questions I still had. Then I was offered a massage to help relax a bit - that was a nice touch. There were several tests carried out prior to the surgery to update the initial assessment - these tests included a repeat of the Pentacam maps of my corneas, measurements of pupil size and corneal thickness, and a Wavescan measurement to allow for a more precise laser surgery. I was then offered Valium, which I took - not big on drugs but taking the edge off would help. I then sat in a waiting room - not realizing that they had sat me across from the surgery where I could watch on a monitor the current surgeries. There were 2 people ahead of me, they were both Lasik - it was actually fascinating to watch and not at all gruesome. Somebody came to explain the post-op kit to me that includes all sorts of drops and medication, etc.

Once in the room they get you settled and wrap you in a warm blanket, the room is kept chilled for a controlled environment for the laser. They wash your eye with several drops - a series of about 4 or 5, dousing your eyes. The procedure was completely painless. They operate on one eye at a time, holding the eye open with a device (ever seen Clockwork Orange?!). They tell you to stare at the red dot all the time. For PRK a thin layer of epithelium cells on the cornea are removed (you can see them scraping them off, but can't feel it) so the laser can reshape your cornea. It too 39 seconds on one eye, 41 seconds on the other. The procedure finished with my eyes being washed with a very cold liquid. Some people say they can smell burning during the procedure - I did not as they had a small fan and suction. I was then lead to a waiting room to sit for a few minutes.

Scott came in at that time and was standing across the room and asked how many fingers he was holding up - I said 4, and started to cry! Guess it was all the anxiety of the day, but it was also being able to see it, really see it! Now the problem with PRK recovery is that is gets worse before it gets better...

The doctor checked me out and I was free to go. I now live in 2 hour increments as I have to put lots of different drops in my eyes (5 different types) at different times. I had a follow up appointment the next day (Tuesday) and am to go back in on Thursday, to hopefully have the protective contact removed (part of PRK). They give you very dark sunglasses which I wear most of the time (picture Yoko Ono or Posh Spice), and at night you have to wear these stick on bubbles that make you look like an alien - it's all pretty glamorous!

The first 2 days I wasn't allowed to read, watch TV or go on the computer - still can't do any of it today as my vision isn't clear enough and I am very sensitive to light (I am typing this in 2-3 minute increments, and can't look at the screen!). The first 2 days were OK, eyes felt mild burning sensation (like you've been in a pool too long) and felt like there was sand in them which was irritating. Also felt very tired to have them open - would put the pain at 3 to 4 out of 10. Knowing it was going to get worse... but still surprised when I woke up last night in the middle of the night with severe burning and irritation (up to a 7 out of 10) - had to take my first pain killer to get through the night. Today my eyes are even more sensitive to light and I am sitting mostly in the dark doing nothing...boring! I can see (which is still bloody amazing) but nothing is sharp - it's like looking through a haze or underwater. Know this is part of the process but hoping to see improvements each day...