Thursday, December 30, 2010

New Peeps -- 1 Week Later

Yes, I've been a bad blogger.  And no, it's not because I've been out gallivanting for the holidays nor shopping the sales afterward.  I've been doing something better.  S-e-e-i-n-g the world!  It's amazing, just amazing!

It's been 1 week since my LASIK and everything has been very smooth!  I spent the first few days reading other LASIK-doing bloggers' accounts to ensure that I was feeling (and seeing!) the same results they were...which was very reassuring.  In honor of those blogs, I shall *briefly* outline my LASIK Week 1 experience in this blog post. [Revision after previewing: it's not so brief]

Day 1: Surgery Appointment @ 8:00 a.m.

Mr. Fine was perhaps slightly concerned that I wasn't more nervous, but on game day I was ready with only slight jitters.  I had considered that there might be pain during the surgery only the night before.  I had only been focused on the pain afterward and for which the doctor had already prescribed my Valium.  The possibility of surgery pain was what made me nervous.

The nurse did a final check of the shape of my eye to confirm the results in the laser machine and then doped me up with one of my Valium pills.  Soon, I was almost dozing in the chair and was primed for surgery.  The surgery itself was over within about 15 minutes and was relatively pain-free.  First, they taped my eyelids back (not as painful as one would think...perhaps Valium helped?) and then dosed my eyes with numbing drops and some antibiotics.  After that, they put in a corneal ring -- what looked looked like a small rubber ring (and which was the most painful part of the procedure) and which held my eye open.  Then came the pressure/suction.  I could hear the doctor keep asking the nurse if the suction was holding...which it was, because she kept responding suction holding at [enter number].

Then, it was on to the laser.  They cut open a flap and I stared at a dot (easier than I thought!) and then the doctor pulled back the flap so I could look at a bigger star like laser while the laser reshaped my eye.  That's it.  Take the suction off, ring out, swivel the table, and repeat for the other eye.

I was able to walk on my own to the after surgery room where Mr. Fine was waiting, although my eyes were fuzzy and desperately wanted to close (maybe because they'd just been cut into?).  However, I did catch a glimpse of a window and wowsers -- I could see!  Already, within a few minutes of the surgery.  It was blurry but I could clearly make out cars.  Now, for keen sighted folk, this may seem like no big deal.  But for a gal who needed glasses for e-v-e-r-y-t-h-i-n-g, blurry cars were bliss!  The doctor put plastic shields on my eyes, gave Mr. Fine (aka Eye Drop Giver) final instructions, and we left.  I remember sitting at the door of the clinic for a few minutes while Mr. Fine went to get the car -- my eyes were not staying open on their own accord anymore and I didn't think I could make it to the parking lot.  Besides, I did have those *cool* "I've had eye surgery" black shades on and was happy to limit the number of people who saw me in them.

I kept asking Mr. Fine where we were while in the car, because I was in pain and wanted to be close to home.  My doctor had told me that the first few hours would be painful -- the man was not kidding.  With Mr. Fine's help I made it into the house and into the bed, where I was to sleep (as instructed by the doctor).  "Sleep off the pain," he'd said.  Problem.  I was whining and moaning and found it hard to sleep.  So Mr. Fine, dear soul that he is (or perhaps because he was tired of my moaning), climbed on the bed and held me for 2 hours while I slept.  When I woke up, I was out of the big pain period and moved to the couch.  I remember this period as pain free, however, Mr. Fine distinctly remembers me saying, "this was a bad idea."  I don't remember that part.  Regardless, by 3 p.m. I was up and around with my shields, getting eye drops every 2 hours.  By dinner, I was at the table, peering through my shields and seeing a clear meal in front of me.

Day 2: Follow Up Appointment @ 8:00 a.m.

The resident took off my shields, handed me a black wand, and had me do the vision chart.  20-20 in one eye.  20-15 in the other.  That eye chart hasn't looked so clear since middle school!  The doctor checked my flaps which were healing smoothly (wrinkles and bubbles are bad) and sent me home with instructions to do drops 4 times a day and to only wear shields at night (important, as I am still waking up in the middle of the night trying to get at my eyes).  My eyes occasionally felt like I had my contacts in (they had always hurt me) but I could see CLEARLY (everything!) and was not in pain.

Days 3 - 6:

Mr. Fine and I lived, shopped, and Christmased.  We stayed close to home, however, just in case.  We went to Michael's for some framing and I found myself just standing in the store just gazing.  I hadn't considered that I had gained peripheral vision...something I never got with my glasses.  There is A LOT to look at in stores.  I did notice that my vision would be awesome in the morning but that my eyes would get very tired and I'd need a nap during the day.  My eyes would not want to stay open.  By night, my vision had decreased but it was still better than my glasses.  I also couldn't focus on the computer screen for too long before my eyes got tired.

Day 7: Follow Up Appointment at 12:30 p.m.

My flaps were still healing well and I was put on over-the-counter tear drops instead of my steroid and antibiotic drops.  I can use the tears whenever I want and there's no over using them.  The wetter the eye, the more healing it can do.  On the vision chart, I am 20-20 with a few of the 20-15 line with one eye and 20-15 with the other.

That night, Mr. Fine and I picked up take-out in the dark.  Pre-LASIK I didn't like driving because the headlight stars were terrible.  Now, it's like driving in the daytime.  I can see the road, the headlights are headlights, and I have none of the weird night-vision side effects that other LASIK patients complain of. 

That night, my vision also hadn't deteriorated as badly by days-end and I didn't require any mid-afternoon nap.

Today:

The corneal ring bruising is gone from my eye and I can be on the computer for long periods of time without fatigue.  I. Can. See.


My To-Do List?

-figure out what to do with my glasses...
-get a new blogger picture sans glasses...

Happy 2011 friends!


Fine Divider Owl

Monday, December 20, 2010

Monday Musings

Happy Monday, all!

I'm super excited because Mr. Fine is driving home right now, as I type!!

There is only 1 more day of school and only 3 days until my LASIK...I'm a lot bit nervous about Thursday.

I have zero (you can't believe it, I know) Christmas gifts purchased or even thought of.  Apparently, I have a list of ideas for Mr. Fine somewhere...but I haven't actually done anything about it. 

I took my students ice skating today and have many blisters on my hands -- when will 10 year olds learn how to tie their own skates?  Granted, most of them hung on to the ledge for dear life for most of the hour, but come on?!  And...it did not feel good when after crouching on my knees for 25 minutes tying, my knees and legs h-u-r-t.  Ouch -- getting old.

And...should Mr. Fine be reading...I would enjoy seeing this Banana Republic sweater in our closet:




Fine Divider Owl

Friday, December 17, 2010

Fill in the Blank Friday

It's Friday!  So it's that time again...link up with Lauren if you want to play too!


1.  Giving is     nerve-wracking!  Sitting there waiting to see if the recipient will get the "I'm faking my happiness" look on their face or an authentic happiness.  Giving is definitely my favorite part but it makes me nervous!

2.  Receiving is   not necessary.  I really like to downplay gifts at Christmas.  I'm in it more for the food, atmosphere, and time with others.  I am ALL FOR birthdays, though.  I love the day that is all about Mrs. Fine.

3.  The best gift I ever received was      our garage door opener.  Seriously.  Mr. Fine surprised me with one many years ago and it meant I could stay in my cozy car in the blizzard without lifting the door.  It *MADE MY DAY*!

4.  The best gift I ever gave was   the homemade jewelery I handed out last year.  Nerve wracking, of course (see #1), but the recipients loved them (I think) ;-).

5.  Something intangible that I wish I could receive is   more time with Mr. Fine.  He's away a lot and I miss him!  Maybe that's tangible...I can touch Mr. Fine...

6.  Something intangible that I wish I could give is     confidence to my students during tests.  They have major test anxiety and make silly mistakes....eek!

7.  The one gift I always wanted as a child, but never got was    I can't think of anything...I was never really into Christmas gifts.
 
Happy Weekend, all!


Fine Divider Owl

Tuesday, December 14, 2010

Over Thanksgiving weekend, I completed the most recent Daring Cooks challenge -- poaching.  I opted to make Eggs Benedict.  It certainly was exciting with sauces bubbling and eggs floating in the kitchen.

Mandatory Fine Print: Jenn and Jill have challenged The Daring Cooks to learn to perfect the technique of poaching an egg. They chose Eggs Benedict recipe from Alton Brown, Oeufs en Meurette from Cooking with Wine by Anne Willan, and Homemade Sundried Tomato & Pine Nut Seitan Sausages (poached) courtesy of Trudy of Veggie num num.

I opted to make homemade biscuits instead of English Muffins (mainly because I was too lazy to go to the store to buy English Muffins) and although Mr. Fine smiled and nodded at the Eggs Benedict effort, he opted to use leftover Thanksgiving cheese sauce instead of the mustard sauce on his second serving.


Eggs Poaching in a Frying pan of water

The Final Product!
Has anyone else ever made Eggs Benedict at home?  I'd love to hear how it went for you!

Happy Cooking!


Fine Divider Owl

Monday, December 13, 2010

Wishes DO come true.

Silly to wish for snow days...but you know the kids are definitely wishing for them.  It's 9:45 a.m. Monday - I'm still in my pajamas on the couch blogging and watching FaLaLaLa Lifetime.  We got a snow day!

I look out the window and I see:



My plans are:

-finish some grading
-laundry
-dishes
-blogging
-finish a necklace I'm working on
-drink lots of the new Peppermint Hot Chocolate I get on Saturday at Trader Joe's

May not seem that exciting to some...but absolute bliss right now for me!

What plans do you have for the day?


Fine Divider Owl

Friday, December 10, 2010

Fill in the Blank Friday

Thankfully it's Friday!!!!!  Aside from the sigh of relief that I'm currently exhaling, I'm participating again in Lauren's Fill in the Blank Friday:

1.   I wish  I had the energy to bake on school nights.  I l-o-v-e baking!  I find baking so relaxing...but lately I've been way too exhausted to do anything at night.

2.  Yesterday I  saw the fruits of my labor in action as the math night I organized at school had hundreds of people come.

3.  Today I will   go to a basketball game field trip with my students and have a great time watching them in an outside of school environment.

4.  Tomorrow I will   sleep (see #2 and #3).  ;-)

5.  Maybe     I will make snicker filled cookies from here if I can get up the energy and willingness to ingest that many calories in one (eh ehm...one plus) cookie.

6.  Someday    I want to be able to surf well and play the guitar properly (We've avoided buying me a guitar in case it becomes a forgotten fad in the closet...a bit like the heaps of scrapbooking supplies I have).

7.  I love   reading in bed on the weekend with no pressure to get out of the bed.

What great plans do you have for the weekend?

Fine Divider Owl

Friday, December 3, 2010

A week's done...so filling in the blanks

 
Tonight I spent a girls night out with a friend doing dinner and then a craft show.  I tended to stay away from the cozy Christmas booths but got some fantastic pottery mugs and some jewelery from a woman I've bought from for the past 3 years.  She recognized me (is that scary?) and knew exactly what size of neck cord I wanted for my pendants!  Given the Christmas nature of my evening, it seemed that this week's Fill in the Blanks was fitting.

1.   Holiday spirit   is the part of Christmas I love best.  I like the happy cozy feeling I get in evenings with the lights on the tree and candles burning on the kitchen table.


2.  The holidays are incomplete without   a night for trimming the tree and a night for baking...all with the Christmas carol radio station playing in the background.

3.  My favorite things to do around the holidays is   spend time with Mr. Fine and a cup of decaf, wrap presents (my high school employment as a wrapper tends to mean that ALL gifts are wrapped by yours truly), and bake!

4.  A holiday tradition my family and I have is   getting a new Christmas ornament from my Mom each year.

5.  Holiday music is    totally cheesy but totally addictive, perfect for the 2 weeks before Christmas but completely unnecessary immediately after Thanksgiving, and the seemingly fall back music for any Lifetime Movie shown during the Month of December.

6.  This year, I'll be spending the holidays    seeing with my new vision...after my Christmas present of LASIK!!  I am totally psyched about waking up on Christmas morning and actually seeing the alarm clock.

7.  Holiday wish list     time with Mr. Fine and sight.  You know, nothing major!;-)
 
 
What great holiday plans do you have?
 
 
Fine Divider Owl

Wednesday, December 1, 2010

When?

-was the Thanksgiving break?  [It feels like weeks ago...]

-will I stop eating pumpkin pie?

-will today's snow stop?

-get myself in gear to write a real blog post?

Any answers?




Fine Divider Owl
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