Vision is good

Yesterday, I got to squeeze in my appointment with my optometrist. All went well. I have nearly 20/20 vision again. Yay!

My prescription  is relatively stable, except for my astigmatism. It's exciting to get a new pair of glasses. I haven't for the last four years.

Seeing my guy all next week and noticing improvements in my vision

My guy works from home most of the time. He doesn't have a huge need to come into the office, unless he is there for training or has to talk to someone.

He let me know that he is in the office all next week. It's wonderful news, as it means that we will have lunch dates. We both miss them.

The other thing is that he is normally the one who is delivering training. This time around, he is attending a course.

My good news is about my right eye. If you have been reading along for a while, you will know that I had an eye stroke back in late March. On Wednesday, I went back to my ophthalmologist for my third eye injection.

To recap, my first injection containing a pretty powerful drug did a lot of good. A lot of the blood clotting in my central vision dissipated. My second injection continued the trend, although the improvement wasn't as drastic.

I did an eye test on Wednesday. The eye assistant was pleased that I was reading the eye charts well for both eyes.

I then talked to my ophthalmologist, who said that my right eye is "almost perfect." It's great news! After this injection, I will go back in a month to get another assessment. If all goes well, my monthly injections will be staggered over longer periods.

My second injection wasn't too pleasant. We both felt that there wasn't enough numbing done to my eye, so I felt more than I should have. This time around, his assistant put more numbing fluid in my eye and he made sure that there wasn't any stinging happening when he cleaned my eye with iodine. All went well with the needle.

It's definitely encouraging news about my sight. I am glad that I am recovering nicely. My guy never doubted that, which I love him for being so positive and supportive.

My vision is getting better

I am glad that the weekend is here. I am beat.

On Friday, I had my ophthalmologist appointment. I have good news.

A month ago, I went to my first ophthalmologist appointment. One of the tests consisted of wearing my glasses, covering my left eye, and trying to read the eye chart with my right eye. My right eye is the one that has blood blocking my central vision. I could only read the largest font presented to me. Everything else was blurry.

A week ago, I went out for a drink and appetizers with my manager after work. I recall looking at the TV over his head. Everything looked clearer. I covered my left eye and remarked that it did.

Switching back to my appointment on Friday, I read the eye chart with only my right eye. I was able to read up to the sixth row before things looked fuzzy.

My eye is getting better. My ophthalmologist is pleased. I got my second eye injection.

My third one will be a bit later than what we had wanted, simply because I am going on vacation and so is he. He says that it's okay to get my next injection in over a month. Getting the injection before I leave may be risky.

For nearly a month, I have been venting about my insurance company and my experience dealing with various folks there. Today, I got confirmation from the receptionist at the eye office that she, too, dislikes dealing with my insurance company. We both ended up venting. We both felt good that we were on the same page.

We both agree that it is best to go with my ophthalmologist's pharmacy to get the drug that I need injected in my eye. However, my insurance company insists on using its own, regardless of what I want when I was asked. My say meant nothing, so why did my insurance company pose the question to me? We both find that the process makes you do way too much work and gets you frustrated.

It was nice that it wasn't just me feeling this way. The reception has to fill out multiple forms every time I need an injection.

I am thankful that my vision is improving. Despite getting incredibly stressed out dealing with my insurance company, this stress hasn't stopped my vision from getting better. Let's hope that this progress continues.

New hires, training, and my eye

It has been a busy workweek, which isn't surprising considering how crazy my workload can get. However, there are quite a number of exciting changes.

First, my longest-serving student is training two new students and a new technical writer this week. It is odd that I am not fully doing the training. My student doesn't know all her stuff, so I need to fill in the knowledge gaps. As a result, I still need to be a part of the training sessions.

I always find meeting new hires to be exciting. I get to know them and understand how they learn. We haven't scared them, which is great. They are also good at asking questions. So far, so good.

My manager has odd expectations that my student will train and I will provide support, meaning that I don't have to do much. However, we both know that his assumption is false. He is pretty worried that I will be away for more than two weeks. It is new territory for both of us.

My guy and I talked the other day about my being away. He says that my manager should be worried. He is dependent on me. I have hinted that he is far too dependent, particularly being his go-to person for team expenses. My being on vacation for a longer period shows my point to be the case.

Today, I have my second eye injection for my eye stroke. I find that I am seeing a bit better. However, I can't tell if the drug injection is working, time is helping to clear up some of the blood in my central vision, or my eyes are simply adjusting to my eye's current state. I can only hope that my vision improves as much as possible.

The good news is that I no longer get dizzy when I look at objects. When it first happened, looking around made me so dizzy that I would have to either close my eyes or look down. The latter works because I don't see the blood and my vision is clearer that way.

I am working from home afterward my appointment. It simply means that I am on a conference call, listening in on my student training and following her presentation, and my taking over when there are gaps.

There are plenty of gaps. It's not unexpected. I am more a part-time trainer this week.

My student is doing a pretty good job for her first attempt. It simply means that there is room for improvement as she acquires more experience.

I stands for injections #AtoZchallenge

My blog post's title sound eerie and perhaps negative, but I don't feel this way. It's all good.

On Friday, I went to see my ophthalmologist. The clinic looks like a place where you would go select your frames for a spiffy pair of eyeglasses. It's in a fairly modern, new building. I actually had to ask if I had the correct unit number, for it wasn't displayed at the front.

The receptionist wasn't exactly the most friendly person to deal with. Everything coming out of her mouth felt like a rapid interrogation:

• May I help you?
• Can I get your health card?
• Can you confirm your birthdate?
• What's your family doctor's name? Do you know her first name? Address?

After she had all the answers that she needed, I sat in the waiting area. There must have been thirty people sitting there at 10:00 am. Naturally, you can't get too comfortable.

Moments later, you hear one technician call out your name. The problem is that you don't know which room the woman is in. For some reason, she chooses to sit in the room and yell out names. So, I followed the voice and had some scans done on both eyes.

I went back into the waiting room. Another technician yelled out my name. This time, if felt like a maze. I had to ask where she was. I followed her voice again. It's an odd setup.

I had more vision tests done. My eyes were dilated. I am getting used to this procedure where everything close up ends up being fuzzy.

During my second hour there, I got to meet my ophthalmologist. He has a calm tone to his voice. I felt reassured and in good hands.

He took a look at my eyes. He confirmed what my optometrist has concluded the other week. This time, I got a better diagnosis and a thorough explanation. I had a stroke in my right eye, which caused a vessel to explode. The blood is blocking my central vision. It explains why some of my vision is blurred.

He recommended injecting a drug in my eye, which will provide oxygen and nutrients. The idea is to break the blood clot and see how much of my vision can be restored. The uncertainty doesn't shock me. My mom had a serious stroke that has left her right side of her body rather weak. However, she has made good progress under the circumstances.

I realize that making a full recovery is difficult. However, if I can get most of my vision back in my right eye, I'll be happy. 

So, I have six injections with this drug. I had the first one on Friday. I am thankful that I have a decent drug plan. Otherwise, I would have to pay $2000 for all six injections out of my own pocket.

I go monthly for each injection. We'll see how things go.

My manager pinged me on our instant messaging application a few hours after my appointment. He told me of some news that made me happy. I will save that for a future blog post.

He asked me about my appointment, so I told him. He told me never to get injections in my eye. My mood changed. I could feel some stress moving in.

My ophthalmologist advised that injections are safe. I risk infection, but the odds are slim. As long as I don't rub my right eye or have water seep into it during the first 24 hours, I'm good. I did get a bottle of sterile artificial tears, which made a world of difference.

In my case, using drops containing medicine in my eye won't get down to the blood clot. My manager is a worry wart. He has an eye condition and is adamant to not have anyone pry into his eye. In his case, he has a pupil that will not close. He simply puts prescription eye drops in his affected eye.

I frankly think that our eye problems aren't similar. He wants a face-to-face discussion about my eye situation. I really don't.

I changed the topic and said that I need my workload reduced. He tried to be jokey, but it turned out worse. He first suggested to get Portuguese egg tarts, which I love. However, he wasn't willing to buy any. Instead, he suggested that I do and that he would eat them. Again, I didn't find it funny.

I basically told him that our instant messaging tool causes me stress. I get distracted when folks want information from me immediately. I told him for a long time that I have been thinking about not logging on to it. My mentioning it on Friday wasn't a first. 

I told him that his remark about never having injections doesn't make me feel good, as I have already had one. He apologized. I also said that I was logging off the instant messaging application. We were done.

I have no regrets. My health is more important than hearing nonsense that was making my blood boil. Again, I need to reduce my stress and this online conversation did not help.

My ophthalmologist has asked that I see my family doctor. So, I have an appointment on Tuesday. I need to talk to her about whether I need to be on high blood pressure medication or if there are techniques that I can employ to destress. 

I am trying meditation. I exercise daily. I need something else.

H is for handcuffs and home #AtoZchallenge

I have an affection for handcuffs. I don't mean it in a sexual context. I just like the look of silver handcuffs.

Years ago, I did a road trip with my then husband. The road trip had us travelling to the east coast of Canada. We then took a ferry (yes, including our car) over to the States, and drove back home. It was a wonderful trip.

We stayed in Bangor, Maine for a bit. I went shopping at the local mall and purchased a cute link bracelet. Each link was a handcuff. I still have that handcuff bracelet to this day.

In Las Vegas a couple of years ago, a good friend of mine and I went to the Mob Museum. I highly recommend going there if you'd like to learn more about the mob scene from years past and you enjoy being a tourist. In the gift shop, I bought a pair of handcuffs. They work and come with keys.

On Ashley Bridget's Web site, it sells various pieces of jewellery. There was one that was inspired by Fifty Shades of Grey. I bought it because it said that it would fit a wrist up to 7.5". Sadly, it was too tight on me. It was also too heavy.

Recently, it has offered a couple of lighter version of the handcuff bracelet to its Fifty Shades of Grey collection. I got the thin handcuff bracelet. It fits perfectly. I am wearing it as I type. I love it!

As for the home part, with my blurry vision in my right eye, my manager has suggested that I work from home a couple of days a week. Currently, I work from home on Wednesdays. I am thinking of also taking Tuesdays to work from home. I will start that next week. Well, I would have been working from home anyway next Tuesday. I have a teleconference that starts at 07:00!

More about my eye results in my next post. I get to see my guy on Saturday, so there will be plenty to say!

My vision

Late last week, I developed a headache at work. I told my guy about it. He told me to take it easy. We both felt that it was due to work.

Last Friday, I went out for lunch with my two students and my manager. I didn't like the food at the restaurant that we had chosen. We asked for separate bills. My manager asked me to read his bill. The print was faint. I couldn't read it. It was dark at the restaurant, too. It was a sign.

On the weekend, I noticed that my right eye's vision seemed fuzzy. I thought that perhaps my astigmatism had become worse. However, my vision has never experienced such a drastic change. It was different. Things looked wavy, such as signs, depending on the angle at which I was looking. Other times, things looked okay.

Monday made me decide to get my eyesight checked out. We had a manager come visit us. His head was alongside the person who was sitting in front of me. I got dizzy looking at both of them. It is unlike me to feel that way. I decided to get an appointment with my eye doctor first thing on Tuesday morning.

I took a sick day on Tuesday and headed to my appointment. After doing a series of tests, including a fancy retina exam, it was found that I have bleeding in my right eye that is affecting some of my central vision. This bleeding explains why my vision seems wavy.

She said that this vessel bleeding is either due to diabetes or high blood pressure. She was leaning towards the latter. I had visited my doctor two weeks ago. My blood pressure was normal.

My eye doctor then asked me whether I was going through some stress. For a while, I didn't think that I was. However, when I think it through, I have inherited another person's workload. My workload was already pretty loaded. I am essentially doing the workload of nearly three people.

My body is saying that I can't handle the stress.

She has set up an appointment for me to see an opthalmologist, which is slated for the following Friday. In the meantime, my eye pressure is fine and she doesn't deem my situation to be an emergency.

I wrote an e-mail to my manager, indicating that I'd need a private conversation with him about my health situation and my workload. I get to discuss that later on today. I do not want my entire team to know my medical condition at this stage, especially when I don't know much until I get more answers.

I will be stating that I need to reduce my workload and pace. I will pass tasks off to my two students. My health is non-negotiable. Without my health, there is no me.

I updated my guy on the situation. He is still hoping that all will be okay, but he is concerned, as am I. He is sweet and told me that he wished that he could hold me.

Even far away, it's nice to feel his love.

In the meantime, lying down has helped me out. I find that I get dizzy if I am looking at my computer for a long period. It's not bad blogging, as it's brief. It's worse when I am working for a full day.