Just a brief update:
The two laser surgeries produced the desired effect. I appear to be glaucoma-free, although there is still a slight bit of pressure in my left eye (the macular degenerative one) that he’s keeping an eye on. So to speak.
The Eyes Have It
In the course of writing this series of incoherent notes, I’ve listed the shopping list of ailments I’ve complained about over the years. Readers (both of you) have been subjected to tales of acid reflux, degenerative disc disease, herniated discs, cortisone injections, lymphedema, pinched nerves, back surgery, gall bladder removal, lithotripsies, macular degeneration, blah blah.
Time to add another distress to the list.
I’ve been undergoing treatment for macular degeneration in my left eye for several years now. For the first few years, treatment consisted of having Avastin injected into my eye twice a month. Yes, you read that right. Injected directly into my eyeball with a hypodermic needle. Although it sounds the stuff of cheap horror movies, it is not as painful as it sounds. It’s the anticipation, knowing what’s happening, seeing the tip of the needle enter your eye and spew out the medicine that would make you wince, if your eyelids weren’t clamped back. Sounds horrific, maybe, but considering the alternative is going completely blind in the affected eye, it was a small inconvenience.
The injections finally stopped the advance of the disease, and since then I’ve seen my opthamologist (whom I affectionately refer to as “iDoc”) three or four times a year to get checked. The disease has left me alone, and although I’ll never recover the amount of vision I lost in the eye, at least it’s not getting worse.
A few weeks ago I went in for my checkup appointment. Had my eyes dilated, did the chart thing, was led to an exam room where my eye pressure was measured and I was prepared for the exam.
My doctor came in, shined some bright lights in my eyes while looking through various magnification devices and dictating various opthamology terms to the assistant in the room with us.
I was given a clean bill of eye, the doc wished me to have a nice summer, and said he’d see me back in September.
The next day, I received a call from his office. I was told that the pressure in my eye was high enough to concern him, and he wanted me to come in for a double check.
I went in again the following week. My eye pressure was back to normal, but iDoc wanted me to see one of his colleagues who specialized in glaucoma to see if something could be done “prophylactically”. I giggled under my breath. Yeah, I’m 12 at heart.
Went the following week – last week- to see iDoc 2, who shined and measured and magnified and further tested, all the while dictating technical information to the assistant. I have no way of knowing how much of it she was able to catch, because iDoc 2 is that worst of combinations: fast talker/low talker. Nice enough guy and all, but he was speaking Latin to me for all I knew (and understood). After he told me whatever it was he told me, he made a few vocal notes in a hand-held recorder. I feel bad for whoever had to transcribe it, but they were probably familiar enough with his style that they could translate.
Anyway, the gist is, I have developed narrow angle glaucoma. You can read the details of the disease here. I’m happy to say that other than an occasional headache, I’m not exhibiting any of the other symptoms that would cause me to be concerned I’ll be blind this time tomorrow. I’m scheduled for a Laser Peripheral Iridotomy – laser surgery – on my right eye on July 19, on my left eye a week later.
Getting old sucks. But the alternative….well, you know.
Filed under Medical
The Graduate, 2012
It hardly seems like it’s been almost 13 years since we watched the little boy board the bus and set off to his first day of school, and it seems like a lifetime ago.
Congratulations to my son Cameron on the occasion of his graduation from Parkland High School. You’ve made a lot of people proud, and we can’t wait to see what the future holds for you.
Filed under Family
Cat’s Got My Tongue
My new roomie
I have a new roommate. His name is Ellis. Here’s how this came to be:
Over Memorial Day weekend, my co-parent Jill and a friend of hers went to a party. On their way back to her house, they were talking and missed their turn. They pulled into a construction site to turn around, and found a number of abandoned kittens; she figured about 25.
She contacted a friend or two to help wrangle them and got the majority of them to shelter, but she kept the smallest one with the intent of giving it away to a cat-friendly family.
To avoid getting close and familiar, she didn’t give him a name, instead referring to it as “Little Fucker”. This was eventually shortened to “L.F.”. My son suggested just calling him “Ellis”, because of Memorial Day, Ellis Island, freedom, etc etc.
Once Ellis had a name, though, it became personal, and Jill decided the best home for Ellis would be hers. A few problems with this: she already has two cats, and they didn’t take very kindly to the new kid in town. In addition, she’s mildly allergic to cats. Two are manageable, but the third one and it’s additional dander and flying fur caused sneezing fits and itchy eyes and all the rest.
Even though my abode is a teeny condo unit, I agreed to adopt Ellis so he’s at least still be in the family.
So that’s the story behind my new roommate. I’m sure there will be future stories to be told.
Filed under Pets
Gee-Tar Two
After settling in with my Strat for a bit, I decided I needed a nice acoustic to keep it company.
As I mentioned in my previous post, the Yamaha I owned was hard to play, so I started shopping around. I tested a number of Ovation, Takamine and Ibenez models. Each had their pros, but I had a tough time choosing one with the right combination of playabilty, looks, and price point. I wanted a certain sound; I wasn’t sure what, but I’d know when I heard it.
After several trips to a few local music shops, I had just about decided on an Ovation Celebrity CC44.
But after receiving a Guitar Center mailing, that changed. Gibson was re-issuing John Lennon’s go-to acoustic under the Epiphone brand, the EJ-160E John Lennon Acoustic-Electric.
Of course, being a huge Beatles (particularly Lennon) fan. I had to check this out. I rushed down to GC, but they hadn’t received any yet, and they only had a few ordered. The sales person I spoke to took my number, and promised to call me when they arrived. I went back weekly and checked, in case the guy forgot about me. Surprisingly, I did receive a call when their stock arrived. I went in and spent a half-hour or so playing around with it, and loved it. Felt good, sounded good, looked good, and it was in my budget. I played around with a few other guitars I had looked at to be sure the Epiphone was what I wanted, but there was no question about it. I took it home.
You’d think that, armed with a nice electric and a nice acoustic-electric, I’d be satisfied. Particularly since I’m just a hobbyist, not a working musician.
You’d be wrong.
There is a phenomenon known as GAS that we’ll discuss next time.
In the meantime, Keep On Rockin’!
Filed under Music
Gee-tar One
I love playing guitar. I’m not great at it, but I’m OK. I started playing when I was about 14. You’d think after 45 years I should have some proficiency, but, truth be told, there was a very, very long period of time when my instrument sat, unused and forgotten, in a remote corner of the various places I’ve lived over the years.
I seem to remember that the first setup I had involved a black-and-white Sears Silvertone and a cheap amp, the brand long forgotten. I started taking lessons, but we moved around a lot, so they didn’t last long. Plus, I was discouraged, because after an hour of paying, I didn’t sound anything like George Harrison.
I’m not sure what happened to the Silvertone, but my friends Dennis and Kim gave me my first electric guitar sometime early in our (community) college careers. Again, I can’t remember the make and model; the only clear recollection that I have is that it was a white Strat knockoff, and I played the hell out of it. As life happened, I moved away, and I have no clue where that old axe ended up.
My next guitar was a Yamaha FG-160 acoustic, which I purchased from a friend who had upgraded to something better. That guitar was tough to play; you almost need two people to make a barre chord. I banged around on it for a few years, but eventually more life happened and it became a corner decoration.
Flash forward several years, and I’m a father to a son who has a penchant for video games. He got caught up in the whole Guitar Hero craze. His mom thought maybe he’d enjoy the real thing, so one fateful Christmas she bought him a Berenger starter set on eBay.
A star is born!
Long story short (too late! the reader cries), watching him play reminded me how much fun I used to have knocking around, so I picked it up again. Figuring I deserved a step up from the Yamaha, I went shopping. But what to choose?
As every member of Woodstock Nation knows, there’s only one guitar: a white Stratocaster.
OK, there are plenty of others to choose from, but I set my sights on a white Strat just the same.
So, on April 20, 2008, I became the proud owner of a Made in Mexico Fender HSS Stratocaster, Arctic White, Serial #MZ6206890.
I have so far resisted the temptation of giving it a name (no offense to Frankenstrat, Blackie and Number One), aways referring to it as simply “The Strat”.
Wanting to make it my own, I did a small mod job. I replaced all chrome and plastic accessories (except the pickguard) with their black counterparts – even the string trees. This necessitated replacing the stock humbucker with a Seymour Duncan, but all’s well.
The Strat was the first addition to my collection. Other pieces will be discussed in future posts.
In the meantime, Keep On Rockin’!
Filed under Music
Sticker Shock
For my macular degeneration, my iDoc long ago prescribed one drop of Lumigan in my left eye every night. Although it’s packaged in a tiny little bottle, one drop a night means it lasts me a few months. Particularly since I don’t always remember to drop the drop in my eye.
I dropped the last drop from my previous refill one night last week, and ordered a refill.
When I stopped at the pharmacy the next day to pick it up, I couldn’t believe my good eye. When I had the prescription filled in September, the 2.5 ml bottle cost me $25. Last week, it had rocketed up to $93! Almost 300% in six months!
As the pharmacist’s assistant was performing CPR on me, she mentioned that without my insurance coverage, it would have cost me $130.
Who says the healthcare system doesn’t need to be looked at closely?
Filed under Medical
