Four hours a day may not seem like a lot - four sessions of 60 minutes each should not pose a problem but it is definitely four hours of strictly structured time in which I have to sit or lie down face down. I have been in constant motion since November 30 1943 and to be so restricted has really been a challenge.
I will note that the first 3 days I looked forward to the hour long sessions because it seemed to comfort my eye a lot. Now that it is 5 days since the surgery on my eye, I do not notice any appreciable relief to my eye to be face down, but when I put the drops in my eye, it provides relief for me. It seems to settle the eye and make it feel comfortable.
I can tell that the bubble is still in my eye because there is a definite curved perimeter in my line of sight of which I am constantly aware. It jiggles as I walk and it has provided some sort of horizon for my sight. It is black or it appears to be black and it bends the light rays and distorts my depth of field. Walking through the house is ok but steps present a problem and I do not feel stable on my feet.
I just keep in mind that there is a definite possibility that my sight will be better than it was before the surgery. Ethan is very curious as to how the Doctor did the surgery so I have a list of questions to ask when I see the surgeon on Tuesday. I had thought of constructing a far reaching story of how the doctor used a tiny little ladder to climb up to my eye then he entered the eye and using a pick and shovel he dug away at the offending renegade membrane that had grown and then he exited my eye after blowing a nitrous oxide bubble in it..........but Ethan is too smart to swallow such a tall tale.
Another aspect of being pretty much confined to the house is that the food that I purchased before the surgery is being depleted. I am concerned that if I get taken to the store, will I be able to see clearly enough to find the replacements? Or rather, will I have enough energy to cope with all the colors and lights of the supermarket? I do not know why this should be a concern to me because Bill works 2 days a week in the supermarket and he could bring home the replacements. Buzzword is "could". He noted that the bottled water was running out and I reminded him of his place of employment and that he could purchase the required items either before or after work. Eventually he did.
I do not notice whether the world has passed me by because I do not watch the news but get bits and pieces here and there off the internet when I log on. One thing I have done to pass the time sitting in the head down position is to put on a video. the equipment provider has sent a mirror that reflects the image right side up for me. My friend Bobbie came by and took pictures of me in my chair using the mirror.
My friend Juli came to visit me and we had a long conversation about the innovations in missionary work experienced by her son in the California mission where he is currently serving.
My friend Gayla came by also and we caught up on the engagement news of her son Jeremy and the activities of her son Landon who is currently serving a mission in Tokyo (he is in an area where I also served in 1970-1972). Jeremy had promised Landon that he would not get married while Landon is on his mission, but the newly engaged couple will be married the first part of May - about a year before Landon returns home from Japan.
My friend Andrea came by on Tuesday night with a meal. I am glad for that because that was the day of my surgery and I really was in no shape to prepare a meal when we came home from the doctor's office.
My friends Rebecca and Rosie brought a dinner meal to us on Wednesday - and that was a blessing as well.
I have become aware of noises in our house. These are the result of heating and cooling and the noises of the expansion and contraction of the house components along with the moaning of the wind through the screens on the window are more noticeable now that I am confined to this space.
Today is Sunday and I stayed home from church - primarily because I am unsteady on my feet due to the jiggling bubble in my eye that prevents me from correctly judging the depth of field and placement of things. I passed the time by listening to a few podcasts that originate on the Mormon Channel. Today's topics included the political and sectarian conditions extant in the area where Joseph Smith lived as a young boy and how his written account is accurate in the description of those conditions and of the various personal diaries of people who lived in that era and area which corroborate his description. Another of the podcasts was presented by the church Historian talking about the newly dedicated Church History building and the requirements of the building to house early paper records under strict conditions. After having served a mission in Maine in the archives there, I was able to understand what he was talking about. I think I would like to visit this Church History building just to see the organization of the records. Preservation of our histories is important - will be important to our descendants so that they have some idea of the how and why of our lives in this early part of the century beginning with 2,000. My history began 69 years ago and things have changed drastically since I was born.
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