Much to be thankful for!

Greetings Friends,

Sorry I've been missing in action, I've thought about posting but just haven't felt like going through the motions of editing photos, getting thoughts together to write and post. Here it is almost two months since my last post and finally I feel like posting.

After Helene, we had Milton pass us by, but giving us strong winds. I spent the night with young friends from church and their two tiny ones. We didn't lose power there until the next morning. Water for coffee and breakfast were made on their grill. I left for home around 10, a short distance from their place and before I could drive through my gates to park in back, I had to deal with two huge limbs that had come down and were in the way.

I had a headache, (too much tension in the past two weeks because of two Hurricanes, getting window coverings out and up before Milton came,) but got out a saw and cut away smaller limbs so that I could get inside property. When I got inside my little cottage, I saw that I hadn't lost power here at all.  That was a blessing. It was good to be home, thankful the storms were no longer a threat here.

The next afternoon a sore throat started, turning into lots of coughing, congestion, fatigue, bed rest, you tube watching, crocheting for almost three weeks. I was a home body not going anywhere.

During that time I had to cancel and reschedule an appt for eye exam and consultation with an eye surgeon for cataract surgery.  I had the exam, pre-op appts, and then the first surgery on the right eye on the 20th. I was nervous to say the least, but many were praying for me, giving me love and encouragement and I made it through, knowing God was with me.

 The next morning I had a follow-up appt and the dr was pleased with how my eye looked. My eye pressure had gone down from 27-30, to 14. I was thrilled. I've had a couple more follow-up appts and my eye is healing nicely. Although I am having to use eye drops for left eye which has a slight eyelid infection. That makes 4 different drops, 3 of them 4 times a day and one twice a day. The surgery for left eye is in a week. I will be glad when this is all over.

The surgeon, the optometrist, all technicians, the office staff are all kind. I googled to find them and feel that God led me right to them. A couple other drs I'd been told about weren't available.

Before I made the first appt., a friend and I were talking before Bible class one Sunday morning about my looking for a surgeon to do this and she told me about hers &  volunteered to take me to all appts. She has been a God-send. We've grown closer through this experience, have laughed, talked about spiritual things and I've shed a few tears. Having her with me has been a balm to my anxiety. Going to drs. is not something I'm used to doing at all, so bloodwork, chest xray,  & a physical was daunting to say the least. But I made it through.

I have medicare A & B, no supplemental plans. A& B would pay 80% of my bill, I would have to come up with the rest. NO insurance company will pay for laser cataract surgery, for some reason they consider it 'cosmetic'. How can going from super hazy vision to clear vision be considered 'cosmetic', & not a health issue is a mystery to me. I was going to have the traditional method done, but the cataract in right eye was too hard and would be very risky so laser was the way. The traditional method is much cheaper, but seeing clearly takes longer and the risk factors are greater. I had no choice.

I am going to be seeing a Humana agent in January, vision, dental, etc.

I could not believe the difference in my vision, and the worst eye was done first. So right now I'm seeing through haze in my left eye and clear in right eye. A bit unsettling. What really blew me away were the 'colors'!!! Blues, purples, whites totally AMAZING!!! With cataracts it's a gradual, greying out of colors and you don't realize how bad it is until it's no longer bad but wonderful to have clear vision again.

I've been doing research on cataracts & glaucoma, praying, taking herbal supplements and vitamins. I wondered before surgery if the surgery might lower the eye pressure. I googled and 'Yes' it can and did. The eye appt I had with a so-called holistic dr 2 years ago, put me through some testing for glaucoma, she gave me the name of a glaucoma specialist dr in an expensive area of the county and gave me a prescription for drops that I would have to use daily for the rest of my life. When I took the prescription to the pharmacy I was floored at the price of $700 a month and I didn't fill it, I left. That started a saga of prayer, more Bible reading, researching herbs and vitamins that are good for eyes, taking things one day at a time.

The optometrist I saw here before surgery, gave me eye drops for eye pressure because mine was on the high end of normal and when you have the surgery, eye pressure goes up more. The eye drops he prescribed were around $25, and like I wrote above, my eye pressure the morning after surgery was 14, which is normal. I will see him again in January and we will talk about the herbs, etc. I am taking and drops I may or may not need. He will work with me. He is a Christian.

After surgery I googled, does having cataracts cause depression? "Multiple studies have shown a strong association between cataract diagnosis & higher rates of depression". "Cataract surgery can often significantly improve vision and alleviate depressive symptoms." 

I've always been a positive person, but the news of having cataracts and glaucoma after having gone through the covid pandemic, sent me on a downward spiral. Then last year finding out I had an ancient cast iron broken sewer pipe (no smell) under the house, a broken floor joist in the kitchen, from termite damage and my needing to have the house tented, and losing Miss Tork earlier this year, didn't help to bring my spirits back up. All of this has me leaning on Jesus all the more. There is so much encouragement from reading the Bible, especially the Psalms. Spiritually uplifting msgs on you tube have been a big help.

I also googled, does having cataracts cause loss of balance and it does. Having surgery improves balance issues.

I've been hibernating inside more and more because of the bright light and glare, not wanting to fall over trip hazards, so that my gardens took a back seat to what has been going on, they are a mess. I had lost my umph!! But through it all Jesus, our Great God, has been with me. Drawing me closer to Him. He is my strength when I am weak, He is my provider, He gives me peace when all seems chaotic. Once I made the decision to have the surgery, I felt more relaxed, although nervous about the surgery. Many told me it was a piece of cake and that I would be so glad when I had it done. (They also told me I'd see a lot of dust and cobwebs after surgery, and I have.)   ;-)

Surgery was quick. I had an IV for relaxing, oxygen, numbing eye drops in eye, I felt nothing. My legs and arms and head were strapped down so that I wouldn't move during surgery. I just heard the surgeons gentle, soothing voice quietly saying in my right ear, looks good, beautiful, great and before I knew it, surgery was over. They had said 7-10 minutes, it seemed quicker. 

Now I know what to expect and I shouldn't be as nervous as the first time.

My Thanksgiving was quiet and I had a delicious dinner with Jesus by my side. I felt like cooking and to me it was the best meal I've made in a long, long time. I just felt energized and thankful.  Cooking for myself is not the same as cooking for two of us. It will be 12 years on the 9th since God called my dear Mark home. It seems like yesterday, and at the same time forever ago.

I've watched a lot of Hallmark and other brands of Christmas romance movies during this last month or so. One movie I watched the other morning was 'A Cinderella Christmas Ball Movie'. A good movie. I will close this post with the line that popped out at me.

"Each day is a gift from God, wrapped in new paper." 

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I have much to be thankful for.

FlowerLady