Friday, April 23, 2010
We're Becoming Snowbirds!
Here are a few pics of the double-wide manufactured home that we purchased in Peoria, AZ (northwest of Phoenix). Sorry but I deleted some pictures so this is the best that are left. It has 4 bedrooms, 2 baths,1900 square feet, a fireplace and two storage sheds. It is in a gated community called Peoria Polynesian Village, which has a clubhouse and outdoor pool. We also have a shade tree and an orange tree! It is about five miles from where the new LDS Temple will be built near Phoenix, plus good shopping area. It is also about 25 miles northeast of Buckeye, where Mike lives. And big plus it fit our price range and the monthly park rental fee price range.
Wednesday, April 21, 2010
New Experience
Yesterday I had a first-time medical procedure. All my life I dreaded the thought of having my eyes operated on, but I found out that cataract surgery ain't what it used to be. I told myself in the morning that it probably won't be as bad a root canal surgery, and I survived that!
So about 1:30 pm I entered the clinic with Merle at my side. They wanted him to stay rather than leave and come back to get me later. The nurse and I walked down the hallway past several cubicles which had a hospital gurney type bed and curtains across the end of the occupied cubicles. A man who left the waiting room 10 minutes before me was in the one next to where i was escorted to.
After verifying that I knew what they were going to do for me and which eye, the nurse put a permanent marker arrow above my right eye. She hooked me up to a blood pressure monitor (which bothered me more than the whole rest of my experience), checked my blood sugar, and put the first of a series of drops into my right eye. They brought me pillows to go under my knees and both arms, and a blanket to keep me warm. The first was an antibiotic. Next came an I.V, into my right arm (the blood pressure monitor automatically inflated on my left arm every five minutes). The male anesthetist came in and intorduced himself. Since I wasn't able to wear my glasses the woman surgeon came in next but I couldn't recognize her from when I had seen her at my pre-op appointment a month ago. I caught on right away when she asked if anything was different. I had a blank look and said, "Different than what?" She replied, "Different from the last time I saw you." "No, I can't think of anything." "Good." I was wheeled around the corner and into the operating room.
The anesthesia wasn't supposed to knock me out but just relax me. So after more drops in my eye, they put a blue rubber dam type of thing over my eye and a opaque plastic device that covered my other eye. I had no idea of how much time I was there but learned that the procedure took about two hours. All this time I was aware of light and color while they were working on my eye. I had heard they would put a needle into my eye so I kept waiting for it, but i never did feel anythiung like what I expected. I did not feel anything when the doctor was cutting out the cataract and inserting a new acryllic cornea, but I heard them talking above me all the while--though I don't remember anything they said.
Then they rolled me back to my cubicle from the operating room. A white plastic protector had been taped to my eye so I could only see the surroundings with my one "good" near-sighted eye. I was offered diet 7-Up and cheese and crackers, which I ate rather quickly--I hadn't eaten anything for about 7 hours. They determined that I was okay and wasn't going to throw up, gave me instructions for post-op care, and they told Merle to get the car ready. I was pushed in a wheelchair out to the car. I looked at the clock on the dashboard. It was 3:45 pm.
We brought haamburgers and ice cream home with us for a late lunch I didn't get sick, took a nap. The doctor called later to see if I felt okay--no pain, no nausea, didn't need any pain medicine. I had a good night's sleep too.
I went to the doctor's office this morning and they did a little testing. I learned my cataract was deeper than expected because of my diabetes. I had a hard time reading the letter chart as my eyes were wavy from more drops. However, I could tell that the light coming into my operated eye was white but the color I saw around the letters I looked at through my non operated eye were on a yellowish background. On my way to the clinic this morning, my non-operated eye was seeing stoplights in groups of threes. Because I had a flat spot I have to go back for another post-op check tomorrow but actually I'm feeling great. However, I have to put up with eye drops 4 times a day until I have the other eye operated on next month. I'll probably still need to wear glasses I'm told because I have astigmatism too (hence the three lights I saw instead of one).
My conclusion is that having a cataract removed was about on par with having the root canals. Neither one bothered me that much, and I worried more than it was worth. I guess I can survive the second cataract procedure when the time comes.
I really appreciate modern surgery methods and having a doctor and a nurse skilled to be able to use them. I also appreciate the blessing I had that guided their hands!
So about 1:30 pm I entered the clinic with Merle at my side. They wanted him to stay rather than leave and come back to get me later. The nurse and I walked down the hallway past several cubicles which had a hospital gurney type bed and curtains across the end of the occupied cubicles. A man who left the waiting room 10 minutes before me was in the one next to where i was escorted to.
After verifying that I knew what they were going to do for me and which eye, the nurse put a permanent marker arrow above my right eye. She hooked me up to a blood pressure monitor (which bothered me more than the whole rest of my experience), checked my blood sugar, and put the first of a series of drops into my right eye. They brought me pillows to go under my knees and both arms, and a blanket to keep me warm. The first was an antibiotic. Next came an I.V, into my right arm (the blood pressure monitor automatically inflated on my left arm every five minutes). The male anesthetist came in and intorduced himself. Since I wasn't able to wear my glasses the woman surgeon came in next but I couldn't recognize her from when I had seen her at my pre-op appointment a month ago. I caught on right away when she asked if anything was different. I had a blank look and said, "Different than what?" She replied, "Different from the last time I saw you." "No, I can't think of anything." "Good." I was wheeled around the corner and into the operating room.
The anesthesia wasn't supposed to knock me out but just relax me. So after more drops in my eye, they put a blue rubber dam type of thing over my eye and a opaque plastic device that covered my other eye. I had no idea of how much time I was there but learned that the procedure took about two hours. All this time I was aware of light and color while they were working on my eye. I had heard they would put a needle into my eye so I kept waiting for it, but i never did feel anythiung like what I expected. I did not feel anything when the doctor was cutting out the cataract and inserting a new acryllic cornea, but I heard them talking above me all the while--though I don't remember anything they said.
Then they rolled me back to my cubicle from the operating room. A white plastic protector had been taped to my eye so I could only see the surroundings with my one "good" near-sighted eye. I was offered diet 7-Up and cheese and crackers, which I ate rather quickly--I hadn't eaten anything for about 7 hours. They determined that I was okay and wasn't going to throw up, gave me instructions for post-op care, and they told Merle to get the car ready. I was pushed in a wheelchair out to the car. I looked at the clock on the dashboard. It was 3:45 pm.
We brought haamburgers and ice cream home with us for a late lunch I didn't get sick, took a nap. The doctor called later to see if I felt okay--no pain, no nausea, didn't need any pain medicine. I had a good night's sleep too.
I went to the doctor's office this morning and they did a little testing. I learned my cataract was deeper than expected because of my diabetes. I had a hard time reading the letter chart as my eyes were wavy from more drops. However, I could tell that the light coming into my operated eye was white but the color I saw around the letters I looked at through my non operated eye were on a yellowish background. On my way to the clinic this morning, my non-operated eye was seeing stoplights in groups of threes. Because I had a flat spot I have to go back for another post-op check tomorrow but actually I'm feeling great. However, I have to put up with eye drops 4 times a day until I have the other eye operated on next month. I'll probably still need to wear glasses I'm told because I have astigmatism too (hence the three lights I saw instead of one).
My conclusion is that having a cataract removed was about on par with having the root canals. Neither one bothered me that much, and I worried more than it was worth. I guess I can survive the second cataract procedure when the time comes.
I really appreciate modern surgery methods and having a doctor and a nurse skilled to be able to use them. I also appreciate the blessing I had that guided their hands!
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