What Song Makes You Want to Dance?

9.07.2008

Okay, time for some audience participation.

(and to find out who is actually reading this thing)

If you're reading this, you are required to participate. Or, um, I will, uh... Just humor me here, okay?

Instead of doing the dreaded "exercise," my new goal is to just dance for 20 minutes a day at least 4 times per week. But I need some dancing music. This is where you come in. All I need is one simple answer to one simple question. Ready?

What song makes you want to get up and dance?

You are not allowed to tell me you don't dance. If you are fond of music at all, there has to be a song out there somewhere that makes you want to get up and move, even if you resist the urge.

So come on, hit the Comments link, and tell me what song makes you want to dance!!!

PRK: 8 week update

Most of my research into the PRK healing process consisted of reading the blogs of those who underwent the procedure and shared their experiences. The postings on many of these blogs tended to drop off after about 8 weeks, which was very frustrating. Then, at about the 4 or 6 month mark, there would be the obligarory post--"Sorry I haven't updated more often. Things are great. So glad I had the procedure, yada yada yada." But, dammit!--what happened between 8 weeks and 6 months? Inquiring minds want to know.

Now that I am at the 8 week mark myself, I understand the sudden disappearance of updates after about 8 weeks. There just is not that much to update. My vision seems to be better than it was 2 weeks ago. But the imrovements at this stage are so gradual, it is hard to tell. I still have some double vision. It is most noticeable on signage--road signs, business signs, any large lettering at a distance, and small lettering that is more than an arm's length away.

Overall, my vision is very functional. None of my activities is limited. The double vision is not as irritating as it used to be (because it has gotten better, not because I have gotten used to it--important distinction). However, if there is no further improvement, I believe my doctor will recommend an "adjustment." That means doing the whole damn thing over again.

But I am optimistic. I truly believe my vision is not 100% because the steroid eye drops--say it with me--slow down the healing to prevent the formation of scar tissue. Every time I have decreased the number of eye drops per day--from 4 to 3 to 2--I have had a noticeable improvement in vision. Therefore, I have three more milestones in the healing process. First, in a week, I will decrease from 2 steroid drops daily to 1 steroid drop daily. Second, in 4 weeks, I will stop the steroid drops altogether. Third, after four weeks of no steroid drops, my vision should be close to maximum improvement.

It is all still one big waiting game.

Oh, and I can't be positive about this, but I think the steroid eye drops are making my hair fall out. Hair loss is fairly common with oral steroids, and although I haven't been able to find any connection on steroid eye drops, I sure do seem to be losing much more hair than usual. And it has progressively gotten worse since I started on the drops. Yet another reason to celebrate when I get to discontinue the steroid drops.

Although I must admit that even if I develop a bald spot or two, it will be temporary, and so worth ditching the glasses and contacts!!

A New Trail

8.20.2008

I tried a new hiking trail this past weekend. It is a few miles north of my house, and had a few asphalt trails along with grass and dirt trails, so I thought it would be a good place to start out on the "wuss" asphalt trails and work my way up to the more traditional trails.

Um. Yeah. It was a beautiful nature preserve. But I think I figured out why hikers carry walking sticks. First and foremost, to tear down the spider webs covering the trail path. I would head down a trail, encounter a web right across the path, turn around, find another trail, encounter a web across the path, turn around, find another trail... You get the idea.

I think if I had a big long stick to tear down the spider webs from a safe distance, I'd be alright. Empty webs, of course. If the spider is home, he gets to stay no matter what, and I will be turning around to find another trail--walking stick or not.

Also, I thought a walking stick would be good to beat off any surprise wildlife visitors. Of course, my mom thinks it would be useful to beat the crap out of any would-be muggers or rapists, as well. She watches too much news.

Where the heck does one find a walking stick, anyway???

PRK: 6 week update

Yup, kiddos. Tomorrow is the 6 week anniversary of my PRK procedure. Hard to believe this much time has passed. Overall, I would say my vision is doing well. I was becoming sensitive to the preservative used in my initial steroid drop, Pred Forte, and switched to another steroid drop, Alrex, last week. I noticed an improvement in the quality of my vision within a day, and the burning and itchiness went away as well. At my follow up appointment on Monday, the doc said my prescription hadn't improved from last week, but my "line of vision" had improved. I don't really know what that means, and I haven't had time to Google it. My biggest problem right now continues to be the double vision for objects at a slight distance (10 feet away and further), but even that has improved somewhat the past couple of weeks.

The doc also clarified the healing process, which made me feel much better about the seemingly s.l.o.w. progress of my vision improvement, especially when compared to the more rapid improvements I experienced in the first two weeks. He approved me this week to transition from the steroid drops three times per day to two times per day. This will last for four weeks, and then I will do them once per day for four weeks. He said that my vision won't even out and reach maximum improvement until I've been off the steroids for at least four weeks. In case you haven't already done the math, that's three more months before I can expect to see optimum improvement; 18 weeks from date of surgery.

Which all makes sense, if I had stopped to think about it. The steroids slow healing (stop me if I've told you this before) so that scar tissue won't develop. Naturally, I won't heal completely, then, until I discontinue the steroids.

Meanwhile, my mom's coworker had LASIK on Monday and was back at work on Tuesday...

In other news, I may be trading in the Eh-scah-pay for something more fuel efficient within the next week or so. Details to follow.