I am having so many problems with focus so I was looking forward to seeing the surgeon this morning. He told me he had put 5 sutures in the eye and would take 2 of them out today, and then a couple more when I see him in 3 weeks. I can notice a big difference already. I asked why I needed the sutures in the first place, and was told that when an incision is made they suture it to keep the wound closed and to keep the eye free from leaking. I'm not sure if I understand it completely, but I'm satisfied that he wants me to have the best vision possible and will do anything he can to get me there. I can notice a big improvement already, and I also can notice a slight bit of pain every now and then in that eye. It happened a couple of times this afternoon when I blinked. I am SO fortunate to have been referred to this surgeon, not only for his surgical skills, but also for his chairside manner.
I stopped by to check on Ara when I returned from the eye doctor. She had also had a doctor's appointment this morning, and has to go back for some tests tomorrow. We arranged that she would drive my car.
My little 2-1/2 yr old granddaughter (Arianna) is starting ballet and tap dance lessons this evening. She has wanted to be in a class for a long time - the whole family goes to Autumn's class every Thursday evening, and Arianna was told she could be in a class as soon as she was potty trained. Well, that did the trick! I have a difficult time sitting there for an hour as the lights and noise bother me, but maybe I'll go next week.
Needless to say I haven't done any more scanning today, but maybe I'll run a few photos through the scanner this evening and post them tomorrow. I would love to hear from anyone who has been to Korea, and any of you vets who were stationed there. My husband served a 2 yr tour of duty in Korea in the early 1960's and was dead set against the idea of my going there in the 1980's. That of course, insured that I would go. He didn't realize how far the country had risen above the post war status.
I noticed a spirit of enthusiasm among the Koreans, and how hard they worked for a better life. You can see that national character here in the US as well, in Korean immigrants and their children. They seem to be happiest when they are working. I arrived in the hotel lobby one morning to wait for the rest of the team and noticed a woman who looked regal as a queen. She was tall and held herself erect, head high, a slight smile on her face, as she pushed a big broom back and forth across the marble floors of the lobby. Such dignity and pride in work!
Our team was riding a bus on a weekend sightseeing trip to somewhere, and when we got off the bus my boss told me, "Marty, when you aren't looking the Korean woman look at your eyes". I replied "That's good, because when they aren't looking I watch their eyes". It's too bad we were too polite and shy to just stand face to face and take it all in.
We were in Seoul when Korea was preparing for the upcoming Olympic games to be held in that city. One of the things they tried to do so as to accommodate the influx of visitors was to convince restaurants to remove dog from the menu. Knowing the resourcefulness of the Korean people, I'm sure they found a way to include it anyway. I sometimes saw dogs in small cages behind a house as we rode by, and I'm sure they weren't family pets. It is awful for an American to think of it, but people in parts of the world no doubt feel the same about our eating the sacred cow, or the unclean pork. Anyway, I really didn't care for most of the Korean cuisine so I hope I didn't eat dog by mistake.
There are many more stories to relate, and I sincerely hope anyone who has been there will chime in and add their own stories. Korea is a beautiful country, and the Korean people are beautiful as well.
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Sure glad ur eye is getting better. That was great news.
ReplyDeleteGlad your sight is improving. Not sure how long a 2 1/2 year old could want anything, but it's good if it helps with potty training. :)
ReplyDeleteGlad your eye is coming along so good. Also, my wife's cousin used to sell power plants and spent some time in Korea. He loved the place and said it was an unexpected pleasure.
ReplyDeleteGlad to hear about your vision improving. My eye sight is deteriorating and it is a real interference in life.
ReplyDeleteGlad to hear about your eyes!
ReplyDeleteI'm so glad your eye is better. Korea sounds so interesting. I always like to see how others see us from another country.
ReplyDeleteThanks for a great post.
Aunt Happy has five stitches in her eye also. Since we're in Q we really haven't been in contact because it's hard to talk to her on the phone. My sister said she's doing great. So I'm glad yours is also doing so much better.
ReplyDeleteGlad to hear that the vision issues are improving. Unfortunately, Korea is one of the paces that I have not been:(
ReplyDeleteI spent 1953 in Pusan in the Army. That was third world country at that time. I was stationed down town in an old bank building, and we kept a faucet open 24 hours a day trying to fill a 55 gallon drum, but it never filled....it couldn't keep up with our use. One thing I remember: they would open up a 55 gallon drum and throw it in the street, to let the trucks drive over it and flatten it out. Every once in a while, they would run out and turn it over. When it was finally flat, they would weld it into pieces for bus bodies. They would take beer cans and flatten them, then use as shingles for a roof. Kimchi, the fermented cabbage, smelled so bad we never dared taste it! "A frames" were the primary means of transporting goods. They would stand like tripods, with arms forming a shelf on one side. They would load cargo on the shelf, then crawl under it, with straps over their shoulder, and trot down the street with the cargo on their back. Very primitive at that time.
ReplyDeleteYou mention how some people feel about eating pork is the same as the way we feel about eating dogs and cats.
ReplyDeleteOur daughter has a special friend who is Turkish and a 'cultural Moslem.' Locally he is known as the worst Moslem in town if not New Zealand. Even so each December he buys raffle tickets until he wins a ham for our daughter's Christmas. Then he gives his audience plenty of laughs as he tries to pick it up to carry home. Once home he phones Jane with desperation in his voice, asking when she will pick it up and this goes on until she finds the time. He literally throws the ham at her and tells her to get it out of his house.
He must be very fond of Jane to go through the agony of having pig contaminating his fridge.
Although a non-practicing Moslem anything pig usually remains extremely offensive.
Loved your story about Arianna.
Glad the progress with your eyes continues.
Blessings
Encouraging to hear your vision is finally improving. Sure has been a long haul.
ReplyDeleteso glad to see that your eye is improving...soon you will be as good as new :)...
ReplyDeleteAnother interesting bit from my days in Korea: A U.S. Congressional delegation was coming to Korea to see what was going on. So that they would not get a bad impression, the railroad tracks through Pusan were lined with high solid wooden fences, hiding all of the shacks that dominated the area. All they saw were miles of fence.
ReplyDelete