On Medical Leave

I'm turning off all my Yahoo lists mail tomorrow evening, as I have a very busy July ahead. I've got my brother and his family coming July 12th and staying about a week. Then on July 20, I'm scheduled for pre-op for eye surgery, scheduled for July 27th. I just had a little nothing-of-a-procedure done, and I am enjoying some relief from long-suffered dry eye due to Sjogren's Syndrome, secondary to lupus. This wonderful young man, to whom I'm convinced God directed me plugged my tear ducts with permanent silicone plugs, and though it isn't perfection, it's cut down on my need for the 25-30 apps of expensive artificial tears a day and ointment at night. It has cut everything by more than half, and I'm much more comfortable. I tried Restasis several times, but it burned so badly, I was worse than before.

As an indirect result of my eye problems over the last 20 years, my eyelids have gradually drooped (ptosis) to the point where it's cutting off nearly 50% of my vision. I recently went through some nerve wracking testing to prove to the insurance company that this is corrective, not cosmetic surgery. I'm getting very anxious about this, as I must be awake for the surgeon to direct me on eye movements as he cuts away a good chunk of skin on each eye and adjusting muscles. I'm hoping it's in order to sedate because I'm very sensitive and prone to panic attacks during such procedures. They're going to have to bring on the valium unless they wanna see a wild and crazy blind woman with her big butt (hope I don't have to wear one of those gowns---they're humiliating, and I need a plus size) exposed, running out of the OR. Not a pretty sight!

At any rate, Monday, I'm throwing myself into cleaning this pit top to bottom before my brother comes. His wife is a Martha Stewart wannabe, and since I've been so sick, (also just diagnosed with diabetes, or did I already post that?), depressed, and lethargic, only the necessities have been done around here. Neither DH nor I are allergic, or the dust and cat hair would have killed us both. However, I may kill myself cleaning it. I've already written a plan of attack for each day. I think I'd rather just go ahead and die on day 1.

There will be 2-3 days after surgery that the swelling could be so bad that I won't be able to see much, and I'll be sporting shiners for at least a couple of weeks. I just hope that after a couple of days, I can stitch and/or read. TV doesn't sound like much of an option. I can no longer use my stitching stand (for over a year now because my lids have dropped that much), so I can at least look down to stitch in my lap. I'm hoping that I'll be back in fine form by the middle of August, and with just the two of us, my house will still look decent if I have to stay in while recuperating. I'll burn my candles with the tables waxed and shiny. Even if I can't see 'em, I'll smell 'em. My mom & dad plan to help me while DH is gone away with his job (just 3 days a week), and I have many other family members in town, plus my two best friends in my neighborhood who are always there for me.

I actually have been stitching, so tomorrow, I'll post my WIPs here. If I get any time at all next month, or if I'm able in early August, I'll try to post any progress, but the fine tuning of my blog is going to have to wait. I still haven't found my error in HTML in the blog I was working from. I miss it. I don't like the new Blogger widget restrictions. I'm a whisper away from ditching Blogger and switching to Wordpress.

Thanks for hanging in there with me, my dear friends!