So glad that's over

I started my morning earlier than usual, having an 8:45 am ophthalmology appointment that got off to a rocky start. The automatic check-in machine insisted I did not have any appointments at Lexington Clinic East. I checked my voice mail, which verified that I did. I went looking for the office to check with them, but it wasn't on the Eagle Creek side, so I went back down to registration and waited through the regular checkout to find out that yes, I did have an appointment, paid my co-pay, got my sheet for the doctor's office, and headed up on the other side of the building, which meant that I finally got checked in a half-hour later than I normally would have.

I then had a little paperwork to fill out, followed by a short look at my visual acuity and prescription. I met my doctor (all the staff were very cordial and I'm pleased with the office; I was just frustrated to near-tears (I hate when I do that) because I was so late). And then the fun began.

The main reason for the appointment, which you may remember, is because my optometrist was concerned with my eye pressure. In the course of the appointment I was:

1. given numbing drops
   
2. examined with a machine that touches the eye and checks the pressure
   
3. had my eyes dilated
   
4. was examined by the doctor who had some steampunk gizmo that fit over his head (I'm assuming that was a look at the retina/optic nerve)
   
5. was examined using an ultrasonic pachymeter to measure the the thickness of my corneas (which can contribute to pressure issues) and
   
6. scans were taken of my optic nerve and eye tissues, which involved a staring contest with a little blue dot so that the scan could be made before I blinked.
   

The whole process (since the dilation took a few minutes and there were a couple of waits) took quite a while. I got out of there around noon, my eyes feeling very puffy and of course totally blind in the sun; thankfully they'd provided those little plastic sun glasses, because even though I have Transitions lenses and was walking and not sitting behind automobile glass, I needed even more protection.

The upshot is yes, my pressure is a little high in both eyes, and they are reasonably equal. It is not so bad as to put me on medication yet, and the nerve does not seem damaged, either. Everything we did today will be used as a baseline. I go back in three weeks to have the pressure tests again and a field-of-vision test (where they put you in a kind of satellite thing and lights appear here and there to test whether you can see peripherally, etc.) I'll have to go back at some frequency to be determined to monitor things to see if I'm actually developing glaucoma.

This was not what I really wanted to hear, but I did expect it.

There were some upsides to the visit. The doctor was thorough and impressed with my medical knowledge (well, I am a medical librarian--I recognised one syndrome he asked about because I'd run a search for someone once). There was a lovely lady who was 90 years old but looked about 65 who was very personable, and a gentleman who'd been in a wheelchair for 50 years but who'd had an exciting career in computer programming back in the 60s and 70s, who'd gone from a kid in a rural area of Lincoln county where he'd have to bike in 10 miles to read every book in their small library to college, which he finished despite being paralysed in a car crash, to calculating Moon and Mars launches. It was fascinating to hear them talk of their lives. I also saw a regular from the store who was on the phone at another office window.

After the appointment I went over to the podiatrist's office and told them that I couldn't afford the custom orthotics until January but had once bought a type of orthopaedic insole there and wondered if they had any more. So I got those and they seem to be helping somewhat.

When I got home I was famished and had nothing in the house to eat, so I ordered pizza. Yay for payday (the 1st of two this week)! After eating I laid down (yes I know, I shouldn't have) and woke up in time to put clothes on and head to work. Unfortunately it did not occur to me that after three hours my eyes would still be dilated. I was okay up near the buildings with just the regular tint on my glasses, but once I got out in the open the sun really hurt and I could barely see. It was too late to go back and get the sunglasses, or I'd have been late. So I navigated the best I could with watery eyes, and made sure to cross Richmond and Man O'War at the crosswalks and with the lights, rather than cutting across at some point. Even so, I almost got run over and someone honked even though I did have the right of way--I double checked that the light was green.

Tonight was fairly uneventful except that we have a nice young lady as a new employee whom I got to train, who also gave me a ride home, for which I'm thankful, because even though everything eventually wore off, there's always the getting home in the dark fun. There was one absolutely hilarious thing. One of my co-workers was on the phone with store support while I was on break. Apparently he put down the phone to wait on customers and forgot about it. Then his register started having buttons randomly going on and off. It lasted a couple of minutes. I told him maybe I should wait on people--it didn't seem to be happening to mine. Then it did. Some paper was printing at the printer. I thought nothing of it at first--our new employee was doing her computer-based education modules. Then I realised that the one she was working on didn't have a printout. I went over the the printer and it said: '(Co-worker's name) store support is still on the phone'. At which point I saw the phone, picked it up, and we worked out what was needed. He'd been manipulating the buttons from his end to clue us in. He heard me say my register wasn't affected and then played with mine. I'm afraid we were being somewhat dense, although in my defence I didn't realise anyone had been on the phone, and I did figure out what was happening eventually. :) It was hilarious. I went out to check the pumps that were being worked on remotely and we ended the call, and I was laughing so hard outside and continued all the way into the store. It was great. I'm not sure my co-worker found it quite so funny. :)

So now I'm home and have eaten a little and it's nice to not be at work. I thought I'd get a lot done today, but didn't plan on the doctor's visit being quite so long and tiring. My eyes were poofy for a long time and it feels like every bit of their surface has been touched and they had a real work out. It's an odd sort of feeling. But at least it's over--at least for three weeks. I made that appointment for the afternoon when I wouldn't be working afterwards, though.

I guess that's all for now. How was your day?