Last night EB called to say her dad needs to have surgery next week to repair the hole in his heart. I attempted to reassure her by saying my brother has about four or five foreign objects tacked onto his ticker, including some GORE-TEX to make up for his lack of left ventricle, and he's as much of a smartass as ever. But I know there's little you can say to put someone at ease when a person they love is going to have his ribcage sawed open. I'm sending them good vibes.
Then my mother called. She's been having some eye issues for months (big black floaters, flashes of light, sometimes a sharp pain), but because someone told her she "really didn't need it," she opted out of eye insurance coverage for 2008 and couldn't see a doctor until January. Upon seeing her, the eye doctor freaked out, yelled at her and immediately sent her to a specialist.
The specialist did an eye angiogram (!) and referred her to another specialist. He was not happy she had waited, said that she has a "macular hole" in her right eye and should have surgery ASAP. She downplayed the severity of the situation and even told H she'd be angry with him if he told me what was going on. So while my mom was getting injected with dye, I spent the day beating myself up over a coverletter that somehow disqualified me for what would have been a perfect job instead of worrying about something way more important. I guess that's why she didn't want me to know.
This is just the latest in a long history of my mother being a great nurse but a horrid patient. She was supposed to have some other procedure for months, but has put it off for some ridiculous reason. Even though this is the perfect time: Unemployment means I can come home, drive her to appointments, pick up medicines--and most importantly--smack her around if she doesn't comply.
But it doesn't matter what I have to say. I think what got her in gear was the specialist telling her with certainty that this eye thing could render her completely blind. She ran home and made an appointment for the very next day. Because for as much as she likes to whine about not being alive to see her grandchildren, being alive but not being able to SEE her grandchildren may very well kill her on the spot.
Good GRIEF, mothers can be bad about this stuff. Mine is too.
ReplyDeleteGlad she got her act together and made the appointment. Give her a good scolding, will you?
Oh no! I hope all goes smoothly for your friend and your mother! And, a coverletter ruined your chances of a job? Wha...? Did I miss a post? Either way, positive vibes comin' your way!
ReplyDeleteI'm sorry to hear about your mother. I hope all turns out well. Sounds like she and my mother could take turns complaining about never seeing their grandchildren.
ReplyDeletescary stuff! sometimes parents really know how to make the whole process of being a "real" adult even tougher...you know?
ReplyDeletebut many good vibes
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
to your mom and your friend's dad!
Oh dear! I hope for all the best for your mom!
ReplyDeleteOh my goodness! I hope everything is ok! It's such a mom thing to not see a doctor until the very last minute. You and your mom are in my thoughts.
ReplyDeletePeople who are nearsighted are more prone to eye floaters. Excessive computer use or near work may contribute to the onset of floaters as well. As one ages, the vitreous gel (which helps maintain the shape of the eye) starts to liquefy, adding more stress on the connective tissue between the vitreous sac and retina, thereby increasing one’s risk of getting eye floaters.
ReplyDeleteSometimes an eye floater may be simply debri left over from fetal development where blood vessels no longer needed did not completely dissolve, leaving bits of debri in the vitreous gel. This debri may have just been out of "field of focus", then for whatever reason floated into view.
Anyone experiencing a sudden increase in eye floaters should get examined by their eye doctor.
Diet, lifestyle, and specific nutrient supplementation can play a role in preventing eye floaters.
Based on Chinese medicine, there is an energetic system within the eyes that slowly works on breaking down the eye floaters. This energetic system can be enhanced by cleansing and tonifying the Liver (meridian). The Liver meridian in Chinese medicine “opens to the eyes”, and is the main channel of energy responsible for overall healthy vision.
For more information on eye floaters and ways they may be prevented and possibly helped, go to Natural Eye Care for Floaters
Wow, it's quite a responsibility to come after that last, so-distinguished comment. I'll just say I hope everything turns out well for your mom's eye.
ReplyDeleteAnd I hope you get that perfect job. Or the next one, which will be even more perfect.
I hope your mom is doing alright.
ReplyDelete