A Visionary, I am

How could I have been sad about losing contacts or glasses? How could I have thought that being nearly blind and putting tiny plastic films in my eyes every morning and prying them off every night DEFINED me?

I'll sum it up this way - Lasik is the best thing to happen to the human race since air-conditioning. The whole procedure was fascinating, thrilling, and the results would have moved me to tears if I'd been able to cry. I wish I had asked to her to remove my tear ducts so I'd quit crying when I get mad. I always think of these things too late.

I'm still adjusting to being able to SEE. I still think I have to take my contacts out every night. I can't get over the thrill of waking up and seeing the clock instead of taking a guess at the numbers based on their blurry shapes. My parents are actually sick of hearing me gush thank-yous to them for giving me this gift.

Here's what actually happened during the procedure and then post-recovery:

After they checked my eyes a final time, I was taken to a little waiting room and given a hair cap and some gauze over my ears so the drops wouldn't run into them. One of the techs went over with me how and when to use my drops and when to put the goggles on (and sunglasses). She came back in a little while and told me to go ahead and take the Valium. I went back into the room and met the surgeon and she did a quick exam, and then I got on the table and a tech put numbing drops in my eyes. That is when I started to get scared but I tried to relax and it seemed like I could feel the V taking effect a little bit. I tried to focus on breathing, and she kept reminding me to do that. They put tape over one eye and she began on the other one. I remember a suction cup type thingy that I guess held my eye open - and I felt like I could still blink, which was a relief. I was worried about not blinking. Then there was a metal ring thing that pulled my lower lid down and held that into place. I had to focus on a light above me, and for a few seconds (She told me it was coming) I actually went blind! Then the vision came back, albeit blurry, and I had to focus on these starburst types of lights, red and green. It felt like being in an alien experiment. The weird thing is I couldn't really feel anything but I could tell what she was doing - like when she pulled the flap back that she'd made, or put it back in the place. The laser smelled horrible - I was nauseous afterwards it smelled so bad. She swore it wasn't my flesh being seared, something about the laser having to oxidize. Then she did the other one.

Guess what I talked to her about during the process? Blogging. When she told me I was an excellent patient and easy to do surgery on, I told her I was trying to remember every detail so I could blog about it. The tech and I had to tell her what blogging was! So she got to learn something too. Next thing I knew the tech was counting down "4, 3, 2, 1" and we were done. The only thing that hurt was when she ripped the tape off my face that was holding the suction device on there. I asked her to do my brows while she was at it. Then they put some more drops in my eyes, the doctor looked at them through a machine and bid me on my way.

I walked into the waiting room wearing sunglasses and a huge grin and sat down. Everyone kind of looked at me so I told them about it and I think it eased people's nerves a bit. On the way home Mama kept telling me to keep my eyes closed but I couldn't because I was seeing! (through a gummy haze of drops, but still…) I really wanted to cry from happiness.

By the time I got home I was feeling the Valium, but it wasn't enough to get me to sleep because the burning and grittiness had started. At this point I couldn't stand to keep my eyes open any longer. I decided that the smells and sounds had all been for show, and really all that woman had done was drop Clorox in my eyes. I took two Xanax to help out the Valium a bit, slid on my goggles and went to sleep.

Two hours later I woke up, and it hurt to open my eyes but the more I did, the easier it was and I could see! I walked around the house looking at everything. Then they started to hurt again, so I put my first dose of drops in - one anti-inflammatory and one antibiotic - popped the second valium and had a wonderful night's sleep. The left eye felt perfect - the right one had a bit of irritation in it, like an eyelash or a piece of dirt. I was told to expect that. I had my post-op exam that morning and everything was fine - there was a bit more residual swelling in that right eye than the left but the doctor said it should subside by Sunday and it did, and to use my rewetting drops more often than they initially told me. He wouldn't give me any more Valium.

I still can't believe I don't have my contacts in. I keep thinking at bedtime I have to go take them out! I keep thinking I have them in - it really hasn't sunk in yet, how FREE I am now!

If you are thinking of having it done, run, don't walk, to a good center and get it done. Do it on a Friday afternoon like I did and you'll be fine for work on Monday.

Thank you so much for all your sweet comments and well-wishes!