BareBones Puppet Theatre

Monday, November 3, 2025

Alexander saw an ad for a puppet extravaganza. He invited us to a secret anniversary outing and we were very excited. He didn’t tell us what we were doing (aside from sitting outside for an hour – dress warmly), so that added to the fun. It was a beautiful, warm night (we wore winter coats). The show was very entertaining. My favorite were the giant skeletons who came and went and came and went. When they were “off stage” but still visible on the sidelines, they were always dancing to music. The potd is pretty bad given our distance and the dark, but there they are dancing on stage.

A big, lizard-y guy came at the beginning, then returned toward the end. All his skin came off – right on stage – and he gained wings on his skeleton. It was cool. Maybe you had to be there to appreciate it.

I was really in the mood for some happy times out with Alexander and Keith. I called the Retinal Consultants of MN at 7:15. I spoke with someone who did not have any information on me from Visionworks, but said if it came on Saturday, they would call me when they got it. I assumed that meant whatever came in on the weekend hadn’t been looked at yet. Donna, Michael, Keith, and I sat and looked at each other for a while, waiting for the call. At 9am I went to take a nap because I was just so tired. At 10, when they opened, Keith called Visionworks to see if they had actually sent anything. Apparently, they had not, but would as soon as the doctor was out of his current appointment. (I don’t know why they needed him, but so be it). Donna and Michael packed up (Bye! They left after we did, so it felt weird when we got home and they were gone. I wish they were still here) and Keith took me to my very long-awaited initial dermatology appointment. The lady was really nice, did a full body check, froze a pre-cancerous thing off my nose, and said come back in a year (she gave me lots of information on recognizing concern areas and a print out, too). I went out to the lobby. Keith was gone. I actually thought I heard his voice from the second floor, floating down the stairs. Then he was coming down the stairs. He had cancelled my diabetes check up with a new primary doctor and we were on our way to the Retina people.

He had called them after talking to Visionworks and started a file on me. He told the lady the whole story and she was ready to take action as soon as they received the information from Visionworks (which they were faxing. Faxing. What in the world? They are using billion-dollar machines to take pictures of the back of my eye, then they write what they saw on a piece of paper and FAX it? I just think that is bizzare. The emergency guy I talked to on Saturday said he had no access to what would have been faxed because he was not in the office. What about if they sent an email. Emails can go right to your phone, wherever you are. I should tell them about the 21st century). They were going to call my phone first, then Keith’s phone if I wasn’t available. Keith got a call from the lady he had talked to earlier saying that they hadn’t gotten anything yet from Visionworks (it had been over 90 minutes) and which one was it so she could call them directly. Then he got a call on my phone from a different lady saying that they had gotten the information and could make an appointment for me December 13. Keith said no, we have a potential detached retina and can’t wait that long. She said Huh. The doctor is right here, let me ask him. Oh. Can you come at 12:15?

My dermatology appointment was scheduled from 11:20-11:40. I came out at noon. We did not speed to the RDM and made it just at 12:15. They did all the same tests I did on Saturday. Each person asked me to explain what was going on again, and again. I was feeling pretty confident that this was going to turn into a nothing at that point. Everyone kept asking if the doctor on Saturday had said it was detached. Nope. He said it could be loose. I should call Monday. Or I could call and talk to on call. We finally went in to see the doctor. Keith came along to make sure we heard him and understood. I heard the technician say to him in the hall that I had been at Visionworks Saturday and that is why I was here. He looked and looked in my eye and asked me to explain again. Did the other doctor say it was detached? I was feeling very unwelcome. I was sure it was nothing of consequence and they thought I was overreacting. He said what happened was an ordinary thing the eye does all the time. The goo inside squishes around. Sometimes it gets sticky and sticks to the edges. (I was really feeling relieved at all the normalness of this.) Sometimes the sticky goo sticks to the retina and pulls it off the back. That is what happened. It is an emergency when that happens (oh. no.) and you will have surgery at noon on Thursday. Do you understand?

Ummmmm. Blink blink.

Keith hopped in and said we were supposed to fly to London on Friday. He said, “Cancel it,” with the same amount of interest as if we’d ask if he wanted a black or blue pen. Obviously, cancel it is the only choice, but give us a Sorry, you’ll have to cancel. I can’t fly for 4-6 weeks.

He said to lay on my right side. I said good I sleep on my right side. He said all the time on your right side when you are resting. You can walk around for 20 minutes to an hour, then rest on your right side. He was super quiet, and Keith didn’t hear any of that. We asked if I could give blood as scheduled this afternoon and he said sure no problem. I took that to mean I could also go on my secret outing tonight.

Keith talked to the internet and found out you are supposed to keep your head as still as possible while waiting for surgery. There is no agreement on whether one side or the other is better, but if your doctor says right, go right. So, from now until Thursday, I will try to rest on my right side.

My brother told me that our grampa had a detached retina in 1961, and the treatment was to lie in the hospital on his back for three weeks. It did not work, and he was blind in that eye afterward. I believe my prognosis is waaaay better.

Oh, and Keith chipped his tooth eating a sandwich at lunch. Because we needed another thing.

Oh, wait! Another thing. While I was doing the tests with the technicians someone from RCM called and left a message that they had gotten information from Visionworks that my right and left eye were in good shape, no signs of any retinal problems. Would I call back to explain why I was trying to make an appointment – they do not do any front of the eye work or cataracts – and they only take referrals. I can’t just make an appointment. Huuuuh. I ignored it, since I was waiting for the next test. After we ate 3:00 lunch, she called again. She explained she had left a message and I said I had just read it, because I had been busy seeing the doctor and was having reattachment surgery Thursday. She was flabbergasted. We chatted just like regular people – not business to customer. She read me the note in my chart and was so confused. I was confused about it too but also didn’t care because I already had my appointment. I kinda want to go to Visionworks and ask to see what they sent. How did I get in to see the doctor, and no one read my chart? It is very mysterious.