Post Op

Friday, November 7, 2025

I slept in a chair using an inflatable airplane pillow thing. It worked pretty well except I found out that it has a small hole in it and every hour or so it would deflate and my lack of breathing ability would wake me up. I got more sleep than I thought I would, but still not much. We went to the post op appointment at 7:25. I got out of the car, facing the ground, and waited for Keith to come to lead me. He was getting things out of the car and I realized I could follow the white line we were parked next to. I walked to the front of the car then heard him say, “Looks like we got a runner. You’re going the wrong way. The building is behind us.” Teehee. He lead me into the building and let me tell you, it is a whole different thing walking around your house looking at the ground and walking through a commercial building with a bunch of different floorings and carpets and rugs. Weird.

They text you appointment reminders that say repeat customers should expect a 60–90-minute appointment. I thought that was silly because I wasn’t going to be doing any testing, just pop in to see the doctor. But no. We were there 95 minutes. A nurse did de-patch me and clean the gunk that was gluing my eyelashes together, then we waited an hour in the waiting room, 20 minutes in the office, saw the doctor for five minutes. My friend Carla said her husband’s appointments (at a different branch of the same group) have all been like that – wait and wait and wait. They do pretty much have a monopoly on the specialty in the upper Midwest, so that is what we have. I will bring an audio book next time.

I had to keep facedown for the remaining hours until I reached 24 hours after surgery. It was fine. I talked on the phone for most of that time. My vision is just light and dark and movement if it is close. They want me to use my eyes together — open open or closed closed. I have mostly been closed because my left lid is swollen and doesn’t want to open much and when it is open sight is just a mess. I have to wear a patch at night so I don’t scratch, but they also said I could patch if I just want it to be closed. I am patched tonight, and we are going to try to watch TV. I can’t really get my glasses on with the patch, so I don’t know how it is going to work. I have to be upright or on my left side, so I can recline. Maybe I will stay awake for the movie.

Our plane to London left without us. Keith has been working to find people in London interested in using our theater tickets. Keith was able to return 50 First Dates, our friends Chelsea and Tilan are going to go to The Spy Who Came in From the Cold and The Devil Wears Prada, Tilan’s parents are going to go to Disney’s Hercules with themed dinner, Chelsea’s cousin will see Operation Mincement, Tilan’s friends will see The Weir, and Alex and Joe’s (Scottish friends from the boat trip on the Danube) daughter will see The Hunger Games. I can’t even tell you how happy it makes me that someone will be in those seats!!!!