Ahhh...The Gift of Sight

Today, I finally took the time to go to the eye dr. Not that it's all that big of a deal to go to the eye dr. It's not like the DENTIST!!! It's just that I have to carve out a time in my busy "town" schedule to work it in. So, I managed to just keep putting it off...and putting it off...for months!

This past September I had to go for my annual check-up (I don't really put that off...). At that time, the Dr. tweaked my contact prescription and I thought I would be good to go for another year. It wasn't long before I noticed that I was having trouble reading street signs, seeing the preacher's face on Sunday morning, seeing faces across the parking lot, or even being able to see anything that was farther away than my hands. This can really be a problem when you have a teen driver and you are trying to give directions and can't read the street signs until you are right on top of them...painful, too when said teen slams on the brakes! At the Mall, I couldn't even see ANY facial details more than a table or two away from me. When I was hurrying to meet a friend at the Tally Mall the other day, she was waving at me across the center court. All I could see was that someone was waving in my direction, I couldn't see anything but a blob (no offense, friend). That could be really embarrassing if it had been someone I didn't know!

So you get the gist.

Yesterday, I finally called for an appointment and got one for today. The dr. tweaked, tweaked and tweaked some more. Finally, he decided on a prescription and gave me a new pair of contacts to try. He warned me that the trade-off would be that I might have more trouble seeing up close..because of my age. (He really could have left that part out!) This might necessitate reading glasses. I didn't think this was that big of a deal...I already use reading glasses when I'm tired or it's late at night or too early in the morning.

I asked the dr. what type things could cause this change so quickly. One of the things he mentioned was blood pressure. Well, now! We're getting somewhere. Nobody ever told me that!

My b/p has been a problem most of my adult life...especially the last 20 years. When I had my fun (horse-induced) concussion a year and a half ago, the dr. started treating my high b/p. After getting it under some control, my "good" normal b/p was never under 140/80 (this was my goal). Yet, at my 'medical' doctors appointment yesterday, my blood pressure was 118/68. I probably haven't had a good b/p report like this since I was 3! When the nurse told me what it was, I asked her to check my pulse to see if I was really alive! [yes, I know your b/p shows you're alive, too!...but it made her laugh!!] Since I've started walking 2-3 times a week, my b/p has really dropped like a rock. I'm amazed at what just a 'little' exercise will do. My dr. is very happy and planning on lowering my b/p medicine soon to compensate.

[We interrupt this program...As I type this, I'm listening to a program on PBS...did you know there was such a thing as Jack-Ass Penguins? I'm not kidding! Jack-Ass Penguins. It's something to do with the sounds they make...who'd a thunk it?]

Now back to my little eye situation...

After leaving the eye dr. I could actually SEE!! Wow! All that tweaking made such a difference. I could read the signs at the hospital, I could read real estate signs, I could read car tags without being directly behind them!! [Oh, no! Am I turning into a serial sign reader? Maybe.] So tonight, I sat on the back row at church (like any good Baptist) and I could read ALLL the throw-up music (the words on the wall screen...you know they "throw up the words on the wall?"), I could read the smaller print they use for the Scripture, AND I finally saw our Pastor's face clearly while he was preaching...no more watching blobs!!! So now, if you see me at the Mall, please wave...I can actually see who you are now! Just don't ask me to read a menu at a restaurant.

Hallelujah! Praise God for the gift of sight, for the wisdom of professionals, for two legs and feet that can STILL walk and for air conditioning! (Okay, so I had to add that last in because I would be miserable without it!) I am truly thankful!

Stay tuned!