I have definitive proof that you will not go blind…

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… No matter how much you masturbate!

This is really good news for me because I’m not planning to quit masturbating anytime in the near future!

I just finished a follow-up appointment with the Ophthalmologist.

I’m in the “Should be monitored” class of people for Glaucoma but as of today I don’t need drugs to control it.

This has made me very happy.

About all I can say is don’t neglect getting your eyes checked. It’s simple, generally painless, and this is a pretty planet. It would really be ashamed to miss it over something that is fairly easy to take care of.

In any case, I’m celebrating with a nice cup of coffee, just had the car washed, and I’m trying to figure out what I’d like for lunch.

The rest of the day is mine perhaps I’ll do some writing.

Been dreaming of a character which means that his story is pretty close to being ready for prime time.

Another Day another Starbucks

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This time however, I’m grounded.

I have to say as an aside, I hate panicky medical providers.

I went for a routine (Yearly) eye exam, and the optometrist that did the exam, freaked out over the pressure reading in my eyes.

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I explained that I was aware of the condition and the underlying causes for the readings his little handheld puffy machine was reporting. (essentially his little puffy machine isn’t calibrated for people like me. And they’re NOT that accurate to begin with.) He would have none of it!  This guy is not the guy I saw last year and he’s lost me as a patient for the firm for a number of reasons.

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Top of the list, is that he was badgering me and not listening to what I had to say about this issue.

Further down the list is that in general he wasn’t listening to anything I had to say and was spending way too much time playing with his damn computer trying to find my records.

But then there was the whole insanity of him wanting to make sure I knew how to handle my contact lenses… Uhhh I walked into your office wearing them and you didn’t see a problem.  30 years on; believe me I know how to wear contacts. At this point in my life I think the only contact lens I haven’t worn is the full scleral lenses usually seen in monster movies.

In all that time I’ve never had an eye infection of any kind. I have on occasion had abraded corneas. Usually due to an accidental situation like getting caught in a sandstorm while hiking in the desert. The corrective action is, don’t wear the contacts. Let the eyes heal, while watching for any signs of further injury. At the first sign of the problem getting worse… you get your happy ass to a qualified medical practitioner. Next! Its pretty common sense when you think about it.

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In any case, this guy was just annoying in his panic and as he ratcheted up his rhetoric about how bad this was, how dangerous, and that I was going to go blind imminently. I found myself thinking perhaps I should have it checked out… This guy is really excited about the readings. 

Blindness is not cool, especially if it can be prevented with minimal effort and corrective action.

So I went home and scheduled an appointment with an Ophthalmologist.

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These folks are full MD’s who specialized in the eye. And as a side benefit… they can do surgery, give you drugs, and deal with glasses and contacts. In other words they’re a one stop shopping experience. Guess what kind of eye doctor I’ll be going to in the future… Good I knew you were bright enough to figure that one out. Sadly, the optometrist isn’t, ahh well…

I just finished with the first round of tests and scans with the Ophthalmologist.  I’m grounded because my eyes are dilated and my vision is really screwed up. I walked to this Starbucks! I’d be an accident waiting to happen if I tried to drive right now. There is no way in hell I could process all the visual / spatial data required to drive on California Freeways at 80 – 90 MPH.

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So I’m having a moca, doing a little business, writing, and relaxing.

Oh, as it turns out…

According to preliminary results, I do have a thicker than usual cornea, My internal pressures are on the high side of normal, & my optic nerve is in good shape. Pending the final round of testing I’ll probably fall into the category of people who should be monitored and there is no immediate danger of my going blind.

In other words, what I was telling the Optometrist was correct, and his panic was completely disproportionate to the situation. Thank god he wasn’t in control of an AED or I’d be dead because he’d have pushed the shock button at the first sign of an irregular heartbeat of high blood pressure.

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Coupled with all the other issues he demonstrated in dealing with me I’m going to take delivery of a set of working contacts and then I’m going to fire him.

If I have to be monitored for glaucoma from here on out… I might as well be monitored by a professional who can actually take corrective action and who has the proper tools to deal with my eyes.

It’s good that I reconfirmed what I thought I knew. But really, I’m trying to live drama free and I prefer medical people who think like Vulcans

 

I don’t think today is going to be all that productive

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It was another one of those nights.

I’d gone to bed a little early, then I get woken up by the other half getting into bed. I rolled over and fell back to sleep. 

An hour later I wake up because the bed is vibrating, at first I think it’s an earth quake. Then I hear through the ear plugs I MUST wear to get any sleep at all that the other half is snoring and the vibration is translating into the bed.

“ROLL OVER!” 

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Snuffling, snorting grumbling from the other side of the bed. Back to sleep. Forty five minutes later I wake up with my throat burning. At first I think its smoke or something I’m breathing has irritated my throat. I get up, check the house, all is well the alarm system says nothing is wrong as well.

I go back to bed, & fall asleep again.

An hour after that, apparently I’m sleeping with The Three Stooges. “Whistle, snort, pepepepepepepe, Whistle, snort, pepepepepepe…”

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Right that’s it! I get out of bed grab my sleeping bag and head out to the couch.

I get settled sans earplugs which is a welcome relief. I can hear the wind in the trees outside the house, I’m just drifting off when;

lick, lick, lick,lick, lick, lick,lick, lick, lick,lick, lick, lick,lick, lick, lick,lick, lick, lick,lick, lick, lick,lick, lick, lick,lick, lick, lick,lick, lick, lick,lick, lick, lick,lick, lick, lick,lick, lick, lick,lick, lick, lick,lick, lick, lick,lick, lick, lick,lick, lick, lick,lick, lick, lick,lick, lick, lick,lick, lick, lick,lick, lick, lick,lick, lick, lick,lick, lick, lick,lick, lick, lick,lick, lick, lick,lick, lick, lick,lick, lick, lick,lick, lick, lick,lick, lick, lick,lick, lick, lick,lick, lick, lick,lick, lick, lick,lick, lick, lick,lick, lick, lick,lick, lick, lick,lick, lick, lick,lick, lick, lick,lick, lick, lick,lick, lick, lick,lick, lick, lick,lick, lick, lick,lick, lick, lick,lick, lick, lick,lick, lick, lick,lick, lick, lick, lick

Starts.

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One of the dogs has decided to go all OCD about licking his paws. I growl at the dog to stop, several times. He doesn’t until I get out of the sleeping bag and he decides I’m serious, then it’s silent as a tomb. I get back into the sleeping bag and get settled again. 

Lick… lick, lick, lick,lick, lick, lick,lick, lick, lick,lick, lick, lick,lick, lick, lick,lick, lick, lick,lick, lick, lick,lick, lick, lick,lick, lick, lick,lick, lick, lick,lick, lick, lick,lick, lick, lick,lick, lick, lick. 

GRRRRRRRR!

I’m seriously thinking about going to the garage and sleeping in my car!

DOG!!!

Licking stops, silence in the house. I go back to sleep.

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An hour later I wake up sweating, not the sweating of being too hot, but that sweat that happens after a fever breaks. Ahhh that might explain why I’m a bit hyper sensitive tonight.

I get up, grab a hand towel and wipe the sweat off my chest and neck. I toss the towel on the coffee table and crawl back into the sleeping bag. I’m asleep almost instantly.

A short time later I wake up because I hear the heater kicking on, it’s warming the house in preparation for our normal routine I must be about 5 am I’m sweating again so Im thinking a fever broke. My throat doesn’t burn anymore so that’s a good sign.

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I dry off again and am thankful that I’m sleeping in a silk sleeping bag liner. The liner is a hell of a lot easier to wash than the sleeping bag.

I fall back to sleep…

Dawn wakes me. Sunlight streaming in the sliders off the living room. I guess I’m up but I can’t keep a thought in my head.  Maybe a couple cups of coffee will help me do the stuff I’ve gotta do today. I’m completely exhausted, but thankfully I don’t feel sick.

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I’ll take a couple of fever sweats during the night over being sick anytime. But I really do need to get at least a few consecutive nights of decent uninterrupted sleep!

Oh look, squirrel!