Glaucoma Appointment in 2020s

I can barely see the screen as I write about my good, but surprising appointment with the glaucoma doctor. The dilation drops from my eye exam haven’t worn off yet, and everything is so bright. I could wear the shades they gave me to slip inside my regular glasses to darken things, but then it’s even harder to see.

I like to go in order of events, so I’ll start by mentioning that I had a dream I’d wake up too early, and sure enough, I did. Luckily, I fell back asleep, but an hour later, my stuffy nose woke me up. What’s the point of nasal spray if it doesn’t work? I almost never breathe through my mouth while sleeping, but I woke up unable to breathe because my nose was so stuffed. I’d forgotten my dilator, so I put it in, which usually helps, but I was still having trouble breathing.

I got up, took half a Benadryl, and thought the interrupted sleep would leave me exhausted today. But surprisingly, I’m not feeling too bad. Cutting out sugar has really improved my energy levels in ways I never imagined so I’m never going back to it!

When I finally got up for good, I saw that assassination attempt number two of Trump happened here in Florida yesterday. They really need to stop missing! Third time’s the charm… Hopefully. Although Tom just said that the crazy guy didn’t actually shoot Trump. Whatever. I could say that it would be wonderful if Trump dropped dead and it’s true, but he would only be replaced with the same evil shit. A Republican is a Republican, and the requirements to be a Republican means you have to hate gays and women, deny climate change, and a host of other bullshit.

Kamala is definitely the lesser evil, but I’m really sick of hearing about all the immigrants and illegals she’s going to allow the luxury of taking up housing, jobs, and burdening the healthcare system at the first chance she gets.

In the past, if you asked me if I was a Republican or Democrat, I would have automatically said Democrat. But now, I hate them both and consider myself Independent. Republicans are worse with how hateful and controlling they are, but all the Democrats want to do is bring millions of people into the country and give our money away.

All morning long, I was so hungry. It took eating about 1,000 calories (not all at once) to finally get rid of it. Tom thinks my body is adjusting to lower glucose levels. I hope he’s right and nothing sinister is going on.

A few days ago, I was freezing and feeling hypo, but now I’m warming up, thanks to the daily vitamins. I might need to back off for a couple of days, so it’s likely connected to my thyroid, as I always suspected.

At the appointment, the nurse took me to a room and put dilating drops in my eyes, which I hate because they sting. Then, she led me to another room for the “glamor shots.” This was the worst part of the exam—the drops stung, and the lights during the pictures were so bright.

Afterward, I went to yet another room to wait a little too long for the doctor. I could hear him talking in the next room to a patient he had just gone to see while the nurse finished up my photos. When he finally came in, he told me my pictures looked good, then he put numbing drops in my eyes and measured my eye pressure, which was also good.

Then, I learned two surprising facts. First, I asked what my chances were of actually developing glaucoma, and he said 30%—a one-in-three chance. That’s higher than my chances of having a heart attack or stroke due to my high cholesterol!

Next, I asked about cataracts, and he told me I have a small one. When I asked when I might need surgery, I expected him to say at least 20 years from now. But he said maybe when I’m around 61 or 62! Tom and I were both surprised because he’s older than that and has cataracts that have been forming for a while now.

It turns out my right eye is the problem. With glasses, my left eye is 20/20, but my right eye is 20/30. I didn’t realize that just one eye could throw off my overall vision so much. While waiting for the doctor, I looked at one of his awards on the wall with just my left eye and saw it clearly. But when I looked with my right eye, it was very blurry. I’m having the same effect with this screen with the different eyes.

He wants to see me every six months. I’ll also need a new optometrist since they only do eye exams as part of medical visits if you have special eye insurance.

After the appointment, Tom and this hyperopia glaucoma suspect went to Burger King. He got a chicken sandwich, and I got a fish sandwich to take home. But the idiots labeled them wrong, and without thinking, I bit into his chicken sandwich. I didn’t even think to check if he had the fish sandwich! I just assumed they had messed up and given us both chicken sandwiches. So between their stupidity and my own, Burger King was a bust. At least the fries were good, though.