[Note: This is another blog based on my weekly emails to my family on the mainland.]
3/15/24
Aloha Everyone---
Definitely an "interesting" week for me. with both good news and bad news to share.
First, some good news. On Thursday we got our State tax refund, and yesterday we received our Fed refund. Both of these were direct-deposited into our checking account, but will be soon reinvested in one of our mutual funds. Getting our money was pretty fast -- just about two weeks from the time I submitted the returns online. I've adjusted our required estimated payments to avoid being as generous this year.
Also in the good news department is that we managed to work out at Planet Fitness yesterday -- the first
time in almost three months! We took it easy -- less weight and fewer reps. Even so, I'm a bit stiff this morning. We also managed to exercise in our pool several days this week -- definitely the most since we've been back. Little by little we're recovering functionality after our back-to-basics Ethiopia "reset" experience. The next challenge will be getting back to golf, but not for another week because we have more guests arriving tomorrow for a 10=day visit. One is a dear friend from Ohio who has been here a number of times but not recently, and she will be accompanied by her sister, who will be new to the islands. Should be great fun. We have really been enjoying hosting our visitors this year, and these two will also a treat.
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| Pump Those Pecs! |
Speaking of the pool, I'll soon receive a quote for replacing the solar heating system. On Thursday somebody from Hawaiian Solar, our first choice since they installed our PV system and also the replacement hot water solar system for us, came by and looked at the current setup. We may even add one more panel to give the system a boost in heating capability. I'll let you know next week how this turns out.
Now for the not-so-good news. Recall that I had an earlier-than-scheduled visit to my retina doc because my right eye had suddenly changed for the worse. Sure enough, this necessitated a shot. It responded very well, to the point that it got back to as good as it can be in just a few days However, recall that I was also concerned with a slight worsening of the vision in my left eye -- my good one that has always been 20/20 and the one I rely on to compensate for my weak one. The exam that day didn't reveal anything obviously wrong, but we decided to keep the already scheduled appointment two weeks away as a precaution. Well in just a week Mr. 20/20 went very, very bad -- to the point where I could no longer read or see anything clearly -- it was like looking through crumpled, slightly opaque cellophane. Needless to say I was scared. I made an appointment with the first available retina specialist in the clinic, and got to see someone on Thursday (my regular guy wasn't at the clinic this past week). The exam showed massive edema in my "good" eye, caused by an occlusion (blockage plus bursting) of a vein in the center of the retina. No idea what led to this so at the moment it is just another case of "Sh*t happens in geezerhood." Anyway, I got a shot to reduce the edema and so far there is promising improvement even after just two days. The main question, which only time will tell, is how much permanent damage has been done. At least I got on top this quickly and received aggressive treatment right away, unlike my right (bad) eye that languished for several weeks before I got my first shot because my doctor at the time was a bit conservative in his treatment. We'll see. At least that's what I hope - that I'll see. I have a follow-up appointment with my regular doctor on Tuesday, so Ill let you know next week how this saga is playing out.
Ok, enough. Hope you are coping with winter and with your own health matters. Stay warm and well.
5 comments:
Damn. I am glad you got on top of it quickly, but damn. Smooth sailing my friend.
I am sorry to hear that you are having problems with your good eye. I am relieved, however, that you were not traveling, and able to seek medical attention immediately. I agree with your “geezer” explanation. I just finished “The Body” by Bill Bryson. Enjoyable, quick read and enlightening. Bryson maintains that after age 65, it’s one geezer problem after another. And then we die! I already have several, and haven’t yet reached 70. So there ya go. My crystal ball tells me that my eyes will become even more problematic, and my arthritis. I am preparing as much as I can for that. I already have cancer behind me, and wouldn’t be surprised to see an encore of that. But still, life is much better now than it ever was. So I take it one day (and one problem) at a time.
Thanks for the sympathetic comments. As I write this it has been 72 hours since my injection and the drug has definitely improved things -- I'd say I'm back to about 70% of my original acuity. My right eye responded more quickly, but there was far less edema. I am hopeful at the moment. Coleen is correct about the bad outcome if this would have happened in Ethiopia because there are only two cities large enough likely to have a retina specialist that could do this, and most of the time we were a day or two away from them. Of course, it took two days to get in to see one here, and I had to have a substitute doctor. Anyway, bummer. Remember those wonderful "health" classes we took in public school? I think it might be great to expose young people to the realities of this aspect of life -- not to depress them, but to sharpen their appreciation for the blessings of youth.
The really helpful health class I had came my senior year at UO. I resented having to take it, but it has been a resource several times since. An MD taught the class and began an hour early filling the chalk boards (remember them?) with his important notes. I started showing up early to get things down. I don't recall anything on retinal health but his remarks on aging and the insults from poor self care were worth noting.
Anyway, glad you got timely care and that you were where it was available. Hard to know when things are going to change. As one doc said, bad things happen fast, recovery is slow. He got that right! Maybe you can enjoy more podcasts and audio books.
So glad you were able to get on it right away and are SEEING such improvement ina short time! Hoping with yiu for continued clarity!
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