Eye Shots, Golf Shots, Blood Draws & Test Drives

[Note: This is another blog based on my weekly emails to my family on the mainland.]

4/20/24

 

Aloha Guys--

 

This week was "interesting" in several respects.  For one thing, even though we had three consecutive days of clouds and rain, we also had days of complete sunshine and warmer weather.  The pool got warm enough that we didn't need to cover it for a couple of nights -- the first time in months.  However, yesterday we went back to the yuk pattern with clouds and rain starting by noon.

Also interesting was the visit to my eye doctor on Tuesday.There is almost no sign of the vein occlusion in the left eye, as determined by the tomographic scans (like CT's without radiation).  My acuity went from 20/60 a month ago to 20/40, which agrees with my subjective experience of slow improvement.  I just wish it would speed up.  My doctor is still optimistic about my eventual recovery, and wasn't disturbed by its slow pace.  Even though the retina itself has nearly healed, it will still take time for the original edema to clear out of the eye.  In the meantime I'll still have reduced acuity, particularly in bright conditions because light is being scattered by the old edema fluid. Anyway, as we had planned, I got a shot of Vabysmo and next month I'll have another.  It is a great relief to know there is now additional medication in my eyeball that is doing its magic.

 

Also in medical news, on Thursday I had my routine 6-month blood draw in advance of seeing my internist next week.  The results will be interesting because  they will indicate if there was any effect of going completely off my meds for a while during the Ethiopian trip.  (You may remember that I stopped taking pills, drinking coffee, and drinking alcohol to cope with my near constant nausea.)

Gorgeous George

Speaking of shots, on Wednesday we played golf and I did "way mo' betta," even getting two pars and three bogies.  Since I had to take far fewer strokes, I had the energy to complete 16 holes this time. We might have tried the last two holes as well, but it was starting to rain.  Maybe next time.  We saw a number of peacocks again, and even saw the white one. For some reason there were far more males than females, perhaps because the hens are nesting.  

My car shopping continued this week with a return visit to the Subaru dealer.  I test drove the Forester and also the Outback.  Both were very nice and equivalent to the Honda CRV,  I decided that the Forester just doesn't have the styling I'm looking for and so the decision is now between the CRV and the Outback.  The Subaru is a bit larger but has less headroom, and may have a teensy edge in terms of styling.  I'm not thrilled with either brand's colors, though, and still think my old car is more attractive than either of the new ones.  The Subaru and Honda are pretty close in terms of price, once I factor in accessories and dealer smoke and mirrors, so price probably won't be the deciding factor.  I may take another drive in each one to see if that tilts the scales, but right now I'm on a decision teeter-totter. I'm sure most people would have just gotten on with it by now, but I've never been known to make quick decisions,  Hopefully this will be over in another week.

Ok.  Enough for now.  Enjoy your spring and try not to get overwhelmed by the dire condition of humanity....