Still Awesome!

Hi there!

Sorry for the lag time in between posts.  I haven't had much of a change or "moment" since my last appointment that compelled me to write very much.  However, last week I had another "cool" moment.

To celebrate two years of dating, I took John to a Red Sox game in Boston.  About halfway through the game I had a moment where I realized that this was the first outdoor sporting event I attended where I was able to fully see.  Normally with an outdoor event, my eyes would dry out due to my terrible contacts and ultimately create bad vision.  I struggled to read scoreboards and see what was actually happening in front of me.  This time was different.  I could see crisply ... it was so cool!  I had no trouble reading signs from far away (John and I played the "sign game" again) and my eyes were not dry.  This was another moment where a person with regular vision would think of me as crazy, but to me, it was life changing.

John's gift to me was a surprise trip to NYC for the night to see Once on Broadway ... very cool and a great show!  As I was sitting in the theatre, I had another "oh my God, I can see" moment.  So many times I would go to theatre shows and concerts and have such a hard time seeing because of the lighting, dry contacts, etc.  Just as I experienced during the Red Sox game a few days earlier, I was able to see in a whole new way.  My eyes were not dry, I was able to see details on the set, and I could see facial features on the performers.  I was also able to be amazed by Times Square as I experienced it for the first time during our walk back to the hotel (did you know that they leave the New Years' Ball up there all year long?!).  I never realized how badly I was seeing with contacts until these very moments.  I always knew that I had a better chance of seeing well at events if I wore my glasses, but I rarely went that route (so vain of me!).

I've realized more and more that the only time I experience a dry eye feeling in the morning is if I went out for a couple of drinks the night before, or if I didn't sleep a lot.  After a few drops, I'm good to go.  Another great feeling to note is that my eyes feel healthier and "free."  I remember when I would take my contacts out, my eyes would seemingly breathe a sigh or relief because they were able to get some air and take a break.  Now, my eyes feel adjusted and just great!

I had a minor freakout moment a week ago when an eyelash found its way onto my eye and I couldn't figure out how to get it off without touching my eye.  After some very strategic attempts, I eventually just grabbed some eye drops and flushed it out and all was well.

Over the next two weekends, I am participating in a couple of mud runs.  This weekend, I am running the Adventure 5k, and next weekend I am participating in Tough Mudder New England.  I am not worried about the 5k, but for Mudder, I am going to grab a pair of goggles for the water and mud parts, as my eyes are still healing.  I believe it takes them a good year to be fully healed, but the first 6 months are the most drastic.  The last thing I want is to get some mud stuck in there and mess up my incredible progress (a lovely $4,000 mistake).  There are parts of the course where ice water is mixed with other lovely ingredients that I heard can sting any open cuts ... I definitely don't want whatever that is to be touching my eyes!  I did speak with one of the eye doctor assistants about this before having the surgery, and she said I will be fine as long as I stuck with some goggles.  I am sure that's the least of my worries with a Tough Mudder!

My next appointment is still set for June.  It is mind boggling for me to realize that I can see *better* now than when I was wearing contacts.  Incredible!