By Vicki Scott
I had my cataract surgery last week in Gadsden. It was a big deal to me, because I take my eyes very seriously. The doctor’s office called like clockwork the day before with the chain of events for the next day. I could eat until 8 a.m. because the surgery was not until 1 p.m. Several people told me that was not a good idea and I might see my breakfast later. That caused some anxiety, of course.
The morning of the procedure, I made sure my hair was clean, did not put on makeup and put the eye drops. I changed clothes several times to make sure my clothes were loose fitting enough (people have different definitions of “loose fitting.” I also changed from tennis shoes to slip-ons in case I had to take them off later.
With so much pollen in the air, I was worried about getting a cold and sneezing while the doctor was working on my eye. I was concerned about incontinence, because I knew I would be sedated. Speaking of being sedated, I was worried about Alzheimer’s because I had read about the link between anesthesia and dementia. When I had a colonoscopy, the office staff told me that the anesthesia did not take me down enough for any alarm, so I figured that since I would be awake this time, I would be okay. My darling and patient husband Alan laughed through all my issues, of course.
When arrived at the medical office, the nurse asked me if I had anything to eat that day. I told her not since 8 a.m., and she gave me something to keep me from being nauseous. She also put drops in my eyes several times. The anesthesiologist assured me that I would be okay with the amount she would give me. I felt no pain when I watched the doctor scrape the cataract from my right eye. It looked like he was taking a small Q-tip and wiping my lens and then would slip another lens in the center of my eye. I felt as if I was watching television; it was so cool!
When the doctor finished, the staff got me in a wheelchair and wheeled me out to my car, which Alan had pulled up and parked under the awning. I was told to take it easy, which I had no problem with. Alan took me to Jimmy Johns in Jacksonville before heading home to Dadeville, where my grandchildren were there to give me a hug! It was such a blessing to receive so many calls, texts and flowers after my operation. I appreciated it, but I did not feel deserving.
The next day, Alan finished a project and wanted to deliver it to one of our seniors. Being that I was supposed to take it easy, I messaged our youth leader to see if he could help. When Alan got back, he told me that he, the youth leader and our pastor wanted to go out to eat. At that point, my hair was a mess – possibly matted in places – and I had no makeup on. I still had my pajamas on and was sitting at the computer trying to finish formatting my second book.
Alan informed me the youth leader’s wife would be joining us, so I cleaned up and went out with a patch taped over my eye. Of course, I saw several people I knew, one of whom asked if I had “Cadillac” surgery. The one person I did not see was the youth leader’s wife.
I did not care about anything but eating, so we had a good time of food and fellowship. We are so very blessed. I’m going to save my anxiety for another day, perhaps when my left eye gets cataract surgery. Stay safe, y’all!
P.S.: Now that I can see, there are thousands more wrinkles on my face that were hidden by my cataract clouds!
Vicki Scott may be contacted at lily200383@yahoo.com.