I told you Bill had to have another laser procedure and this one was different from the Laser Iridotomy last month which didn’t work. He’s had the Laser Trabeculoplasty procedure done 3 times now within a 9 year period plus the Iridotomy. He said this one really hurt and burned, they were going to put in 80 holes, but it got too bad and the contact popped out and he kept moving his head, they did reach 79 though before they quit.

This Laser Trabeculoplasty had to be done at the York Hospital instead of his office like the last one. It didn’t take very long after the drops to anesthetize and make the pupil smaller and we were required to go back to his office within an hour so he could check the pressure. An older lady had the procedure at the same time or rather right before Bill’s and she had to go have her pressure checked also. Hers went down to 14 and Bill’s went down to 20 which was great since it had been up around 33 and climbing.

Second week of August we go back to check the pressure again and I’m hoping it will be even lower. Below is the consent form we had to read and sign which explains what would be done and any complications that might be expected. His insurance isn’t the greatest and it costs a fortune to maintain, but at least it pays a portion of these surgeries and medications for his eyes. It really worries me that many people can’t afford insurance so what the hell do they do, go blind?

Of course I’m sure there are free clinics out there that help and will go by your income, but it sure would be nice if we had a national health system like Canada and other places. Well I’m closing this post now so have a great coming weekend if I don’t post tomorrow.

Consent To Perform Laser Trabeculoplasty

Purpose: The laser treatment that you will receive is being given as an alternative to surgery for open-angle glaucoma. The object is to re-open the microscopic channels that carry fluid (aqueous humor) from the interior of the eye by directing the laser beam into this portion of the eye. The published success rate of this type of therapy is about 75%, meaning in about 3 out of 4 cases there will be some lowering of intraocular pressure after the treatment. Generally the glaucoma drops that were being used prior to laser treatment will have to be continued after the laser treatment.

Method: The eye is anesthetized with a drop and a special contact lens is applied to the eye. From 40 to 100 applications of the laser will be made. depending upon the individual circumstances. These applications are generally given in one session, but sometimes a second treatment is required months to years later.

Complications: Minor complications that may occur include slight pain with the laser flashes, a foreign body sensation for a couple of days, and blurred vision lasting for up to a day. There is typically some redness and light sensitivity for several days. Potentially more serious are transient rises in pressure within the first few hours after the laser treatment that may require the temporary use of extra medication. In up to 3% of cases, there may actually be a permanent increase in eye pressure, rarely requiring surgical intervention. In some cases there may be a gradual loss of therapeutic effect or a rise in eye pressure over a period of months to years, requiring either a second laser treatment or other form of treatment like surgery.

Consent: I understand the reason for the proposed treatment, the chances of a successful outcome and the the risk of complications.

We went to Gettysburg bike week and it was hot and boring. It cost 15 dollars a person just to get in and walk around and look at a bunch of stupid stuff we didn’t need. Of course they had bands and different events going on, but it was all boring and I told Bill I didn’t want to go next year, I don’t think he was very impressed either. He doesn’t get to ride very much with his Son anymore since they had the 2 little girls so that part was at least worth it, but now that they are expecting a 3rd  I’m sure those rides will be even less.

I didn’t see much to aim my camera at so I took a couple shots of the two of them and a couple of 3 wheeler trikes so I will post them below. Now Bill is having second thoughts about the trike and told me last night he might go back to a two wheeler. I probably wont ride as much because I was starting to get worried before about him dropping it. So if he gets another I hope It’s a Softtail. Of course that will push me out there to learn more myself, but since Eric’s sickness and passing over I haven’t been so eager.

My DIL called today and had me very upset, no she didn’t do anything except to tell me they wouldn’t be leaving from down there till the 10th of August past his birthday and mine. I hate being so emotional, but I couldn’t help it I cried several times and felt so helpless. My Son has only been gone since December and I haven’t gotten through my grief yet even though I thought I was handling it very well. I have my good days and bad and try to push the bad ones out, okay enough of that. Pictures below……

I’ll take a stab at getting back into some sort of online routine today, but I’m finding it difficult to concentrate after my hiatus. I realized recently that I’ve been letting real life take a back seat to my virtual world and that’s not good, I needed time to reflect and sort a few things out. Can’t say I really got anything sorted though, but I did realize there are more important things to do than spend so many hours on the computer. I guess everyone needs a break from time to time.

Bill was off work for 10 days and as much as I love him I think I will probably go nuts when he retires and he probably will also. Everyone needs some kind of structure and since he’s worked all his life he dreams of retiring and not dealing with so much work pressure. However with these past 10 days I think he realized how bored he will be when that time does come. He didn’t know what to do with himself or his time unless we were riding the bike and spending time together.

It’s okay when you go away and sight see and we had planned to go to Ocean City, but decided we could use that money in other ways.  It doesn’t matter how much you love someone you need time to yourself, you cannot spend every waking minute together because sooner or later you may wont to rip your hair out. I wish he would and could retire, but now I’m stressed and worried that he will and I wont know how to make him happy. Of course I shouldn’t feel like it’s my responsibility to keep him from getting bored, but I do.

Okay enough of the retirement, we took his Son and family to breakfast Saturday and received news which really didn’t surprise us, they are expecting a new baby in Feb. They seem really happy and I hope this one will be a boy because they have two little girls, one almost 4 and the other 2 and they really want a boy this time, but will of course be just as happy with another girl. Also my Grandson Ethan will be coming up from Kentucky next week and I’m beside myself with excitement.

That’s enough for today and I’m happy to be back, but I will start spending less time online than before. Have a great day.