Squeezing Juice... A Medical Update

No matter what decision you need to make, you make that decision based on a perceived expected outcome. At work we use the phrase "is the juice worth the squeeze?". Are you getting enough out of what you are doing to make doing it worth while.

So that brings us to my last trip to the Mayo Clinic.
We hadn't been sitting in the room with the doctors very long when the conversation surprisingly turned to scheduling another surgery.

Time out!

I stopped everyone.

"The last time I was sitting in this chair you all said that was nothing more that you could do to fix me."

To which Dr. Holmes responded, "And that has not changed we can not fix you. The surgery we are talking about would be done in an effort to give you a limited field of single vision."

"Define limited field of vision and when I would have it?" I asked.

"When your head was stationary. For instance when you are having a conversation one person or sitting watching television." was Dr. Holmes's response.

"And the rest of the time I would have double vision and need glasses or my patch.

"correct" he responded.

"So let's say the person I am talking to moves their head, or the image on the TV screen suddenly moves. Would my vision switch back from single vision to double vision and then back to single vision?"

He replied "most likely, and over time your mind might be able to compensate for the movement and you wouldn't notice it. However it will take you some time to get used to it."

He continued to go on talking about the fact that he felt that it would work this time because they were going to be "more aggressive" with the surgery and "over correct" the placement of the eye to compensate for movement of the eye location when it starts to heal.

Huh... The only thing I really heard was "More aggressive."

The last time we did this surgery it hurt like hell for a couple of weeks and now he wants to be "more aggressive" for just some minor improvements.

Was the juice worth the squeeze?
Yea, I don't think so.
So I politely backed out.

There will be no more surgeries unless it is to save the eye, or technology improves to where they can fix me. I need to be done for a while. I just don't have any more surgeries left in me at this time.
We agreed to touch base every six months or so just to see if any improvements in technology have surfaced. Sooner if something changes with my eye. However my next trip to Mayo will happen in June sometime.
So now I will close the chapter of this book and see what new adventures await me in the one eyed land of land of fairies and elves.


I am what I am
And what I am needs no excuses
I deal my own deck
Sometimes the ace, sometimes the deuces
It's one life and there's no return and no deposit
One life so it's time to open up your closet
Life's not worth a damn till you can shout out
"I am what I am"

(I am what I am   Gloria Gaynor)

A Guy Walks Into A Bar. Part Two

First off, Happy New Year!
A few weeks ago North Carolina got slammed with over a foot of snow. My daughter bundled up our two year old Grandson and took him out to experience it. He took one look at it shook his head, said "Nope. Up". He wanted no part of it. In the end he was just fine. It was that initial shock that he needed help getting through.

So I had been in a similar spot after being told that the Mayo Clinic did not have the technology to fix my double vision. This was from the doctor who was supposed to be the miracle man, my last chance to getting my vision fixed. Afterwards, I Just kind of went numb and started going through the motions of daily living.

I didn't know how much of a funk I was in until one particular Sunday when things changed and the feeling lifted.

It all started when I walked into a bar.

This bar was the River Inn in Hanover. They know me and I know them. They know that my wife and I like to sit bar side and for the most part what our drink selection will be.

This particular Sunday we walked into the River Inn and bunch of people looked my way and yelled "SUPRISE!"
I stood there for a second confused. There was no one behind me so who were these people and why were they trying to "Surprise" me? It's was not my birthday or anything.


Then I recognized one and thought "Laurie? Why would she be here?" Then one by one I started recognizing the group of folks who were there. These were all high school classmates that I hadn't seen in years.
OK, so there is the periodic Facebook stalk, but still I haven't seen these folks in years.
Still here they were. In Hanover. At the River Inn. Too see me.
How they put in all together and pulled it off I will never know, but they did!
We talked, and laughed for a couple of hours. We could have carried on all day if time had permitted.
So like Remi with the snow in North Carolina, I just needed a "pick me up".
This was the pick up I needed and it came at the perfect time.


So to that crazy group of friends that made the trek to the River Inn just to see me and all the holiday greetings I received over the following days.
It was amazing and I still think about and smile.


Thank you, Thank you, I needed that!


If there's still a chance then take my hand
And we'll steal away
Off into the night 'til we make things right
The sun's gonna rise on a better day
(Come a little Closer  Dierks Bently)