It all started a couple of weeks ago. Nate has a Trail Life ceremony. I broke out a new eye liner, my old one having run out. As I was taking my right contact lens out, I felt like I smudged some of that liner in my eye. I headed off to bed, thinking no more of it.
The following day was a busy day. Gabby was getting her braces off, Katie was heading to a microbiology lab, and while my eye didn’t hurt, it was tearing a bit. A reaction I thought. I may have to toss that liner. I left my lenses out and switched to glasses.
The next day Gabby was to go to the dentist for her cleaning. Everyone else had been on Monday, but we waited for her braces to be off for a super good cleaning—Justin had to take her. My eye was now red, but didn’t look infected. I decided to head to our local optometrist to be on the safe side, as we were heading out of town the following day.
A scratch. That's better than an infection, I was assured. They heal much more quickly. I was given an antibiotic to prevent the open wound from becoming infected, and a follow up the next morning.
No real improvement. If anything, my eye is more red. Follow up on Monday.
Saturday night was pretty miserable. I was sure I was reacting to the antibiotic drops, so I got in touch with the on call doctor, who kindly worked to find a different antibiotic that was in stock at a pharmacy near my parents' home. Much better.
Monday afternoon, more tests ordered...still not healed. I find things to have halos and my vision is diminished a bit in the right eye. Justin has taken to driving me because looking is just so tiring, though I was not restricted from driving.
I'm to follow up in one week. Christmas afternoon I notice slightly better vision, but by Friday it has gone back to where it was. I kept praying for a mud pie healing (John 9), but it wasn’t coming.
Monday morning I try to get an appointment with a local ophthalmologist. They can get me in in February... I explain my situation, so my chauffeur drives me to the office for the appointment they so kindly fit me in. There were several tests, lots of drops. The doctor, an alumni from the medical school attached to Justin's graduate school, shows Justin my eye. He leans back and says that there are two ways to treat this. The first is simple and he will try it today. The other would need to be scheduled later.
He grabs a sterile q-tip and scrubs the smudge off my eye. He said it is best described like dry skin, that formed over where it healed. The night was a bit blurry, but we came home to our kiddos who had made dinner. And in the morning, I woke to clear vision!
Happy New Year to me!
I'd spent a chunk of time wondering how we were going to pull off this life we've worked out with four kids who need to go to doctors, orthodontists, jobs, and troop meetings if I had to give up driving. How was I going to read as much as I need to for our studies, when the effort was more than it had been? I am so grateful that we don’t have to worry about that now. I'm so incredibly thankful for these eyes that let me see.
God is so good...and my two weeks of struggle with my vision were weeks Justin could be here to drive me. There were no troop meetings. There were no unattainable doctors visits.
