Eye Surgery..

Today, was the day we went for the retina surgery....Arriving at the hospital at 8:30...coming home by 2:00...between prepping and surgery...and recovery time...We will not know if the surgery will help his eye sight improve for 2 to 6 months...But he came thru it with flying colors...and the Doctor said it went well....He goes back tomorrow for an after surgery exam and then again in another week...I am not sure how many weeks we will be doing that...The hope is that he will get back anywhere from 25% to 50% of his vision back in the eye that he is legally blind in...Michael really wanted to have this surgery done....When one is not able to do to many other things he was becoming increasingly frustrated with not even being able to watch TV (he could only listen to it) or to read the computer without a huge strain on his better eye....So the surgery was done...I can't imagine what he is going thru...I really can't....So, at least we know that we gave it a good try....We are still in a wait and see pattern with everything else till the bone marrow biopsy on the 16th..
Life continues on...We laugh a lot lately...talk alot...and rediscover some of the joys of being married to each other....Sometimes the every day things of life just got in the way of life here at home and we did not even realize it at times. So today, we are hopeful that the surgery will give him a certain quality of life that he has not had since September of 08....
Remember to tell those you love how much you care today....It is the most important thing we can do for one another...and then...reach out and touch someone who needs a little TLC....they will welcome it with open arms....We did that today too....and it was good for all involved....

4 comments:

Barbara said...

What a hopeful and love-filled day! You lift me up with your good news and joy of the day.

Anonymous said...

You are both so very brave, my heart hurts for you. I do remember the long, long days.

For now we have been given a reprieve. After two autologous transplants, the second one in July of '08, they killed our sons immune system one more time this fall to give him an "donor transplant". On February 10th after blood tests, urine test and bone marrow biopsy they could not find any trace of the cancer cells or elevated proteins and declared him in complete remission. He is now producing 100% of his donor cells.

It has taken three years to get to this point. We are grateful for each day that Dan has to be with his children. He has graced our lifes with his grace and courage.

I hear your words, but more than that I feel them. You are both grace filled and couragous. God Bless you.

I will continue to hold you in the light.

Pat Dalke

Journal Swag said...

Oh my dear, you must be just drained. I can't imagine what you must be going through with all of this. I'm so very hopeful that the surgery will help Michael, and that the bone marrow biopsy comes back clean on the 16th.

Thoughts and prayers, and lots of hugs.

Me

Anonymous said...

I was struck by your "tag line" beneath the title of your blog. It reminded me so much of how my late wife, Ilene, felt and thought throughout what she called her "dance with ALS (Lou Gehrig's Disease)". Although your struggles are different from ours, they are similar too.

While Ilene was dying from ALS, we and three others created a site called Conscious Living-Conscious Leaving to share her experience through podcast interviews between her and a close friend. She wanted to break the rings of silence and fear that too often surround the dying process. From that static site has evolved a new concept and purpose.

Living in Light of Dying www.livinginlightofdying.com is a free on-line community of people with life-threatening illnesses, their families, friends, caregivers and more. It is a place for them to connect with others experiencing similar circumstances. For anyone touched by the dying process, my goal is for them to have a place to share stories, resources, insights, frustrations and joys that can accompany the threat of a terminal illness.

With your permission, I'd like to share some information about your site on my site and invite you to post any comments or conversations you may wish to start on Living in Light of Dying.