no more ms. four eyes

I have a beard. Fine blond hairs along my jaw line that I didn't know were there. I have more wrinkles than I thought I had. My hair color is strange--kind of like a calico cat.

I've never really seen myself. Washing my face, brushing my teeth, applying make-up, even blow-drying my hair have all been done without my glasses and so I've only seen myself blurry, nearly airbrushed to perfection. No mas. Every flaw is magnified. Every flaw is magnificent.

I can't stop staring at myself in the mirror. Even with only one repaired eye, my vision is sharp. Just imagine what I'll be able to see with two good eyes. The stars...I can't wait to see the stars!

Lots of people undergo cataract surgery but I tell you, I had no idea what to expect. So if you are facing such a thing, here goes: It was a blast! The anesthesiologist is my favorite person in the world. He said he would knock me out for a few minutes so he could numb my eye then he'd wake me up for the surgery. He put the oxygen mask over my mouth and nose and the first thing I said when I woke was "Did you have to wake me? I love being knocked out." I floated in and out of the ten minute surgery. Every once in a while I would see a sort of pale golden light. I didn't know my face had been covered until they uncovered it. I got wheeled back to the place I had started from and was immediately wide awake.

The anesthesiologist asked, "How are you feeling?" and I said, "Fine but I think Dr. Andrews should talk more or at least say something now and then." He said he would pass that on to the surgeon.

The nurse and the brochure said that my eye would feel grainy, like there was sand in it. Shit. To me it felt like there was a giant hard contact lens in my eye and it hurt like hell. I was totally bummed when I went for my postop visit the next morning. The doc said my eye was pretty swollen but it looked fine. Thursday morning the eye felt great.

So tomorrow is eye number two and I am so looking forward to the surgery. On Thursday I will make a nine-hour drive to meet my daughter at the opposite corner of the state. Let's hope this eye undergoes a speedy recovery.

Wow. What a way to end 2008...with vision, with sight.