The Eyes have it!

Or should I say, have HAD it!

The newest development in my eyes-saga is that the right eye is rapidly worsening. We all knew this day would come when the cataract would close in and the lens would dislocate further, but its happening sooner than I thought. Hello Gillian ever heard of God's timing?!!

Last week we got a BOGO deal at the Baylor Eye Clinic- 2 docs for the price of one. Dr. Yeu dropped the d-bomb in front of Leelah after I told her my right eye is drifting and acting all sorts of cruddy. She then apologized and left for a long time to bring in Dr. Hamill. Then I just straight up got moved back to Dr. Hamill- just like that. Tossed around like a salad. Dr. Hamill then saw me (quicker than ever I might add!) and he got puzzled too. He was acting a lot more serious then usual which disturbed and relieved me all at once. Then they decided they would have to all 3 meet with Dr. Lewis (genius doc) to have "a conversation about where to go next with my eyes." I took this as a blessing that I have a team working on it and went home to wait for a call back from Dr. H. I got it yesterday morning.

"SO we have all talked and have a gameplan." Great! Key word I enjoy hearing: "gameplan" was used! He said they are leaving the left eye (sucksworth) alone as they feel it has gotten to as good as it can get corrected 20-35/40 on with glasses (which I'm still waiting on to come in). Okay. I am happy with leaving the left eye alone. Then he said, we need to operate on the right eye.

And so it begins...

My right eye (champion) is really acting up because surprise! I have freakish small pupils - pinhead sized - and if anything, i.e. cataract, comes in the way then my vision goes south asap. Which is happening. Which concerns me somewhat. Thank the Lord for the Lord and His Word! I'm clinging and could always cling more to it. So I go to see Dr. Hamill as Dr. Yeu has dumped me - well not really- back into his charge. I feel good about this b/c he is the guy that did the first 5 surgeries including the big guns one that is coming up for the right eye. I see him on July 20th to set up the surgery date for the right- the lensectomy and the lens implant. This is where he will basically sew a new lens in place and you better believe me when I type- with teeth gritting- IT WILL BE ANCHORED IN PLACE. We're not playin' that game of loosey-goosey lens. I've already brought it up to all 3 docs. I will have to have the vitreous doc on hand during the surgery in case anything detaches- retina- for emergency fixing.

I'm thinking this "big gun" surgery will go down in August. And hopefully not anytime sooner as July is and will always be full every year from now on. If it's anything like the left eye's it will be brutal to recover from, but hey at least it's not my first rodeo but 9th! Plus, the medical margarita- y'all know I'm a fan! I hope to not see everything in yellow and upside down for 2 wks, but it's possible to be like that again. Also prayers for no endopthalmitis again.... Eeehhh... I will also be patch-fabulous for a good while I imagine. THank God for my bedazzled patch! It's the little things.

Did I miss a pig flying?

Obviously there was some sort of swine flight, because my cool friend, Jami, over at the Miller Big Top Circus thinks my blog is worthy of a Trendy Treehouse blog award:


Well, I think Jami's blog is one of the realest adventure in mommyhood tellings on the world wide web. It puts me at ease to read through her hilarious tales, no-baloney transparency, and homegirl can gourmet cook too! I still make that Chicken Crock Pot dinner. In fact, through her blog recipes I got brave enough to buy my first ever cooking wine bottle from HEB. It was a little embarrassing to ask some sommelier where the white cooking wine was, but now that I know how droolingly good it makes my food I'm all over it!! So thanks Jami for the shout-out. The Lord has blessed me with the opportunity to reach others in His name through my eye-issues and I just try to do Him justice.

So I have to divvy/divy/divie? out 5 awards to blogs I find "trendy". I so rarely use that word, 'trendy'. It kind of bothers me to be trendy. But I get the gist(did I spell that right? too lazy to look up!). So here's the rules if you are chosen:
"To receive this award, promise to share this with 5 other BLOGS that you think are Trendy too.•Post about your award in your blog.•List your Top 5 Trendy Blogs.•Share with them.•Leave a link to the Trendy Blog Button.•Tell them they need to give this award out to 5 as well".
Java with Jennifer:
A fellow sight-impaired, but sight-healed friend and hero of mine.

Living Proof Ministries - i.e. Beth Moore's blog. Well, doy! Is it
safe to say she's got a direct line to Jesus? Pretty great indeed.

Ruffles and Stuff: It's official. I'm craft-obsessed with this blog. I have tried numerous Disney's tutorials and they are all easy and so cute. My friends also love her blog and feel as if we know her- she is that nice! Sweet person, sweet blog.

Totally Tots GREAT homeschooling/kids craft site. It rocks. I love the
Christian emphasis and viewpoint and the sharing of their vast amount of printables, lessons, lapbooks, book rec's, toy rec's, etc. is just beyond helpful!

All my frlogs- or friend's blogs! I'm blessed with friends such as these. Can't pick one! If Frank's Hot Sauce had a blog though, I would definitely award that blog one. I cannot stop... Using... Frank's Hot Sauce... So good. What have you done to me Emily H.!?! WHAT HAVE YOU DONE!!!!!???

Happy Daddy's Day!

John, we are thankful for you and all that you do! You are such a great earthly father so that Leelah can see her heavenly father in you. To all the daddies out there- may your day be blessed!

My EYE-Bad

Trying my best to make it sound like IPad. Hey if you have to explain it doesn't it make it more funny? No? Are you sure? Yeah, you're right.

Last week we saw the fabulous Dr. Lewis- freaky deaky eye doc- who hung out with us until past 5 talkin' bout cataracts and fancy gold medallions. Well, just cataracts and loose lenses.

I learned that these next couple of months for me will be challenging vision-wise. Which is fun! Dr. L said that "unfortunately" I must wait until the left eye (sucksworth) is stabilized and that I "will not like it at all". I asked him if that's even possible to stabilize. He said he thinks I will begin my right eye surgeries at the end of the summer since the cataract in the right (champion) is really moving in (I've dropped 2 sight lines in less than a month) and that the lens is becoming even more dislocated in the right. The left still has some "capsule" on it that needs to peel back more and some blood droplets in that vision.

It's so funny because yesterday at church, I really felt as if God was giving me practice yesterday at talking about a physical problem that in all honesty may never be resolved and staying positive. By the 4th person I was telling I think I finally got it right. I'm okay. Yeah, my eyes will have surgeries from here on out. Not one surgery will fix everything. Yeah, it's going to get pretty darn blurry here in the right eye soon. Yeah I've got a 3 in thick file at the Baylor Eye Clinic. You know what, so what. I've been healed already. Spiritually I'm healed. So with that knowledge and with HIs grace, what do I have to complain about? Complaints are so 2008. Again, I'm so thankful that we are even able to meet with doctors at all about this. There are people that do not have that luxury.

Today I meet with Dr. Yeu(know it)-lens surgeon- and she will hopefully give me a timeline of what to expect. If that is God's timing, plan, will, etc. We are off to the town of Fort Worth. I should say, 'city'. My college apt-mate is getting hitched!!!! If you knew her, hitched is not a pairing with her coolness. She is one of the coolest. I'm praying I won't dork out as a bridesmaid. But I'm excited about seeing her and seeing my sidemate too, Ashley! John and I are pumped about having a vaca together. Leelah is staying with his parents in Huntsville. I don't know if they allow that kind of fierce dramattitude there. We'll see...

"Flush" Gordon

Hopefully someone gets the title.

Tonight I solo-took Leelah (along with the Vining's and Berkman's) for her very FIRST SKATING TRIP at Mason Road Skating Center, aka: TweenTown U.S.A. Holy Roller Skate- that place was PACKED LIKE A SARDINE CAN with a whole mess of dance rap & Lady "Bogo" - Gaga but that's what Leelah calls her, neon-colored clothes, too-short short wearin' tweenagers. I didn't know if I was team Edward, team Jacob or team Cellulite! It boggled my mind.

Leelah did herself a bit of alright. Now we're a klutz family. We've got the bruises to prove it. All 3 of us are just one, big, accident prone mess. There were 3 main injuries tonight. Stick with me, because this. is. hilarious.

INJURY OF THE FIRST:
Took place while Leelah was just sitting waiting on me to get skates. Some Tweeny accidentally jacks L in the head while skating up the ramp with her bird-skinny arms. She was Okay though.

THE SECOND:
While in the middle of the rink- the land of the skate-walkers- Leelah fell flat with her chest on her walker. Major crying eruption. So I skate her to the bathroom. BIG MISTAKE.

THE THIRD:
Never, ever wear skates to the bathroom with a child also wearing skates. So we get in the stall so I can have a look at her and make sure we don't have to go to the ER for internal bleeding. Then I realize I have to use the facilities. At which point I tell Leelah to move ever so slightly in a stall that is no joke the size of an airplane restroom, what happens? She moves, slips and her entire right arm goes into the thankfully un-used toilet. I'm talking up to the armpit down in the hole. SCREAMFEST 2010 ENSUES. "YUCKY, YUCKY, YUCKEEEEEEEEEEEEEE, EWW EW EWWWWW!!!!" At this point I'm laughing out of sheer terror. Tina is outside the door, like an angel protecting us. We manage to skate out, and practically bathe ourselves in the sink. Leelah was dubbed, "Leelah "The Snake" Nichols" by Cory (Tina's husband).

Priceless.

It worked!

Writing with my left eye's newfound vision! Praise the Lord! So had the procedure yesterday complete with a crazy-almost-torture-y contact suction cup stuck to the eye to keep it from blinking, which caused major pain afterwards. Once I got the refresh gel- best drops ever- it was feeling better. Then at around 8:00 I went down the hall and noticed how bright the lights in our home were. I asked John if he had switched lightbulbs and he said no. Then I went back into our bedroom, again major brightness everywhere. That's when I realized- HEY MY LEFT EYE IS WORKING! Or at least it's clear!!!! Whoop! John finally understood why I kept saying how dark our home was and why I constantly opened up the blinds in every room to let the light in. Now I'm all fancylike with one clear eye. I really do not know what I will do when both of the eyes are completely fixed. Probably cry, shoot I'm crying now!

It's just amazing. It's comparable to adjusting the brightness and contrast on your computer monitor. THat's the best way I can describe it. Now all I have to do is get my prescription changed again and then I can really start seeing out with it. I return to Dr. Yeu(know it) on the 14th. So thankful! Boy was I a hot mess prior to the surgery though... Yikes. Major praying sesh in waiting room.

Now I just got to get the right eye's cataract and lens fixed, but I know God's timing will be best for that.

The Ocho... Eye surgery tomorrow...

Yep you read that right!

Yesterday we saw the always-glam Dr. Yeu(know it!) for my post-YAG visit. In all her experience of doctorness she's never seen a wrapper/capsule/membrane grow so fast over an eye. One week since I was there, in fact.

What is a YAG laser?
That Kind of explains it- remember I've got cataracts and Ectopia Lentis et Pupillae and my membranes grow SUPER fast not years but 1 week!

If you recall, and you shouldn't unless you're John, I had my 7th left eye surgery, 3rd YAG laser last Tuesday to remove this thing that my eye likes to grow everytime it gets surgery to repair/reposition the lens (which is quite often). This wrapper causes pain and fogged over vision similar to looking through vaseline. While the visit was supposed to be rejoiceful in hopes the YAG last week, which feels like big surgery for the rest of the day, was supposed to have cleared away the membrane; it was not successful because my eye grew ANOTHER wrapper on the back part of itself.

So tomorrow I go in at 3:30, get lasered around 4ish to hopefully have this be the last step in a long, long road. I am so thankful for all of these attempts to get clear vision. I know the Lord is using this in ways I cannot imagine! Whether it's Leelah watching how to handle setbacks and physical limitations or John practicing his God-given gift of dependability, we are thankful for these trials building perserverance. They even jokingly asked me to work there with them as a tech since we go every week or so. At least I've gotten some new friends.

Hopefully I will have good news to report! Oh wait, we already have good news. How about clear news!?

Thanks again for your prayers. May God be with you friends.