With
each passing year, I find that I’m more and more grateful that I don’t know
what future holds. If I did have foreknowledge,
I’m sure I would spend more time worrying and being anxious. Instead I know Who holds the future.
The
LORD entrusts me with today and calls me to trust Him and call out to Him in
prayer and with thanksgiving.
My
eyes behaving badly started a few months ago, when I was reading my Nook in
bed. As I looked at the screen I
realized that not only could I see the screen, but the time from our alarm
clock (which was situated about six feet away and three feet higher) appeared
to be behind the screen. Okay…so that’s
a little weird.
At
my yearly eye exam, I mentioned it to my eye doctor. Dr Brandon Marsh did some additional testing
and informed me that I had a condition called Strabismus. It’s also knows as a wandering eye or lazy
eye. My right eye was intermittently turning
outward instead of staying focused on what was in front of me and in sync with
my left eye. My doctor set up an appointment
with a specialist who deals with this condition. I left with a business card in hand and an
appointment a few weeks away.
Good
golly, how in the world could I have developed this condition and not been
aware of it? When I got home and looked
in the mirror all of a sudden, I could see what the doctor was talking
about. Since there was no precipitating
event, like an accident, it’s a bit of a mystery what caused it.
With
each passing week, the condition seemed to be happening more frequently. I was relieved that I would soon be seeing
the eye specialist. The one catch, the
doctor’s primary practice was working with children.
Talk
about feeling awkward, I walked into the office for my appointment with Dr
Cynthia Beauchamp and lo the office was filled with children and their
parents. Okay, so I’m feeling a little
self-conscious.
But
that uncomfortable feeling didn’t last because after an examine, the doctor
said she could help me. I would need
surgery on my eyes to weaken the outer muscles of my eyes, so they would be
correctly positioned and focus together.
I
was most grateful to hear that this condition could be corrected. After praying and talking with my husband
Chris, I decided to move forward and have the surgery. With the holidays coming up quickly and
vacation, the surgery would take place in the new year.
The
Lord went before me and worked out the details that concerned me. Not only did I need an examine from my
primary care physician, I needed blood tests, x-rays and a letter from her and
a cardiologist that I would a good candidate for outpatient surgery. The clock was ticking, but thank You Lord, I
was able to get everything that was needed to the eye doctor within the allotted
time frame.
As
the day of surgery approached, I was more grateful. Everyday tasks, like walking down stairs and
even driving became something that I needed to pay extra attention to. Using good quality eye drops and blinking helped
when my eye started to wander.
Yesterday
was the big day. We headed out early for
my appointment arrival time of 6 am.
Though some distance away, the traffic was light and we got there ahead
of schedule. The Ophthalmology Surgery
Center of Dallas is one hopping place. The
waiting room filled up quickly by time I went back in for my surgery. As I walked back with the nurse, we passed many,
many bays where patients were being prepared for surgery.
I
didn’t have to wait long before they took me in for surgery. I was a little nervous, but overall the Lord
gave me peace. During the waiting period
I was able to pray.
Thankfully,
I was given general anesthesia so I was completely oblivious to what the doctor
was doing. The anesthesiologist gave me
plenty of anti-nausea medicine which helped me greatly.
When
I awoke from surgery, I had my eyes closed for quite a while. They had put some ointment in my eyes which
made my vision very blurry. Once I was
sufficiently alert and not ready to toss my cookies, they released me. Of course, my eyes were very sensitive to
light so I put on sunglasses.
I
kept my eyes closed most of the way home and opened them briefly to navigate
the steps to go inside. After a brief
nap, I stayed awake most of the day.
Closing my eyes, even briefly, helped the discomfort and pain, as did good
quality eye drops.
If
I had an Indian name, today it would be Susan Red Eyes. Instead of white, my eyes are very, very
red. There’s some pain, but
minimal. Much better than I
expected. At the end of yesterday, the
double vision had already improved. When
I awoke this morning, I was back to seeing double. I’m prayerful that will be resolved in a few
days.
The
main reason, I decided to go forward with the surgery is that I didn’t want my
wandering eye and seeing double to get worse and impact my ability to drive
safely and navigate stairs. Safety was a
primary concern.
Also,
I found that was I was increasingly self-conscious when I recognized my eye was
on the move. Until, the condition was
diagnosed I was unaware of it as was my husband Chris. But we both became hyper aware of it. He said it was strange to be talking with me
and all of a sudden one of my eyes was looking elsewhere.
After
personally experiencing a wandering eye, I can tell you first hand if someone
you know has this condition, when you are looking at them focus on the eye that’s
looking at you. For some reason, even
though my right eye was looking elsewhere, my brain was focused on what was in
front of me. I know that I felt very
self-conscious about it, others may feel likewise.
I
am so thankful to God that getting this corrected was possible. I thankful for the excellent healthcare I’ve
had here in north Texas. I’m thankful
for good insurance.
But
most important, I know that all health and healing come from the LORD. He is my Great Physician. He is my Healer. He walks with me at all times. If God was not willing to heal me, I pray
that I would be praising God and trusting His greater work within me. I can’t imagine how people do life without
the LORD.
I’m
so grateful for family and friends who were praying with us and for us. I’m grateful for my husband Chris and his
steadfast support and help, not just during this season, but every day.
