Bret With One T and One Eye (Part II: Retina Redux)

About two weeks after my eye surgery, the bubble was gone. My vision still resembled something you would find in a fun-house, but it was making progress. (Peoples’ heads either looked like potatoes or squash). But I noticed a “shadow” in the lower left hand corner of the same eye—opposite of the previous “veil.” As is my custom, I ignored it for several days but then finally called the doctor about it.
I left a message with the receptionist. She called me back and said, “Dr. Joondeph said for you to come in.”
I hesitated. It was first period at Hyland on a Tuesday. “You mean like now? Should I set up an appointment?”
She was straight-to-the-point. “I told Dr. Joondeph what you said and he said to come in.”
“Now?”
“Now.”
I drove down and read for an hour in the waiting room—I suppose I was trying to cram as many words into my eyes before they put me on a book fast again.
Dr. Joondeph said, “Another part of your retina has detached.”
I kind of smiled to myself. “So we’re talking doing the same thing?”
“Yep.”
“With the same recovery technique, the bubble and everything?”
“Yep, but you won’t have to be face down all week. This is in another part of the eye so you can be upright and normal during the day, but you have to sleep on your right side at night.”
I have to admit two things: I was mainly relieved. Part of me was worried that he was just going to look at my eye and tell me the shadow was permanent and was the “loss of vision” he had promised me. The other thing I must confess is that I was somewhat looking forward to another short “vacation.”
Dad was having minor surgery the next day at the exact same time I was. Mom and Julie were with him. So Hans got the job of hauling me in early in the a.m. We left the house at 5:30. I wasn’t as nervous this time. After all, I knew what to expect. I was even curious about experiencing all the drugs involved again.
They switched me off, I woke up. I went home. Vini Vidi Vegetate.
I found out during the follow-up appointment on Thursday that Dr. Joondeph (wouldn’t that be a terrible name for an ear-doctor? “Sorry, you’ll be losing your hearing the first part of summer)—anyway, Dr. Joondeph said he had to close 12 holes this time (as opposed to the 2 the first time).
I also discovered once my patch was off that my eye didn’t like the procedure as much this time. I look like I crossed a bouncer. I look even worse this time.
But no worries. I can read all I want. I got my buddy Vicodin. I also have the family record for most surgeries in one month. And that’s saying something in my family.