The Hospital Story

I know, I know... I hooked everyone with the mention of the hospital trip in Michigan with no follow up. I didn't want to get into it until I had the full story. Now I do:

My right eye got crazy bloodshot and irritated while in Michigan and I noticed a little white spot on the brown part of my eyeball. What to do? Call my sister, Nurse Christina. She does some super sleuthing and calls me back to give me her diagnosis with the back-up of a doctor she works with who concurs. They tell me to see a doctor immediately and keep my beloved contacts out of my eyes. Peeerrrrfffeeeccttt.... I have to wear my glasses, which are no less than six years old and have (wait for it...) TRANSITION LENSES. Not kidding. (I used to have really good vision insurance and this was a free upgrade that my optometrist talked me into. I hate them and am absolutely the creepy woman walking into the building with darkening shades.)

The next day I go to the nearest walk-in center and wait for about an hour and a half. When I finally see a PA she tells me she can't see the spot I'm concerned about and then tells me it's a birthmark that I am only now noticing. Being intuitive and having put contacts on my eyeball for the last 15 years, I disagree. She recommends I see an opthamologist. I put my contacts back in so I can enjoy the beach for a couple of days and pretend that nothing is wrong.

Fast forward to yesterday... I see my new friendly eye doctor, have my eyes thoroughly checked, dilated, and numbed. The diagnosis: An ulcer on my eye. Oh yes, it's true. I have an eye ulcer. It's actually on my cornea and is due to my own stupidity, laziness, and stubbornness... Wearing old contacts is serious, people.

So, now I can't wear contacts for about TWO MONTHS. Ugh, the agony! I'm a bridesmaid in a wedding next weekend, so I tried to play to my doctor's emotions and negotiate contacts for one day. He had no sympathy, told me he's heard the story before, and gave me a stern warning that I could lose my eye if I didn't take this seriously. Jeeeez, tough crowd. He did however give me the option of wearing one contact in my left eye. Great. After a couple of cocktails and the vision of only one eye I can imagine how awesome my dance moves are going to be at this wedding. I made a mad dash to Lens Crafters for new specs last night and will pick them up tomorrow, but I do not intend to wear them at the wedding.

In closing, I would like to give props to my sister who correctly diagnosed my problem from the beginning. She's a smart cookie, which is why she was chosen as Nurse of the Year at Northwestern and is one of the top 10% of nurses in the country. (She won't brag, so I will for her.) She's the best.