So today, August 8, 2013, was a pretty exciting day.
Adam and I both had doctor appointments today, Adam at 10:45am and mine at 11:00am. Pretty tight schedule I know, but we got to Adam’s appointment early and they took him right in. He got a good report from his doctor and we were out of there in no time so that we actually got to my appointment 15 minutes early.
My appointment was my regular 3-month checkup with Dr. Feilmeier. They took us in pretty quick there as well, as they always do. His assistant checked my vision and pressure and everything as usual. Pressure was good and my vision has leveled off at 20/25; that’s where it’s been for the last few visits and is no longer fluctuating. Dr. Feilmeier came in and checked me all out and said everything looks great. He actually said something rather touching today. He said “You’re my favorite patient, I’ll remember you for the rest of my life.” He sounded sincere when he said it too. You know how you can tell when someone is saying something off-handedly or when they really mean it. Well, that’s the kind of guy he is. I said “Likewise.”
So we were out of there in no time at all and went up to McDonald’s to grab a bite to eat before the most exciting part of our day. But before I talk about that I need to back up a bit.
Two days ago, on Tuesday the 6th, I was at work in the parking lot at Walmart. As I was walking down one of the rows picking up carts I noticed a car that had a For Sale sign in the window. Now, I see lots and lots of cars every day naturally, and For Sale signs are nothing unusual, but this one caught my eye for a couple of reasons. First, it was a really nice looking car, and second because the owner wasn’t asking an outrageous amount of money for it: the sign said $1600. Most of the cars I see with For Sale signs are either junky or have huge price tags on them. Now, I should mention that I have not really been looking for a new car, although ever since I started working last September I’ve thought it would sure be nice to have a second car so Joni wouldn’t be stuck at home with nothing all the time. Anyway, this car was a 1997 30th Anniversary Edition Mercury Cougar XR7. It looked very nice on the outside and since the windows were down I poked my head in and saw a very nice interior as well. It had 121k miles on it, but you know a hundred thousand miles isn’t what it used to be. My ’99 Explorer has over 140k on it and runs great. This car looked like it had been taken care of so I stored the phone number in my phone and went on with my work day until I got off at 6pm.
When I got home I told Joni not to get excited but I had seen a nice looking car for sale. Joni followed my instructions very carefully and didn’t get excited at all (shya!) But I explained to her that I would have to see if Mom would or could loan us the money, then I would have to try to coordinate a day off with Brad so I could have him look at the car, then I would have to call the insurance company to see how much that would cost. A lot of different details to work out.
Well, I called Mom as soon as I had finished telling Joni about the car that evening, and she said she sure would loan us the money. First problem solved. Then I emailed Brad to find out when his next day off was. He wrote back a little later and said he was off on Thursday. Lo and behold, my next day off was Thursday as well. Second problem solved. So Wednesday morning at about 9:30 I called up the owner and asked about the car for sale. She said, “I think you have the wrong number.” Oops. I panicked for a moment before looking in my phone to see what number I had stored and I knew right away I had punched it in wrong. Phone numbers have a way of sticking in my head sometimes and I just happened to remember what was on the For Sale sign and I was a digit off when I stored the number. So I called the number and left a message on the answering machine and waited. In the meantime, I called my insurance company and asked about that and they quoted me about $26 a month, which is about what I was expecting. Third problem solved.
I worked from 2 to 7 that day and waited all day for a call back, but it never came. When I got home I called again and a man answered. I was happy to discover that I had gotten the right phone number that time. We talked for a few minutes and made an appointment for 1pm on Thursday. So that brings me back to our exciting day, today.
We pulled up to the man’s house at about 12:30, having finished our doctor appointments earlier than expected. The car was sitting outside and Joni got her first look at it and was more excited than ever. The owner, an elderly man named Buzz, came out and we talked about the car for a few minutes then he gave us the keys and we were off. I had asked him earlier if he would mind me driving it to Axtel so my brother could look at it and he had no problem with that at all. Oh, I also noticed as soon as we got there that the owner had reduced the price on the sign from $1600 to $1400. Everything seemed to be going our way.
So we drove to Axtel, a trip of 20 or so miles. The car rode great: the engine had a good feel, transmission felt good, the only problem was when I stepped on the brake it made the steering wheel shake. He had told me up front that he thought the rotors might be going bad, and when I told Brad what it was doing he confirmed that. We also noted that the car would need new tires before long. Other than that it checked out good. Brad checked out as much as he could without having a shop at his disposal and said it looked like a good buy. Just the words we wanted to hear.
We drove back to Kearney feeling very light-hearted. When we got back to the man’s house I told him we liked his car and would like to buy it. I said, “If I offered you $1300 would you take it?” He thought for about 3 seconds and said that he would. Honestly, I wouldn’t have fought very hard with him on that. So we went in and he signed over the title and gave us 3 sets of keys, took off his license plates and we were on our way with a new (to us) car. It just makes me giddy to look out the window and see two cars sitting in front of our house. And it’s nice! I don’t think I mentioned, it’s maroon with kind of a cream-colored partial leather interior. All the buttons and gadgets work, even the air-conditioning, everything except the cruise control, which isn’t a big deal. We like it very much.
I really wanted to include some photos, but I also want to wash and wax it before I take pictures, so those will be coming in the near future.
Rejoice with us in the rich blessings that have showered upon us!
Luke 11:28 But he said, “Blessed rather are those who hear the word of God and keep it!” ESV
1 Peter 3:8-9 Finally, all of you, have unity of mind, sympathy, brotherly love, a tender heart, and a humble mind. 9 Do not repay evil for evil or reviling for reviling, but on the contrary, bless, for to this you were called, that you may obtain a blessing. ESV
Showing posts with label dr. feilmeier. Show all posts
Showing posts with label dr. feilmeier. Show all posts
Thursday, August 8, 2013
Wednesday, November 7, 2012
Journal - Walmart Wanderings Week 6
Well I haven’t written for a while, have I? I keep telling myself that if I would just write a little a couple of times a week then I wouldn’t have to cover so much ground each time and I would be better able to remember what I’m trying to write about. Time just gets away from me, especially since I started working again.
It’s hard to believe, but I’ve been working at Walmart for 6 weeks now. The first few weeks were pretty rough, as I have mentioned, with my legs being pretty sore all the time. During the last couple of weeks though, they have finally been catching up with the demand I’m placing on them. While I’m at work they don’t really bother me at all. As long as I keep moving that is. When I take my breaks and sit down for a few minutes then they hurt again when I get back up, but it only takes a minute for them to loosen up again. At home in the evenings they really tighten up on me and it hurts to walk but even that is getting better.
On the weekend of October 20 and 21 I started feeling a cold coming on. I was hoping to just get through Monday and Tuesday and then I had the day off on Wednesday. Well, I did get through and sure enough on Wednesday I felt pretty miserable. Unfortunately, I still felt pretty bad on Thursday and I had to call in sick. Thursday was one of our coldest days yet and I knew it wouldn’t be a good idea to work in the cold all day when I was already sick. But after two days of Joni’s chicken-noodle soup I was ready to go back on Friday. I expected kind of a rough day on Friday but I actually felt pretty good that day and on Saturday as well. So I got over my cold without too much trouble.
I think it was that weekend that I started noticing a red spot in my eye. That didn’t concern me very much because that same spot gets red now and by the next day it’s usually gone. This time, however, the redness didn’t go away and by Tuesday I decided I better call the doctor. This was October 30. I called Dr. Feilmeier’s office in Omaha to find out what day he was coming in November and they said the 8th, more than a week away. I told them what was going on with my eye and the nurse said I should really get it checked out as soon as possible, but instead of asking me to come to Omaha, which is kind of what I expected, she offered to call the Kearney Eye Institute and see if someone there could get me in. She called me back a bit later and said she had gotten me an appointment with Dr. Vaughan, the same doctor who did my glasses back in July, on Thursday, November 1. That was fine with me as it saved me a trip to Omaha.
I saw Dr. Vaughan on Thursday and the report was good. There was no sign of any infection, and the sutures all looked okay. I had been thinking that one of those sutures came loose again and an infection was starting since that has happened before. Dr. Vaughan said the redness was because my eye is very dry. With cold weather coming on, the air is getting more and more dry all the time, and now that I’m working outdoors I’ll probably feel it even more this winter. Dr. Vaughan recommended some lubricant drops, commonly called “tears”, which you can get over-the-counter. Joni and I stopped at Walgreen’s on the way home and picked some up, both of us thinking that we had really dodged a bullet that time.
So all was well until Monday evening, the 5th of November. At a little after 5pm on Monday, one of Dr. Feilmeier’s assistants called from the office in Omaha. She said that Dr. Feilmeier had just seen the notes and results from my visit to Dr. Vaughan and he wanted to see me right away, as in the next day. I was so flabbergasted that I didn’t even think to ask her what Dr. Feilmeier had seen that got him so anxious. She wanted me to set an appointment for the next day but I honestly couldn’t think what to do. I was totally caught off-guard and I was supposed to work the next day and everything. I finally told her that I would call back in the morning. Mind you, I already had an appointment to see Dr. Feilmeier in Kearney on Thursday the 8th. Well I though it over for a couple of hours and finally decided I would have to go. Dr. Feilmeier hasn’t let me down yet and I trust him.
On Tuesday morning I called his office and told them I was on my way. Then I called in at Walmart yet again and we got ready to go. Dr. Feilmeier wasn’t in until 1pm that day so we didn’t have to hurry too much, but it was Election Day and I wanted to stop by and vote on our way out. The polling place for our area is about 7 miles east of our house so it wasn’t really out of the way that much. Also, up until this year, I have never voted before and really wanted to do it this time. I had wanted to in 2008 but didn’t get registered in time. We left the house at about 9:30am I think, stopped by to vote, and we were on our way.
This post is getting pretty long so I’ll cut to the chase. Dr. Feilmeier said pretty much the same thing Dr. Vaughan had said a few days before. We weren’t there very long and were back on the road heading home. In some ways it felt like a wasted trip, but some things are worth being extra careful with, and one of those things is your eyesight. So I have to keep putting those tears in my eyes several times a day, but everything is fine and my eyesight is still good. Today was my day off so I got to relax and do some fun things, which I will be writing about soon.
Mark 11:24 Therefore I tell you, whatever you ask in prayer, believe that you have received it, and it will be yours. ESV
Matthew 14:31 Jesus immediately reached out his hand and took hold of him, saying to him, “O you of little faith, why did you doubt?” ESV
It’s hard to believe, but I’ve been working at Walmart for 6 weeks now. The first few weeks were pretty rough, as I have mentioned, with my legs being pretty sore all the time. During the last couple of weeks though, they have finally been catching up with the demand I’m placing on them. While I’m at work they don’t really bother me at all. As long as I keep moving that is. When I take my breaks and sit down for a few minutes then they hurt again when I get back up, but it only takes a minute for them to loosen up again. At home in the evenings they really tighten up on me and it hurts to walk but even that is getting better.
On the weekend of October 20 and 21 I started feeling a cold coming on. I was hoping to just get through Monday and Tuesday and then I had the day off on Wednesday. Well, I did get through and sure enough on Wednesday I felt pretty miserable. Unfortunately, I still felt pretty bad on Thursday and I had to call in sick. Thursday was one of our coldest days yet and I knew it wouldn’t be a good idea to work in the cold all day when I was already sick. But after two days of Joni’s chicken-noodle soup I was ready to go back on Friday. I expected kind of a rough day on Friday but I actually felt pretty good that day and on Saturday as well. So I got over my cold without too much trouble.
I think it was that weekend that I started noticing a red spot in my eye. That didn’t concern me very much because that same spot gets red now and by the next day it’s usually gone. This time, however, the redness didn’t go away and by Tuesday I decided I better call the doctor. This was October 30. I called Dr. Feilmeier’s office in Omaha to find out what day he was coming in November and they said the 8th, more than a week away. I told them what was going on with my eye and the nurse said I should really get it checked out as soon as possible, but instead of asking me to come to Omaha, which is kind of what I expected, she offered to call the Kearney Eye Institute and see if someone there could get me in. She called me back a bit later and said she had gotten me an appointment with Dr. Vaughan, the same doctor who did my glasses back in July, on Thursday, November 1. That was fine with me as it saved me a trip to Omaha.
I saw Dr. Vaughan on Thursday and the report was good. There was no sign of any infection, and the sutures all looked okay. I had been thinking that one of those sutures came loose again and an infection was starting since that has happened before. Dr. Vaughan said the redness was because my eye is very dry. With cold weather coming on, the air is getting more and more dry all the time, and now that I’m working outdoors I’ll probably feel it even more this winter. Dr. Vaughan recommended some lubricant drops, commonly called “tears”, which you can get over-the-counter. Joni and I stopped at Walgreen’s on the way home and picked some up, both of us thinking that we had really dodged a bullet that time.
So all was well until Monday evening, the 5th of November. At a little after 5pm on Monday, one of Dr. Feilmeier’s assistants called from the office in Omaha. She said that Dr. Feilmeier had just seen the notes and results from my visit to Dr. Vaughan and he wanted to see me right away, as in the next day. I was so flabbergasted that I didn’t even think to ask her what Dr. Feilmeier had seen that got him so anxious. She wanted me to set an appointment for the next day but I honestly couldn’t think what to do. I was totally caught off-guard and I was supposed to work the next day and everything. I finally told her that I would call back in the morning. Mind you, I already had an appointment to see Dr. Feilmeier in Kearney on Thursday the 8th. Well I though it over for a couple of hours and finally decided I would have to go. Dr. Feilmeier hasn’t let me down yet and I trust him.
On Tuesday morning I called his office and told them I was on my way. Then I called in at Walmart yet again and we got ready to go. Dr. Feilmeier wasn’t in until 1pm that day so we didn’t have to hurry too much, but it was Election Day and I wanted to stop by and vote on our way out. The polling place for our area is about 7 miles east of our house so it wasn’t really out of the way that much. Also, up until this year, I have never voted before and really wanted to do it this time. I had wanted to in 2008 but didn’t get registered in time. We left the house at about 9:30am I think, stopped by to vote, and we were on our way.
This post is getting pretty long so I’ll cut to the chase. Dr. Feilmeier said pretty much the same thing Dr. Vaughan had said a few days before. We weren’t there very long and were back on the road heading home. In some ways it felt like a wasted trip, but some things are worth being extra careful with, and one of those things is your eyesight. So I have to keep putting those tears in my eyes several times a day, but everything is fine and my eyesight is still good. Today was my day off so I got to relax and do some fun things, which I will be writing about soon.
Mark 11:24 Therefore I tell you, whatever you ask in prayer, believe that you have received it, and it will be yours. ESV
Matthew 14:31 Jesus immediately reached out his hand and took hold of him, saying to him, “O you of little faith, why did you doubt?” ESV
Monday, September 24, 2012
Endings and Beginnings
Well, here it is, officially fall already. This summer just seemed to whiz by. Our beautiful flower gardens are now mostly dried up and dead, our one and only watermelon has been picked and consumed. The corn fields are dried up and harvest has begun. The pumpkins are still producing but I know that soon enough they will be gone too. I’m at the end of one of the most enjoyable summers of my life and that’s kind of sad as endings usually are.
Let’s do a little catching up shall we?
On Thursday, September 14, I had my checkup with Dr. Feilmeier in Kearney. It had been two months since I last saw him and things had been going well so I wasn’t expecting much news one way or the other.
The Doctor’s assistant took us in and tested me out on the eye chart and everything as usual. She put up a line on the chart and I read it, then she brought up the next line and I read that, then she put up a third and I read that one too. Then she said, “Great, we’re all done!” I was thinking “Why are we stopping, I wasn’t even struggling yet?” Imagine my surprise when she told me that was the 20/20 line! Back in July I had been testing at about 20/25 with my new glasses. That was much better than I had ever expected to see again and I wasn’t really expecting more than that. I guess God had other ideas! When Dr. Feilmeier came in he was looking at my chart and said, “Are you just showing off now or what?” I could tell he was genuinely happy for me. Happy for himself a bit too I think at having completed such a successful surgery and recovery, but also genuinely happy for me. Joni told him I had my driver’s license and he seemed sincerely happy about that too. “That’s a big step up from that stick you used to carry around isn’t it?” he commented. Then we looked at some pictures of his new baby boy, who was born around the time of my last visit in July, and we were all done. I remember back in 2008 when we had decided to move up here from Dallas and I had been wondering how I would ever find another doctor as wonderful as Dr. Hargrave, who had been taking care of my eyes for about 7 years. God was in control though, and I ended up with one that I like and trust just as much, if not more. I am reminded, once again, of Jeremiah 29:11 which says ”For I know the plans I have for you, declares the Lord, plans for welfare and not for evil, to give you a future and a hope.”
So I’m seeing 20/20 now. With that kind of vision it seems like I should be able to read anything with no trouble at all, but I do still struggle with some things. I still can’t read my comic books, for instance, without my magnifying glass. I guess that’s because the fonts are kind of funny and the contrast isn’t very good, often black on blue or purple or something instead of black on white. I don’t have any trouble at the computer unless the font is very small. I can read books and papers pretty well as long as the print isn’t too small and there’s plenty of light. Still, I’m seeing much better than I ever thought I would and you won’t hear any complaints out of me.
Last Thursday, the 20th, I got call from Walmart for a job interview. I had applied there back on August 27. I went in on the 21st for my interview and it went reasonably well. It sounded like they were prepared to offer me a job pending background and drug tests. I had told them I couldn’t drive in the dark and they sounded like they would be willing to work around that. I was there for a little over an hour and then they sent me out to a place on the east edge of Kearney that does their drug screenings for them. The manager at Walmart had told me that the test results would take a couple of days and that I should hear from them this week. Well, first thing this morning they called and asked if I could come in for orientation. The job is mine! My orientation is on Wednesday. Tomorrow I’ll have to run in and get some clothes; more jeans as I have only one decent pair, and some plain navy blue t-shirts. I suppose I’ll also have to get something warm for the winter sometime soon.
This is not a very glamorous job, I’ll be one of those people who gathers up the shopping carts from the parking lot and brings them back up to the store. Also, it pays minimum wage, which may end up being a little less than I’m getting from social security. But if this is where God wants me right now, then this is where I’ll be and I will do the job for God like it says in 1 Corinthians 10:31 ”So, whether you eat or drink, or whatever you do, do all to the glory of God.” There is a plus side: I think this will be a nice easy job for me to kind of ease my way back into the work force. And who knows where it will lead. I’m guessing most Walmart employees start out as either cart-pullers or working the checkout. I would much rather be pulling carts than doing checkout. I’ll stick to my old standby here: If you don’t appreciate what God gives you, then you have no reason to expect something more, or something better. If I do this job as well as I can, and do it for God, then perhaps he will give me something better at some point. Matthew 25:21 ”His master said to him, ‘Well done, good and faithful servant. You have been faithful over a little; I will set you over much…”
So, I stand here on the brink of the next stage of my life. I’ll admit I’m scared. Endings are often sad, and new beginnings often are scary because you just never know what will happen. The last year of my life has been a happy and comfortable one, recovering from my surgery and enjoying my returned vision. The garden was a lot of fun this summer. Now it’s time to move on to the next thing. God likes to challenge us with new things now and then. That’s what keeps us growing and developing in our relationship with Him. It is my task, and all of ours, to trust in the Lord. Proverbs 3:5-6 says Trust in the Lord with all your heart, and do not lean on your own understanding. In all your ways acknowledge him, and he will make straight your paths. And really, how could I not trust Him? A year ago I was blind, and now I’m seeing 20/20. Last spring I had a 3-month long infection in my eye that left no damage at all. He has carried me through everything, and I’ve never gone hungry, never had to live on the streets, never really wanted for anything. No one on Earth could do all that for me, only God, my provider, my rock, my salvation. Psalms 118:8-9 ”It is better to take refuge in the Lord than to trust in man. It is better to take refuge in the Lord than to trust in princes.”
Let’s do a little catching up shall we?
On Thursday, September 14, I had my checkup with Dr. Feilmeier in Kearney. It had been two months since I last saw him and things had been going well so I wasn’t expecting much news one way or the other.
The Doctor’s assistant took us in and tested me out on the eye chart and everything as usual. She put up a line on the chart and I read it, then she brought up the next line and I read that, then she put up a third and I read that one too. Then she said, “Great, we’re all done!” I was thinking “Why are we stopping, I wasn’t even struggling yet?” Imagine my surprise when she told me that was the 20/20 line! Back in July I had been testing at about 20/25 with my new glasses. That was much better than I had ever expected to see again and I wasn’t really expecting more than that. I guess God had other ideas! When Dr. Feilmeier came in he was looking at my chart and said, “Are you just showing off now or what?” I could tell he was genuinely happy for me. Happy for himself a bit too I think at having completed such a successful surgery and recovery, but also genuinely happy for me. Joni told him I had my driver’s license and he seemed sincerely happy about that too. “That’s a big step up from that stick you used to carry around isn’t it?” he commented. Then we looked at some pictures of his new baby boy, who was born around the time of my last visit in July, and we were all done. I remember back in 2008 when we had decided to move up here from Dallas and I had been wondering how I would ever find another doctor as wonderful as Dr. Hargrave, who had been taking care of my eyes for about 7 years. God was in control though, and I ended up with one that I like and trust just as much, if not more. I am reminded, once again, of Jeremiah 29:11 which says ”For I know the plans I have for you, declares the Lord, plans for welfare and not for evil, to give you a future and a hope.”
So I’m seeing 20/20 now. With that kind of vision it seems like I should be able to read anything with no trouble at all, but I do still struggle with some things. I still can’t read my comic books, for instance, without my magnifying glass. I guess that’s because the fonts are kind of funny and the contrast isn’t very good, often black on blue or purple or something instead of black on white. I don’t have any trouble at the computer unless the font is very small. I can read books and papers pretty well as long as the print isn’t too small and there’s plenty of light. Still, I’m seeing much better than I ever thought I would and you won’t hear any complaints out of me.
Last Thursday, the 20th, I got call from Walmart for a job interview. I had applied there back on August 27. I went in on the 21st for my interview and it went reasonably well. It sounded like they were prepared to offer me a job pending background and drug tests. I had told them I couldn’t drive in the dark and they sounded like they would be willing to work around that. I was there for a little over an hour and then they sent me out to a place on the east edge of Kearney that does their drug screenings for them. The manager at Walmart had told me that the test results would take a couple of days and that I should hear from them this week. Well, first thing this morning they called and asked if I could come in for orientation. The job is mine! My orientation is on Wednesday. Tomorrow I’ll have to run in and get some clothes; more jeans as I have only one decent pair, and some plain navy blue t-shirts. I suppose I’ll also have to get something warm for the winter sometime soon.
This is not a very glamorous job, I’ll be one of those people who gathers up the shopping carts from the parking lot and brings them back up to the store. Also, it pays minimum wage, which may end up being a little less than I’m getting from social security. But if this is where God wants me right now, then this is where I’ll be and I will do the job for God like it says in 1 Corinthians 10:31 ”So, whether you eat or drink, or whatever you do, do all to the glory of God.” There is a plus side: I think this will be a nice easy job for me to kind of ease my way back into the work force. And who knows where it will lead. I’m guessing most Walmart employees start out as either cart-pullers or working the checkout. I would much rather be pulling carts than doing checkout. I’ll stick to my old standby here: If you don’t appreciate what God gives you, then you have no reason to expect something more, or something better. If I do this job as well as I can, and do it for God, then perhaps he will give me something better at some point. Matthew 25:21 ”His master said to him, ‘Well done, good and faithful servant. You have been faithful over a little; I will set you over much…”
So, I stand here on the brink of the next stage of my life. I’ll admit I’m scared. Endings are often sad, and new beginnings often are scary because you just never know what will happen. The last year of my life has been a happy and comfortable one, recovering from my surgery and enjoying my returned vision. The garden was a lot of fun this summer. Now it’s time to move on to the next thing. God likes to challenge us with new things now and then. That’s what keeps us growing and developing in our relationship with Him. It is my task, and all of ours, to trust in the Lord. Proverbs 3:5-6 says Trust in the Lord with all your heart, and do not lean on your own understanding. In all your ways acknowledge him, and he will make straight your paths. And really, how could I not trust Him? A year ago I was blind, and now I’m seeing 20/20. Last spring I had a 3-month long infection in my eye that left no damage at all. He has carried me through everything, and I’ve never gone hungry, never had to live on the streets, never really wanted for anything. No one on Earth could do all that for me, only God, my provider, my rock, my salvation. Psalms 118:8-9 ”It is better to take refuge in the Lord than to trust in man. It is better to take refuge in the Lord than to trust in princes.”
Friday, June 15, 2012
Journal - A Double Dose of Doctors
Yesterday, Thursday, I had two eye appointments, one with Dr. Vaughan and one with Dr. Feilmeier.
First was Dr. Vaughan at 11:00am. I saw Dr. Vaughan last month in hopes of getting some eyeglasses. On that visit, however, he said my eye, while healing very nicely, was still too unstable to really get good numbers for a prescription. At that time my best possible vision with glasses was around 20/30, very good indeed. Well, let me tell you, on yesterday’s visit I got all the way down to 20/30 on the eye chart, with no correction at all. I was simply amazed. I knew my eye was getting better all the time but I had no idea it was that good. Dr. Vaughan ran me through the tests and said that with glasses I could get up to 20/25. My eye is still very unstable though, as shown by the big change since last month. He said that before giving me a prescription he would really like to have one more set of numbers, making it three in all, so that he could kind of average them together. He recommended one more visit in a week at which time he would go ahead and make out a prescription for me. Aside from that, he said that my eye, and my vision, are amazingly good for someone who had a transplant not so long ago.
My visit with Dr. Vaughan took less than an hour so I thought we would have a long wait to see Dr. Feilmeier, but his assistant took us back almost right away once we were done with Dr. Vaughan. It was only a little after twelve and my appointment wasn’t supposed to be until 12:40.
Dr. Feilmeier came in with his eyes on my chart and said, “I don’t believe these readings, you must have cheated.” He’s quite the kidder. He looked at my eye and was very pleased with everything. He removed one more suture that was loose and assured me that “we are definitely back on track.” Dr. Vaughan has mentioned that I had a pretty severe astigmatism so Dr. Feilmeier sent me over for a topography on my eye. When he got the results he said that I did have a pronounced cone but that was probably due to the sutures. So he removed two more sutures and said that should help quite a bit with that. He also said he might remove a few more next month.
So it was another good visit with the doctors. I still can’t believe I’m seeing 20/30! And it sounds like I’ll finally be getting some glasses next week. Well, my appointment is next week and then the glasses probably take a few days after that. Then I’ll be off to get my driver’s license, something I’ve been looking forward to since my surgery.
Isaiah 30:18 Therefore the Lord waits to be gracious to you, and therefore He exalts Himself to show mercy to you. For the Lord is a God of justice; blessed are all those who wait for Him. ESV
Psalms 25:5 Lead me in your truth and teach me, for you are the God of my salvation; for you I wait all the day long. ESV
First was Dr. Vaughan at 11:00am. I saw Dr. Vaughan last month in hopes of getting some eyeglasses. On that visit, however, he said my eye, while healing very nicely, was still too unstable to really get good numbers for a prescription. At that time my best possible vision with glasses was around 20/30, very good indeed. Well, let me tell you, on yesterday’s visit I got all the way down to 20/30 on the eye chart, with no correction at all. I was simply amazed. I knew my eye was getting better all the time but I had no idea it was that good. Dr. Vaughan ran me through the tests and said that with glasses I could get up to 20/25. My eye is still very unstable though, as shown by the big change since last month. He said that before giving me a prescription he would really like to have one more set of numbers, making it three in all, so that he could kind of average them together. He recommended one more visit in a week at which time he would go ahead and make out a prescription for me. Aside from that, he said that my eye, and my vision, are amazingly good for someone who had a transplant not so long ago.
My visit with Dr. Vaughan took less than an hour so I thought we would have a long wait to see Dr. Feilmeier, but his assistant took us back almost right away once we were done with Dr. Vaughan. It was only a little after twelve and my appointment wasn’t supposed to be until 12:40.
Dr. Feilmeier came in with his eyes on my chart and said, “I don’t believe these readings, you must have cheated.” He’s quite the kidder. He looked at my eye and was very pleased with everything. He removed one more suture that was loose and assured me that “we are definitely back on track.” Dr. Vaughan has mentioned that I had a pretty severe astigmatism so Dr. Feilmeier sent me over for a topography on my eye. When he got the results he said that I did have a pronounced cone but that was probably due to the sutures. So he removed two more sutures and said that should help quite a bit with that. He also said he might remove a few more next month.
So it was another good visit with the doctors. I still can’t believe I’m seeing 20/30! And it sounds like I’ll finally be getting some glasses next week. Well, my appointment is next week and then the glasses probably take a few days after that. Then I’ll be off to get my driver’s license, something I’ve been looking forward to since my surgery.
Isaiah 30:18 Therefore the Lord waits to be gracious to you, and therefore He exalts Himself to show mercy to you. For the Lord is a God of justice; blessed are all those who wait for Him. ESV
Psalms 25:5 Lead me in your truth and teach me, for you are the God of my salvation; for you I wait all the day long. ESV
Thursday, May 10, 2012
Journal - Good News From The Doctor
Today I had my appointment with Dr. Feilmeier in Kearney. I had a morning appointment this time instead of afternoon. I was glad of that because by afternoon he’s always really behind schedule and we have a long wait. Today my appointment was at 10am and we were only in the office for about an hour altogether.
The first sign of good news came during my routine reading of the eye chart. I was still at 20/70 unaided, but on the pinhole I got a partial on the 20/30 line, my best reading since surgery. I didn’t get the whole line, and it was tough, but I got two letters so that was good.
The doctor came in and looked at my eye and before he even got to the microscope he remarked that my eye looked very white and healthy today. My eye does sometimes take on a kind of yellowish hue so that was a good sign. At the microscope he had nothing but good reports. He actually used the word “amazed” once or twice, and he also said, “We were aggressive and we won.” He went on to say that I was his “good” patient of the day, the one he would talk about on the way home to Omaha. Doc is pretty good at hiding his feelings, but I think he was pleased with what he saw today. He did find another loose suture, which he removed. I asked if it was normal for those to loosen over time and he said it definitely is.
As far as my meds, he is having me continue the Zymaxid and Natacyn drops for one more week and then stop them completely. He discontinued my Doxycycline pills and cut back my Acyclovir pills from 5 a day to 2 a day. He gave me a schedule to taper off the Prednisone pills over the next few weeks, but I’m already on a pretty light dose so I might just stop those. So after one more week I’ll have 2 Pred-forte drops a day, and 2 Acyclovir pills a day and that’s it.
I already have an appointment to see Dr. Halsted in Grand Island again in two weeks, and we made an appointment to see Dr. Feilmeier the next time he’s in Kearney next month. He said after that we can probably drop back to every month or two. Since I did so well on the eye chart today, I also made an appointment to see Dr. Vaughn at the Kearney Eye Institute for another eyeglass exam. That will be next Wednesday the 16th. The last time he examined me, the best we could do was 20/50 but it should be better than that now.
So then we came home, having had our fill of good news for the day. I went out and did the watering while Joni did some mowing. Yesterday I dug up some more of the garden and planted six mounds of cucumbers so it’s getting to be quite a bit of watering each day. I sure wish we could get some rain. Everything is looking pretty healthy though except for the mint that I transplanted to the west side of the patio. Most of those look like they’re going to die. Mint plants grow pretty well; they spread out a lot and come back each year, but I’m finding out that they don’t transplant very well. It’s a good thing we have lots of it.
Psalms 30:2 O Lord my God, I cried to you for help, and you have healed me. ESV
Isaiah 53:5 But he was pierced for our transgressions; he was crushed for our iniquities; upon him was the chastisement that brought us peace, and with his wounds we are healed. ESV
The first sign of good news came during my routine reading of the eye chart. I was still at 20/70 unaided, but on the pinhole I got a partial on the 20/30 line, my best reading since surgery. I didn’t get the whole line, and it was tough, but I got two letters so that was good.
The doctor came in and looked at my eye and before he even got to the microscope he remarked that my eye looked very white and healthy today. My eye does sometimes take on a kind of yellowish hue so that was a good sign. At the microscope he had nothing but good reports. He actually used the word “amazed” once or twice, and he also said, “We were aggressive and we won.” He went on to say that I was his “good” patient of the day, the one he would talk about on the way home to Omaha. Doc is pretty good at hiding his feelings, but I think he was pleased with what he saw today. He did find another loose suture, which he removed. I asked if it was normal for those to loosen over time and he said it definitely is.
As far as my meds, he is having me continue the Zymaxid and Natacyn drops for one more week and then stop them completely. He discontinued my Doxycycline pills and cut back my Acyclovir pills from 5 a day to 2 a day. He gave me a schedule to taper off the Prednisone pills over the next few weeks, but I’m already on a pretty light dose so I might just stop those. So after one more week I’ll have 2 Pred-forte drops a day, and 2 Acyclovir pills a day and that’s it.
I already have an appointment to see Dr. Halsted in Grand Island again in two weeks, and we made an appointment to see Dr. Feilmeier the next time he’s in Kearney next month. He said after that we can probably drop back to every month or two. Since I did so well on the eye chart today, I also made an appointment to see Dr. Vaughn at the Kearney Eye Institute for another eyeglass exam. That will be next Wednesday the 16th. The last time he examined me, the best we could do was 20/50 but it should be better than that now.
So then we came home, having had our fill of good news for the day. I went out and did the watering while Joni did some mowing. Yesterday I dug up some more of the garden and planted six mounds of cucumbers so it’s getting to be quite a bit of watering each day. I sure wish we could get some rain. Everything is looking pretty healthy though except for the mint that I transplanted to the west side of the patio. Most of those look like they’re going to die. Mint plants grow pretty well; they spread out a lot and come back each year, but I’m finding out that they don’t transplant very well. It’s a good thing we have lots of it.
Psalms 30:2 O Lord my God, I cried to you for help, and you have healed me. ESV
Isaiah 53:5 But he was pierced for our transgressions; he was crushed for our iniquities; upon him was the chastisement that brought us peace, and with his wounds we are healed. ESV
Tuesday, May 8, 2012
Journal - More Gardening Exploits
So last week was pretty quiet and uneventful. Each day I go out and water all the plants we have growing.
On Saturday, one of our very hot days, I put in a pretty good day’s work. Across the long west side of our patio area I dug new flower beds. In one section I planted some catnip seeds that we picked up last year and never did anything with. And in the rest I transplanted some mint from the south and east sides of the house. So far the mint looks pretty limp and it hasn’t decided if it wants to live there or not but I hope it makes it.
Everything else is doing pretty well. The pumpkins are looking pretty healthy, we have sunflowers coming up in about six different areas. In fact, all the sunflowers I planted are coming up nicely. We also have hollyhocks, zinnias, marigolds, and day lilies coming up in various places.
The only things we’re not having any luck with are the seeds we tried to start in some little dishes. We have dishes of peppers, tomatoes, green onions, and strawberries, but so far nothing is showing. I suppose I’ll pick up some more seeds and just try them directly into the garden.
Sunday and Monday were quite cool and cloudy. We had some pretty good chances for rain, which I was looking forward to knowing they would be good for the plants, but we never got more than a few drops. It was too cold out to do much outside.
Today, Tuesday, it is warming back up a bit so I went out and dug up another section of the garden and started some watermelon seeds. I made five mounds spaced out pretty good so hopefully I’ll have some watermelons to talk about one of these days. I also have some cucumbers that I’ll probably get started one of these days.
Coming up on Thursday is my next eye appointment in Kearney. Hard to believe I haven’t seen Dr. Feilmeier for a month. I’ll be interested to see what he has to say after that length of time. Then on Saturday is Kylie’s graduation. Little Kylie graduating, can you believe it? So we’ll be gone most of that day.
Song of Solomon 4:16 Awake, O north wind, and come, O south wind! Blow upon my garden, let its spices flow. ESV
Jeremiah 29:5 Build houses and live in them; plant gardens and eat their produce. ESV
On Saturday, one of our very hot days, I put in a pretty good day’s work. Across the long west side of our patio area I dug new flower beds. In one section I planted some catnip seeds that we picked up last year and never did anything with. And in the rest I transplanted some mint from the south and east sides of the house. So far the mint looks pretty limp and it hasn’t decided if it wants to live there or not but I hope it makes it.
Everything else is doing pretty well. The pumpkins are looking pretty healthy, we have sunflowers coming up in about six different areas. In fact, all the sunflowers I planted are coming up nicely. We also have hollyhocks, zinnias, marigolds, and day lilies coming up in various places.
The only things we’re not having any luck with are the seeds we tried to start in some little dishes. We have dishes of peppers, tomatoes, green onions, and strawberries, but so far nothing is showing. I suppose I’ll pick up some more seeds and just try them directly into the garden.
Sunday and Monday were quite cool and cloudy. We had some pretty good chances for rain, which I was looking forward to knowing they would be good for the plants, but we never got more than a few drops. It was too cold out to do much outside.
Today, Tuesday, it is warming back up a bit so I went out and dug up another section of the garden and started some watermelon seeds. I made five mounds spaced out pretty good so hopefully I’ll have some watermelons to talk about one of these days. I also have some cucumbers that I’ll probably get started one of these days.
Coming up on Thursday is my next eye appointment in Kearney. Hard to believe I haven’t seen Dr. Feilmeier for a month. I’ll be interested to see what he has to say after that length of time. Then on Saturday is Kylie’s graduation. Little Kylie graduating, can you believe it? So we’ll be gone most of that day.
Song of Solomon 4:16 Awake, O north wind, and come, O south wind! Blow upon my garden, let its spices flow. ESV
Jeremiah 29:5 Build houses and live in them; plant gardens and eat their produce. ESV
Thursday, April 26, 2012
Journal - Dr. Halsted
On Thursday we traveled to Grand Island to see Dr. Halsted. Dr. Halsted, if you remember, is an associate of Dr. Feilmeier from Midwest Eye Care in Omaha. Dr. Feilmeier visits Kearney once a month while Dr. Halsted visits Grand Island on a rotating basis so that one of them is in this area every two weeks.
We left home at 11am for my 12:30 appointment at Proffitt Eye Center. As it turns out, that office is just a few blocks away from Central Catholic High School, where we were last week for District Music Contest. We arrived at 12:00.
The office was busy and we had quite a wait. It was about 1:30 before we were taken into an exam room, but from there it was only about 10 minutes before the doctor came in. The report was encouraging.
Two weeks ago my vision tested at 20/200 and pinholed to 20/50. Today I tested at 20/70 while still pinholing to 20/50. The pinhole test is supposed to tell what my best possible vision might be with corrective lenses. The doctor checked me out and said the spot in my eye looks to be healing over nicely. Of course, this is the first time he’s seen me so he didn’t have much to compare to, but I got the feeling he was expecting something worse from what he had heard from Dr. Feilmeier. Aside from the bad spot, he said the rest of my cornea is looking very good and the sutures are secure. He said that this spot may have been a flare-up as a result of the herpetic virus that showed up at around the same time. He didn’t adjust any of my meds because that is Dr. Feilmeier’s place to do, but he would recommend backing off the Natycyn when he spoke with Dr. Feilmeier. All in all, it was a good and encouraging report.
And that was it. We got back home at about 3pm. The day was cloudy and gray and much cooler than the last two so I didn’t mind missing a day of working in the yard. Joni and I needed a break from that anyway as we are both a little sore and tired from our exertions.
Psalms 107:19-20 Then they cried to the Lord in their trouble, and he delivered them from their distress. He sent out his word and healed them ESV
Exodus 23:25 You shall serve the Lord your God, and he will bless your bread and your water, and I will take sickness away from among you.
We left home at 11am for my 12:30 appointment at Proffitt Eye Center. As it turns out, that office is just a few blocks away from Central Catholic High School, where we were last week for District Music Contest. We arrived at 12:00.
The office was busy and we had quite a wait. It was about 1:30 before we were taken into an exam room, but from there it was only about 10 minutes before the doctor came in. The report was encouraging.
Two weeks ago my vision tested at 20/200 and pinholed to 20/50. Today I tested at 20/70 while still pinholing to 20/50. The pinhole test is supposed to tell what my best possible vision might be with corrective lenses. The doctor checked me out and said the spot in my eye looks to be healing over nicely. Of course, this is the first time he’s seen me so he didn’t have much to compare to, but I got the feeling he was expecting something worse from what he had heard from Dr. Feilmeier. Aside from the bad spot, he said the rest of my cornea is looking very good and the sutures are secure. He said that this spot may have been a flare-up as a result of the herpetic virus that showed up at around the same time. He didn’t adjust any of my meds because that is Dr. Feilmeier’s place to do, but he would recommend backing off the Natycyn when he spoke with Dr. Feilmeier. All in all, it was a good and encouraging report.
And that was it. We got back home at about 3pm. The day was cloudy and gray and much cooler than the last two so I didn’t mind missing a day of working in the yard. Joni and I needed a break from that anyway as we are both a little sore and tired from our exertions.
Psalms 107:19-20 Then they cried to the Lord in their trouble, and he delivered them from their distress. He sent out his word and healed them ESV
Exodus 23:25 You shall serve the Lord your God, and he will bless your bread and your water, and I will take sickness away from among you.
Thursday, June 23, 2011
Journal - Physical
Yesterday, I had my physical with Dr. Jensen. Like I mentioned before, I haven’t had a physical for a long time, so I wasn’t really sure what to expect, but I kind of figured it would be a complete check-up: blood work, urine sample, prostate exam, hernia, the whole nine yards. That wasn’t quite how it went though.
My appointment was at 2:40, and I think we got there maybe 10 minutes early. There was a little bit of paperwork to fill out as usual, and a little bit of confusion over whether it was okay for Joni to sign my name or not, (I ended up signing it myself). Then we sat down and about one minute later, the nurse came out and led us back to an exam room.
She took my height and weight. I was pleased with my weight, she said I was around 180. I think it’s been about 10 years since I weighed 180; last year I was around 190 or 195. That exercise bike is really paying off. Then she checked my pulse, temperature, and blood pressure, all of which were normal. Then she sat down at the computer and went through the questionnaire about my medical history. She asked me if Dr. Feilmeier’s office wanted any particular tests done, and I said I didn’t know. When I made the appointment, I told them Dr. Feilmeier would be faxing them some information, but I got the impression that the fax hadn’t come, or it had been lost. She then asked about where Dr. Feilmeier was located and everything which made it sound like they were going to get in touch with him to make sure we did everything that was necessary, so I felt okay about that.
That was it for the nurse, so she left, and it was only a few minutes before the doctor came in. He asked a few questions about my upcoming surgery and my history and all that. He checked my ears, nose, and throat, listened to my lungs, and felt both sides of my abdomen. And that was it. That’s all he did. All together, we were probably not even there for half an hour. I wasn’t complaining, though, I was glad it was over with.
So we drove home. Just as we pulled up in front of the house, my phone began to ring from my back pocket. It was Dr. Jensen’s office calling to say they needed to do some blood work and when could I come back? Hmmph! So we made an appointment for next Monday at 9:00 am.
I can’t really say that I was surprised when the nurse called back. Also, I don’t feel like I’m in a big rush to get all this done and get my surgery as quickly as possible. Some things are worth waiting for, and this is definitely one of those. Still, I was perturbed at having to make another trip to Kearney, gas prices being what they are.
Oh, I also asked the doctor for a prescription for Nasonex. That’s an allergy/sinus nasal spray that I used for a few years before I lost my insurance. Ever since I got my Medicare, I’ve been wanting to get that again so this was the perfect opportunity. He sent the prescription right up to the Walmart pharmacy, and I was just going to have Joni pick it up when she goes to do the shopping next week, but I guess we can get it on Monday now.
So there we are. I’m only half a step closer to surgery instead of a full step, but half a step is better than none.
Psalms 150:3-5 "Praise him with trumpet sound; praise him with lute and harp! Praise him with tambourine and dance; praise him with strings and pipe! Praise him with sounding cymbals; praise him with loud clashing cymbals!"
My appointment was at 2:40, and I think we got there maybe 10 minutes early. There was a little bit of paperwork to fill out as usual, and a little bit of confusion over whether it was okay for Joni to sign my name or not, (I ended up signing it myself). Then we sat down and about one minute later, the nurse came out and led us back to an exam room.
She took my height and weight. I was pleased with my weight, she said I was around 180. I think it’s been about 10 years since I weighed 180; last year I was around 190 or 195. That exercise bike is really paying off. Then she checked my pulse, temperature, and blood pressure, all of which were normal. Then she sat down at the computer and went through the questionnaire about my medical history. She asked me if Dr. Feilmeier’s office wanted any particular tests done, and I said I didn’t know. When I made the appointment, I told them Dr. Feilmeier would be faxing them some information, but I got the impression that the fax hadn’t come, or it had been lost. She then asked about where Dr. Feilmeier was located and everything which made it sound like they were going to get in touch with him to make sure we did everything that was necessary, so I felt okay about that.
That was it for the nurse, so she left, and it was only a few minutes before the doctor came in. He asked a few questions about my upcoming surgery and my history and all that. He checked my ears, nose, and throat, listened to my lungs, and felt both sides of my abdomen. And that was it. That’s all he did. All together, we were probably not even there for half an hour. I wasn’t complaining, though, I was glad it was over with.
So we drove home. Just as we pulled up in front of the house, my phone began to ring from my back pocket. It was Dr. Jensen’s office calling to say they needed to do some blood work and when could I come back? Hmmph! So we made an appointment for next Monday at 9:00 am.
I can’t really say that I was surprised when the nurse called back. Also, I don’t feel like I’m in a big rush to get all this done and get my surgery as quickly as possible. Some things are worth waiting for, and this is definitely one of those. Still, I was perturbed at having to make another trip to Kearney, gas prices being what they are.
Oh, I also asked the doctor for a prescription for Nasonex. That’s an allergy/sinus nasal spray that I used for a few years before I lost my insurance. Ever since I got my Medicare, I’ve been wanting to get that again so this was the perfect opportunity. He sent the prescription right up to the Walmart pharmacy, and I was just going to have Joni pick it up when she goes to do the shopping next week, but I guess we can get it on Monday now.
So there we are. I’m only half a step closer to surgery instead of a full step, but half a step is better than none.
Psalms 150:3-5 "Praise him with trumpet sound; praise him with lute and harp! Praise him with tambourine and dance; praise him with strings and pipe! Praise him with sounding cymbals; praise him with loud clashing cymbals!"
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)