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

Journal - Infection

I guess I have a little catching up to do, so here goes.

I had an appointment with Dr. Feilmeier in Kearney on March 8. Two or three days before that I started noticing some things in my eye. I’ve been down the infection road quite a few times and know most of the signs by heart: a little more redness than usual, a little more light sensitivity than usual. So I was pretty sure there was an infection starting up but since I already had an appointment I decided to wait until then and let Doc take a look at it.

On March 8, Doc confirmed my suspicions and said that one of my sutures had loosened and allowed an infection to set in. We are now five months out from surgery and under normal circumstances the sutures would have probably been out by now, but Doc had told me right from the start that he would leave mine in much longer to give the cornea some extra stability while it healed completely. This being because of my history of problems and the fact that I only have one eye, “Driving on the spare.” As Doc so eloquently phrases it,

Doc gave me two new eye drops to use, Zymaxid and Vancomycin. Zymaxid is kind of a general bacterial antibiotic which I had used for a while following surgery. Vancomycin is a bit more potent and is also used to treat bacterial infections. The Zymaxid is common and can be picked up at most any pharmacy but the Vancomycin is a special solution that has to be made to order. The doctor’s assistant called around Kearney and couldn’t find any pharmacist that could make it but finally found one in Holdrege so we had to drive over to Holdrege to pick that one up.

After giving me my instructions Doc said he wanted to see me again the following Monday (as I expected) which meant a trip to Omaha. I further expected that it would take more than just one trip to Omaha but that remained to be seen.

So on Monday the 12th we headed out bright and early for the big city. Not quite bright and early enough though, we got there half an hour late for my appointment and the doctor had already left the office. Dr. Feilmeier keeps hours at three different offices in Omaha, all Midwest Eye Care locations. Two are in Omaha and the other is across the state line in Council Bluffs. The Council Bluffs location is where he had afternoon hours that day so we made arrangements to go over there and see him. Luckily that office is only another 8 miles east of where we were.

We got there with no trouble and Doc took a look at my eye. He said things didn’t look much better but not much worse either. He made some slight adjustments to my regimen of drops and said to come back on Wednesday. I like Dr. Feilmeier a lot, he always seems so apologetic knowing that these are long trips for us, but he is very frank about the need to get things under control as quickly as possible and I agree with him completely on that. He’s a good doctor and it’s clear to me that he really cares about the outcome of all this.

Wednesday morning we left early again and made it on time for my appointment. On this visit Doc told me that in addition to the cold sore virus there was another spot in my eye and he wasn’t really sure what it was. He took some cultures of it to send to the lab to be identified. In the meantime he gave me a prescription for another drop called Viroptic, the generic form being Trifluridine, which I am very familiar with. The infection that I had a lot of trouble with several years ago was a herpes simplex virus. It’s not the sexually transmitted type of herpes, but rather the kind that causes cold sores. Trifluridine is used to combat that type of virus. As was explained to me years ago, there’s no cure for this type of virus, all you can do is try to keep it from flaring up. Since my surgery in October, I’ve been taking a pill called Acyclovir for that very reason. I was taking 400mg twice a day, so on this visit Doc upped it to 800mg five times a day. So by this time I had four kinds of drops and the pills. Doc said he wanted to see me again on Wednesday so we trudged home knowing that we would be back in two days. On our way, we stopped at the University pharmacy to pick up the Trifluridine. That was only a few blocks from the office.

By then Joni’s back was starting to give her some trouble so I made arrangements with Mom so she could drive me on Friday. On this day Doc said that the herpetic virus was completely cleared up, but the other spot was still there, no better and no worse. He called the lab to see if there were any results on the cultures yet, but so far nothing. He said those can take up to two weeks to show anything. By this time he was thinking that this other spot might be fungal so he gave me two more prescriptions: a drop called Natycyn and a pill called Doxycycline, both of which are for fungal infections. That brought the total up to five drops and two pills, the drops being used 6 times a day each. Quite a regimen. We stopped at the pharmacy again to pick those up and then headed back home with another appointment for the following Monday.

On Monday the 19th there was still no change and still no results from the cultures. Doc reduced all my drops to four times a day and sent us home with an appointment for Thursday.

On Tuesday, the doctor’s scheduler called and said he would have an emergency surgery on Thursday morning and that we would have to reschedule. So the appointment got pushed back to Friday at 11 am.

Friday came and still no change and still no culture results. Doc seemed okay with the fact that the spot was not going away because it wasn’t getting any worse either. As far as the cultures went, even though it hadn’t been two weeks yet, he seemed satisfied that this was probably not fungal in nature and said that it may just be an inflammatory reaction due to my allergies and such, this being allergy season. So out came the old prescription pad once again, this time for Prednisone, which I have talked about before. Prednisone reduces inflammation and is very good for clearing up my lungs, sinuses, and skin, although I’ve never had it prescribed for my eyes before. Since everything seemed stable, my next appointment is for Thursday the 29th.

We always stop at York on the way home for a late lunch or early supper, but since Friday was Joni’s 32nd birthday, she wanted to stop at the York Walmart as well to spend some of her birthday money. We dropped off my prescription at the pharmacy and then shopped for a bit. Joni got herself some flowers to plant outside, and she also bought t-shirts and work gloves for Adam and me. Apparently what she really wanted for her birthday was for me and Adam to be comfortable while we work out in the yard.

So that’s where we stand right now. Through all this God has been with us, giving us safe travels, keeping our aging car running beautifully, and providing financial help for all that gas through family and church. I am confident that he has a purpose in al this, maybe just to remind us that He is always in control, a reminder that I seem to need rather frequently. Whatever the case may be, I know that everything is working out according to His plan and that He will take care of everything as He always does.

Psalms 136:16 "Your eyes saw my unformed substance; in your book were written, every one of them, the days that were formed for me, when as yet there was none of them." ESV

Jeremiah 29:11 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.

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!"

Journal - The Lion Sleeps Tonight

Well, I’m overdue for an update, so here goes.

I called the lady from the Lion’s Club last Saturday. I had called her a couple of weeks before that and left a message with her husband. She called me back two days later and left me a message, then I called her and left another message. That was it for about a week until I finally called her again last Saturday. She never has called me back so now I’m starting to wonder what that was all about. Maybe she’s away on vacation or something. I debated for a few days about how much I wanted to try and force the issue, but I finally decided I do want to push it. Today I searched the internet and found an email address for the Lion’s Club in Kearney. I sent an email with a brief explanation of my situation and asked if they could help me. I didn’t mention my attempts to contact this other lady, just told them I was trying to get help paying for eye surgery. She might be with the Lion’s in Kearney for all I know, I thought Gibbon had its own chapter but the Lion’s website didn’t show one. So we’ll see if anything comes of that. If nobody answers my email, there’s also a phone number I can try.

On Wednesday I had a dentist appointment. I saw the dentist at the beginning of the month and got three teeth pulled, two wisdom teeth and a molar; this time he started working on my fourth bad tooth which is closer to the front. He did a root canal. I was a little worried about that, I’ve never had one before and everyone always talks about how horrible they are. I found it to be much less of a bother than the extractions, I’ve had very little pain. After the root canal, he filled the tooth with a temporary filling. A little while after we got home, I ate something and the filling popped right out so I had to go back and get another one. My next appointment is September 15 when he will make the final preparations and measurements for a crown. Then I’ll have one more visit to have the crown put in. What a tremendous relief it will be to have that all done. My teeth have been bothering me a lot for a long, long time. I think I’ve mentioned that I even have bad dreams about them sometimes.

On the way home from our second trip to the dentist, we heard kind of a popping sound and one of the wheels on my truck started grinding and squealing very loudly. Our hearts sank because we were already trying to figure out how we were going to pay for this dental work. The sound was like a wheel after the brake pad is completely gone and the brakes are just grinding on metal. We were only about a mile from home when it happened so we drove on home. The noise went away completely but started to come back gradually. Joni said there was a lot of mud caked around the inside of the wheel so it might just be that. Today she took the hose and cleaned it off and the noise is gone. I asked Brad if he could take a look anyway, just in case, I know how expensive brake work can get if you don’t take care of it right away. So we’re going to Brad’s tomorrow. Actually, I asked Brad what was the best place in Kearney to have it looked at, and he said he would do it. My big brother is a pretty good guy. He sure has helped us out a lot over the last year and a half.

So let’s see: Lion’s, dentist, car, I think that’s about it. It’s been a rough week. I was pretty depressed all week about the Lion lady not returning my calls, but I made a decision about that today and feel better. Also, the truck may not be as bad as I first thought so I’m feeling better about that too.

Oh, I don’t know if I ever mentioned my visit to the doctor earlier this month. My sinuses have been kind of bad so I wanted to see what we could do about that. She recommended a nasal spray called Nasocort. I used Nasonex for several years and it worked well for me, and the doctor said Nasocort is pretty much the same thing. She sent in some paperwork for me to see if I can get it for free from the pharmaceutical company through their assistance program. I’ve been getting all my asthma medicine free for several months now and Nasocort is made by the same company so I’m keeping my fingers crossed. In the meantime, the doctor gave me several free samples.

So that’s about it. See you next time!

Ezekiel 36:26 I will give you a new heart and put a new spirit in you; I will remove from you your heart of stone and give you a heart of flesh.