Today is my first day back at work with my new eyes. I can see pretty well, but my eyes seem to have been intermittently blurry all day. Fortunately, this is very common. I just keep putting my Refresh eye drops in and hope for the best. When I had my post-op checkup yesterday, he said my eyes were seeing 20/30 and 20/40. Not bad considering it was less than 24 hours before that I had had my surgery!
So today isn't too bad, it's just the blurriness. It's like I have my contacts in and they need a quick rinse...but there are no contacts! And I must say, waking up in the morning and being able to see the clock and walk to the bathroom, etc. without putting any glasses on is one of the coolest things I've ever felt! In fact, I was so touched by the whole matter, while I was driving back to Kansas City yesterday from McPherson, I had tears well up in my eyes because I was just so incredible happy that I could see. Without contacts or glasses. It really is amazing. Believe it or not, this is the first time I haven't had any contacts or glasses since 1st grade. 7 years old. Why didn't I do this sooner???!!!
Anyway, must go. It's time to start wrapping up my shift. More later on my new-found eyesight. Stay tuned.
Sunday, February 24, 2008
Wednesday, February 20, 2008
42 more hours and counting....
Who cares about the gorgeous sun shining outside....the couch has been my hideout ALL day today. I've got very congested sinus' and a nose that is either stuffed up or suddenly dripping. Really I'm not sick, just very sniffly. Nothin like the Food Network permanently plastered on my TV screen.
On top of my sniffly-ness, I have to wear my glasses. All day. Every day. Here's why: My time has finally come to have Lasik. I'm going to see Dr. Kingrey (the same doc that did my mom's lens implant) on Friday and most likely having him laser the crap out of my worthless corneas. (Sexy, huh?) Therefore, I must have my contacts out. And like I told Alex, I think the only reason they make you take your contacts out a week in advance is so at the end of the week you're so tired of wearing glasses that you're begging to have the stupid surgery done. The plan is to drive home to Mac tomorrow after work, have dad take me to Newton on Friday for my appointment and lasering; have a quick check up on Saturday post-op; drive back to KC and work Sunday, Monday, Wednesday. Then I'm off to Colorado! How cool would it be to be able to ski without any contacts in? Scary, but cool!
I think my body is rebelling today from my day of work yesterday (which was horrible, by the way.) Give me a day with a terrible charge nurse, a headache and bloodshot eyes due to wearing my glasses and a head full of snot, and I'm almost guaranteed to curl up on the couch for at least 24 hours. Too bad I have to work again tomorrow. But don't you worry, my manager and I will be chatting about this charge nurse situation. It is absolutely ridiculous to have a charge nurse that gripes out orders and rattles off patients that we absolutely have to take from the ER, and then does nothing to help anyone. Oh, and then as everyone is running around like chickens with their heads cut off at shift change so they can get everything done, she's strolls out with her purse the moment it's ok to clock out. THAT is ridiculous. So please, if you're reading this and you are or will sometime have the chance to be a charge nurse, keep these things in mind. Those things don't make the nursing staff happy.
Anyway, I've got to get dinner a-stirrin for Alex and I tonight. We're having barbecue turkey burgers smothered with carmelized onions. I know, I should be a gourmet cook. Just thank my healthy meals on the run cookbook.
Talk to you when my corneas are functioning again!
On top of my sniffly-ness, I have to wear my glasses. All day. Every day. Here's why: My time has finally come to have Lasik. I'm going to see Dr. Kingrey (the same doc that did my mom's lens implant) on Friday and most likely having him laser the crap out of my worthless corneas. (Sexy, huh?) Therefore, I must have my contacts out. And like I told Alex, I think the only reason they make you take your contacts out a week in advance is so at the end of the week you're so tired of wearing glasses that you're begging to have the stupid surgery done. The plan is to drive home to Mac tomorrow after work, have dad take me to Newton on Friday for my appointment and lasering; have a quick check up on Saturday post-op; drive back to KC and work Sunday, Monday, Wednesday. Then I'm off to Colorado! How cool would it be to be able to ski without any contacts in? Scary, but cool!
I think my body is rebelling today from my day of work yesterday (which was horrible, by the way.) Give me a day with a terrible charge nurse, a headache and bloodshot eyes due to wearing my glasses and a head full of snot, and I'm almost guaranteed to curl up on the couch for at least 24 hours. Too bad I have to work again tomorrow. But don't you worry, my manager and I will be chatting about this charge nurse situation. It is absolutely ridiculous to have a charge nurse that gripes out orders and rattles off patients that we absolutely have to take from the ER, and then does nothing to help anyone. Oh, and then as everyone is running around like chickens with their heads cut off at shift change so they can get everything done, she's strolls out with her purse the moment it's ok to clock out. THAT is ridiculous. So please, if you're reading this and you are or will sometime have the chance to be a charge nurse, keep these things in mind. Those things don't make the nursing staff happy.
Anyway, I've got to get dinner a-stirrin for Alex and I tonight. We're having barbecue turkey burgers smothered with carmelized onions. I know, I should be a gourmet cook. Just thank my healthy meals on the run cookbook.
Talk to you when my corneas are functioning again!
Sunday, February 17, 2008
New Pictures!
Got a couple pictures last night (and I do mean only a couple) with a few friends eating at Kona Grill on the Plaza. I wouldn't be so excited about them, except that I finally got a decent wintertime picture that doesn't reflect my ghost-white complexion, which seems to make me look sickly and fat in most classic wintertime poses. So here they are. Savor them while it lasts! (Did I mention that I can't WAIT for summer? I say this as it is blizzarding outside on top of the already what-looks-like 4-5 inches on the ground. Grrrr.)
This is one of my best friends, Alyson. She is married to one of my high school friends, Bret. This would have been a good picture. (C'mon Bret, we don't want you in the picture.)
+001.jpg)
Alyson and I again. Much better.
+002.jpg)
Bret finally got his picture. He is on the left, and on the right is our friend Chris Olsen who is an anchorman out in West Virginia. He does have an attention problem, if you can't tell.
+003.jpg)
This is one of my best friends, Alyson. She is married to one of my high school friends, Bret. This would have been a good picture. (C'mon Bret, we don't want you in the picture.)
+001.jpg)
Alyson and I again. Much better.
+002.jpg)
Bret finally got his picture. He is on the left, and on the right is our friend Chris Olsen who is an anchorman out in West Virginia. He does have an attention problem, if you can't tell.
+003.jpg)
Saturday, February 16, 2008
Another Week Done, 2 More to Go!
After working Monday, Tuesday and Thursday, I finished off this Valentine's day week with a good helping of sinus headache, fatigue and a slight bit of wheezing. Although today the wheezing seems to have subsided, the fatigue and headache still seem to be hanging on. Even though being any sort of sick at all is a bummer, but I find myself rather lucky amongst all the influenza A, influenza B and other infections that are going around. If this is the worst it's gonna get, than I should be thankful! And if I can get it all out of my system before we going skiing in a couple weeks, that would be even better!
This "skiing" that I speak of is the Koehn Family Ski Trip that we are taking the last weekend of February into the first couple days of March. To say the least we are VERY excited to have a vacation away from Kansas City as well as our jobs. We will be staying at Alex's grandpa's cabin in Frisco, CO. Alex and I are heading out a day early to meet up with my dear friend/sorority sister in Keystone to fit in a good day of skiing with her. Then after that we will be skiing around the Frisco area for the rest of the weekend. You would think that with all the cold weather and snow around here lately that I wouldn't be excited to go play in MORE snow and cold weather. But as long as I can get away from the busy-ness of the hospital for a few days, I will be content!
No new pictures to post for you. The one night that we could've gotten some really good ones ended up being a very boring, lifeless evening, thus resulting in NO pictures. So, instead of new pictures, I'll go ahead and post some OLD ones to remind me of the good 'ol days of Australia. Enjoy!
This is one of my favorites. We all look so happy! (Probably because we're so tan. And on the Gold Coast. I mean really, who wouldn't be happy in those circumstances?)
This one of my best friends, Molly, and I holding up a shark (dead, of course) that reminded us of Bruce from Finding Nemo. Molly is from Indianapolis, IN and is still one of my very close friends.
These are all of my Australia roommates. We were all the bestest of friends and had the time of our lives. We called our house "The Real World." This was one of our last pictures all together and we had planned to frame it and hang on the wall in our Real World house. I don't think any of us ever did. Someday it will make it on my wall.
This "skiing" that I speak of is the Koehn Family Ski Trip that we are taking the last weekend of February into the first couple days of March. To say the least we are VERY excited to have a vacation away from Kansas City as well as our jobs. We will be staying at Alex's grandpa's cabin in Frisco, CO. Alex and I are heading out a day early to meet up with my dear friend/sorority sister in Keystone to fit in a good day of skiing with her. Then after that we will be skiing around the Frisco area for the rest of the weekend. You would think that with all the cold weather and snow around here lately that I wouldn't be excited to go play in MORE snow and cold weather. But as long as I can get away from the busy-ness of the hospital for a few days, I will be content!
No new pictures to post for you. The one night that we could've gotten some really good ones ended up being a very boring, lifeless evening, thus resulting in NO pictures. So, instead of new pictures, I'll go ahead and post some OLD ones to remind me of the good 'ol days of Australia. Enjoy!
This is one of my favorites. We all look so happy! (Probably because we're so tan. And on the Gold Coast. I mean really, who wouldn't be happy in those circumstances?)
This one of my best friends, Molly, and I holding up a shark (dead, of course) that reminded us of Bruce from Finding Nemo. Molly is from Indianapolis, IN and is still one of my very close friends.
These are all of my Australia roommates. We were all the bestest of friends and had the time of our lives. We called our house "The Real World." This was one of our last pictures all together and we had planned to frame it and hang on the wall in our Real World house. I don't think any of us ever did. Someday it will make it on my wall.
Tuesday, February 5, 2008
Yes, I'm Here!
As I sit here munching on a Thin Mint Girl Scout Cookie and reading everyone's blog's, I am realizing that it really HAS been a long time since I've written. I guess it also dawned on me today when I got an email from a certain relative reminding me of my "absenteeism." I replied and told her that because it takes me so long to map out a perfect paragraph with perfect verbage and grammar, my blogs tend to be few and far between. But I guess that the structure of my blog isn't what matters here, right? Sometimes I wish I could be like my other blogging family members that make their websites look so professional, you know, with the links to other blogs and tags and all that whatnot? But I mean really, who actually knows what a "tag" or a "label" is actually supposed to be for?!! Looks like you guys are lucky to get a few pictures in with mine :)
Anyway, things have been good on this side of Kansas/Missouri. Work takes up 3 days of my week (and I mean 3 whole days) and then the rest of my weeks have been occupied by Alex, social gatherings and one long weekend with the parents. Ha! (It really wasn't that long, but putting up those curtains really took it out of me!)
In my quote unquote spare time, I've really been taking to some hobbies that I feel like have been lost but not forgotten in my college/nursing school years. Since Alex has a love for cooking, I really have been attempting to scavenger up meals for us on days that I don't work. This has required me to venture out to Barnes & Noble and buy a "healthy cooking on the run" type of cookbook, as well as learn to season and spice up the foods. (You wouldn't think that seasoning was an art, now would you? Boy are YOU wrong.)
I've also ventured into the world of On-Demand FitTV-what a revolution! This cold weather and snow have made my workouts rather dull and uninviting, especially when I have to walk IN THE COLD to get to the clubhouse. Hence the On-Demand FitTV. I think every home should have On-Demand.
In addition to my FitTV, I think I want to find a fun class to take somewhere in the area to squeeze in some extra fitness time, such as a hip-hop dance class, Pilates or something that's just plain fun. Getting on the treadmill or Eliptical in a 4x4 fitness room isn't really cuttin' for me anymore.
Did I forget to mention that I'm going for a Lasik consultation next week? Yeah, I'm super excited. I don't know if it's just the idea of eye surgery, or that my eyes just plain suck, but my contacts seem to be bothering me worse and worse every single day. The day that I can wake up in the morning and be able to go to the bathroom without stumbling and fumbling due to my eyes being practically blind (I'm really not kidding about the blindness) will be a glorious day. And when I don't have to take time out of my work day to stop and rinse off my contacts because there's so much "goo" (aka protein) on them, I will be ecstatic. So to say the least, I'm ready for Dr. Cavanaugh to sign me up for some surgery! (Who knew anyone, especially me, would EVER be so excited for surgery.)
In addition to my exciting eye surgery, I have made the big decision to buy a car...in about 5 months. Now as most of you know, my "MicroMachine" as I like to call it, really has lasted me a LONG time. Let's see now, how many cross-country trips did it make? 1 trip from McPherson to Tucson, AZ and back; 1 trip from Tucson, AZ to San Diego, CA and back; I'm guessing about 6 trips from McPherson to Danville, IL and back; infinite numbers of trip from Danville to Lafayette, IN/Cadillac, MI and back; and who knows where else. That car really has quite the stories to tell. But as good as it has been, I think it's time to retire it. It just had fresh spark plugs and "gaskets" (whatever those are) put on yesterday by my dear boyfriend, (bless his heart), so she should be rarin' to go for her next adventure. I'm looking at '04-'06 Jeep Grand Cherokee Laredo's, and '06-'07 Toyota Highlander's. Any preferences out there? I really have done a lot of research on both cars and they both look fairly appealing. But I'm still in the money-saving process so I'm thinking about June or July I'll start really eying my future beauty. That's if the MicroMachine will last me that long.
Anyway I've had a very long day at work that included a 1 clueless student, 1 admission, 5 patients and lots and lots of crap. Literally. So it's my bedtime. I'll include a couple pictures here at the end of some recent fun times with Alex. Hope all is well with everyone! Keep blogging...I DO read everyone else's, I just fail to keep mine up to date :)
Yeah, so we're dorks like that :)
I thought this might be a framer.
+003.jpg)
This is Amy, a girlfriend of one of Alex's old roomates from Pittsburg. Alex thinks we look a lot alike.
Anyway, things have been good on this side of Kansas/Missouri. Work takes up 3 days of my week (and I mean 3 whole days) and then the rest of my weeks have been occupied by Alex, social gatherings and one long weekend with the parents. Ha! (It really wasn't that long, but putting up those curtains really took it out of me!)
In my quote unquote spare time, I've really been taking to some hobbies that I feel like have been lost but not forgotten in my college/nursing school years. Since Alex has a love for cooking, I really have been attempting to scavenger up meals for us on days that I don't work. This has required me to venture out to Barnes & Noble and buy a "healthy cooking on the run" type of cookbook, as well as learn to season and spice up the foods. (You wouldn't think that seasoning was an art, now would you? Boy are YOU wrong.)
I've also ventured into the world of On-Demand FitTV-what a revolution! This cold weather and snow have made my workouts rather dull and uninviting, especially when I have to walk IN THE COLD to get to the clubhouse. Hence the On-Demand FitTV. I think every home should have On-Demand.
In addition to my FitTV, I think I want to find a fun class to take somewhere in the area to squeeze in some extra fitness time, such as a hip-hop dance class, Pilates or something that's just plain fun. Getting on the treadmill or Eliptical in a 4x4 fitness room isn't really cuttin' for me anymore.
Did I forget to mention that I'm going for a Lasik consultation next week? Yeah, I'm super excited. I don't know if it's just the idea of eye surgery, or that my eyes just plain suck, but my contacts seem to be bothering me worse and worse every single day. The day that I can wake up in the morning and be able to go to the bathroom without stumbling and fumbling due to my eyes being practically blind (I'm really not kidding about the blindness) will be a glorious day. And when I don't have to take time out of my work day to stop and rinse off my contacts because there's so much "goo" (aka protein) on them, I will be ecstatic. So to say the least, I'm ready for Dr. Cavanaugh to sign me up for some surgery! (Who knew anyone, especially me, would EVER be so excited for surgery.)
In addition to my exciting eye surgery, I have made the big decision to buy a car...in about 5 months. Now as most of you know, my "MicroMachine" as I like to call it, really has lasted me a LONG time. Let's see now, how many cross-country trips did it make? 1 trip from McPherson to Tucson, AZ and back; 1 trip from Tucson, AZ to San Diego, CA and back; I'm guessing about 6 trips from McPherson to Danville, IL and back; infinite numbers of trip from Danville to Lafayette, IN/Cadillac, MI and back; and who knows where else. That car really has quite the stories to tell. But as good as it has been, I think it's time to retire it. It just had fresh spark plugs and "gaskets" (whatever those are) put on yesterday by my dear boyfriend, (bless his heart), so she should be rarin' to go for her next adventure. I'm looking at '04-'06 Jeep Grand Cherokee Laredo's, and '06-'07 Toyota Highlander's. Any preferences out there? I really have done a lot of research on both cars and they both look fairly appealing. But I'm still in the money-saving process so I'm thinking about June or July I'll start really eying my future beauty. That's if the MicroMachine will last me that long.
Anyway I've had a very long day at work that included a 1 clueless student, 1 admission, 5 patients and lots and lots of crap. Literally. So it's my bedtime. I'll include a couple pictures here at the end of some recent fun times with Alex. Hope all is well with everyone! Keep blogging...I DO read everyone else's, I just fail to keep mine up to date :)
Yeah, so we're dorks like that :)
I thought this might be a framer.
+003.jpg)
This is Amy, a girlfriend of one of Alex's old roomates from Pittsburg. Alex thinks we look a lot alike.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)