The past year has been a blur. It’s not that time flew by too quickly. Cataracts were the culprits.
It was like someone dropped a cheesecloth shade over my eyeballs. Extremely annoying. Very difficult to see. Driving became impossible. I walked around the grocery store unable to make out labels or prices.
I covered Lantana meetings and although I was seated only a few rows from the front, I was unable to discern the expressions on council members’ faces. If they were rolling their eyes (and I’m not saying they were), I wouldn’t have known.
I know I spent too much time at the computer, but doing that became almost painful and I was sitting way too close to the screen. I came close to giving up writing and editing, a career I have enjoyed for decades.
I spent a few months near my family in Wisconsin and, while I might not have been able to see the worry on their faces, their anguish was audible. “Aunt Mary,” my nephew said, “why are you always looking down?”
My eyes felt more comfortable when they were closed, so, I often looked down or closed my eyes.
Adding to my misery, I suddenly found a new nemesis: atrial fibrillation, a common heart rhythm disorder where chaotic electrical signals cause the upper chambers of the heart to beat rapidly and uncoordinatedly.
I hadn’t heard of A-fib before, but fortunately for me one of my nieces is a cardiac nurse practitioner with decades of experience and connections in the medical community. She may have saved me from a stroke.
She took me to the ER because my heart was racing faster than stock cars at the Daytona 500. I was so exhausted, I couldn’t walk 20 feet without wanting to stop and rest.
When it comes to health issues, I’ve lived a charmed life. I don’t get sick and I haven’t had to take a prescription drug until I was hit with this weird combination of cataracts and A-fib. So, this mess hit me hard.
People kept saying this was all part of growing old. They told me that “old age ain’t no place for sissies,” as Bette Davis famously said. To which I replied: “Hello, my name is Mary, and I am a sissy!”
The A-fib resulted in a few hospital stays and postponed my return to Florida, which meant I missed a doctor’s appointment, delaying cataract surgery for several months. I ended up having to find a new ophthalmologist and found a great one in Boynton Beach. My eyes were still too dry and again surgery had to be delayed. It took several doctor visits, hot compresses, a couple of amniotic patches and a bucketload of drops to get my eyes ready for surgery.
But this story has a happy ending. In June my cataracts were removed, and new lenses were placed on my peepers. I’m happy to report that I can see again! I can drive again. I can also see all the wrinkles on my face and all the dust on my dashboard.
I’m so grateful every single day. I am thankful for my doctor, my supportive family, friends and colleagues who drove me to and from appointments, listened to me whine and kept me in their prayers. It all helped. Because now, my vision has been restored!
Oh, and my ticker is behaving, as well. My heart is back in rhythm and so am I.
This has been a transformational year. With my new 20-20 vision, I look forward to seeing what the future has in store for all of us. Eye surgeons are my heroes. Cardiologists, too.
And I will never — cross my newly ablated heart — take my vision or my normal resting pulse for granted.
— Mary Thurwachter, Managing Editor
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