Sensational Haiku Wednesday

Welcome to “Sensational Haiku Wednesday!”

Click here for info and background on this weekly event!

The basics:

Haiku is simple! It is 3 non-rhyming lines of 5, 7, and 5 syllables respectively (a great way to use your fingers!)

As of February 3, 2010, Silly Haiku Wednesday became “Sensational Haiku Wednesday”. Please adjust bookmarks and blog posts accordingly!

This week’s theme is: Metamorphosis

My submission for this week:

Such quiet changes
A hint of what once was good
Happiness returns.

Next week’s theme: Generosity

Note: Nothing makes me happier than to see new people getting “hooked on haiku”! Keep it going to make it to the Hooked on Haiku List

To participate in this week’s event, please use the following code in your post on your own blog (if you don’t have a blog, post your Haiku as a comment):

<a href="http://youknowthatblog.com/tag/haiku-wednesday"><img src="http://youknowthatblog.com/images/youknowthatblog-haiku.jpg" width="250" height="160" alt="Join the fun!" title="Join the fun!"></a>

What a beautiful weekend! The snow is melting, the sun is shining, and all is right with the world.

Wee One was tickled to be outside with just a light jacket, and able to swing in the sunshine. (We’re also tickled that her two bottom teeth are finally coming in!)

Please, Mother Nature… let it stay! We’ve all had enough of winter.

Seeing more clearly… pain is gone!

Another chapter in my surgery saga. It’s been 2 weeks, and I am definitely seeing very well now. I still have very dry eyes, but not nearly as bad as they were (I can actually get them open in the morning now without first using drops), and I don’t have to medicate to get to sleep now. I still can’t drive at night (the glare from headlights is brutal) but I’m hoping that will clear up soon so I don’t wear out the extreme generosity of my loved ones!!

P.S. 6WS visitors – thanks for stopping by! I will return the visit, but can only leave a comment if you have Name/URL enabled on your blog…

When I mentioned that they’d be singing Unchained Melody, I had a request left by JennyMac to upload it to YouTube so she could enjoy one of her favourite songs.

Always eager to please, here it is for your listening pleasure!

As upset as I was with what was going on, I do so love to listen to our guys do this song. I love that I can pick out J-B and Knarf in certain spots too! (ShaMoo and I are obviously very dialed-in to their voices by now, and would know them anywhere!)

They were a big hit at this past concert, for good reason – they were wonderful! Even better in person than the concert recording suggests. And of course seeing them do it was sublime – there was no video taken though.

Our own group was also featured, doing Somewhere Out There, which was such a pleasure to do for this concert! I’ve already uploaded that one before though, so I’ll let the men entertain you on their own this time.

Enjoy!

Sensational Haiku Wednesday

Welcome to “Sensational Haiku Wednesday!”

Click here for info and background on this weekly event!

The basics:

Haiku is simple! It is 3 non-rhyming lines of 5, 7, and 5 syllables respectively (a great way to use your fingers!)

As of February 3, 2010, Silly Haiku Wednesday became “Sensational Haiku Wednesday”. Please adjust bookmarks and blog posts accordingly!

This week’s theme is: Chrysalis

My submission for this week:

Quiet reflection
Changes begin, but slowly
What of the future?

P.S. I just realized that this is my 200th post! :)

Next week’s theme: Metamorphosis

Note: Nothing makes me happier than to see new people getting “hooked on haiku”! Keep it going to make it to the Hooked on Haiku List

To participate in this week’s event, please use the following code in your post on your own blog (if you don’t have a blog, post your Haiku as a comment):

<a href="http://youknowthatblog.com/tag/haiku-wednesday"><img src="http://youknowthatblog.com/images/youknowthatblog-haiku.jpg" width="250" height="160" alt="Join the fun!" title="Join the fun!"></a>

As most of you know, I underwent PRK Advanced Custom Wavefront laser eye surgery last Monday. Following that has been, in all honesty, the week from hell.

A quick [simplified] lesson in the differences between Lasik and PRK surgeries:

With Lasik, there is a flap of tissue lifted on your eye, which is then treated with the precision laser, and then the flap is replaced. It is painless, quick, and recovery time is negligible.

With PRK, there isn’t sufficient corneal tissue to create a flap (there may also be other factors), so the top epithelial layer is removed entirely, the precision laser is used, and then a protective contact lens is placed over the area while the epithelial layer regrows, which usually takes 3-5 days. The procedure is also painless and quick, but the difference in recovery is where we part company with the happy Lasik treatment.

As much as I was excited and so looking forward to this surgery, had I known the agony I would be in for 3 solid days, I am not so sure I would have opted to undergo this procedure.

Understand that I have a very high pain tolerance, and I’ve also been through 2 painful pregnancies, one of which culminated in an extremely unpleasant birth. This, my friends, was worse. The literature and clinic staff did very little to prepare me for what was to come. They said there would be “mild to moderate discomfort, while a “small minority” may experience a lot of pain”.

They lied.

I would be considered one of the “small minority”, but now that I’ve been speaking to more and more people who have had this done, including a couple of the clinic techs, I’ve come to realize that the norm is extreme pain, and the “small minority” experience moderate pain. I don’t think the “mild pain” recipients even exist. They appear to be trained to minimize the discomfort in their literature and preop consultations, and use words like “uncomfortable” rather than “painful”. Granted, every person walking into their clinic represents $2,000 – $5,000, and money is obviously their goal here. Telling them the bald-faced truth would have the PRK candidates running for the hills.

In retrospect, the pain wasn’t my only issue with this experience. The surgeon who did my procedure also added to my nightmare. Yes, he was the best, and yes, he did a bang-up job. But the man was a machine, and treated me like a piece of meat. Zero reassurance, zero bed-side smarts. He didn’t warn me at any point or explain what he was doing, which was beyond disconcerting, and extremely traumatizing. So I was probably in shock too, wrapped tight in multiple warm blankets in my dark bedroom, shaking like a leaf for the better part of 3 days.

I debated whether or not to go into great detail about the procedure, and I think I’ve decided to spare you the details. If you really want to know, you can email me [jenn@... my domain name: you can figure it out] and we’ll chat.

Confession: I love Codeine, and would have married Codeine last week had it been possible. Even if I am a teensy bit allergic to it, and got the most amazing rash after using it, and even though, for a time, it only took a tiny bit of the edge off. We parted ways on Friday once the worst was over, but Codeine will always have a special place in my heart. I love you, Codeine.

My hubby got major bonus points and pretty much made up for a dismal Valentines by taking very good care of me while I was laid low and blind. He gently woke me every couple of hours for multiple eye drops or mega doses of pain pills until I was able to take over and do them myself. He made me eat when I didn’t want to, just to keep my strength up. I don’t know what I would have done without him.

And then there were my sweet friends: ShaMoo, J-B, and Knarf. Always there for me; true blue. ShaMoo showed up on day three to deliver this gorgeous fruit bouquet from the three of them:

I was just able to get a shot of it with my cell phone before Wee One got going on it. There were, after all, chocolate covered strawberries involved. She managed to get a couple before I got the phone out, you’ll notice. Yes, I did manage to get my fair share of it, if you’re wondering.

So you’re probably wondering what the results of the procedure was, unless I miss my guess? Well, I haven’t reached the final results yet. The recovery takes time, and I’m only at the 1 week mark. It could take at least a week more before my vision clears to where it’s going to settle. Yes, I see better. Some things are clear. Some things are not. It’s a little frustrating to be honest, considering what I went through last week. By mid-evening I’m still experiencing pain and fatigue, and I still need migraine strength pain medication to fall asleep. My eyes are unbelievably dry, to the point where I need to pry open my bottom lid and insert eye drops just to get them fully open every morning. Not fun. I will need reading glasses, and did in fact purchase my first pair just this morning. I’m ok with that though – there are some damn cute reading specs out there!

I’m not driving yet, although I suspect I’ll be ok to do that this week, at least during the day. Night time driving will take a while longer. I’m thankful to J-B for offering to be my ride home on nights when we’re out together at rehearsal! Like I said: True Blue. Hope he doesn’t get sick of me…

With PRK there is the potential for regression, so down the road I might find that my vision needs to be “enhanced” again. As long as I have corneal tissue, this is possible. Enhancements are also included in the initial cost, so if I do opt to do it again, I don’t have any further out of pocket expenses past medication. But wow. Would I do it again? Honestly? I don’t know. I’d certainly have to think long and hard about it. If I could fix it so I would be completely unconscious for 2 days, I just might! Time, as they say, will tell.

I am definitely going to enjoy not wearing glasses anymore. Of that I am 100% certain!

Both the Men’s and Women’s hockey teams took Gold! WOW!!!

SO VERY PROUD of our phenomenal Olympic athletes and their amazing performances at these Olympics, hosted by us in Vancouver. Canada actually took the most gold medals with 14, which breaks the record for most golds taken by a host country ever! So exciting!

My eyes are still not where they should be, so it will be a “light” week, but I will be posting about my experience in a day or so. Stay tuned!

Week from hell; still can’t see!

While my surgery was successful, I’m still not able to see very well, and I’m a bit down about that. I am mostly feeling my way around online – I certainly do these things enough that I know instinctively where to go and what to do without straining my [extremely sore] eyes. I’ll hopefully be back up to “useful” status this coming week. I’m still not up to reading email or other messages though – hopefully in a few days.

I just heard about the Chilean earthquake, and the tsunami heading for Hawaii – this directly impacts my friend Thom – please send your good thoughts for his safety (and of course everyone in the Islands).

P.S. 6WS visitors – thanks for stopping by! I will return the visit, but can only leave a comment if you have Name/URL enabled on your blog…

Sensational Haiku Wednesday

Welcome to “Sensational Haiku Wednesday!”

Click here for info and background on this weekly event!

The basics:

Haiku is simple! It is 3 non-rhyming lines of 5, 7, and 5 syllables respectively (a great way to use your fingers!)

As of February 3, 2010, Silly Haiku Wednesday became “Sensational Haiku Wednesday”. Please adjust bookmarks and blog posts accordingly!

This week’s theme is: Vision

My submission for this week:

Blurred, devoid of shape
Lost; a world of haze and hue
Suddenly made clear

Next week’s theme: Chrysalis

(written last week!) Please excuse me for not visiting you this one time for SHW (I’ll catch up, I promise)! On Monday I underwent PRK Custom Wavefront laser surgery on my eyes. If all went as expected, I’ll be offline for about a week, recovering. And then, for me, life begins anew… “See” you soon!

Note: Nothing makes me happier than to see new people getting “hooked on haiku”! Keep it going to make it to the Hooked on Haiku List

To participate in this week’s event, please use the following code in your post on your own blog (if you don’t have a blog, post your Haiku as a comment):

<a href="http://youknowthatblog.com/tag/haiku-wednesday"><img src="http://youknowthatblog.com/images/youknowthatblog-haiku.jpg" width="250" height="160" alt="Join the fun!" title="Join the fun!"></a>

Have you ever had a nosebleed? If you never have, I bow down to you in utter jealousy… I get at least four or five per day. Yep, per day. Sometimes my bathroom looks like some horrible CSI crime scene; God forbid if the authorities ever need to search it with those super cool UV lights… they’d think that multiple people met their demise in my bathroom sink.

Through the miracle of genetics, all of my siblings and I inherited a disorder called HHT from my father. If you want all of the nitty gritty details go to www.hht.org; it is a fantastic resource. In a nutshell, it is an autosomal dominant disorder (meaning that each child of an affected person has a 50% chance of inheriting an HHT mutation) which leads to malformed blood vessels in the body. Normally, arteries and veins are completely separate in the body. However, in someone with HHT, an “AVM” (arterio-venous malformation) can form, which creates shunted pathways between the high pressure artery and the low pressure vein. Due to the pressure differential, the vessels tend to weaken and rupture easily. Recurrent nosebleeds are the main noticeable symptom and can range from being little trickles to those that are so severe that blood transfusions are required on a weekly basis.

Growing up, my dad always had Kleenex jammed up his nose or a blood stained hanky in his pocket. We all were so familiar with the “sniff sniff” sound that announced the arrival of yet another nosebleed. My sisters and I all had the odd nosebleed but really didn’t think it was much more involved than that.

Fast forward to my third year of university… I was living with Shmenkman’s parents at the time (he was attending school in another city) and had been experiencing week after week of horrendous headaches and couldn’t chalk it up to school stress any longer. I made an appointment with my doctor and checked it off of my list. Well, two days later, Shmenkman’s dad found me face down on the couch and couldn’t revive me. Long story short, I had had a seizure and it was suspected that I had a brain tumour. One week later I was operated on and it was discovered that I did not have a tumour (thank God) but a brain abscess. While they were working on removing the abscess, they kept noticing that regardless of the amount of oxygen they pumped into me in the O.R., my levels were not rising above 88% (the normal oxygen saturation level for healthy folks is 99% at ambient/room air). As it turns out, I had a huge mass of these AVMs in the lower right lobe of my lung which was severely affecting my oxygen levels and had also caused the brain abscess (since the arteries and veins were connected, my blood did not filter properly to remove the bacteria). After several pulmonary angiograms, I left the hospital with over 40 tiny coils in my right lung (the coils are used to block off the AVM pathways) and a mostly dead lower right lung lobe.

My family and I were all blown away by all of this since we were so oblivious to the issues HHT could cause. However, we still thought that was the extent and went about our lives. When my sister had her two children, HHT reared its ugly head again. Her son had a stroke at 4 weeks of age, and her daughter stroked in utero (at the time we didn’t think these were related but the coincidences were getting a little too much… plus the research done on HHT had improved and we were learning so much more about what could happen).

When Shmenkman and I started our family, I was really only on the lookout for nosebleeds. Frank #1 had the odd one as a baby… but nothing serious. When Frank #2 was almost two years old, he needed surgery for an unrelated matter and when the nurse was taking his baseline vitals we discovered that his oxygen saturation level was only 87%. Shmenkman and I just looked at each other and said “Oh s**t”. Shortly after that, we had both boys genetically tested and Frank #2 did indeed have the same mutation as me; Frank #1 was far more fortunate. So, to date, our little trooper has been through three pulmonary angiograms in his short life to repair multiple pulmonary AVMs. He needs more work, but for now things are stable and they’re waiting until his oxygen levels plummet again.

With all of this going on, I was privately terrified during my entire pregnancy with Little Bit. It seemed that every day we were learning more horrible things about this disease and its repercussions. My sister and her husband were being overwhelmed with the daily struggles of rehabilitating children who have had strokes and my other sisters were being diagnosed with other HHT related issues. So, when Little Bit was born, I watched her like a hawk. We had a sample of her umbilical cord blood sent for genetic testing and when she was two weeks old, it was confirmed that she had the mutation as well. I was devastated… Once I got over that grieving process, I tried to focus on Frank #2’s issues and the fact that I had a beautiful newborn in my life as well as an incredible five year old. However, when Little Bit was three months old, I started to notice that she wasn’t moving her right arm like she was her left. Shmenkman and I lived in denial for a bit, even though I think we both knew what the real deal was. After much prodding and pushing of her specialists and paediatrician (who all believed that she was just fine, thankyouverymuch), I managed to have her MRI date moved up by about one year. It turns out that, as I suspected, she had also had a stroke, most likely in utero. The additional problem was that her cerebral AVM (unlike my niece and nephew) was still open and ready to bleed again. So she was booked for a cerebral angiogram and they repaired the malformed vessel by injecting it with a glue-like substance. The procedure went perfectly to plan and, although it back-tracked her progress with physiotherapy by about a month, she recovered like a dream. Thanks to the amazing resources in our community, she is now followed very closely by a multi-disciplinary team for physio and occupational therapies, as well as speech and general development.

The road ahead for my sweet little ones will have its rocky moments but I really hope that I can impart a sense of empowerment to them over this crazy disease. It sucks, yes, but we’re as on top of it as we possibly can be and are living our lives fully. As deeply as it has affected our family, there are far worse ailments out there so I count my blessings every single day. This is not to say that I don’t have my down days about it… that would be an outright lie, but when I look at the smiling faces of Frank #2 and Little Bit I know that we’re doing everything we can to keep them safe and healthy.

We are so lucky to live in a country [Canada] where we have access to some of the finest physicians, research, and medical procedures in the world. We are also so lucky to have the support of our extended family and our very close friends (including, of course, my dear Jenn, Knarf, and John-Boy, as well as many others). Life truly is good.

ShaMoo