Friday, June 13, 2008

Reading-- a contact sport

While I shouldn't be writing or using the computer now I just can't sleep and at the moment I am not in pain, so I thought I would share the story of my Friday the 13th.
The day started out gloomy, rainy, and so muggy-it was gross. Jack and I dropped Pete off at the rugby field so he could practice throwing his discs, and Jack and I headed off for our morning walk with Tamri and Elsie. We had a great time and the rain held off so we were super happy about that. We pick up Pete and head on home for a lazy rainy day indoors. Jack played with his cookie jar, he is really interested in putting the shapes in their correct slots lately. I was either helping Jack or doing a crossword puzzle and Pete was hanging out with us enjoying his time off before class. As Jack's nap time draws near he begins to get cranky so I ask him if he wants to read a book. Upon hearing this he walks into our bedroom with two of his favorite books at the moment: The Flea's Sneeze and Please Baby Please. I grab him and pull him on the bed and we snuggle up under the blankets for reading time. We get through the first book no problems and then I begin to read the second one when suddenly I see an arm coming right for my face and then feel a finger go straight into my eye. Pain. A small whimper. Then silence. Tears fill my right eye and automatically my hands go straight to it- as if I were protecting it from more harm. Pete enters and asks what is wrong. I try to open my eye but cannot- not even a little bit. Jack starts moving and fussing so Pete puts him to bed. I try opening my eye again and this time a succeed in opening it barely. Eventually, I can open it about halfway. Everything is very blurry when using that eye. I think something is in there I have to get whatever is in there out. I splash water over my eye again and again and pat it with a towel. I can open my eye more now but I am in like level 8.5 pain on the pain scale. Everything is still blurry, more tears , and this film over my eye that Pete and I both see. My first thought is to stick my finger in there and get it out. I mean it is probably like that snot mucus you get sometimes in your eye. Pete warns me not to do this. I really want to though. Anything to make it stop hurting. We call mom to get her mother and doctor opinion-- she says go to doctor and if we can see it then it must be pretty bad. So Pete calls the Purdue Urgent Care to make sure we can get in, he gets Jack out of bed, and we head off. I have to close both my eyes otherwise the sand feeling is overwhelming. We arrive and the boys have to wait in the waiting room. They numb my eye, do something else, and put this black light over it to check things out. The doctor says that this is a very large cut on my cornea, he says it is like a huge crater is in the middle of it, he says Jack couldn't have done a better job, and sounds very impressed in a way that you don't want doctors to sound very impressed. He puts ointment over my eye, next two things of cotton, and then decides that he would rather I wear a patch than just taping the cotton over my eye.
So I have a nice big black patch over my right eye. I have to wear it 24 hours. Then I have to put eyedrops in my eyes every 4 hours for 5 days. I am not to open my eye or move my eye or expose it to sunlight for 24 hours. Thank goodness he gave me pain medication that knocks me out. Although it makes me itch so I also take a benedrayl. So I have either been sleeping in bed or listening to Friends with my eyes closed- I have seen the show enough times I don't need to see it. Pete had to miss the class he was going to sit in on. Jack was sad that his mommy was in the bedroom with the door closed and he couldn't come in. I was sad that I was in so much discomfort. Overall, the sad gloomy day ended sad and gloomy. Although, I do want to thank Pete for being such a wonderful husband and dad today--well everyday-- but definately today.

2 comments:

K.S said...

becky, that does sound terrible. If it makes you feel better, I got sunburned and developed photosensitivity reaction from my malaria medication all on the same day when i was in uganda. I spent the whole days scratching myself silly while being hopped up on benadryl. Apparently, according to the other students watching the whole thing, watching a six foot two indian convolute himself to scratch his entire body continuously while writhing in discomfort is pretty funny.

Maxwells said...

Are you kidding me!!!! I have never heard anything like that. I hope your eye is feeling better.