I can see clearly now...

The alarm was set for 06h15, very unnecessary as I was awake by 06h00. The day had arrived, the sun was shining through the blinds and I found slight difficulty swallowing. Heart felt like it was beating a little harder than usual but I was calmer than I had imagined I would be.
At 07h00 I closed the door behind me and started my walk, realised I was wearing a cardigan and was specifically told not to wear clothing with lose fibres, turned around and ran home to get a fleece instead. 07h15...door closed behind me and started the walk to the luas! Sun was gone, cloudy and threatening but very pleasant nonetheless. I love the walk from Charlemont along the canal towards Upper Baggott St, listening to my Ipod, spotted some ducklings with their mother watching over them and reminded myself that I was about to have lasik eye surgery, and wavefront...holy canoly.
Stopped for a coffee at Rose's favourite place and was at the clinic by 08h00. Stood around with the staff as the door was still locked, slightly annoyed as my appointment was set for 08h30 but a woman from the clinic had suggested I get there 30 minutes early. Ended up having a great chat with all the staff, one of whom had been out the night before...told her I hoped she was not my "scrub nurse". Finally got into the clinic and sat in the waiting room, another couple arrived and we got chatting, he was very scared...somehow I found myself calming him down, his wife was teasing him so I told her to go and sit in the car...obviously I was teasing! What can i say, we bonded, his surgery was after mine and I was taken upstairs before him. Had my pre-op appointment with the surgeon, all good to go. He asked me if I was nervous, very surprised to be saying "Not at all" but I really was so calm...he even asked me to hold my palms out, checked them for clamminess/sweatiness...no luck, cool hand Luke was me.
After my pre-op appointment had to go back to the waiting room, my new friend and his wife were waiting so we got to chat again, he had thought I was already having the op...had heard the rat tatting of the laser, I think they must test it before they start surgeries...
After his pre-op appointment we were given boxes of the drops we would be taking for the next week, compared notes on our post surgery recovery - his recovery time is longer than mine, felt bad.
I got called in for my surgery, got a beautiful hair net and was ushered into the theatre. Lay on a dentist style chair and saw that the late night girl was putting in my local anaesthetic drops, excellent, maybe i would get a few extra drops? After all the drops the surgeon came in and things got under way. Putting the clamp on to hold my eye open was uncomfortable, but not painful, then I suction up is put on the eyeball, I think to hold it still while they create the corneal flap. As I lay there I discovered that I actually got to see what they were doing, I thought it would be greyed out but I watched the corneal flap being cut and saw it being moved aside, it was most bizarre. I had to look straight ahead at an orange light the whole time, then someone says "Wavefront on right eye 16 seconds and it starts, at this point you kind of see stars - pretty cool actually. There is a strange smell and then it is over. Again I watched as the corneal flap was replaced and a brush like instrument was used to put everything back into place. One down one to go!
Left eye...same except that wavefront was 14 seconds and the corneal flap took a lot longer to put back in place...hmmm. Chatted about the jibbitz on my crocs while he was busy, all the theatre nurses wear crocs and they loved my ducks, elephants and flowers!
If I had known that I would see what was going on the whole time I think I would have been more nervous, but when it was all happening I was so grateful that I could see what was going on because it meant that I was not going blind!!!
Surgery done I was taken to a dark room, saw my nervous friend and gave him a big smile and a thumbs up, at least he knew I came out being able to see! Instructions on when and how often to sue the drops given again and then I called Melissa to let her know I was done and ready to be collected! Got home, had a coffee and then Melissa went home and per doctor's instructions I went upstairs to get some sleep. Of course I could not fall asleep, but lay there with my eyes closed, chatted to friends and family on the phone and listened to the radio. Bored. Got my glasses out and put them on to see if they looked weird, very satisfied to see that everything was blurry. Bored. Went downstairs and ate some soup. Back upstairs Lisbon Treaty discussion, Ireland is up the creek without a paddle, scary times ahead. No wait, the whole of Europe were hoping we would say NO and Ireland is being applauded...still confused.
Dinner time, watched Holland score their first goal against France Wooohooo! Sadly after dinner had to go back to bed...took my Ipod and lay on my bed listening to music, started a list of all the music it plays, tricky as I do not know what the songs are called and it is a shuffle so have to guess. Jess runs up with the latest score, she is supporting France as she likes Gallas and Henri, very sad to tell me that score is 4 - 1 to Holland, lies on my bed and we share the Ipod. At least I am no longer bored. Of course in between all of this I am washing my hands and inserting 3 different kinds of drops into my eyes...finally decide I am tired, put on funny goggles, so that I do not knock or rub my eyes while sleeping and finally fall asleep. Wake up to find goggles around my neck, oops. Replace goggles and go back to sleep. Wake up at 06h00 again, bloody hell. Things a bit blurry, thought it would be 20/20...use lubricating drops...slight improvement. Appointment at 09h20 for post op check. Removed contact bandage from left lens and had eye test, allowed to drive! Slight inflammation so I need to take anti inflammatory drops every hour, I think eye drops are all I will know for the next week!
I am not allowed to touch my eyes for a week, NO make up, carefully shower and very carefully wash face. Surgery was a piece of cake compared to all of this!