On June 18, I successfully climbed Mount Snowden, the tallest mountain in Wales.
My 15-year-old son was my guide and my 9-year-old also joined us. It was the most physically grueling thing I have ever done, but I was happy to do something for other blind and visually impaired people.
Snowden also represented something else to me - the huge challenge I had coming up - my transplants and just two days after I completed Snowden I got the date of that first challenge.
On June 20, I received a letter from Dr. Larkin providing the date of my first corneal transplant. It was scheduled for September 5th.
I spent the next several months organising my life and preparing the children. My surgery was scheduled on the first day back to school. My mom and one of my sisters planned to fly in from the Cayman Islands to help me during those first weeks. Like most people undergoing this procedure, I have scoured the internet for information on what to expect and I’m surprised to learn about the various limitations involved.
I must avoid lifting, bending, pushing, sneezing, coughing – things that increase intraocular pressure. I’d have to avoid washing my hair for the first few days to avoid getting water in the operated eye. Yuck! I’d have to sleep on my back or my left side. No worries there. I’ll have to wear an eye shield to sleep at night to avoid rubbing bumping the eye accidentally. I can expect extreme sensitivity to light. I won’t be able to run, or do any form of hard exercise, until cleared by the good doctor. I was sure they’d give me more instructions at the pre-op assessment, although I still wasn't informed when that would be.
My 15-year-old son was my guide and my 9-year-old also joined us. It was the most physically grueling thing I have ever done, but I was happy to do something for other blind and visually impaired people.
Snowden also represented something else to me - the huge challenge I had coming up - my transplants and just two days after I completed Snowden I got the date of that first challenge.
On June 20, I received a letter from Dr. Larkin providing the date of my first corneal transplant. It was scheduled for September 5th.
I spent the next several months organising my life and preparing the children. My surgery was scheduled on the first day back to school. My mom and one of my sisters planned to fly in from the Cayman Islands to help me during those first weeks. Like most people undergoing this procedure, I have scoured the internet for information on what to expect and I’m surprised to learn about the various limitations involved.
I must avoid lifting, bending, pushing, sneezing, coughing – things that increase intraocular pressure. I’d have to avoid washing my hair for the first few days to avoid getting water in the operated eye. Yuck! I’d have to sleep on my back or my left side. No worries there. I’ll have to wear an eye shield to sleep at night to avoid rubbing bumping the eye accidentally. I can expect extreme sensitivity to light. I won’t be able to run, or do any form of hard exercise, until cleared by the good doctor. I was sure they’d give me more instructions at the pre-op assessment, although I still wasn't informed when that would be.
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