Sept. 11th - The Day Before (What to Pack) 1 Day Pre-Op

5pm:

It's Sunday evening and I'm all packed.

WHAT I PACKED:

1. 2 sets of loose, button down pajamas so I won't bump my eye lifting anything over my head.
2. A dressing gown
3. Flat shoes because I will have an eye patch on your eye after surgery which will affect visual perception.
4. A small toiletries bag 
5. A roll of surgical tape (bought prior to surgery from a local pharmacy) for my eye shield that I will have to wear at night for up to two weeks
6. A loose track suit to wear home
7. My medical file

My friend, Mr. Neil and I will be driving down to London and staying in a hotel for the night to avoid the stress of traffic for my surgery in the morning.

I'm still not nervous, though the children seem to be. And of course they hate being away from me, but I assure them that all will be well and we'll be back in a two days.

So, with tons of kisses and hugs from the tribe I'm off…

7PM: STORYTIME

After getting settled in the hotel, we walk across the street to a lovely Peruvian restaurant. I'm allowed to eat until 7 AM tomorrow morning and the food is amazingly good. 

Just before we left, a waiter approached me. He'd seen my cane and wanted to wish me luck tomorrow because he too had his sight saved at Moorfields Hospital. He went on to tell us how a few years ago he developed a tumor on his optic nerve and was blind and wheelchair bound for a year. I was so touched by him sharing his story that will now become part of mine.😢