Went to get my eyes checked for the final time. 20/15, baby! That’s PERFECT vision. My eyes do get tired more quickly, and they freak me out when they are red in the morning. I’m afraid to get pink eye again!

Before leaving for Spain, I consulted with an oral surgeon who was part of my network. I paid the $40 during the visit, thinking that it would be a long time before I would have to think about that. Well, nope. I got a bill for $600! Since it didn’t show up as unpaid or rejected claims on my insurance company’s website, I knew something was up. Called both the surgeon’s office and my insurance company – lo and behold, my services SHOULD be covered, and for some strange reason, my claim was not filed. Anyway, they told me not to worry about the bill and that my insurance company would get the claim soon. *phew*

If I had to dig up another $600 out of my pocket, that would have sucked. I’m lagging behind on the bills ever since the Spain trip. And I need to buy replacement sunglasses since the FIRST pair I ever bought after getting LASIK is now LOST. Don’t know where they disappeared to during training in Austin.

Can’t be spending so much all the time! As for the camera that never got here, I cancelled the order. Got my money back, less the shipping. Oh well, at least I have another $300 back.

The doctor ordered ten days of dork goggle wearage, but I might have failed. I lost my goggles around day eight. Drats. Now I can’t relive this moment…

Bummer!

My eyes are doing fine. I am actually doing a pretty good job of not RUBBING the eyes. When there’s an itch, I just caress lightly upon my eyelid, or tug gently on the edge of my eye. I’ve found alternatives to the addiction I once had. I remember that right before the surgery, I was trying to keep myself from rubbing my eyes, but I would catch myself every few minutes… It was insanity.

Really looking forward to this weekend. I’m driving down to Lompoc to see my LA friends!

So prior to all the surgery, my vision really wasn’t so bad. I think my prescription was -1.25 and -1.75. Minor myopia, but enough to get a little “Corrective Lens” printed on my driver’s license. I always wore my glasses because I figured out early on that it’d just be easier to keep ‘em on since I was in class all day and now, at work all day. I tried to get contacts once, but that didn’t work out, so it was either keep the glasses or go get LASIK. My appointment with Dr. Hyver was made last summer, and the day had finally come. Wavefront custom LASIK – *insert dundundun sound from horror movies*

I was pretty nervous, and I don’t think waiting around in their office really helped much. I arrived a little early, underwent a bunch of tests, and then had the surgery. When I first got there, the waiting room was packed, and there were very few open seats. By the time I got out of there, I was the second-to-last person out. They do warn you ahead of time that the entire process would last around 2 hours… So getting there early didn’t really help.

They could tell I was nervous too. The minute I walked into the surgery room, I was handed two beanie babies to hold onto. I guess that is so that I don’t grab onto the doctor and shake him.

Even though they put in numbing drops, when they were stretching my eye out to tape my lashes down, I could feel a little stinging. It was a minor discomfort, and maybe I just have a low threshold for pain. They tell you that you can’t feel the laser, but I did… It’s like a buzzing against your eye – kinda strange. It didn’t hurt. It was just a strange feeling. I swear they should have put restraints on my body because when they put that laser against my eye, I felt my body moving back in surprise. It sorta catches you off guard even when they tell you it’s coming.

Also, you can tell when they put the various layers of your eye back on. Haha, sounds kind of gross, but I thought that part was pretty nifty. While the waiting and tests took quite some time, the actual LASIK itself is a short procedure. I’d say that I was in there for around 10 to 15 minutes.

I went in again today for a post-op checkup. On the drive there, I noticed that I could read street signs. They were a little hard to focus, but I could tell what was written. And when they gave me the eye test, I could tell things were better because I could read the lines that were once fuzzy dots on a white background. The verdict? 20/15 vision – woot! I have to go back in a month to see how things are, so after the Spain trip, I am going back in.

In the meantime, I have to get used to seeing my face in the mirror without glasses… No more hiding behind the frames!

Whoa, it’s already the end of April. The photos in this entry were taken at the Monterey Bay Aquarium (jellyfish to the right and river otter to the left). Went there with a large group last weekend. FUN!

Tomorrow is my LASIK surgery. A little bit scary – they’re going to be messing with my eyes! It will be pricey, but totally worth it. Just yesterday morning, I was hunting around for my glasses. I can pretty much see without them, but they do help my reading of signs and recognizing of faces at a distance. I never leave them in the same place each night, so every morning, I test out that deteriorating memory of mine. Where did I leave them this time!? That will soon end! WOO!

Jury duty lasted until yesterday. We were selected on Wednesday, heard the witnesses through Friday, and then deliberated for a day and a half. I thought it’d go by much quicker, but there were a few straggling votes. There needed to be a unanimous vote. I was a little surprised that we actually reached one because the stragglers were strongly set on their judgment. There were one or two who really got the ball moving and moderated the discussions, so in that sense, we were very lucky. Plus, the judge was SUPER nice. She even brought us cookies on the last day.

Of course, I just had to be called up in the first group of jurors from the jury waiting room, and then in the first group of jurors to be questioned by lawyers… And then I was selected! I’ve avoided serving jury duty for quite some time, moving from school to home to school again, then going out of the country. I guess it was about time. Overall, a neat experience.

In television news, Asia is the next Pussycat Doll. Pfft. Disappointing. Stefanie is the next Apprentice. Hoorah. I was rooting for her.

Wow, looks like they want me to travel for work some more. I have a training session in Arlington, Virginia in early May. A little bit of a bummer to have to fly across the country for just a day. There possibly won’t be any time to visit friends on that side, unless any of them are free Sunday night for dinner or something…

[*begin whine*]

They’re changing my schedule left and right. All while I’m still on jury duty, so it’s a little annoying. It’d be nice to have some say in the schedule, but it looks like what I have to say doesn’t exactly matter at this point. Hoorah!

LASIK is next week. Finally. I’m scared-ish. And it’s going to be costly.

[*end whine*]

Yes, you were JUST about to call me to let me know that the schedule had changed and that I’d have to move my appointment. It was just a coincidence that I called in to find out about whether or not I could fly immediately afterwards. Right… I guess I shouldn’t be upset, considering the original appointment date s a little over a month from now. But I did go through the hassle of scheduling everything else around it, so I’m irked.

I’m in and out of town all through June. The only rescheduling I could accommodate for was to move my appointment up one day to a Thursday. Great – have to coordinate that with work AND my oral surgeon consultation.

It’s not that it can’t be done. It’s just annoying!