A Day In My Life – September 24, 2020
Dear Lord,
Thank you for this beautiful day and for being with us through the night. I pray that my actions and words be honest and true and that I can reflect to others the love You give me. Thank you for this beautiful earth and such abundant blessings. Amen.
Yes, I start each day with a prayer before anything else. Prayer centers me and guides my day.
My little dog, G, crawls out of her blanket and stares at me. Her stares mean she needs something and I am supposed to interpret her need. I think this stare means “take me outside.” So downstairs and out the back door we go. I sit on the deck waiting for her and enjoy the cool morning.
Back upstairs, G curls up in bed and I decide to follow her example and I, too, get back in bed. I am so lucky because my husband brings me breakfast and the newspaper every morning while I lounge in bed.
I have Systemic Lupus and mornings are difficult for me; hence the luxury of breakfast in bed. I experience a fair amount of pain and tiredness. All of my medical reports show that my Lupus is under control and my doctors laugh and tell me “on paper you are perfectly healthy”, but these side effects are just part of the illness. I am very thankful though, because Lupus usually attacks people at the young adult stage of life. I was a rarity because I was diagnosed when I was 73 years old. How glad I am that I didn’t have to suffer when I was raising children or having to work. Now that I am retired these illness inconveniences can be dealt with much more easily.
It is 11:00 and I have finally showered, fixed my hair, dressed and made the bed. Yeah! I am actually on my feet! My dog has really done a good job of training me – she just dropped her beloved ball at my feet. That means two things: lets play ball, and time to eat. She won’t eat unless she plays ball first. How important my G is in my life – – and how spoiled she is.
Noon, and I am actually performing some household tasks. Laundry is sorted and the first load goes in the washer. Many days I can’t get much of anything done except watch TV, sit outside, and nap. Sometimes I feel guilty for not cleaning house and cooking like I used to do, but most of the time I say “there is always tomorrow” and the guilty feelings fade away.
1:00 and I fix myself a delicious and bountiful salad for my lunch. Salad is what I have had for lunch for the last three months. My goal has been to drop a few pounds by eating only two meals and eating absolutely no sweets. I have deleted potatoes, pasta and for the most part, bread. Would you believe I have lost NO weight, none, zero, nada. Oh well. I fold two loads of laundry and put the last load in the washer.
2:00 Hubby and I head to my eye specialist doctor appointment. I have been seeing the doctor monthly for about 1 ½ years. I am being treated for a leaky blood vessel, and treatment usually involves an injection into my eyeball.
The waiting room is really crowded which tells me it is going to be a long appointment. Check-in is easy because they just wave to me and tell me ”we got you J, just have a seat”. The staff and I have become friends after all this time together.
My Doctor visit goes as follows:
- Eyes checked by reading eye chart. With the affected eye I could see individual letters, but they were jumping around so much I couldn’t read a full line. I am sure I am getting a shot today.
- Color blindness test given because one of my medicines can cause color blindness.
- Eye pressure tested.
- Various health questions asked.
- Given drops, including one to dilate my eyes.
- While she works, nurse and I catch up on what has been going on in her life.
- A 15 minute wait in waiting room.
- Doctor checks both eyes with a very bright light and a magnifier and tells me I need to have photos taken of my eyes. Yet another clue the injection is going to happen.
- Photos of both eyes. Doc reviews photos and says there is a lot of fluid in the eye, and yes, time for the dreaded injection.
- Placed in the injection room, given numbing drops, sign consent forms, and procedure begins. The injection itself isn’t bad, but the 15 seconds of strong pressure on the eye really hurts. Just when I think I can’t stand it any longer, I feel the needle go out and the procedure is over.
The appointment lasted 2 hours and now we are heading home. The sun is so bright to my dilated eyes I have to close them all the way home.
The affected eye is not responding like normal. I can’t see anything but light and dark. I am not too worried. I will wait and see how it is in the morning. Not much to do tonight – I can’t see to read so I watch a bit of TV. Oh my, I can’t even begin to express my feelings after watching just a little of national news. I would rather watch the blood and gore of Law and Order or Criminal Minds – those shows are much tamer than watching the news.
7:30 and I am heading upstairs to get ready for bed yet again. Usually I read before turning off the light but cannot tonight. G is already asleep on the foot of the bed and my hubby’s place is turned down for when he decides to call it a day.
Today was a necessary day for me, but boring and tedious. I am content though, and treasure every experience and moment in my life. I think back to how active I used to be and wish it were so now. I don’t let my mind dwell on the past or the “if onlys.” I just thank God for each day and for the privilege of living in this free country (at least it is for now).