Yesterday, Thursday, May 31st was my post op appointment with my surgeon, Dr Alex Grand. The appointment was fruitful though anti-climatic but in a very good way due to the extraordinary quality of work from Dr Grand. I am immensely grateful to him and the team he worked with. Dr Grand stated my bruising was minimal, much more so than some patients and that he would expedite the prosthetic eye process.
Me and Dr. Alex Grand
Dr Grand provided me with the name and contact information of Eric Lindsey Prosthetic Artists and the contact information. He stated that Eric did excellent work and that I would enjoy working with him which I know that Dr Grand would not say lightly. Getting my prosthetic eye will be like Christmas morning. But I think the timeframe for Christmas is roughly August 1 - that is OK. In less than 20 minutes, Mela and I were on our way - to the cleaners actually where this journey began.
May 31st was eight weeks to the day from my April 5 ophthalmologist appointment that set this journey in motion. These eight weeks have been somewhat of a blur punctuated by incredible moments of intensity and clarity. What a journey it has been. And will continue to be.
In the coming weeks I will meet with my prosthetic artist, June 21 is an appointment with my primary care physician, Dr Kujok for general follow up. The next big hurdle is the results of my biopsy and whether I fall into a low, medium or high risk category for the cancer returning. Unfortunately there is not a no-risk category. The only thing I have determined to date is that each increased level of risk directly corresponds to an increased number of weeks of vacation per year. I look forward to getting to work and planning for retirement but as the saying goes - there are no uhauls behind a hearse.
I do not meet with my oncologist, Dr Tsai until July 25 at which time I should get the results and a better understanding of their implications. Again, I want to say how grateful I am for the quality of care I have received from all the medical staff every step of the way. I gladly pay my insurance premium every month.
One of the images taken the day before my surgery.
For now it is time to move on with my new normal. I will return to the gym the week after next and get back to carrying Sam up and down the stairs. He sticks to me like super glue each time that Mela is to carry him. He makes me laugh. I will field test activities I have enjoyed such as riding my bike and golf. I could barely play with two eyes so we shall see how it goes. I recently bought a new pair of hiking boots and look forward to getting on the trail with my camera. I need a drive down 395.
One more from the photo session.
I think this brings me to closing the curtain on Scene 1. It is now intermission. I will be back with anything of note and perhaps a story from the last eight weeks that I had forgotten. But for now - God Bless!
Lastly, me and my lovely wife Mela that I am so blessed to wake up next to each morning