So there have been a lot of changes in my life recently. I had exams for grad school just before Thanksgiving. The experience was fucking horrible and traumatic, but I passed. It meant two weeks of doing nothing but writing papers, however. Going into it I felt like I was in a really good routine and I was really looking forward to exams being over and being able to focus on my health and mental health. Of course, nothing goes as planned...

( The Eye Situation... )

So coming back from Thanksgiving I had about two weeks to get ready for surgery and I was determined to be in the best mental and physical health possible. I really focused on eating well and worked out like a fiend. I tried to plan for the recovery by stocking my pantry with food full of good stuff... anything superfruit or immune system supporting or packed full of vitamins or antioxidant or that was supposed to contribute to good eye health! And I don't mean supplements like pills and stuff... I mean fruit and veggies and teas and juices. I also got water galore. I knew that was going to be important and it really was. That said, the recovery was difficult. Much more difficult than I expected...

( Face-Down Recovery... )

I'm actually getting rather overwhelemed trying to remember everything and put it into some kind of order that makes sense right now, but its difficult. There's a reason I've been putting off writing about this anywhere... or telling people about it. I don't want to dwell... especially since I have to do it all over again....
 
( The New Eye Situation... )

I'm trying really hard not to be negative about all of this and not to get depressed. I mean for the past couple of weeks I have felt physically depressed, but I'm trying hard to have a positive outlook. I've been so good throughout this whole thing. Seriously. But yeah I just recently got the green light to start exercising again so I'm determined to get into the best shape I can for the next surgery. While I was out east for Christmas etc I wasn't eating the best (because my parents were cooking and I had no control over anything and wasn't at a point where I could cook or prepare food for myself)... so I've streamlined my diet and gotten back to the kinds of things I was eating before the surgery. Also, I've continued to drink lots and lots of water and kept up with the fruits and juices and green tea. I know that with this next surgery I'm going to have to be sedentary for about a month again, but I'm going to do stretches (which I did last time) and maybe figure out some light exercises I can do face-down... especially core exercises. I've gained 10 lbs and lost a lot of muscle/strength... I can't possibly fix that anytime soon, but I want to focus on not gaining more fat and losing more muscle.

PS: The vitrectomy equipment company I linked to earlier... I wouldn't recommend. The chair, mirror, and sleeping mat were all poorly designed (though of high quality) and I'm trying a different company next time. What I really need is a chair where the headrest is adjustable backwards/ towards the body. I had such a hard time reaching it last time :(  Oh, plus their prices just drastically changed since I did my rental. Interesting that they have free shipping now... I paid a shitload for shipping :(

I'm not a big fan of riding at night. In fact, I've always tried to avoid it at all costs since my vision isn't very good at night. That said, the ride home tonight was kind of pleasant. There must have been something going on at the lake though because there were so many policemen and women up and down the lake shore path... on bikes, on foot, in cars and on those little ATV thingies. I definitely felt safe... and also glad they didn't stop me for not having a helmet and lights *looks ashamed* ... well I told you I try not to ride at night!! :P ... the helmet thing is just me being a stubborn Philadelphian tho :/

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I rode down 'round Navy Pier to see a movie w/ some friends tonight. Figured I would turn on the GPS tracking ... partially just to see how I do, but also because in this heat it'd be good to give my friends/family a way to track me should something happen! Nah I put on my camelback and stayed well hydrated. Have to admit that it wasn't the most fun ride of my life... and I hate tourists and people with beach chairs who don't pay attention...

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