30 May 2023
The good news just keeps on coming! I had an appointment with my ophthalmologist today. You know the routine. They have you stare into all these machines to take photographs of your retinas, then you go to the machine from hell that checks your peripheral vision, and then of course the dilations. I was waiting for the D.O. to come in when my newish (Nov 2022) Maui Jim glasses fell apart in my hands. That’s the second time that has happened. The first time it happened was a few weeks after I purchased them, and they are not inexpensive glasses. The clinician said they are really strong glasses and hole up better than most. The clinician thought the lens had broken but the D.O. said no. He repaired them on site so that was just a minor stress point.
The larger stress came when I informed him of my breast cancer diagnosis and mentioned I started chemo on June 5th. He then proceeded to tell me that chemo would probably speed up my cataract development. I’m well on my way to need cataract surgery anyway – a year or two in the future – now it seems like it may occur sooner than that.
When I mentioned I would be on tamoxifen for five years, he said that would very possibly lead to retinopathy. The what-if scenarios include loss of color vision and central vision. If severe, it could lead to blindness. Chemotherapy is targeted at dividing cells which include many cells of the body that need to replenish, like corneal epithelia. Maybe cornea transplants are in the future.
I realize this sounds like gloom and doom but the reality is that most of this will probably never happen.
What is with my credit union? Last week I received a check from my flood insurance company and I wanted to deposit it into my savings account. Since the check was a rather large sum, I didn’t want to rely on the U.S. Postal Service so I drove to the nearest branch of the credit union and stood in line – and stood in line – and stood in line. When I finally reached the teller, the first question was “What is this?” Although the check distinctly stated it was a check for flood damage, he looked at it for a long while and said he would be back.
He then walked into one of the managers’ offices and they conversed for a few minutes. He then returned, processed the check into my savings account and asked me to check the amount on the receipt. I did. It didn’t show the cents. I pointed that out and he said the paper was not adjusted correctly and it cut that part off.
Today I left the ophthalmologist and drove directly to the credit union to deposit a second check from the same company. Exactly the same thing happened. The line, the asking about the check, the consultation with the manager, and the processing of the check. It seems the credit union doesn’t bother with cents and did not include that on my receipt. It wasn’t the misaligned paper in their printer.
I could understand if it was a third party check or some such nonsense but why the problem with a check made out directly to me and going into my savings account? I don’t understand banking, I guess.
I asked my contractor when he would start contracting and he texted me that it would probably be tomorrow. I’ll reserve judgement on that text until tomorrow.
Anyone have any suggestions as to what to take to my first chemo session? It will last around six hours. I’ll take my iPad and charger, ear buds and maybe some crossword puzzles. I can take food and I was thinking sandwiches, bottled water, and cookies. Can anyone suggest anything else?
Stay tuned!
