How Much Was That?

After my trip to the OHSU gurus last week, the first assignment I was given was to go to the pharmacy and find out how much two different types of interferon cost.  I knew they would be expensive, I know that my insurance company needs to give preapproval for me to even get it, and…

Please Pass the Salt

A few years ago, I was at a table with some colleagues having lunch.  We were served clam chowder among other things, and it was rather bland. I asked them to, “Please pass the salt,”  and they did.  What they did not do, at least with their words, was to tell me that I was…

Hope

A couple of months ago, I showed up on time for an appointment with my retina doc.  To say I was terrified is an understatement. I woke up that morning thinking, “Today could be the day.  It could be the day that I lose all vision in one of my eyes.” In fact, I was…

It’s Just a Bloody Eye

It never fails that when I would really like to look somewhat appealing, that is when my eyeballs turn on me.  This past Memorial Day weekend was one of those times. Our five hour journey began with a pit-stop at Bi-Mart so that I could purchase yet another pair of clip-on sunglasses.  My eyes were feeling…

A Big Word and a small term

Endoplasmic Reticulum and HLA-B27 Endoplasmic Reticulum is a  big word that I remember from high school Biology, not my best class ever.  I remember the word because it sounded funny to me, like you could cast a Harry Potteresque spell with it. When a conversation became too much or just plain boring, sometimes I would…

Look at Them

Sometimes I get distracted.  Do you?  This weekend my husband and I are headed south to see his family.  I love going there.  It’s in old nickel mining country, with rolling hills, lots of trees, crooked roads and space.  And then we’re going to enjoy an ocean front room at the coast.  I can’t wait! …

OHSU and the Sci-Non-Fi Crew

Dread, that’s what I felt.  Pure dread, the pit in your stomach kind, bordering on, “Excuse me, I think I’m going to be sick now.” Entering the Casey Eye Institute at Oregon Health Sciences University for the first time was like walking onto the set of a science fiction movie. Glass walls, glass floors (thankfully…

In the Beginning…was a Steamy Shower

The evening before my life changed forever, I put on a pair of denim overall shorts and headed outside after a long day of work in a town eighteen miles away.  My preschool age girls played in the fenced back yard of our small cottagey home and I planted a long row of purplish pink…

Prayer…does it really help?

Many of my friends have prayed for my eyes, my vision, my spirit over the years.  While I am grateful, I must admit that often I have doubted the effectiveness of those prayers.  One minute I am up because of good news, the next I am down because of bad. Faith is something I have…