Began the month with an 11-week post Ret Det surgery visit with the retinal surgeon. A bit of trepidation heading into the appointment as eyeball still ached, pupil still dilated and sensitive to light, and vision remained blurry. Tech still used a dilating drop, again, why? It’s smack-in-the-face obvious the eye is already dilated. She even went to confirm with someone, supposedly, who also didn’t look at the eye. Standard eye test wasn’t much better than the last visit other than able to discern correctly, 2 letters on a row. Better using the pinhole cover. Doc was very pleased with the retina healing even commented that dellen seemed mostly healed. It greatly improved outlook when he handed me an eye chart to hold in my hand and a pinhole cover. Lo and behold, under those circumstances, able to read the 20-25 line. Couldn’t do that with my non-broke eye without the reading glasses. He kept repeating the retina is good; just need to resolve the cornea issue and schedule cataract surgery in one to two months. He never actually came out and said there was a cataract but that would also explain the ‘filmy’ field of view. All activity restrictions, except swimming, were removed with gradual progression. He used the 20/50/75/100% example over the next 4 weeks. If only recovery worked that way after 2 ½ months of nothing, then Z1 and barely Z2 spinning with 90’ being the longest effort. Pilocarpine drops prescribed to counteract the dilated pupil. It worked amazingly well and quickly. One drop before bed and woke up the next morning to left pupil smaller than the right. Decided not to use the drops on consecutive days. Will monitor and use when it seems appropriate. Self-medicating? Probably.
Fast forward 48 hours and 2 giant steps backwards with a return to the corneal specialist. Last week she said dellen was 98% healed but still had a blob of scar tissue and the hypoesthesia/keratopathy. Previous night, eye became really inflamed and uncomfortable and remained that way until the mid-afternoon appointment. Sitting in the waiting room, amazed at ability to read emails, texts, and other messages with the left eye (granted, holding the phone about 6 inches away from the eye. Practicing use of my jeweler’s eye) without glasses while the right eye couldn’t match the ability. Played the eye chart game with the tech after discussing the irritation and uncomfortableness of the eye. A little better with the pinhole cover than previous efforts but not the same as holding the eye chart myself. Doc wasn’t happy with the eye at all – she commented that it’s back to square one. No idea how things deteriorated over 48 hours to degrade from nearly healed to bad again. She spent quite a while attempting to scrape the blob off the cornea. After a more thorough examination, turns out it wasn’t scar tissue but a calcium deposit (a common response) on top of a lasik flap. The rest of the flap is gone and leaving a thin spot in the cornea. She indicated the calcium deposit is easily removed but required different drops that weren’t immediately available. PROKERA procedure version 2 initiated – amniotic membrane had a more profound impact on vision than last time. Much cloudier and milkier field of view. Prescribed anti-inflammatory pills (2x daily) and strongly recommended 1 gram of Vitamin C a day. Didn’t discuss details of the cataract surgery as need to clear up the cornea first. Quite the crushing blow after the revelation of significantly improved vision. Didn’t respond well – dejected and a heaping amount of self-pity. Tired of being uncomfortable and light sensitive – not to mention the whole crappy visual acuity thing and the practically nonexistent training. Not ready to throw in the towel for the 2023 cycling year but getting harder every week.
Skipping one night of Pilocarpine drop enabled the pupil to dilate again. Not nearly as much as before but bigger than the right eye. Return to the eyeball achiness and ultra-light sensitive. Unable to work at the kitchen island due to the sunshine streaming through the front window causing significant glare and eye strain. Down to the basement office to work – a challenge there too but for different reasons – lack of motivation. Meh. Began using Pilocarpine drops daily. Interesting transition: single drop at night, left pupil smaller than right by morning then slowly increases in size throughout the day. Larger than right by evening but not as dilated as before. Coincidental? But it would ache as pupil dilated in the afternoon.
Return to the corneal specialist after one week revealed no change in status. No improvement in the dellen. Feel like the vision is getting worse. Unable to determine if it’s the membrane, contact, or cataract. Probably all 3 but not helpful. Dummy me failed to ask if the amniotic membrane had fully dissolved. Will return in two weeks. Another episode of self-pity and doubt that a return to normal vision is feasible. The only promising news was no activity restrictions except swimming.
Retrieved the repaired Synful from the LBS – looks sharp and can’t tell the left seat stay was cracked or repainted. Finally rode outdoors for the first time in nearly 5 months – the longest time ever restricted to either no riding or only indoors. Felt great to be outside. Double edged sword with hypoesthesia – wind, pollen, or other detritus doesn’t bother the left eye but have to physically check to make sure it remains clean. First ride was solo – no real apprehension or skittishness. Next several were small group rides with a fair bit of climbing. Even a crazy 3-loop 100K ride over Blue Mountain. Unfortunately it wasn’t all peaches and cream as had an encounter with a Ford Expedition at the 65-mile mark of a 70-mile charity ride for veteran’s and first responders. I was in the proper lane a third of the way through a double-lane roundabout and the knuckleheaded driver cut me off attempting to make a right-hand turn in front of me. Bam, down goes Frazier! Raspberries on left ankle, knee, and elbow, serious road rash on left cheek and a strained left groin. Mostly cosmetic damage – scrapes on brake hood, levers, bar tape, Garmin PM pedal and cracked saddle bottle cage. Will have it checked out and parts replaced – no scratches or marks before the ride. Driver remained on the scene and eventually realized he was at fault. Thankfully riding with 2 other folks who assisted with gathering information from the driver. Another impartial driver stopped, provided his contact information, and corroborated the view the driver caused contact by failing to yield.
Follow-up with the corneal specialist was mostly good news – dellen fully healed and hypoesthesia somewhat diminished. Strange though the numbing drops didn’t do a very good job and able to feel the cotton swab move across the cornea but also ultrasensitive and extremely uncomfortable. Intense eye irritation started immediately following removal of the protective contact lens. Initial feedback was it may be the new normal. Definitely not the desired response. Locked in dates for cataract surgery (selected light adjustable lens), pre- and post-op appointments. Need to obtain retinal specialist’s approval with lens selection as there’s a silicone component which is contraindicated for some repeat retinal detachment corrective procedures (heaven forbid it occurs in the same eye again). Also learned insurance doesn’t cover light adjustable lenses. Why wouldn’t insurance cover the cost of a basic or standard lens with patient responsible for other/optional procedures? Our medical system is just totally whacked. Eye irritation never abated and returned the following day to ensure there wasn’t anything structural causing the problem. Primary doc was in surgery and unavailable so saw a different doc in the practice who claimed the dellen (1mm x 1mm) had returned and opened up. That would explain the irritation but another gut punch as this time the dellen returned less than 24 hours later. Previous one took 48 hours. Scheduled a follow-up with the primary doc for the following day. Visiting the corneal specialist 3 days in a row was not on the calendar and also meant not participating in day one of a local 3-day Memorial Day Weekend small group ride. Also unclear of impact on cataract surgery plans not to mention return to limbo land. Third consecutive visit, survey says…previous day was a false positive and dellen remains healed. Eye is really dry – maybe so but definitely feels like there’s something in the eye. Wonder if the lasik flap/calcium deposit thing is the culprit and can it be removed without additional consequences? A 4-week declining dosage of a lower strength steroid drop is the latest addition to the menu. Still have the Doxycycline (antibiotic pills), Pilocarpine (pupil dilation game), and all the preservative-free drops and nighttime ointment necessary.
Prepping for Day 2 ride the morning of and discovered a large gauge staple in the rear tire. Air escaped like an unheld balloon upon removal without any sign of sealant coming to the surface of the tire. Reinforced the notion of having a back-up set of wheels – just more expensive now with SRAM Red and Shimano Dura-Ace configured bikes – for just this situation. Did order Silca’s sealant with FIBERFOAM and Sealant Replenisher which supposedly seals punctures up to 7mm wide. Wouldn’t be making this ride either – able to change tires without any problems but unable to seat the new tubeless tire even with an over drive (air chamber) floor pump. Waited until the closest LBS opened at 1000 for their assistance. Another solo ride. Mounting and dismounting the bike is less painful but still uncomfortable. No longer have to lean the bike so much or stand on an elevated surface to swing the leg over the top tube. Groin and cheek road rash the only reminders of last week’s interaction with the Ford Expedition. Still waiting for a call back from the insurance adjustor after providing repair estimate and receipts for kit, socks, and shoes.
Checked the gravel bike the evening before the final ride and everything was good to go – added a little more sealant just to make sure. First time on the Topstone this year and a great way to re-enter the gravel scene: only 4 other riders and a casual pace. Fabulous day for a bike ride. Although, gravel is more challenging than road for the visually impaired. Depth perception plays a much bigger role in determining the preferred line and reduced visual clarity means ruts, holes, dips, or other obstacles are detected late. Sometimes you just have to ride over them or practice bunny hops!
Not wanting to miss out on the joys of being on the Injured List (IL), the missus decided to face plant on a morning run and sustained a concussion (her fourth from running mishaps), cracked front tooth, and abrasions on her hands, face, and nose. X-rays were negative for broken bones but she did receive 3 stitches on the bridge of her nose.
Made several new meals – discovered a great lo mein noodle from the local H Mart – that included Mongolian Beef and Ants on a Tree and two chicken based recipies: chicken scarpariello and chicken scallopini. Also made a Jewish Apple Cake: tasted pretty good but slightly overbaked. Directions said 70-90 minutes and removed it from the oven at 70 minutes. Will check at 65 minutes the next time. The Missus made an excellent cherry pie and the boy child made cheese ravioli from scratch.
Cycling and Culinary Flavors 