Tuesday, April 19, 2011

Yesterday Was the Day

Around a month ago I blogged that I hadn't been going to my doctor's appointments like I should. I did it for accountability and within a short while, I got myself together and got an eye doctor's appointment and a dentist appointment set up.
Yesterday was the day. I took the day off work and started my morning with a dentist appointment. Sadly, I have new cavities. :/ Such is life, I suppose. I'm going to get them filled in a few weeks.
My eye doctor appointment was the one I was really worried about. Last year, at my annual check-up, my doctor found some slight bleeding in both of my eyes. For any diabetic, this can be super scary. He advised me that it wasn't a big deal and that I could come back in a year. My first reaction was panic. I wanted to see an M.D. (my current doc is an optometrist, not an ophthalmologist). I also wanted to start going back every 6 months.
My second reaction was what I went with. Fear. And ignoring. You know the whole "ignore it and it will go away" thing? That was me. Which is why it was a little over a year before I finally got back. But I did go with my gut instinct to actually make an appoinment with an ophthalmologist. Not that I don't like my optometrist, but just that I wanted to make sure that everything was really okay.
I had to drive an hour to see an opthalmologist. This is normal in my rural area. You have to drive to see pretty much any kind of specialist. When I got to the office, they did the standard eye exam with me (I need new glasses) and my vision has gotten a little worse, but it's not d-related.
Then they did the eye dialation. Once the doctor came in to see me, I think he was in the room for about 10 minutes. Not very long at all. But it was all the time I needed. He was really nice and looked at my eyes. The bleeding is still in both eyes, but hasn't changed since last year. He also assured me that it wasn't really anything to worry about at this time. And that I could continue to see my optometrist once a year unless something changed.
It basically put my mind at ease. He told me that the spots could stay the same way for the next 10 or 20 years and never change at all. I feel like I can breath a little easier, knowing that I did what I felt was right, and knowing that I don't have to worry so much about my eyes right now.

7 comments:

Julie said...

Good news, Cara! I'm not sure if you're aware of all of my mother's eye problems (type 2 diabetic) but she ignored the bleeding in her eyes for too long and is now legally blind. It started suddenly with severe headaches, double vision, and vomiting. I hope everything stays good for you!

Araby62 (a.k.a. Kathy) said...

{{{{{{{{{{{{{{hugs}}}}}}}}}}}}}}}}

Anonymous said...

Awesome, Cara! :-) So glad everything went well for you! (Sans the cavities, of course... but hey, with all those wonderful sweets you make, I'm sure it's hard to avoid them!!)

Karen said...

Yay, I am so proud of you for conquering your fears and going to those appointments. Cavities aren't fun, but getting them filled and taken care of will prevent anything more painful.

And I know just how scary the eye stuff is - I was majorly freaked when some spots were found in my eyes. I've been going every six months for the past few years, but nothing is changing. So far, so good - and I know it will be the same for you!! :)

meanderings said...

Pat on the back and some hugs for you!
You made the appointments, and even better... you went!

k2 said...

Cara-
I'M SO PROUD OF YOU!!!

Kaitake said...

Let us know how it goes with the dentist: I just went for a checkup and I too have cavities that will need filling. :(

Good work on seeing the eye-doc :)