It is an HQAL day and I have no hand work to show, BUT I do have some good news for me! I am back and eyes are working well! I was also able to discontinue 2 of the drops that were required for a month due to the side effects that I was having. Now I am really on the downside of this experience. Would I do it again – you betcha! It is worth all of the trips to SA (about 1500 miles since 17 Sep) the surgeries, and all the drops which control your life for 30 days. So I can now put this experience in the box of experiences never to repeat again! YEA

Before this all began I had 16 blocks ready to sew for Alexander Bean Pot. I just knew that I would be able to finish them AND have some blocks ready for the end of October for Celebrating Mary Brown. Hum, that did not happen – here is what I did do in the last month!

WOW four 5″ blocks finished – this has to be the most ‘non-productive’ month I have had in years. Time to light the fire and get with the program as 2020 is coming soon!

For those who have iPhones, it has also been a disaster for Apple with their OS13 operating system that they pushed out about 3 weeks ago. Yesterday I spent the day setting up a new Apple Watch and iPhone. Last week when reporting more issues they decided to send me a new phone and watch. I believe that it might now work. I probably had a corrupted file somewhere in the download. They now have 3 updates out where they have tried to correct their stupidity – I am waiting for update number 4 as they are still problems.

So today is definitely a Studio Day and sewing blocks on Alexander and finishing up the last of the pieces for some flowers for Celebrating Mary Brown.

We will have a 90+ degree weather today, and tomorrow and the remainder of the week will be my kind of weather. I have been back to my walking, but have decided today that it is just too hot and humid – so it will be a total play day!

I was unable to comment on so many of my favorite blogs and comments to my posts, so thank you all for sending out encouragement and thoughts while I was on eye vacation!

Hugs

Nanette

This Hand Quilt Along is an opportunity for hand quilters and piecers to share and motivate one another. We post every three weeks, to show our progress and encourage one another.  If you have a hand quilting project and would like to join our group contact Kathy at the link below.

Kathy, Margaret, Emma, Tracy, Deb, Susan,  Nanette,  Edith, Sharon, Karrin, Gretchen and  Kathi

I want to take a minute to thank my quilting friends who kept me in their thoughts and prayers while Clay and I did double duty on Cataract surgery!  Clay has completed his and doing fine, and today I went for my post operative checkup on my left eye and am off restrictions, have 20/20 vision for Distance, and pressure at 14 – and the eyes are healing fast, all of which Dr Young says is excellent!

I am so glad that we did this, but we are so worn out from all the surgeries (4 weeks in a row) and office visits for post operative checkups.  Clay will go next Monday for his 3 week and final check up and I will go back on 4 Nov for my final and then will be able to get my glasses ordered for my close up, mid-range, and astigmatism!  We are so blessed.  As you all know I had HIGH anxiety before my surgeries.  The surgery is nothing, but because I am claustrophobic it caused me to be so stressed.  I am happy to say that the 2nd surgery went so smoothly!  All worked out great!  In the meantime, I will use the peep over glasses to sew and read!  YEA!

I have been trying to sew a little each day but because of the astigmatism in my left eye, it does start to bother me (eye strain) if I do too much, so I have been slowly trying to get back into the swing of my life.  I started walking Friday and today I had a great walk – I did my usual 20 minute mile and did a total of 30 minutes and a mile and a half.  And my lungs did not bother me today!  I am happy!

Now to be able to lose the 5 pounds that somehow came back – I guess there is something to say about stress – it raises the Cortisol levels and that did not help me with trying to maintain the weight I had lost (without my walking for 2 weeks) and I have no idea about the Glucose and furthermore not going to worry about it.  I am working on increasing my protein and limiting any carbohydrates.  Getting back to my strict routine will eliminate any of those problems.

Next post will only be on my quilting projects, I promise!  We have 6 whole days to stay home and away from San Antonio!  Staying home is Happiness!

Have a great week, and hopefully I will have made some progress on Mary Brown and Alexander Bean Pot blocks!

Nanette

Well, I survived the first surgery!  What a hoot!  I had great nurses and love my Doctor.  I thank everyone who sent out good wishes for me.  I was so prepared anxiety wise (finally) on Monday for the procedure on Tuesday BUT then you know that there is always something that can cause things to go off the rails!

Clay had a checkup on Monday afternoon for his 2nd eye surgery and as we entered the building there was a man in a wheel chair that we recognized from when Clay had his surgeries.  (Cataract surgery business is now booming with all the baby boomers and those who are 2 years ahead of them).  When Clay was in the RR the man started telling him all about the problems his wife had during the surgery and Clay told him emphatically “do not tell my wife”  it will upset her.

About 5 minutes later as we waited to see the doctor, this man wheeled up to me and started giving me all the issues and I politely told him I did not wish to hear them.  Then when we got into the room waiting for the doctor, Clay told me that he had specifically told the idiot to not tell me!  I wanted to choke this man and would have if I had know the entire story!  He got my anxiety level over the hill and I did not calm down at all.

Later that evening the incident kept bothering me and I remembered that a very happy Lady had been there at the same time and was so bubbly and happy about the fact that she could see perfectly and would not have to wear glasses.  The moral of the story is this – God placed a very hateful, vindictive, unhappy, evil person in front of me and then placed a very good person in the same room.  A clear example of good and evil!  But when one is as hyper and Type A as I, I struggled with the anger that I had for the man.  I tried hard to erase the anger, but couldn’t.  The incident hurt me more than him as he was probably happy that he could scare someone (reminds me of my sister whom I never got along with).

Needless to say I could not rest well worrying about the surgery!  Up at 2:00 AM!  We had to leave at 5 AM for the hospital.  During the 2 hours I began to recite the 23 Psalm – the one that I always say over and over to myself right before a surgery as I knew that I would need this one desperately for peace and tranquility!

I finally began to settle down as they got me ready for the surgery (I am blessed as I am the first one in each time).  I knew what they would do as I was with Clay and he told me he did not remember anything the first time, but the second time he did not go out as fast and remembered the Operating Room and talking to the Doctor!

They knew that I was very anxious and that I did not want to see the swinging doors into the OR.  I remember that they had put the Vesad into the IV and started me through the swinging doors and I remember telling them, “It’s not working, It’s not working, It’s not working”.  Think that is when they gave me a good dose of Propofol!

I came through the surgery fine and will be so much calmer next Tuesday since I also got to see the OR room, or let me say I kept my eyes closed.

Yesterday I had my post op checkup and my doctor and I started talking about how the Versad did not work and what I had kept telling them.  She told me that due to the medication I take for Meniere’s that it would have kept the Versad from taking effect and we started laughing about how many times I kept telling “it’s not working”!  BUT then told me “you did not have a problem with the Propofol”!  She has such the infectious laugh!

She then told me that I started reciting the 23rd Psalm over and over, that I would start out with Verse 1 and go to the 3rd Verse and back to the 1st Verse and back and forth!  We had the greatest laugh about it all, and she has requested that Tuesday that I work on another Sermon for them.  I think she wants me to recite the following Bible Verse!

Love is patient, love is kind. It does not envy, it does not boast, it is not proud. It is not rude, it is not self-seeking, it is not easily angered, it keeps no record of wrongs. Love does not delight in evil but rejoices with the truth.

Hum, maybe that one would be easier, but I am sure they will hear the 23rd Psalm again!  I will brush up on it so that I do not get things mixed up – the mind is a beautiful thing – or maybe it was the Propofol!  LOL

I am thinking that this is the one that I need to recite.  I purchased this years ago while we were in Arizona for the winter at the San Xavier Mission and it is another one of my favorite sayings when I need to forgive:

As far as the Cataract surgery, the mind and eyes are also a marvel!  I can cover my left eye and see perfectly, but doing that with the right eye it is nothing but blurred vision without my glasses (which are of no value to me now).  BUT when I look with both eyes, the right eye takes over the left eye and things are not blurry!  So if anyone has to have this surgery, do not worry and become anxious like I did unnecessarily – it is very very easy and it is fine with having the surgery one week apart.  The drops are not bad (just having to do them every 4 hours is).  It takes about a month to get through the checkups and recovery for both eyes!  Moral of this story – just go with the flow (something I cannot do but Clay has that one mastered).

Have a wonderful week!  Will give an update as to if I am a good patient next week or another namby pamby idiot in the OR!  Stand By!

Forgive if I do not respond to your comments as my eyes do get tired.

Hugs

Nanette

Good morning all! This is a short note to let all know that I had a successful cataract surgery on the right eye yesterday! I am unable to use my glasses because of the right eye being fixed and the left not done until Tuesday! Clay is taking great care of me – so blessed to have him as I put him through a wringer with my anxiety before this procedure.

The eyes are really unique. One eye has clear vision while the left still is blurred when covering up the right eye! Clay gave me a pair of his peep overs at 1.25 and now I can really see and type this. But what is unique is how the brain works with the eyes. The corrected eye takes over both eyes and it makes the vision work well.

We opted for single vision correction and that corrects the distance! I will need corrective glasses for close up due to the astigmatism on my cornea!

I go for a checkup this morning and now really looking forward to next Tuesday (8 Oct) to finish removal of Cataracts. The drops do not bother me but I will be on them 4 times a day until 5 Nov! After then I will be able to get new glasses, but they will be nothing in strength like my current ones.

Take care and hoping to be able to get back to sewing soon I really miss it as working on quilting projects keeps my mind active and my creativity and inspiration to enjoy the challenge of making a new quilt! It has kept me a young 74!

Nanette

I am participating in a SAL with a group making Celebrating Mary Brown.

I have 16 blocks ready to applique. Hoping to be in a better situation by the end of October. Here is a picture of Block 1 and Block 9 which are ready to be Appliqued.

Here are pictures of Jan’s top left blocks She has done a wonderful job!

Celebrating Mary Brown:  This September Karen and Cathy selected Celebrating Mary Brown as their next project and invited anyone to join in the fun!  The following quilters are participating.  We will be showing completed blocks on the 30th of each month!  Take the time to visit them to see their completed monthly blocks!  If interested let Karen know you are interested in joining the group.

NANETTE

Well, the time has come!  Cataract surgery is scheduled for 1 October and 8 October!  Eye drops start today!  AND my “I cannot do anything but sit” vacation time is coming for 2 weeks.  No lifting, bending, or running and jumping!  I do believe that I can stick to those rules!  Clay is finished with his surgery and is just down to drops until 22 Oct!  YEA for him.

I have nothing to show today for HQAL because we are having so much fun traveling 100 miles a day (round trip) to the doctor’s office – 8 trips in the last 2 weeks!  We are so happy because we are half way through this double person cataract experience.  This week and next week will be 3 days going to SA in a row and then it tapers off to only 1 day a week for 3 weeks.

I do have 16 blocks prepared for Celebrating Mary Brown – so when things really are finished I will be able to catch up with all! Be sure to check out the progress of others tomorrow (30 Sep) for their progress on this project!

I do hope that those who are enjoying cooler weather sends some to us here in burning up land South Texas – it has been back to 100+ heat index again!

Nanette

Check out all the ladies who participate in HQAL – I am sure they have been very busy and have some great pictures of their projects.

Kathy, Margaret, Emma, Tracy, Deb, Susan,  Nanette,  Edith, Sharon, Karrin, Gretchen and Kathi

Celebrating Mary Brown:  This September Karen and Cathy selected Celebrating Mary Brown as their next project and invited anyone to join in the fun!  The following quilters are participating.  We will be showing completed blocks on the 30th of each month!  Take the time to visit them to see their completed monthly blocks!  If interested let Karen know you are interested in joining the group.

Greetings!  We still have wonderful HOT HOT weather to deal with – last week we had 3 days of 100+ and still in the 100 range as far as I am concerned and no rain in sight!  We MIGHT have a cool front in mid-October, but not looking good.  If we ever get winter I am going to never wear a coat – no matter how cold I get!  This has been a brutal summer since August!

On the Cataract front – after Friday we will be down to only 9 more trips to SA for eye issues – 4 November is the last one!  Clay has completed both eyes.  Other than the dry eye problem that the daily drops cause, he is doing great and will be completely finished with them on the 16th of October!

I will have my right eye done on 1 Oct and the left eye on 8 Oct.  We have the greatest surgeon!  We have been going to her for 5 years and each time she is bubbly, happy, and always lifts our spirits.  She is one of the best in San Antonio.  The hospital staff is also great.

I will be so glad to get through my surgeries since I now know the process.  I will also have 2 weeks of no lifting or bending over.  Hum, maybe I can get back to sewing quicker than I thought.  And those lovely 4 times a day (8-12-4-8) eye drop are really fun as they begin to take over one’s life.   But it is best to do as instructed because the alternative is not good!

I wanted to let all know that this month I have joined the Celebrating Mary Brown SAL with Karen, Cathy and Julie who have just completed Dearest Boy quilt.  I am really looking forward to working with the great quilters who have signed up to participate.

Corliss Searcey has provided such an excellent pattern for this quilt and the cost of the pattern is well worth the money.  Corliss is to be commended on her excellent work!  I have been working on preparing 16 blocks for this project.  I will be behind everyone for a few weeks but I know that I can catch up!  Here are the participants and on the 30th of the month take time to visit them!

I really do miss my little quilting world but realize that I do not need to try to work on my projects with so much going on!  Less stress is better for Type A idiots!

Nanette

This September Karen and Cathy selected Celebrating Mary Brown as their next project and invited anyone to join in the fun!  The following quilters are participating.  We will be showing completed blocks on the 30th of each month!  Take the time to visit them to see their completed monthly blocks!  If interested let Karen know you are interested in joining the group.