An eye update

I took these leaf photos outside, it is still very pretty to see all the colours, I have started painting the 2nd one.  

 I saw the retina surgeon last Nov 6th and he said my right eye  was no longer cloudy so we were able to plan for scleral fixation surgery in the New Year, to give the eye a chance to rest and also he can have time to assemble the best team.  I have a follow up planned with my cataract doctor to get started on the LAL treatments for the other eye.  This is where the eye gets bursts of light to fine tune the vision.

The retina surgeon is now recommending I go with distance vision over near vision which is disappointing for me.  But the type of haptic scleral lens being inserted in my right eye is more successfully calculated for far vision.  It means I have to go with distance vision for my left eye now, to keep the symmetry.  So I will have to wear glasses for near vision.  

At least I can enjoy the Christmas season.  There is always a worry with upcoming surgery, but let's hope for the best outcomes, hope that we are going in the right direction.  I am trying not to get depressed about this whole thing, having researched recovery timelines, risks, complications. However, I do think the upcoming surgery is the best option for me and the outcome could be positive as I should keep telling myself.

I put these items on my blog and I find that I can refer to these posts over the years. 

Are you starting your Holiday preparations? My cards are ready to go! 

Friday Art - Pink Grasshopper

 

Welcome to Friday Art!

This is my pink grasshopper ACEO (2 1/2" x 3 1/2") in watercolour pencil.

It is based on this photo:

Linking to Gillena's Art For Fun Friday.

Tastes like an Oh Henry bar

 

Fun Game

Candy Corn and Salted Nuts

Daughter L played a fun game at Halloween. It was a trick or treat taste test as per the photo above.  We tried the Candy Corn and Salted Nuts combination and it did really taste like an Oh Henry bar!

Wednesday Memes and Remembrance Day

Thank you for your service on Remembrance Day. 

Smoked Salmon Fried Rice

 

We had some leftover smoked salmon and I decided to make a smoked salmon fried rice.  It was delicious! Smoked meat adds a lot of flavour to dishes.

2-3 green onions diced

2 cloves garlic mince

2 eggs

salt

pepper

1/2c green peas

2-3 c of cooked rice

canola oil

1/2c smoked salmon cut into 1/2 inch pieces

Saute eggs with a bit of salt and pepper set aside.

Saute onions, garlic in oil. Add rice.  Mix in eggs and smoked salmon. Stir until warmed up.  Enjoy.

Roasted Green Tomato Soup

 

I had a handful of green tomatoes lying around that would not ripen. My friend suggested putting them in a brown paper bag to see if they would ripen. Some did ripen, but not all.  Rather than throw them out I decided to roast them and make a soup with them.  It was delicious!

A handful of green tomatoes 

1 can coconut milk

1 can reduced salt chicken broth

1 can water to dilute the chicken broth

1/2 tsp salt

1/2 tsp pepper

1 tsp sugar

1 tsp dried basil

2 cloves garlic minced

1 onion chopped

1 stalk of celery chopped

3 tbs olive oil

Cut the tomatoes into even pieces.  On a tray lined with parchment paper, roast them with the celery in olive oil, salt, pepper, sugar, basil, onions, garlic at 350F for 30 minutes.  Transfer to a pot. Add chicken stock, coconut milk and bring to a boil, then simmer for 20 mins.  Blend.

You might want to remove the tomato skins prior to boiling.

Hey It's Sunday and SITAR - Cosmos themed picture frame

 

Welcome to Gillena's Hey It's Sunday and to Nicole's SITAR!

I did a Cosmos themed picture frame for you today in acrylic.  My friend S had given me a few of these frames.  They will make nice gifts I am thinking, as Christmas is coming soon.

Duh Christine

 So I opted to upgrade to a new Walmart credit card offering more perks, with no annual fee.  It promised a smooth transition to the new card and it was.  So I login to my online account to update it with the new card information but it didn't seem to allow me to make edits.  So I call customer service to get help.  She said my card had already been updated and so it had!  I was trying to update it without realizing it was already my new card number! Duh Christine.  I am pretty sure it was the same voice that helped me last month with another 'duh' moment.

Another thing I have to watch out for are fake videos before I go sharing them. If it seems too good to be true it probably is.  There is a fake Chinese glass ad that claims it was their glass that couldn't be smashed in that France Louis Vuitton store. Luckily my sister alerted me to that.

Friday Art - Simple Portrait

 

Welcome to Friday Art!

This is just a simple portrait ACEO (2 1/2" x 3 1/2") in watercolour pencil.  This is my first drawing I am showing that I did since my cataract surgery.  My good left eye is still not fine tuned although the doctor had said I was reading 20/20. I did my best.  

Linking to Nicole's Friday Face Off and to Gillena's Art For Fun Friday.

New Acrylic markers

 

I am excited to try my new Arrtx Acrylic markers as pictured above!

Wednesday Memes

 

Lobster Dinner Celebration

 

Last month we went to Fishman Lobster Clubhouse Restaurant.  Daughter L got a big raise at work and chose this place to celebrate.  They will show you the lobsters they are going to cook for you, having approved the sizes.  Then you get these lobster towers as pictured above.

Grandson C also had a good time.  Husband M would take him outside for little walks in between courses and they enjoyed looking at the sunset.  Grandson C would copy him and say 'wow!'.  He is 17 months now.

Paris Baguette

 

While at the clinic for my recent eye surgery we were looking for a place nearby to grab coffee and a snack.  On Bloor Street we found Paris Baguette.  It is a worldwide chain and we decided to try it. It is a Korean chain, the 'Paris' name might be misleading.  It has a large array of sandwiches and desserts, on the pricy side.  Husband M enjoyed the latte and a croissant with a sausage inside.  I tried the curry croquet, it was ok.

Hey It's Sunday and SITAR- Nautical Themed Picture Frame

 

Welcome to Gillena's Hey It's Sunday  and to Nicole's SITAR!

I did a hand painted nautical themed picture frame for you in acrylic. My friend S had given me a few of these frames and suggested this theme.  Both husband M and S thought the frame should've been a bit more full, more blue, more seagulls for example, but my style is minimalist!

And welcome to November!  Brr!

An evening out and Happy Halloween

 

sweet versus sour non alcoholic cocktail

beef and lamb kebabs

latte

The weekend before my Oct 21st cataract surgery we met up with some good friends for dinner at Tabule restaurant.  We have been there many times and enjoy the food there, not to mention it was good to see our friends and catch up. I forgot the name of my cocktail except that it was sweet versus sour.

And have a great Halloween!

Friday Art - Gloster Canary

 

Welcome to Friday Art! This is my Gloster Canary ACEO (2 1/2" x 3 1/2") in acrylic. It has a natural bowl cut!

Linking to Nicole's Friday Face Off and to Gillena's Art For Fun Friday.

Enjoyed my cocktail and I am feeling well guys

 

zero proof vino cool, 0% vermouth, blood orange, soda

Husband M and I were at the mall picking up a few things at Walmart a few weeks ago and we decided to stop in at Joey's for some drinks and appetizers. I really liked my non-alcoholic (zero proof vino cool, 0% vermouth, blood orange, soda) cocktail.  Those were shrimp and nacho appetizers.  

For my friends who keep asking, I am feeling well, today I am allowed to wash my face fully and start exercising although no weight bearing over 10 pounds for another week.  I can come off one of the cataract meds today, but there are a couple more that have to be taken  4 times a day for another week.  Then I go down to 2 meds for the next 2 weeks after that.  

My cornea seems less cloudy but I won't know until Nov 6 when I see the retina surgeon, how well it has cleared by then. Hopefully I can then go on to the next step. I am taking special salt drops 4 times a day until Sunday to help the cornea clear.

Again, the vision in my left eye is really good.

Husband M says this is all a lot easier than my retina surgery where I slept face down for a month. How quickly one forgets, he is right.

Wednesday Memes

  I posted these memes accidentally a few days ago and some comments had already been posted before I managed to repost with the correct date.  Here are the lovely comments I saved fyi:

Barbara https://barbandjohnsretirement.blogspot.com/

Lol! Love the cookbook one.

 

Rostrose https://rostrose.blogspot.com/

Dear Christine, I really like your memes! And I read about your eye surgery—I truly hope everything turns out well for you!
All the best from Austria! 🤗

 

The Happy Whisk https://www.thehappywhisk.com/

All good ones. Of course for me, the witchy poo cookbook eating kids is THE BEST!

 

Mary Kirkland https://scarymarythehamsterlady.blogspot.com/

These are great. I hope you are feeling well.

 

Jules https://alongthewaywithj.blogspot.com/

The last one is definitely me :)
Thanks for the happy. Xx

 

Angie’s Recipes https://angiesrecipes.blogspot.com/

Thank you, Christine.

 

Denise https://anenglishgirlrambles2016.blogspot.com/

Love the funnies and wise Christine. Thank you and I hope all is going well with your recovery. Happy week to you :)

 

My Cataract Surgery Update/Story

This is a bit of a read, for those interested in the details of my recent cataract surgery.

On October 21 I went for my (light adjusted lens) cataract surgery on both eyes.  Everything went smoothly on my left eye.  The right eye had undergone a few detached retina surgeries (including a vitrectomy) in the summer.  The cataract surgeon discovered that half of the threads that hold the lens in place (called zonules) had been inadvertently cut.  There was no mention of this in the retina notes from that clinic.  He got on a call with one of the retina surgeons and explained what he had found.  He then removed my scarred lens and said it is now a retina problem.  

I had a follow up with the cataract doctor Oct 22, the next day.  By that time I had gotten a consultation appointment with the Retina specialist for the morning of Oct 23.  Anyway the cataract doctor told me I might have a choice of going with a LAL lens like the one now implanted in my left eye or with a traditional mono lens.  It seems that any new lens would have to be attached to the eye wall (sclera) since there are no threads anymore to attach it to.  

Husband M did a lot of research that night and decided that the traditional mono lens is the way to go, it has a more secure hold in the eye wall than the LAL lens.

At the consult Oct 23 the retinal specialist gave me the option of just getting eyeglasses or contact lens to fix my problem, requiring no surgery.  But I decided to go with the mono lens.  He said my cornea is cloudy likely because I just had surgery.  He will see me in 2 weeks to see if it has cleared.  If not, I will be referred to someone else for that problem.  If it has cleared we can schedule the lens surgery.

I still have to go to the cataract doctor to continue treatment for the LAL lens now in my left eye and coordinate with what is going on in the right eye.

I have to look forward, not back.  Cataract surgeries are mostly very routine, this was not to be the case for me. I am in good spirits, taking all the regular cataract eye drops and some saline drops to help the cloudy cornea clear.

Life goes on.  The vision in my left eye is already amazing.  I did find out that you can still see even if you have no lens in your eye, the cornea enables some vision.

I did ask the doctors if they thought the surgeon had made a mistake when he severed my zonules.  They said it was a complicated surgery and things cannot be guaranteed, or something like that. As I said, no looking back.

Possible Blog Break - cataract surgery

 

bee hives

I got a date for cataract surgery next week at a private clinic in downtown Toronto. Here is the view from the clinic.  It has a view of the Royal Ontario Museum.  You will notice the bird deterrent spikes on the building window sill.  I also thought it was interesting seeing these bee hives through the window.

I chose to go with Light Adjustable Lens in both eyes which will require me to wear these  UV eyeglasses for 4-7 weeks after my eyes have healed from the surgery.  Healing requires a month of regular daily eye drops administered 3-4 times a day. My vision will be adjusted with these UV light treatments at scheduled appointments after surgery.  It is the most expensive option but husband M and I decided it was worth it due to my detached retina issues in the summer.  

I may be taking a blog break as I am unsure what to expect from this process.  Apparently I will be able to see pretty much immediately.  As you might know I am addicted to my blog so I probably will be checking in.

Friday Art - Spicebush Swallowtail Caterpillar

 

Welcome to Friday Art! I did a spicebush swallowtail caterpillar ACEO (2 1/2" x 3 1/2") in watercolour pencil for you today.  It mimics a snake with fake eyespots to evade predators.

Linking to Nicole's Friday Face Off and to Gillena's Art For Fun Friday.

Cottage Cheese Salad

 

I made this cottage cheese salad which can also be used as a delicious dip as pictured.  It is a good way to use cottage cheese.

The recipe says it is for one serving.

3/4 c chopped cucumber

3/4 c cherry tomatoes halved

3 tbs red onion chopped

1 c cottage cheese

1/2 - 1 tbs white wine vinegar

drizzle of olive oil

oregano or parsley (I used 1/2 tsp dried dill)

1/4 tsp salt

1/4 tsp pepper

In a small bowl mix tomatoes, onion, cucumber, salt, pepper.  In another bowl mix cottage cheese, vinegar. Scoop the vegetables in, leaving any extra liquid. Top with herbs, olive oil.

Wednesday Memes