Patients today

Most days work doesnt feel like work.  All the loneliness and frustrations I had been feeling for the past 6 months seem to subside when I get to talk to my patients.  I love asking them what they do, their philosophies on certain aspects of life (marriage, children). Today's highlights thus far:

1. A very chubby and jolly 30 something year old middle eastern husband with a thick accent with a gray baby holder strapped across his large belly was so excited to get his eyes refracted.  He came in with his beautiful and serene wife with a very chubby, healthy (loud) 11 month old daughter on her lap.  When I told him he didn't need glasses and he saw very well, he frowned.  He looked straight at me with his dilated eyes and asked me, "What is your dream?"
"Excuse me?"
"Yourrr drrrream (with his r's intensively rolling)!"
"My dream?"  It was such a random question for a patient to ask me.
"I tell you my drrream doctorrr, my drrream is to wearrr glasses because I look verrrry handsome in them," he said in all seriousness.
I looked at his wife and she was nodding and smiling in agreement.  I laughed and told him that many dream to have his perfect vision (he grunted in disagreement) and he didn't have to worry because his dream would come true once he hit age 40.  His eyes grew as big as doughnuts, his mouth opened, and he exclaimed excitedly as he took his mini-me into his arms "40 will be soon!" And he waltzed out the door.  This was my first patient to have wanted presbyopia to happen.  I think he may be my one and only ever.

2.  A new patient, a pudgy boy in high school came in for a glasses and contact lens for the first time.  He was very calm and quiet.  He told me he broke and lost his glasses from playing basketball, he also stated he never saw well out of his left eye (oh great, is this another amblyopia??).  He had high astigmatism and high myopia (which kind of irks me because there are never any trial lenses with his power).  After refracting him, he could only see the 20/30 line with either eye...should I just have him wear glasses for time being and then have him come in later for contacts?  I doubt his parameters are in the trial set.  I slowly started to say, "You will need to get used to glasses first because you have such high astigmatism, I am not sure if you will be used to them in the first place...I may need you to come back after wearing glasses for a while, then do contacts afterward..."
He nodded,"Okay, I will do that.  I understand."
Uugghhh but Sandra, you know you should just do it...he was totally looking forward to contact lenses.  Just try!
"...but let's just try the contacts now, might as well!"  I was groaning as I was selecting the adjusted parameters.
Then we started talking about basketball and he was telling me how his favorite player was Kyrie Irving and how watching the finals wasn't so fun because he liked LeBron.  I started inserting the right contact lenses and as soon as it settled, he had the biggest smile ever.  "I haven't seen this good since the 4th grade!"
I was thinking to myself, it should be worse vision than the glasses...I put on the other one and he his smile grew even bigger (didn't even know that it could be possible).  'What is he seeing??' I thought to myself.
I check his vision: 20/20 on BOTH eyes.  I was immensely relieved and surprised.  Then I started saying some dumb shit like "Omigod!  I am the Kyrie Irving of contact lenses!  Man, I am good!  I am SO GOOD!"
Then patient was laughing, agreeing, and feeding my big head "The Kobe!  The LeBron!"

Asteroid Hyalosis

finally saw one in a long while.

definitely put a smile on my face because I find asteroid hyalosis to be so cute and magical!  Little gold scintillating evenly scattered in gelly matter without affecting the patients vision

not long enough

my hairs were not long enough for waxing.  that or the sally hansen wax totally sucks.

did i mention the smell of the wax?  the fumes have got to be toxic.  do not use sally hansen wax. yuck.

random

this is the first time my husband and i have been apart from each other for more than three days!  he is in california taking care of his mom and i am in pennsylvania taking care of work (luckily work was kind enough to give me another two weeks off to spend time with family).

1. first night i was here, i missed my husband terribly and cried a bit.  but now i am a-okay!  maybe because i know ill be home in a few days :)

2. i think i like hitting balls with sticks...as in...batting cage, yes.  golfing, yes.  pool, yes.  tennis, no--racquet does not equal stick.  i probably would like cricket.  a round pinata? very likely.

3. its nice not needing to shave my armpits and leg hair for the time being.  ive been wanting to wax for so long, but being with my husband all the time made me shy with growing out gross hair to wax (blahblahblah feminists telling that i should just grow it out, LADY, it is just personal preference!!  nothing to do with feminism or social norm.  i just like being smooth, geez).  just bought sally hansen's stripless hard wax kit - #1 selling wax brand in the U.S.A. according to the box.  sold.  never tried it, but let's give it a go...tomorrow.

4. wait, i need to pluck my moustache, too *wince* tomorrow...

5. man, if i lived by myself, my house would be a pigpen.  oh dangit, i forgot to do laundry again...tomorrow.

6. i have been self-employed for past year, and i finally started working at a place that auto-deducts tax, and DANG.  GOVERNMENT BE TAKIN ALL MY MONEY.  it's like 35% of my hard earned money is GONE.  DONALD, IF YOU ARE GONNA DO THAT STUPID TAX REDUCTION THING, DO IT RIGHT.  IF NOT THEN PUT OBAMA CARE BACK ON  GEEZ, YOU DUMB PIECE OF SHmuuccckkkk...

7. i finally got my period!  i was so worried i was pregnant because i was drinking wine!!!!  thank god, gonna go on prenatals, just in case...TMI?  sorry, nobody really reads my blog anyway :) . i was reading an article today saying that age 34 is prime time to have your first kid because you are likely socially and psychologically stable, physically healthy enough, and thus gives a better mortality and likelihood of success for the baby, but 35 is the age to stop having your kid....so uh, hopefully you can have triplets on your first try.  it was a very interesting article on huffington post, and it made me feel better about putting off having a kid for the next couple of years.  although i did stumble upon my friend's post how she was struggling with infertility for two years and just got pregnant--it was emotional and made me think of what it would be like to have my own babies.  and it got me all teary eyed and wanting one...a boy first, then a girl :)

8. i eat pretty well by myself.  pepperridge farm cookies for breakfast, yogurt and welch fruit snacks (i love the grape!!!) for lunch. a whole head of lettuce wrapped around small pieces of spam or quesadilla....okay maybe not...but better than pizza every night, right?

9. song i like these days: Thunder by Imagine Dragons

10. God make me closer to you....

Go!

In about 1 week...

...My husband and I will have been married for 5 months.
...I have been not working for the past 6 months.

I am embarrassed that so few things were accomplished during that time.  It was a terrible waiting game primarily due to the optometric license.  It was difficult to make solid plans because interviews could be scheduled at any time and I was so eager to find a job.  Plausible work dates were being made, but license may or may not be in by that time.  It was and still is a frustrating time (yes, I am still waiting for my license).

I was so dry, bitter and gave into sin many many times.

I would turn to my parents and friends for immediate comfort.  I was glued to social media because it was a way for me to get in touch with people and see how they were doing, instead of me messaging them all the time.  I did not turn to God and refused to open up the Bible.  I wanted a quick "tangible" fix, I liked that they understood me.

But all their words and comforts would be a very temporary band-aid and I would be back to my upset self.  I thought venting to them or having some kind of human interaction would help decrease my negative feelings and anger, but I realized I felt more justified with the way I felt and blow up at my husband.  I wanted to blame him that I was in this state because of him.  I was unsatisfied with pretty much everything and would make him feel my misery.

My husband was being sucked dry to the bone -- exhausted from resident life, being on call, studying, and rubbing shoulders with acrimonious people.  On top of that, he was constantly worrying about his mom, bravely battling the difficult pancreatic cancer on the other side of states.  On top of that, he would come home and tend to his wife who had unpredictable emotions stemming from feelings of loneliness, uselessness, and intense dark anger.

But during his MOST difficult time in life, he was still trying to love me.  Yes, there were times when my husband fought back.  But all in all, he would be the first to comfort me, understand me, affirm me, and love me.  I could not understand where he was coming from.  How can he love me when he is stuck with, literally, the worst and ugliest person he has probably ever met?

Today, I came across a stranger's picture.  She looked so lovely holding her daughter and it seemed like she was getting ready for her sister's wedding.  I know it sounds stalker-ish, but I had a strange feeling because I felt so drawn to and connected her.  I was surprised that she was also married to an ophthalmologist who was the same age as Alex and went through a similar track as him--took some time off after college, went to medical school, took a year off during medical school to do ophthalmology research, and then got matched to ophthalmology.  They had dated longer (seemed like 3 years) and were married for 3 years longer (oh gosh, okay yes, I am definitely a stalker).  That meant she probably went through similar things as me: where her husband was too busy and exhausted at times, and she would move around for him and look for jobs.  She, too, was educated (much more educated and accomplished than me) and had a professional degree under her belt.

However, the stark difference between her and me was how the situation was handled.  She tenderly and faithfully relied on God from the beginning.  Just her whole attitude and aura, was graceful, encouraging, and lovely--constant through all those years.  There was no bitterness, just endless love and opportunity.  Suddenly, I had a pang of desire to have a heart like hers.

So I pulled out my Bible and did my first personal quiet time this year in a long time.

petty little stressors

1. Buying bedsheets, bedlinen, duvet - it's a whole new world for me.  what is this linen count?  i know that more linen count = warmer, but how much warmer? what cover is considered good quality? how do i know if this huge sheet will make our room look better or cozier or worse?  i need an interior designer.  i want to purchase a nice duvet for our comforter, but i have NO idea what the size is...i am just going to assume that it is a king sized comforter..........................MUST USE THIS OPPORTUNITY OF 50% OFF SALE FROM MACYS OR ELSE I WILL HAVE TO WAIT ANOTHER TWO MONTHS FOR AN UPCOMING SALE, JUST BUY.

2. Buy dinnerware - omigoodness, where to start?  i just want something simple and white, but why are there so many different kinds???  i have to start thinking if the shape will be ergonomic when washing dishes (like little studs on the plate will have food stuck on it more easily).  my mom says "pick the one that will make the food look tasty" - but it's hard to tell when you have a white circle dish vs. a white circle dish with a mild bordering bump...do borders around dishes make it look tastier?  what about the one with butterflies and bugs on it?  how is that supposed to make a dish look tastier?  prettier maybe...tastier?  i would be distracted i think...am i going in the right direction with deciding which dish design to get?  GUHHH TOO MANY CHOICES.  LORD, I NEED THE GIFT OF HOMEMAKING DISCERNMENT.

3. Deciding what to make for dinner - cooking aint no problem for me, in fact, i enjoy it.  the least favorite part of my day is dishwashing.  don't get me wrong, my husband does a lot of dishwashing for me, but it is crunch time for him and i feel like it would be nice if i did it instead so he would have the 15 minutes to resting or studying.  but anyway, deciding what to make for dinner or for my husband's lunch is not an easy task.  so many factors come in: what do we have in the refrigerator, should we eat this again?  should i learn something new?  do i have the ingredients?  do i walk to trader joes and save money?  or do i walk to rittenhouse market and save time?  is there enough protein in today's meal or vegetables?  if i try something new, will it taste good?  BLAH!

4. Money when grocery shopping - okay, i admit, i used to be one of those people who NEVER looked at price tags or compared prices.  if i wanted something, i would just get it and enjoy it.  i remember my friends from optometry school, whenever we carpooled to get groceries together, they would have this horrified look on their faces when i would just throw things in the cart and not know the prices.  nowadays, i am comparing prices of canned chilis.  why is it so much more expensive at this marketplace vs. the other grocery store, but the price on steak is the other way around?

5. Deciding to go outside - wash my face, brush my teeth, apply make up, get ready.  i need to work out. i should get fresh air. i can discover something new.  vs. it is so damn cold outside and it is so warm at home.................HOME IT IS.

6. I get so easily distracted nowadays.  Here is a typical day:
   I need to study (starts studying)
   but it would be so nice if I could study in comfy clothes (looks through drawers)
   Hmm...looks like I need to do laundry (takes out laundry towards the kitchen)
   Ooo, I need to do the dishes (starts doing dishes)
   Oh but I need to prep for dinner (stops dishwashing and looks through refrigerator)
   Yumm, this yogurt is so good (starts eating yogurt)
   I wonder what is on tv while I finish this yogurt (turns on console and watches a drama for 10 minutes)
   Ooo the actress has such nice skin, I should work out (goes back into room and looks up workout classes)
    I wonder where this gym is at (proceed to look at GoogleMaps)
    Man, i feel like traveling, how far is Iceland from here (.....THIS GOES ON FOREVER).
THEN I REALIZE I HAVEN'T DONE $HIT until my husband calls me and tells me he is on his way home.  TIME TO MAKE DINNER!  (ooo but the laundry is out here, I should do laundry...)
YOU KNOW WHAT HAPPENS NEXT.

welcome to the petty realm of sandra's mind