Saturday, April 9, 2005

IT USE TO BE EASY TO SCORE DRUGS

Well, back in the 1970's that is.

This is what happened. I dreamed last night that I had a sty in my eye. When I woke up my eye was killing me. There was something in there under the lid! I did all the self doctoring I could think of. Flush it out  using a Bahamas shot glass.  When that did not work I resorted to bottle eye wash.

It hurt something terrible, but I felt it would expel itself out in the normal course of a day. It had to! I was scheduled to paint the porch!

It was okay as long as I looked down. I was on top of a ladder (if you know the problem with my depth perception and casual falling down episodes, this is very scary) and keeping my eyes in the  down position was relatively easy. Suddenly, I could not bear the pain. I was moving my eye to much! The added misery of a bright sun filled day while using white paint  was agony.

I thought I would drive myself to the Urgent Care Center in Lexington, a ten mile drive. I was only one mile into it when I realized could not make it. I had to keep the effected eye shut and with my fingers hold the lid off the eye ball. My eye was watering non stop and as a bonus horror, my nose was running non stop too. I can not drive with one eye and one hand. And snot streaming down my face!

I caved and turned around and headed for the ER.

The ER! The last time I was in the ER for a self inflicted wound, I was 13. I staggered in wearing sun glasses. I was called to the counter.

"What's the problem." she asked. I lifted my sunglasses and let her have a gander at my eyeball. She gasped and quickly looked down. Oh no, I thought, its worse than I thought!

They led me to a room and told me to take a chair. I crawled up in the gurney and assumed a "woe is me position" with my arm over my forehead. "You're on the bed?" the nurse asked me as she stuck her head in (to tell me they were backed up and the Doctor would be with me as soon as he could). "I'm traumatized" I answered. She administered some numbing eye drops to my immediate relief.

He got to me in about an hour and I almost passed out. The bed had to be tilted so my head was lower than my feet. But he flushed out my eye using some medieval method and we concurred that it was a piece of DRY WALL that had fallen in my eye the day before and worked its way up during the night.

It had scratched my eyeball, not my cornea, Thank God!

I got home, resumed painting.......the numbing medication wore off. My eye began watering again, my nose too. I laid down and felt the pain begin to build and build.

I am not a martyr, I called the ER as soon as I could get it together and focus on the phone book and read the dang telephone number to the hospital.

They were so nice in their denial of allowing me the bottle of numbing medication, but they did give me a little "something something" for the pain.

It took two hours for my eye to stop feeling like I had a stick stuck in there and someone was pressing my eyeball back into my head.

Word to the wise: Safety glasses  

23 comments:

Anonymous said...

I'm so glad everything is ok...and do wear those safety goggles from now on.

Anonymous said...

OMG ... that has to hurt!
Yes, safety glasses are a good idea!
        *** Coy ***

Anonymous said...

My eyes were tearing up while reading this! Be careful and I'm so sorry you had to deal with the pain!!

~Jaime

Anonymous said...

OUCHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH



feel better please!

Anonymous said...

IF the pain doesn't go away I would call an eye doctor by Monday. My ex once scratched his cornea and they urgent care center didn't realize it, the eye dr knew at once. If the ER added dye to your eye it's possible that they checked for it but I would be cautious. Hope it's better by the time you read this.

Anonymous said...

Gosh, I feel  so bad for you!  Is this going to get you out of doing all these little projects by yourself?  Or at least get you a day off?  But, seriously, please take care of it...JAE

Anonymous said...

OH MY GOSH Nothing like eye problems it can really drive you nuts and crazy. No pain like that either. You poor thing I ahd a two day spell of non stop wateringI Put a guaze patch over and kept it iced for two days. I never thought you could go the dr. for it or the er rather. I knew an eye dr. Well I use to have sty's in my eyes all the time as achild.  Im joust hope you get to feeling better soon. You poor thing.

Anonymous said...

The numbing drops are heaven, but they will impede healing, sad to say. I can't believe they didn't patch you and give you antibiotic ointment. If you still have pain after 24 hours, go see an opthalmologist! Ouchie, poor girl!
xoxo

Anonymous said...

Owie! My eyes are watering just reading this! I hope your eye feels better ASAP! (And don't you hate how they make you feel like a drug seeking addict or something?!?! Sheesh!)

Anonymous said...

You have my sympathy.  I did almost the same thing once.  Hurts like a @#$%^..  Then there is the time that my cat scratched my eye.  I had to wear a big, white bandage on my eye for 48 hrs.  I went into a store with a brace on my arm, a huge bandage on my eye. and a cane in my hand.   People turned around and walked the other way when they saw me coming.  LOL  Pennie  

Anonymous said...

Not commenting but lurking. : ) Just wanted to say, "hi"

Anonymous said...

PS.....I've done that at least four times to my eyes.....Yes, I wear safety glasses these days.

Anonymous said...

OMGosh - I'm so very glad I didn't pursue nursing as I had started out originally.  I got the willies just reading this!  Sure hope you feel better and hope you have those safety goggles on.

Monica
http://journals.aol.com/photographybymon/Mamarazzi/
http://journals.aol.com/sonensmilinmon/SmilinMonsAdventures/

Anonymous said...

  See what happens when you put these mishaps into this perspective: THESE ARE THE "GOOD OL' DAYS" THAT YOU WILL FONDLY RECALL!
   Actually ... take it from someone who became Older-and-(somewhat)Wiser ...
SURVIVAL ... becomes the PRIZE! ...  I glory when I can crow: "I WON".

Anonymous said...

Ouch!  Glad it wasn't more serious.  

Anonymous said...

OUCH! Sound hideous. Glad you're on the mend though now.

Anonymous said...

Ouch....I can just imagine.  I still wear hard contact lenses and when I get something in my eye I am rendered helpless.  I'm glad it's healing and you've got some relief.

Anonymous said...

Ouch!  Hope your eye feels better quickly.  

Anonymous said...

My husband learned that lesson after he had a piece of pine needle or something lodged in his eye after doing yardwork.  It got so inflamed, his eye was close to rupturing by the time he went to the hospital.  So sorry you had to go through such a nasty experience!  Lisa  :-]

Anonymous said...

ouch ouch ouch
I can't believe you drove yourself to the E/R!
my eyes are sympathetically hurting for you...feel better soon!

Anonymous said...

oh my.... that sounds painful!! So glad you are ok.... definitely safety glasses!!! judi

Anonymous said...

i scratched my cornea with a piece of paper once! i was teasing a woman about being pregnant 7 hit mysekf in the eye!
I guess that'll teach me.
it sounds awful!
my eye hurt in sympathy as I read it.
alwasy, when you go to the er (or to get your teeth cleaned , for that matter) ask for pain pills! they won't volunteer
marti

Anonymous said...

lol !  glad your eye is ok !