this is another FYI blog post. i promise i am not complaining, well , not too much anyway. i went to the opthalmologist yesterday to have my eyes checked. i have been having some blurry vision, and i have had to go up a couple sizes in my " readers" lately for computer work and work in general. i was over-due for an eye exam- i will admit it. i thought to myself, " what could happen? it is just an eye exam." i should never, ever say this to myself.
the last time that i went to the opthalmologist , my vision was 20/20- no problems with my eye health. yesterday, my vision was 20/70! the doctor said that he was somewhat concerned about me driving with what he saw. i will admit to having difficulty driving at night- i have always had trouble with that, but i really do not think that my day time driving is too dangerous.(!) anyway, he also said that i have some cataracts! i was shocked, to say the least. the cataracts are not bad enough to require surgery at this time, thank goodness. i told the doctor that i have noticed that my vision has gotten a lot worse since i had my chemotherapy. he said that the chemotherapy certainly could have affected my vision. also, in the cocktail of the 5 pre-med drugs i received before each treatment was the drug, dexamethasone. it is a powerful steroid drug. i did ask the oncologist if he could skip that one, but he said absolutely not. it prevents a severe allergic reaction to the chemotherapy drugs. one of the side effects of the dexamethasone, though, is the formation of cataracts. well, la dee da.
the point that i would like to make here, is that chemotherapy affects the entire body. it is important to address any changes that you might see( no pun intended), or notice in your overall health. i think eye exams should me mandatory after chemotherapy. i would have liked to have a more integrated health care for my cancer treatment. i have had wonderful doctors, and other health care professionals, but i think that it would have been very helpful to have had other types of care. for example, help with nutrition, counseling, relaxation techniques, exercise suggestions,etc.
it has been difficult to be " cut loose" after i have had so many major things done to my body. where do i go from here? what is it going to be like for me in the future? what is my new normal and how is going to affect me and my family ? i am still grappling with these issues, as i am sure that many others are as well. i frankly have been surprised that there is not more supportive care given to cancer patients. being a health professional myself, i have a pretty good idea about some things, but i feel that more can be done to make cancer care more holistic. i know that in larger cities there are cancer centers which better address these issues. of course, it is not always feasible for patients to travel long distances. that is one reason that i chose to stay here, close to home, for my care. i knew that with several surgeries, and 12 weeks of chemotherapy, i would not want to travel very far. as i have said before , i feel that i have received excellent care in most areas. i suppose that the holistic approach to cancer care will soon be the norm in smaller health care facilities. but for now, there is a lot of catching up that needs to be done.
so, getting back to my eye exam. my glasses have been ordered- bifocals, and i hope that i can get used to them. i did order purple frames, though, in a sort of act of defiance. those that know me will understand. i should get my glasses in two weeks or so, the doctor said. i will have another eye exam next year to check on my vision and the cataracts. i swear, the doctor said we would just " keep an eye on things."it seems that i am not the only queen of one liners.
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