Here’s the EOS 2024 health report. EOS means end of summer, so no matter whether you think autumn begins on September 1st or September 22nd, you’ll agree we are getting to a change of seasons.
ITEM: I had cataract surgery on August 27th (left eye) and September 4th (right eye). It was a lengthy process. I had to go to the surgeon’s office and have several tests done about a month earlier. Then I had to get clearance from my primary care physician to note that I’m healthy enough to have the surgery.
The surgery itself which is actually relatively quick and efficient, probably no more than a couple hours per each eye. After each event, there’s a followup with the surgeon the following day.
I’ll still need reading glasses,albeit a different prescription, but I won’t have as many shadowy things. It’s interesting that there were two options, one of which would have fixed my nearsightedness. Both would have required me to have glasses still. One of them was covered by my insurance in its entirety, and one would have cost $3500 per eye. Frankly, the difference didn’t seem to be worth seven grand.
The fact that we had laid out money for our daughter’s wisdom teeth removal and our cat’s medical tests shortly before he died might have colored my decision.
Drops
it was the worst part about the experience is applying the eye drops, two or three different products thrice a day for four weeks for each eye. My wife has some dry eye issues so she’s become expert at eye drops. I wasn’t so good at it, but I got better at it. I’m not expert, and it occasionally stings a little.
The eye process actually began back in January when I saw my ophthalmologist. They suggested that I needed to get a couple series of tests. Because insurance is what it is, the simpler tests she could do and then bill it to my vision insurance. The more complicated ones she had to do six months later, in July, so she could bill it to my medical insurance. Everything is about insurance
What?
ITEM: I had a hearing test in the late spring. They determined that my hearing is actually quite decent. When they would test me for words, I could repeat them back clearly. The problem I am having is at the upper range of pitch, I might not hear certain things as well. That said, I can usually discern when my wife’s cellphone makes that buzzing sound when a new call comes in and we’re both 10 feet away.
Regardless, I am considered a “good candidate” for a hearing aid. I’ve been reading a lot of literature about the ties between hearing loss and cognitive decline. I probably will get a hearing aid early next year
ITEM: I was having one of those First World Problems where I can’t use my electric toothbrush because it’s not working anymore. “My Sonicare won’t recharge, now I gotta brush my teeth like a neanderathal.” It’s true that I don’t brush as long as I should with a manual device. The electric toothbrush goes on for two minutes and I’m triggered to do that twice a day. It was worth buying a new toothbrush for another fifty bucks.
I know, sad.
Pain in the…
ITEM: My knees, as I’ve indicated before, are both bone on bone. My ortho doctor suggested back in June that I ought to do physical therapy for six weeks and see how that goes. If I decide to have knee surgery, the PT will make the recovery from a possible surgery much better.
I must admit that the physical therapy – heck, even setting up the PT – fell right off the table because of a bunch of other things, including vacations, the eye surgery, and other things mentioned here.,
So I postponed the follow up exam, but this fall I need to do PT on my knees in anticipation of having knee surgery, probably my left knee first since it is the one that hurts more.
ITEM: I am in the midst of figuring out how to either offload certain things or not worry about them. They haven’t necessarily gone away but I’ve recontextualized a little, More on that eventually.
ITEM: I got a COVID shot on August 28th at my local CVS. I’ve recently mentioned COVID in this blog at least a couple of times, and I am taking it seriously. Several people I know people IRL have experienced it in 2024, so I’m not one of those who’s pooh-poohing it. I’m pushing my wife and my daughter to do the same.
“Cases are surging in most areas of the country; emergency room visits are rising and hospitalization rates remain elevated, especially among adults 65 and older, the CDC says.”
That’s it for now.