Eye Doctor and Round Two

Mass Eye And Ear

Had an early morning appointment with Dr Song at Mass Eye And Ear.  Previously in Waltham, this is my second time at their new facility in Lexington.  Although it's closer (exit wise), the new building is really out in the sticks (end of Hartwell Rd).

Luckily, Monday was a holiday and traffic was manageable.  I made decent time. I arrived about a half hour early and checked in.  I didn't wait too long before being called to another waiting room. I guess moving around makes one forget about how long you actually wait.

I had my first test of the day, which took just a few minutes.  After completing those, I was asked to follow the medical professional to another examination room on the opposite side of the building.  Once seated I was given the Snelling Card test then asked to look through the machine so they could flip filters/lenses until I could see perfectly.  I'm assuming that this is used to determine if I need an eye glass prescription.  The result indicated that I might benefit from some corrective lenses or use 'cheaters' reading (the kind you get retail), but I have no problems reading.  I have mono vision (two implanted lenses: one for distance and one for reading).  The only time I notice that things are not clear is when I take a sip of coffee while reading and the cup covers my line of sight (on my reading eye). Barring that, I don't need glasses.

I was finally given the dilation drops and was asked to wait until the drops kicked in. I seemed to take about 20 minutes before the doctor arrived.

Upon arrival and after pleasantries, Dr Song stated that my test results were good.  He then took out his bag of tricks and began examining my eyes at all angles.  I'm generally keen to picking up utterances, but either there was nothing to grunt about ,or he's a good poker player. Luckily for me, he was pleased with everything and told me to return in a year.  YAY!

Round Two BCG

Today, I had an early appointment for my second dose of BCG.  Traffic was heavy, but it moved and I arrived right on time.  After checking in and providing my specimen sample, I didn't have to wait too long to be called.

I was quizzed on my vitals as we walked to a familiar examination room. I had just removed my coat when Morgan arrived.  Jokingly I said, "I'm not ready yet". She said, "I can come back".  I indicated that I'd be quick and I was.

Morgan set up her implements and quickly went to work.  Very little discomfort and before I knew it I was done.  She said, "See you next week".  I returned my paperwork to the front desk and went home to marinate. 

I was able to do the full two hours.  So I voided, then had some coffee and took my pyridium (Azo). I then waited.

I recall from my previous rodeos that each subsequent dose was cumulative for the side effects. Today was no different.  For the next six hours, I stayed near the bathroom and made visits with very little output.  The burning seemed to go through my whole body.  I could feel/hear my lymph nodes screaming.  Eventually, the Azo kicked in and it was less uncomfortable to go.  Like other times, I did see some blood and passed a few clots (normal and expected).  This cleared up as the day progressed.  I felt BLAH and just chilled out.  No chores or walk today.

I expect to be back at it tomorrow and healing up for my next (and hopefully last) round.

More to come!