Update on my life, my mother's health

This Thursday is my mother's heart surgery; it will take about six hours. Today I read up on what to expect afterwards--what's allowed and not. I called my mother to tell her that for six weeks she cannot drive a car, but can be a passenger. Even more importantly, I told her, she cannot ride a bicycle or a motorcycle. We laughed. She can't do either of those things now, and certainly has no interest in getting on a Harley!

For the last few weeks, I've been stuffed up a bit, and have even felt a heavines in my chest the last week or so, affecting my breathing. I mentioned it on my facebook status, and quite a few people guessed that I was having an anxiety attack. Nope. It's bronchitis, and I'm now on antibiotics and steroids. It's wonderful discovering that things that I'm afraid might be in my head aren't.

Like a few weeks ago, I went to a University's Eye Center since for the last year my eyes have not been working together well, especially when I read. When I was young, I suffered from lazy eye in both eyes, and this was similar, I guess, although I don't remember ever having focussing issues. I went to an opthamologist a number of months back, and he told me I was getting old and need reading glasses, but to put off if I could. Then I went to my optometrist, thinking maybe my contacts weren't settling properly in my eyes when I shifted from looking at soemthing far to something closer, and we really spent almost two months trying out different lenses. But within a few weeks, it was happening again. So, off to the University.

I was diagnosed with Convergence Insufficiency. It means my eyes don't come together. The problem isn't with the eyes, but the muscles around them. I now do computer-based exercises. And if they don't work, I will need surgery. What thrills me about this, is that they may serve as an explanation for the headaches I've been having for the last few years. Not migraines. Not iron-deficient-anemia related (although my iron is low again). But muscle strain. And this means they will go away when my eyes are fixed.

It's not in my head.

So...Wednesday I leave for New York, and my husband will watch the boys for the ten days I am gone. I just hope they all get along well and that everything goes smoothly.

Well, I must go do my exercises tonight, before heading off to never never land.