So, why was I 'lazy'? Well, I apparently tore my retina in my right eye :( I've had issues in this eye since around 2005, and being a computer worker by day I tend to get a decent amount of eye pain and strain at various times of the years. I've suffered from floaters in that eye pretty much my entire life but they got much worse in 2005, shortly after a minor car accident where I was rear ended, enough so that it totaled my car. I'm now thinking that may have affected my eye issues more than I ever thought.
About 2 weeks ago, I was simply walking to the mail box when I thought I saw a bolt of lighting across the sky. I found it strange because a) it was sunny out and b) we don't get a lot of lighting out here in general. Then it happened again, and again, and then I realized that it was a large floater in my eye that appeared to be slightly lit up. Then, my vision got pretty cloudy, more floaters came, and my concern grew, enough that I went to the eye doctor the first thing the following morning (which, btw, you shouldn't actually do...you should go to at least Urgent Care and not wait on it). The eye doctor said he didn't see any retinal tears and that it was probably just aging. Oh, okay... And so, I went about my business, all the while with my vision severely worse than it's ever been and having a bit of minor eye pain.
It wasn't until a week later, this past Friday, that I realized that there was a fairly large black spot or hole in my vision in that eye when I looked to the extreme right (the spot was on the extreme left side). It also felt odd when I'd do that...kind of hard to explain but it sort of felt like the pain of a muscle strain. After doing a few internet searches, it sounded bad enough that I should immediately get back to the eye doctor.
I went somewhere else this time, which was probably a good decision, and that doctor found the tear after quite a bit of searching, and immediately sent me to the retina specialist, all against the clock since it was 4pm on a Friday and they closed normally at 5pm. They got me in, looked inside my eye, and before I knew it they were jabbing my eye with a needle to numb it, then freeze it, and then place gas bubbles in there, a therapy that basically causes a bit of weight inside your eye so that the vitreous reattaches to the retina. The whole procedure took about 10 minutes. It sounds awful when you say or write it; much to my surprise, I really didn't feel a damn thing and it wasn't that bad at all, and this is all coming from one of the most squeamish people out there.
And so, I've been pretty much laying on my side ever since, literally for over 90 hours now, with only small moments of getting up and moving around. It's been interesting to say the least. The retina apparently reattached fairly quickly but it needs many hours in order to "cement" again inside the eye and hence I'll be lying here for approximately a week. So, no guitar playing, recording, or even day job working...
If all comes out well, meaning I can see normally again, I won't really complain. This does put my time line for Jazz Machine a bit in jeopardy, though. I guess, at least for once, I have a truly valid excuse if I don't make it...
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