Decompression

I have now entered a phase of decompression, after the intensity of dealing with the serious issues around medications.

I’ve done everything I can for now, to ensure my safety during and after my upcoming cataract surgery. Getting the right medications has proved to be complex and harrowing. It has been a very distressing ordeal.

I know the issues are going to resume with great intensity. I know the best laid plans do not always play out as anticipated. There are lots of grey areas and pitfalls that could cost me dearly. I will have to be on my toes the day of the surgery.

But right now I am aiming at inner calm, decompression takes time, it takes time.

<Rambling Thoughts on My Surgery Situation>

The Patient Experience Specialist has suggested I come in to the hospital before the surgery to consult with the Anesthesiologist, if the Anesthesiologist agrees to the meeting. I think that might alleviate a lot of the fear, I could ask questions ahead of time, get a feel for the actual process to troubleshoot, and for the person in whose hands my life will rest.

There are a few segments of the process I am concerned about. For instance, one medication used is not safe in bottle form, but is safe in minim form. Both forms may be in the operating room. Will I be conscious and alert to ensure the proper form of the medication is used? This surgery involves a lot more medications than I realized, it is the most complicated surgery, medicinally speaking, that I have ever encountered. It may be one of the safest surgeries in existence for most people, but it is easily the most dangerous surgery in my case.

This is my first surgery since the aneurysm and dilation were discovered. This condition has added an additional layer of complication to treatments. It was challenging when it was just anaphylaxis, now there are two issue to contend with. The anaphylaxis is the priority though, it poses the most immediate danger.

The vascular issues represent a more indirect threat, the Fluoroquinolon group of medications can cause, and worsen these vascular issues, manifesting up to 60 days after exposure.

It is possible that both my aneurysm and dilation were caused by Ciprofloxacin, only to be discovered years after developing. It was prescribed for me in an emergency department, for a bladder infection, during the time when I had no primary care. I was blithely unaware of the danger, and apparently the emergency department doctor was too. On the other hand, I have hereditary lipid issues, and a family history of aneurysms. Maybe it was a combination of the two. Nobody knows, science is not as all encompassing as one might imagine.

</Rambling Thoughts on My Surgery Situation>

Today is a lovely summer’s day. The humidity has decreased, the sun is shining. Everything is green, in August! This is unusual here, other years the lawns have been brown and crunchy at this time of year.

Attila is mowing the lawn. There are twice as many clippings as usual. Everything, the weeds and our garden plants, are thriving.

Ginger has been gagging and heaving quite a bit for the last few days. Poor fellow, he seems so uncomfortable. So I asked Attila to bring a tub of frozen squash puree up from the downstairs freezer. Once it thawed a small amount was offered on a saucer, Ginger immediately downed it. He gets tired of squash, turns up his nose at it after a few days. I will try offering it every other day. I think it helped, there has been no retching today.

Ginger is such a great companion. He sleeps a lot, right across the room from my easy chair. There are times I look up from the computer on my lap, to find him gazing at me. We make eyes at each other for a while, then he stretches out his front paws, rests his head on them, and sleeps. Sometimes I read aloud to him, he really likes that.

If I am in the kitchen “too long” he comes to find me, sits at my feet and stares. If I don’t come to sit in my easy chair, he escalates the situation, yowling. I believe he is trying to speak English, his yowls involve many tones and volumes. He is very expressive. Once I return to my easy chair, he follows me into the living room, jumps up onto the couch, stretches out his front paws, rests his head on them, and falls asleep.

Worldly

Weather

26°C
Date: 1:00 PM EDT Sunday 9 August 2026
Condition: Mainly Sunny
Pressure: 101.6 kPa
Tendency: Rising
Temperature: 25.9°C
Dew point: 15.6°C
Humidity: 53%
Wind: W 14 km/h
Humidex: 30
Visibility: 24 km

Quote

“I am not young enough to know everything.”
Oscar Wilde
1854 – 1900