My First Shot

Day Four, Tuesday, I was back for my shot!  The concept still sent chills down my spine, but my wife and I discussed the situation and the contribution to research I could make by agreeing to the trials. So it was a go!  I met first with a young lady who did all the paper work, asked a thousand questions to get the background info needed for the trial, then to the Hyde Park Lions room, another vision test somewhat different than the others, administered by a young lady that had a very beautiful voice.  I told her she should be on the radio if she ever decided to change jobs.  Then we went down to have more pictures and then next door to the Morris Lions Club room for the treatment.  Again the doctor was accompanied by her entourage, and we all crowded into the room, more drops to the eye, and the insertion of a device to keep my lids open, more drops and a yet another set of drops massaged upon the  exterior of the eye.  Then they were ready!

A sterile dressing was placed over my face with an opening for the affected eye. I think someone pressed on my eye for a second it felt like a finger, and then a bright light into the eye, and the doctor said here we go, I felt a sharp sting which lasted about 5 seconds and we were done. She asked if I could see the chemical injected, and I responded with” I see Mickey Mouse ears.” She had a look and the chemical had not joined together as one, in the 6 o’clock area of my eye.  We waited about ten minutes, they took my eye pressure again, it was a bit lower then before the procedure which was good, and of course everyone had to take a look.  Because of my Mickey Mouse remark, they wanted pictures again, but because of the great job by the doctor, it was so far down in my eyeball it was next to impossible.

Suddenly I was done, everyone gone to another patient, so walked over to the pharmacy to get my prescription filled for the drops I was to put in four times a day to prevent infection, and I sat outside in the shade with my sunglasses on, waiting for my eyes to un-dilate so I could drive home. Must have sat there about a half hour to 45 minutes before I felt enough comfortable to head home.

Sitting there, I thought about the building we worked so hard to build, the chair the Lions endowed now held by my retinal doctor and all the break through research done by so many inside those walls over the last 25 years. And, I will tell you that I took the time to talk to my God and thank him for being with me and guiding the hands of all that touched me today.