A Few Answers

A few of you wanted more information on my eye surgery. I will answer you from my experience. First of all, find a reputable doctor. This takes care of the worry of being blinded, etc. I went where several people I know have gone, including my friend Kathleen, and one of my brothers. The procedure I had done was called PRK, which is different from Lasik. I was a better candidate for PRK because I play soccer, my corneas are thinner than the average, and I have a tendency towards dry eyes. Here is the website for my eye center, which will give you lots of info. The procedure cost 2399.00- life time guarantee and follow up visit included, plus most of the drops needed for later. There are payment plans available, though I don't know what the interest would be per month. I believe that the price was the same for Lasik.

With PRK, it takes a bit more time to heal and you experience more pain and discomfort than Lasik, from what I have heard from people that have had that procedure done. I am pretty sure that Kathleen had Lasik done- I am sure she would be willing to answer questions about that. Anyways, as far as pain level goes- the first couple of days was not too bad- eyes felt sensitive to light and there was some discomfort. I used my pain drops every 2- 3 hours. They gave you medication to make sure you got a good sleep that night and also gave enough for the next few nights. Using it was optional- I used it as I am not a big sleeper and wanted to help my eyes heal up by resting deeper at night. So let's see, I had my surgery on a Thursday. By the Sunday night, my eyes were really light sensitive and started to sting. On Monday morning, after huddling around, slumped over at my sister in law's with a hat and sunglasses on, my eyes were really stinging and tearing up. I basically couldn't open them too much without my pain drops. I phoned the clinic and they assured me that this was normal. The next day I went in to have my check up and was silent most of the way into the Big City as I was feeling pretty miserable- unable to open eyes too much, lots of stinging, watering, etc. I was thoroughly checked out, but was not healed yet, so had to keep wearing protective contacts. They put a new pair in so that felt better. I left with more pain medication and instructions to check back on Saturday. The stinging lessened over the next 48 hours, so that was a relief. After that, there was a sensation of having debris in your eye, which drives you a little nutty, but that has gotten better every day as well. They put a fresh pair of contacts in on Saturday, as the surface of my eye was quite rough and it hurt to have the contacts out. Yesterday and today I have very little discomfort, sometimes a slight sensation of a lens in there. So, all in all, it took about 10 days, which was longer than i expected. My vision is quite good now- I can read, drive, watch TV, etc. There was a rough 48 hour period for me, but don't let that put you off checking the surgery out. It is well worth it people!!! I am so excited and thankful to have been blessed enough to have this done. For the amount that contacts and glasses cost, this will be more cost effective in the long run.

Some of you were asking about our ferry system here. I wrote a long rant and it got erased- now I have run out of steam. It can be a hot topic in these parts as it is an essential service for us and costs quite a lot. At this point, it costs almost $70 round trip for our family. That is without paying for the two children under 5, and next year our daughter turns 12, and will be charged the adult rate. Strange- ADULT at 12, hmmmm. It has also been announced that there will be a 30% increase in fares over the next 4 years. This does not go down well with tired locals who cannot get back to their homes because of broken down boats or overloads which occur frequently during the summer months. No, we do not get deals as locals or preferential boarding. Our run makes a profit, but we get the older ships, less sailings, amenities, etc, than other sailings. We don't go into the Big City very often as a result, and when we do, we carpool or do alot of tasks all in one day. If you need to cross for a medical service that is not provided here, you can get a medical pass, which will also pay for a car and escort driver as well if necessary. There was most of my rant that got erased previously. That being said- the scenery on the ride is MAGNIFICENT and the fries are pretty good.