Well, I survived my eye surgery this morning (removal of a Basal Cell Carcinoma that grew on my lower left eyelid). Turns out, the surgery (my part of it anyway) was a piece of cake. But I'm thinking that the recovery won't be quite so much fun...at least day 1 hasn't very fun so far. It hurts, and I'm thankful that I had some Tylenol 3's left over from when I was seeing a Dr. over the border in Mexico for my neck a few years back. I just popped one of those a bit ago and hopefully it will tone down the pain. I'm home from work all today, and I'm supposed to just lie around (you can see how good at that I am, as I'm here on the computer already). Unless there is some reason not to, I'm cleared to go into work tomorrow. I do need to see my Dr. at 9:10 am tomorrow (Tues) morning so he can remove the 'special' stitch...he put in a wild 'loop' stitch that is supposed to hold up my lower eyelid (it's a loop that goes thru a small part of my lower eyelid and then goes up above my eyebrow where it's taped down....not very comfortable at ALL I must say...every time I blink it hurts, and it itches too).
As to the procedure itsself: I reported to the surgery center at about 6:30 this morning...Jeanie dropped me off and went into work (there was no reason for her to stay except to make me MORE nervous, and they will call here when I go into recovery afterwards to come and get me), and they were already quite busy. But they were VERY organized, and before I knew it I was lying in a bed with an EKG and IV hooked up and being wheeled into the operating room. My Dr. had already been by my bed checking on things, and made a joke about not sure which eye he was supposed to be working on....I told him I thought I was there for a foot operation and he chuckled.
Once in the operating room it was down to business...the anesthesiologist (spell THAT twice real fast!) had already also checked in with me at my bed as they were prepping me (he was making sure I was hooked up and ready to go). The operating room was pretty busy...and LOTS of lights (I think I was looking into the surface of the sun or a UFO trying to land). I don't really know when they pumped in 'the good stuff', but quick as a bunny the Dr. is doing his stuff. Thankfully I DIDN'T hear the snipping as he lopped off the tumor part, but there was absolutely no pain at all and I was awake the entire time, chatting here and there (trying not to move so he wouldn't put a stitch into my eyeball or something). It went quite fast for my part and next thing I know I'm in the recovery room. I asked the nurse if she could just pour a cup of coffee into my IV before she removed it (as I haven't had so-much as a glass of water since dinner last night). My tapeworm was getting rather angry and I was quite thirsty too.
On the way home Jeannie swung thru a Carls Jr. drive-thru and I ordered breakfast. She dropped me off at home and made sure I was comfy and then headed back to work (she is in the middle of a crisis period and has SO much to do). I ate that and fell asleep for a while with two of the babies curled up with me on the couch...then I was wide awake with my eye really hurting...so I got up and gently peeled away the eye-patch they put on (it was REALLY hurting eye every time I blinked under the patch)....I was careful to leave the loop-stitch thing alone but the patch had to go. My vision is quite blurry in that eye right now, and I'm dabbing up little blobs of bloody discharge now and then, but the papers they sent me home with say that's normal. I also have special ointment that I'm to put on it every now and then...just did my first blob a bit ago (when I removed the eye patch).
Here is the BEFORE picture that I took just this morning before I left.
You really can't see much in this picture, as the biopsy removed almost all of the 'blob'. However the Dr. says "it has to go" or it will come back and the area to be removed will just get larger. Rats.
Here's the same shot with my photoshop enhancements showing what he will do in surgery.
And this is the AFTER shot.... just after I removed the patch.
We'll see how it looks tomorrow. I'm just glad it's over is all I can say. And I'm thankfull it wasn't a scary 'kill me' kind of cancer. So as always, I have a LOT to be thankful for.
OK...on with my busy day...not sure just how much lying around I will be able to do...as I said, just don't seem to be very good at that. They sent me home with a large set of sunglasses that will fit over an eye-patch, I might just put a patch of some sort back on and take the doggies over to the park...we shall see...it's unusually sunny out today. Where is the marine layer when you need it?
Oh, I also updated my Dish Network package YESTERDAY morning...so I now have VS!!! Woo-HOO! I already recorded their Pre-tour special (and watched it already, right after I took off the stupid eye-patch). NOW I'm getting jazzed for this years race! It's gonna be a GREAT ONE!
Oh, I also updated my Dish Network package YESTERDAY morning...so I now have VS!!! Woo-HOO! I already recorded their Pre-tour special (and watched it already, right after I took off the stupid eye-patch). NOW I'm getting jazzed for this years race! It's gonna be a GREAT ONE!
That's all I have for now...GAME ON!
UPDATE Tues 6-27
Here's what it looks like tonight...approx. 36 hours after surgery. The Dr. removed that pesky loop stitch (the purpose was to keep the stretched eyelid from flipping in he said...all I know is that it was remarkably uncomfortable and I'm SO glad it's out!) The color is hard to see but it looks like I have a nice black eye. Everybody at work keeps asking if I crashed my bike.
UPDATE Tues 6-27
And on VS tonight (right now I mean) they are showing the movie American Flyers! Woo-HOO! No other cycling movie gets me jazzed to ride like that one. Gotta run...they are in the 2nd of the 3 stages and Marcus is just having his 'problem' as I type...later gaters!
Looks pretty good, Matt, hopefully the pain will ease up quickly.
ReplyDeleteWhen I had my vision correction surgery, flourescent lights were really annoying for a few days--I wore light sunglasses at work and that really helped. (I took too much codeine, too,that first day, made me sick as a dog!)
Ooh, I forgot about the special, need to see if it is on again!
Rae
By the way, I wanted to spread the word--the Tour of California store has Hincapie ToC jerseys on sale for $30--and with the code "SALEATOC" they were only $15!! The men's small fits me nicely -- I got a 2010 white jersey and a 2009 green jersey (--I just wish it didn't have Herbalife in big letters across the back, but when I ordered I forgot about who sponsored it).
ReplyDeleteRae
Hey Matt, it looks good! How do you feel today? And I can't remember - how did you find out you had this eye tumor? Was it hurting & that's why you went to the Drs? Please, PLEASE rest up & do what the Drs say till everything is checked. I know for a guy like you, who can NOT sit still (& why he has that supermetabolism), it is torture, but you don't want to prolong your recovery by getting too active too soon. So, pretend you're on a beach, with the waves lapping at your toes. Fix yourself one of those umbrella drinks & you're be all set. :)
ReplyDeleteAnd yipppeeeeee, you have VS!
And Rae - I'd definitely go for the LED-LCD TV & the biggest/best brand you can afford. And do you have HD from your cable provider? If not, get it pronto, as the HD cycling stuff on Versus is AWESOME! Last month, when I clicked between the ToC on Vs (HD) & the Giro on Universal (non-HD), the difference was SHOCKING! I was so upset when my old TV died as I was not prepared financially yet to buy a new one (was supposed to happen NEXT May-June!), but now, I am actually very happy it happened as I love my new TV! Sure, I'm still paying myself back the money I "borrowed" from myself (earmarked for something else), but hopefully (fingers crossed), that will be all done in a few more months. :)
And now, some Tour Talk! :) My dream podium would include (any order) : Levi, CVV, Horner. Even though the chance of that is slim, that's still who I would LOVE to see on the Paris podium! I think for all 3, this is probably the last or at best, their next to last best shot they have in this race, so I hope & pray all three have a GREAT Tour. I also think any of the 3 COULD end up somewhere on the podium.
Other Top 5 contenders - (besides the A's, although at this pt, I'm kinda concerned about Andy!) - Frankie (still just don't like that guy, but I'd rather HIM win than Pistol Punk!), Cadel, Sammy Sanchez, Gesink, & MAYbe Wiggins. Oh, & the other Shackers of course - Klodi & Jani.
Further on down, in Top 10 - Ryder H (maybe - he hasn't done spectacular so far this year, but you never know), that guy on Lotto (who replaced Cadel as that team's GC hope, Van something), Vino, & Basso. I would have put Basso as a podium contender but that crash a few months ago really seems to have taken a lot out of him, plus, it took away from his training time, so his capability is a mystery at this pt.
And Tony Martin at least seems to think he's a Top Tenner, but with only ONE ITT this year, I doubt it. Could surprise us though if he finally breaks out some mountain skillz like Wiggins did a few years ago.
Plus, I'm sure some dark horse will shock (or at least surprise) & amaze. And hopefully, that will be Tommy Danielson. Wouldn't that be AWESOME?!
So, what do YOU all think? Who's YOUR podium wishes &/or probables? :)
My BIGGEST wish is that SOMEbody, ANYbody, other than Pistol Punk win! And that he finish off the podium entirely would be absolute best! My biggest dread is that he be so far ahead of everybody by the last week, that I stop watching entirely, as I did in the Giro. God, that race was AWFUL! I know many of you think it's great - this 2-man contest between AC & AS, but I do NOT. Even beyond the fact that AC should NOT even be IN this year's race, the idea that the Tour would be on a 5-7 year repeat of last year's race would be too much for me to bear.
Anyway, can't wait to hear what everyone else thinks!
That eye looks pretty good, Matt. I didn't understand how they were going to take that much out and keep the same shape for your eyelid, but it looks good. I hope you're feeling back to normal soon! Thanks for the update.
ReplyDeleteSusie - I'm with you on this one! I'm not excited about watching AC ride away from everyone but Andy. And, while I don't think that there is a possibility of it ever happening - the LL, CVV, Horner would definitely be a dream podium. I'm just wishing (realistically) that ONE of them can make it on the podium. That would be phenomenal and I'd be thrilled for any of the 3 of them.
I think that the new points rules (with SIGNIFICANT points at mid-race) will stir things up a bit and I can't wait to see how that plays out. The sprinters battle should be interesting this year if Tyler is back on form and mentally ready. I'd like to see him take his first Tour stage, though I'd be happy to see Cav finally get a green jersey, as well.
CAN'T WAIT!!
-Janann
A delightful new post from Jens!
ReplyDeletehttp://bicycling.com/blogs/hardlyserious/2011/06/28/talking-back/#comment-218
I'm incredibly glad that this guy just won't give up and is back in the Tour again! Go Jens!
-Janann
Hope you continue to feel better, Matt! BTW, regarding your Tilly hat, I think they have a guarantee if it ever wears out you get a new one for price of shipping - something cool like that.
ReplyDeleteONLY THREE MORE DAYS, but who's counting?!!
We Are!!
TeamRadioShack renewal is a big yes for two more years! Hooray!
ReplyDeleteAfter more than 25 years of watching the TDF on American TV (whatever version was available), I finally, FINALLY got to view most of the Team Presentation live online today! And I don't know if this year's was unique, but lemme tell ya, it was a HOOT! In the past, I'd seen photos & the last 4 years, I was able to see video snippets of certain team's stage time, but that pales in comparison to watching it all!
ReplyDeleteThis year's big hoohah was like a mash-up of the Tour + a Medieval Knights show + Olympic Opening Ceremony (where the host nation zips thru various re-enactments of their history/culture. Altogether it was quite the entertainment!
I missed the 1st 10 minutes, but did get to see most of the rest & I'll try to give ya'll a little play-by-play. It was held in a faux Roman coliseum/circus type outdoor facility (that is used for entertaiment shows - I would imagine like the Medieval Knights shows in the US & it looked like most of those employees participated in this production also). There were GLADIATORS (be still my heart!), horses, lots of parading around by historical type characters & said horses, waving flags, dancing wenches, vestal (ahem) virgins, AND Musketeers. Sword-fighting Musketeers I might add! AWESOME! Oh, plus 20-30 guys dressed up like Tour participants of 100 years ago cycled around the dirt floored arena.
In between all those people, the various teams were "presented". Most came trodding out over the dirt (on the lookout for horse poop, if they were wise :) & up to a stage set up in the middle of the arena where each guy was introduced one by one. 3-4 teams were HOISTED up from underneath the stage (Garmin was 1 of those & they were the only team who had a sense of humor about the festivities!) by a hydraulic lift. Lampre was brought in via a 4-6 horse-drawn carriage & the Leos were hauled in what looked like a buckboard-donkey cart.
When the Saxo boys came out, you should have HEARD the jeering & the boos! Which continued when Pistol Punk was introduced. (I almost, ALMOST felt sorry for him!) Guess these people didn't get the friggin memo from the UCI...;)
The only thing missing was a light show (which of course would have been a little difficult in the sunshine...;) & Gary Glitter's "Rock & Roll, Part 2" (aka the 'Hey Song'), THE mandatory anthem in every American sporting arena. :)
All in all, a pretty damn fun morning (afternoon for them)!
I heard loud booing when Alberto was initially introduced but after his interview the cheers were VERY loud, as though the crowd realized what poor form they were showing the world and tried to make amends. Alberto deserves to be there. It isn't his issue that the UCI can't conduct their business in a timely manner. The peloton will thank Alberto for plunking down his millions to get an acceptable level of clenbuturol (sp?) on the doping list so others won't go through what he has gone through. Don't forget we had a Chinese rider on our team that tested for exactly the same levels of the drug but he didn't have the money to fight it, so had to step aside. There was nothing we could do for him. When such a high percentage of the world's meat is now contaminated with this, it has to be addressed by the doping agencies or case after case is doing to come up and that's hardly fair when it's such a well-known problem.
ReplyDeleteAlberto deserves to race. He's the reigning champion, he wears the #1 and he's the best athlete on a bike at the moment. If someone can dethrone him, it will be HUGE for that rider. If someone can only win because Alberto isn't there, it won't mean nearly as much.
Let the games begin - we're ready! Go Horner, Levi, Jani and Klodi! Upset the applecart!
Alberto Contador does NOT, I repeat, does NOT "deserve" to be in the 2011 Tour de France! Or in ANY race this year. The RULES are that he SHOULD have been suspended for 2 YEARS. And it is HIS "defense" team that is RESPONSIBLE for the CAS hearing delay. NOT the UCI!
ReplyDeleteAs for "such a high percentage of the world's meat" now contaminated with Clenbuterol, what data are you looking at?! The only places I've heard that have this problem to a large degree is Mexico & China. And Pistol Punk was not in either locale last year. Plus, if it is such a problem in China, you would think there would have been at LEAST 30-50 positives in Beijing. Was there even one?
And then there's the fact that Contador is a LIAR. He was a liar in 2006, a liar in 2007, a liar in 2008, a BIGGER LIAR in 2009 & the BIGGEST sack of sh*t LIAR in 2010 & 2011.
Didn't "see" Andy slipped his chain last year? When he LOOKED RIGHT AT HIM AT THAT EXACT MOMENT? Didn't "hear" Johan say NOT to attack the Schlecks when it was just AC, the Schleckers & Klodi on the 2009 final mt stage? Bullsh*t! (BTW, I've now read the TRUTH about Johan's reaction on the bus after that stage & let's just say, YOU were misinformed...). And all that trumped-up pack of stinkin manure he fed the press about his poor, wittle self being STRANDED the day of the final 2009 TT. And then this year - for weeks before the Giro, AC complained about the one insane descent on that massive Giro mt stage. And he complained about it the entire 1st 2 weeks of the race. THEN, when the stage was altered the DAY of the race & some fans were irate, this PUNK had the AUDACITY to say he never freakin had a problem with it! He's a LIAR!