My eye has been bothering me for a while. Nothing major, just a little red and irritated. I figured it was from all of the dust and pollution in the city because it's been so hot and dry lately. I stopped wearing my contacts for a week and it got better. Also, I have to admit, that I have been so busy lately that going to the doctors has not been a priority (case in point, I'm supposed to go to PT for my plantar faciatis 3 times a week. I'm lucky if I go 1 time a week). After it got better, I put a new pair of contacts back in. No problem. However, that night, disaster struck. I was reaching down to grab my water at the gym and I started to feel a little pressure in that same eye. It also started to get really swollen and red. All in a matter of 10 minutes.
It was around 9:30PM when I got home and finally was able to take out my contacts and check out my eye. I peeked under the lid and all I saw was this big, tan color inside my lower lid. This freaked me out so much that I couldn't look at it again and I started to cry. A lot. I'm very particular about who handles my medical care and am skeptical of a medical system that is fond of giving antibiotics for viral infections. It's my eye. Are they even going to know what's wrong with it? Are they going to do something that will make it worse? Am I going to lose my vision? Does a glass eye hurt? And the catastrophizing continued.
After calling PCMO, they couldn't assess what it was and told me to try the ER and then go to an eye specialist in the morning. Great. I'm going to be worrying about my eye all night. I want to see Dr. Dubrow (my eye doctor in the US). I knew who would be able to take care of this and make me feel better. Tita Med. If anything needs to be done, she can do it. She is a force.
As soon as I hung up with PCMO, Papa Dick came in, saw me in my distressed state and asked, "Where do we need to go? What's wrong? The hospital?" He grabbed his car and we were out the door. Before leaving I stopped in at Tita Med's. She was in the midst of a prayer meeting with the 20 nurses from her community nursing organization. Jackpot. "Tita Med," I said through tears, "Something is wrong with my eye. I need to go to the hospital." "Ok, ok," she said, "Let me take a look. And you're in luck. We have our eye specialist nurse here tonight." She ran outside in her bare feet, told Papa Dick what to do and we were on our way. I should explain who I mean by we. Me, Papa Dick, Badeth (right hand woman of Tita Med) and Gretchen (the eye specialist and my friend- see picture).
Long story short, the ER doctor didn't even look in my eye with a light, but it was decided that it could either be glaucoma (it was definitely NOT glaucoma) or sore eye (conjunctivitis) and I got eye drops for sore eye. The tan spot I saw was all pus. The next morning I went to Legazpi Eye Center and every stress I had about medical care evaporated. My eye was checked with state of the art equipment and a doctor with amazing education and bedside manner.
The moral of the story is that I have a powerful support group around me. When I was crying at the ER, everyone was thinking it was because it hurt so much, but I told them that it was really because I was scared and missing home. Badeth said, "Oh, but don't worry! I'm your half-sister! Your papa is in the waiting room. Your friend is right here. Your two mothers are waiting at home for you (and they were still waiting up when I got home)." This just made me cry even more because they were being so nice and it made me feel so loved here.
I had to text one of the youth leaders at the village to let him know that there would be a substitute teacher for computer class the next morning because of my eye and word spread like wildfire. One person texted me and asked, "Is it fatal?" Some other texts that I got throughout the night are ones that I will save forever...
-After telling the youth leader that I am lucky to have such a good leader like him in the village: "I think y0ure slightly wrong, were much lucky here in the village to have y0u...i'm starting t0 make my birthday present f0r y0u."
-After texting explaining my situation to another youth leader, who heard through the grapevine: "You take a rest and sleep so y0u can rec0ver fast..then- if you d0nt feel sleepy, just text me ok?
-After thanking them for their concern: "of course, you're our friend and a very good teacher"
I'm fine now. I feel great getting knowing that I have so much love and support around me.
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