86 and counting....

Tweet

Yesterday was my Dads birthday day, he is 86 years young, I say this because although he has some health issues… he is young at heart. Some of you may remember..., this last year he has undergone open heart surgery, to repair two leaky valves..., which he is recovering from...., but not quick enough for his liking ... He has also had a problem with his eyes.., he went in to have an operation to have his cateracts done... but, his vision was not restored..., and on a follow up visit to the specialist, they found that he had a blood clot on his eye, which was covering two thirds of his field of vision, my dad describes it as a black curtain, or hole in the middle of his vision. At first he was very upset.. as he had to give up his driving licence, as he finds it difficult now, to judge width and depth, and the black hole is in the centre of his vision so he can’t really see in front of him, without turning his head slightly to the side... not good for driving... As I mentioned in another post, he is not growing old, very gracefully.., but that’s ok with me, this way I know he is enjoying life, even if it means I sometimes have to run to keep up with him, and to keep an eye on him... and hold my breath from time to time too..., like, when I phoned, to wish him a happy birthday..., he was telling me how he wasn’t very happy with his DIY skills ( Do It Yourself). When I asked why... he mentioned that he had had trouble sawing in a straight line, because of his eye problem, I held my breath, and asked if he was using his hand saw, or..., the power saw..., I’m pleased to say, he said, his hand tool, and said that sadly, he was not safe using his power saw..., I was very thankfull .., but felt sssoooo sorry for him... as another bit of his independence chipped away..., earlier this year he had to change his garden over to pots.., because the garden was too much for him, but he has made the transition quite well.. but instead of having a few pots... he has over 25.. which has not really reduced his work load that much..., but it means it can be done in smaller chunks... , he also mentioned that buttering a slice of bread these days was also a bit of a challenge sometimes, if he did it too quickly or forgot to move his head, to allow him to see the edges properly... he ended up buttering his fingers... this made me smile... With some help from another eye specialist, and some special glasses, he can read, and watch tv, which he is very pleased about..., as that gives him something to ‘do’ when he is not ‘doing’ anything else... Poor Dad has had a life changing year..., but he is slowly coming to terms with it. photo is of my Dad and myself and my step mum... from early this year...