Week of Money: Where I have eye surgery (Lasik) and wish I had done it a decade ago!

DAY ONE

7:30 a.m. — I log in and start working.

8:08 a.m. — Honestly, these meetings are getting out of control. I counted 8 hours of meetings in one single day. That’s the entire work day.

12:22 p.m. — Lunch time.

1:07 p.m. — Down for his Quiet Time / Nap.

2:51 p.m. — Up from his nap, he bounces out of the bedroom.

3:40 p.m. — Little Bun made a “Hoopie” out of a Stuffie by folding it in half, and creating a new kind of Stuffie (he tied its ears behind). And then this “Hoopie” goes on adventures, finding pirate treasure, and discovering new things:

5:12 p.m. — After work, I look up plans to see if I can take him outdoors to do things that would be fun, like mini golfing, or something like that.

6:25 p.m. — Dinner, dishes and laundry. Little Bun is wiping down cutlery.

7:48 p.m. — I have to prep for my surgery this week, I am just winding down the week so I can leave ends “tied up” before I go. This is the first week I am taking off in 2 years.

8:54 p.m. — Bedtime routine, and then we go to bed.

Spent: $0

DAY TWO

??:?? — Wakeup Snuggle. Hallway snuggle.

7:30 a.m. — I log in and start working. Ooo! I love these two outfits. Great splashes of colour:

12:22 p.m. — Lunch time.

1:00 p.m. — Down for his Quiet Time / Nap.

2:51 p.m. — Up from his nap, he bounces out of the bedroom.

4:40 p.m. — These “no makeup” looks are such lies. She has so much makeup on. I don’t hate it, I love the look, but it is not a “no makeup” look.

6:25 p.m. — I finally log off for the day. It is an avalanche of emails once people realize you are off the next week. I delegate most of my tasks out to people. If it doesn’t get done, don’t talk to me. I won’t be someone who is going to log in on her time off to do work or answer emails to keep the Inbox clean. NOPE.

6:47 p.m. — I tell Little Bun over dinner what my surgery will be like – I am getting Lasik done for both eyes, FINALLY. It has been a long time coming, and I have just been nervous about surgery in general, so this is really something new for me. I am finally getting over that fear.

8:54 p.m. — Bedtime routine, and then we go to bed.

Spent: $0

DAY THREE

6:30 a.m. — I log in and start working. Super early today. My colleagues who live in different timezones ping me and remark on how early I am logging in. I tell them it is because I am leaving for the end of this week and the next. I am still unable to unload certain tasks off to other people, I keep getting invited back to the meetings because I was the original person on it, BUT GUESS WHAT – it is YOUR JOB NOW.

8:08 a.m. — Actual meeting start.

12:22 p.m. — Lunch time. I take a Money Type Quiz and nail it with Producer:

Basically, as a Producer I would rather save money first, before I spend it. I am also frugal and conscious about spending, maybe TOO conscious (what?!)… but all of that is well balanced with being a Connosisseur, who loves to spend and enjoy money (definitely me).

I guess it solves the age old question of if I am more of a saver or a spender!

Quiz here – MoneyType Quiz.

1:01 p.m. — Down for his Quiet Time / Nap.

2:51 p.m. — Up from his nap, he bounces out of the bedroom. I tell him we are going to go mini golfing next week, if the weather is good. He perks up. I ask him if he knows what it is, and he tells me all about the windmills and how you have to try to get it in the hole, but you get so frustrated you just toe it in with your shoe. I laugh and tell him it may not have windmills where we are going, I haven’t decided which one yet.

3:40 p.m. — I snuggle him after he is done some “adventures” around the world online with Daddy.

5:12 p.m. — Dinner, dishes and laundry. Little Bun is wiping down cutlery as usual, and I give him all the pots to do as well.

8:54 p.m. — Bedtime routine, and then we go to bed after Wordle, and reading facts about the body. I bought him all of these 100 things to know… books, and we love them so much. Even I enjoy reading them!

Spent: $0

DAY FOUR

6:34 a.m. — Early morning, I decide to do a super intense workout (high intensity) for 30 minutes (first time in years I am doing this for yoga), to make up for the fact that I have to take it easy all week. After the workout, I am on the mat, breathing hard, dripping sweat all over. It was GREAT, but definitely not recommended after surgery as sweat will be dripping into my eyes and I cannot wash my face for 24 hours, plus the sweat will definitely bring bacteria and unwanted debris into my healing eyes. I almost did not make it through the workout, I am really out of shape, yoga-wise.

7:30 a.m. — I log in and start working, but then I will head out after my first major status meetings to run errands.

8:47 a.m. — Out the door, I pick up eye drops, and rack my brain trying to think how I can lie in bed without screens of any kind, no reading, books, beading, or anything (just nap?) while I recover from surgery. $18.78

12:22 p.m. — Lunch time at home. Little Bun is making Post-Its for me around the home that say things like: MOMMY DO NOT USE YOUR PHONE.

12:57 p.m. — Down for his Quiet Time / Nap.

2:51 p.m. — Up from his nap, he bounces out of the bedroom and eats his yoghurt while I am on calls.

3:45 p.m. — They tell me not to think about work, and I tell them I have already forgotten them (jokingly). Actually, my brain doesn’t shut off, I have to mentally compartmentalize to NOT think about work, and it is a struggle. I still think about it on and off in my subconscious. It’s a habit I am trying to break.

6:48 p.m. — I LOG OFF. FINALLY. I GET A WEEK OFF. I plan out tomorrow, laying out my outfit (all-cotton, no fibrous materials that can fly up and end up in my eyes), I charge my laptop and load it with videos so I can listen to my favourite shows in bed with Airpods rather than watching anything (Castle, Elementary, Mr. Monk, Law and Order: Criminal Intent), and that will keep me busy for the recovery day, sans screens.

8:54 p.m. — Bedtime routine, and then we go to bed.

Spent: $18.78

DAY FIVE

6:30 a.m. — I am up early, and nervous. I put away all the dishes, double-check my list of things, and try to clean up my desk. I re-read the material on what the surgery is, and the recovery notes.

7:30 a.m. — I am already hustling people out the door. My surgery prep starts at 8:00 a.m. and I know how long it takes to get everyone out with the masks (yes, despite the government deciding the pandemic is over, we are still double-masking up, not to mention wanting to avoid the new flu that is going around and knocking people out, and monkeypox). In the car, they drive me to the place, and then I wave goodbye.

8:08 a.m. — The whole morning passes by with tests. They test for my vision, (twice, to double check/confirm the findings of one technician), they test for any retinal tears, scars (apparently I have some from contact-lens wearing over the decades), and how thick my corneas are (super, beautifully thick). I also apparently have a little bit of dry eyes, but nothing awful that will be terrible after surgery, I just have to keep a bottle of tear drops around to moisten them on and off.

I wrote that while I was waiting for surgery.

10:45 a.m. — Already out of surgery. They made me put in so many numbing drops into my eyes. At least 10 times. They asked me if I wanted a drug to keep me calm, but I told them if it would make me drowsy, it would trigger my motion sickness, so no. The only thing that really hurt during the surgery was the suction cap to pop my eyeball out of the socket and to keep it steady so the surgeon could work on it. Everything else was painless. The cutting of the flap made me see black for a bit, and then I felt the flap pop open (I could see it!), the laser smell of burning my corneas was just a smell, no pain or anything), the flap went back on (so cool, kind of like a slice of aloe vera or something), and then drops to blink blink blink, and it was done.

I walked over to the picture window, and already, I could see WAY better than before. When you have serious myopia, the different is staggering. Things were still blurry-ish but way better than what I was dealing with before.

11:12 a.m. — Little Bun and my partner finally pick me up. They are a bit flustered because I texted them I would be done at 11:30 but in the end, it was more 10:45, so when I was ready, they were not ready. He dropped by the fishmonger he doesn’t like to try and find something to make for sushi as a treat for me for surgery day, but he really wanted to go by the other fishmonger that serves restaurants and has way better fish. At any rate, he found something (cod), and then picked me up.

I notice a HUGE black and green bicycle in the back. I exclaim over it. Turns out, they were shopping for bikes all morning, and did not even get a chance to go play soccer. My partner thought it would be 6 hours (as per what I was told), and had planned a whole morning of Little Bun activities to eat up the time before picking me up to come home.

12:22 p.m. — At home, after traffic (ugh… construction season), I change into home lounge clothes, and just follow procedure by putting in drops, waiting in 5-minute intervals, then basically set up my laptop, Airpods, and conk out on the bed. I slowly drift off to sleep. On and off I feel an burning sensation when I put in the drops (like when you put water directly on your eyeball then blink, less like an onion fume for me), and I find just keeping my eyes closed helps immensely with the pain. It is only when my eyes are open that I feel any pain or discomfort. So that’s what I did. Eyes closed, for the next 7 hours.

12:55 p.m. — Down for his Quiet Time / Nap, we all sleep together.

6:25 p.m. — I am up from my sleeping / half drifting nap position, only to drink water and go to the bathroom in intervals (plus put in drops every 1-2 hours), and when I blink my eyes open, I can see 20/20. This is incredible. I have an instinct to go to the bathroom to adjust my contacts but this is unreal. I tell my partner I can see everything (I have those hideous surgical black wraparound sunglasses on even indoors), and I am amazed at how sharp life can be.

7:12 p.m. — Bedtime routine of Wordle (Little Bun handled this screen part), and then we go to bed.

Spent: $3490

DAY SIX

3:14 a.m. — I wake up and check it is around 3 a.m. I have to go back to sleep but I cannot with these sunglasses on (you’re supposed to wear them and sleep on your back for the first 24 hours). I decide to put in a round of drops instead, 5-minute intervals, then go back to sleep with the sunglasses OFF.

6:24 a.m. — DAMN IT. I (without thinking) rubbed my eyes lightly, so lightly, but still, I freak out because I am someone who strictly adheres to all medical-related rules and instructions. I know that’s why you put the sunglasses on to avoid this, but I COULDN’T SLEEP.

8:25 a.m. — I am back at my appointment for the 24-hour checkup. They said not to drive unless my vision was confirmed/cleared, but I ignored that because it would mean bundling everyone up to go back out. I just go alone, as my vision was perfectly fine, and I had no headache, grogginess or issues. I took an assessed risk (even though I enjoy following rules), and drove myself the short distance there.

At the appointment, she tells me there is no inflammation, no bacteria, no issues, and everything is healing VERY nicely. I am to continue my drops, and I can shower the next day with water / soap near my eye (gently). I decide to give it an extra day, and have been cleaning my face with micellar water instead with a face cloth. I also get the clearance to drive (knew it!), and everything is fine.

12:22 p.m. — Lunch time. I am really not that hungry but I force some food down. I try not to get sleepy, it is around this time I want to nap and I have to break this habit as I will be back to work next week.

12:55 p.m. — Down for his Quiet Time / Nap.

2:51 p.m. — Up from his nap, he bounces out of the bedroom and I tell him we are planning to take the bike out this weekend if the weather is nice. He is very excited.

5:12 p.m. — Dinner, dishes and laundry. Little Bun is wiping down cutlery.

6:25 p.m. — Every time I do drops, I am marking it on the sheet, and sometimes I feel like I lose track, but at least my eyes no longer burn from the drops, it means the healing has really come along nicely. I can still see bright red blood marks of burst vessels around the edges where they cut.

8:54 p.m. — Bedtime routine, and then we go to bed. Wordle, and I kept off screens as much as I could all day. I actually had a LOT of things to take care of, and I was logging into bank accounts, clearing balances, and trying to handle returns and refund checks to make sure I got my money back.

Spent: $0

DAY SEVEN

??:?? — It’s a huge thunderstorm warning. Possible hurricanes. We have to stay in, no biking today, it looks ominous outside, and the weather can change in a flick of a switch, so I would rather not be caught outside in this. I tell Little Bun we will just take a drive around and maybe go see a farmer’s market or a beach. He nods.

8:08 a.m. — In the car, Little Bun listens to audiobooks, which by the way, I dislike greatly because there’s a lot of “he said”, and “she said”, because these books were not adapted for audiobook reading out loud. They should have just had other actors and actresses with different voices to avoid having to say who said what. It was getting quite annoying in the car to the point where my partner PLEADED me to find a book with less “he said, she said, Mommy said”… lol…

10:24 a.m. — After the farmer’s market, Little Bun was a little grumpy. So we stopped to take a break, and I take him around the parking lot to the back where there is a field, and we just sit and talk. We take off our shoes, our socks, wiggle our toes, and I let him just play with the little pebbles, dead beetle body parts (?) and whatever he finds, while I ask him why he was being so ornery. Turns out, he really hates crowds, loud noises and people. I tell him that is PERFECTLY FINE. Just to tell us that he doesn’t like it, so we know and we can leave. He is still small, and all he sees are people’s bodies, and loud voices, and he just didn’t want to do any of it, he wanted to just play, but we were not equipped that day for a water park / wet playground that was around the corner from the market.

12:22 p.m. — Lunch time. I really do not feel hungry. I have been doing yoga daily even throughout all of this, but the 5-minute stretching routine as I do not want to put strain or pressure on my eye just yet. I’ll give it a week.

1:05 p.m. — Down for his Quiet Time / Nap.

3:51 p.m. — Up from his nap, he comes sleepily out of the bedroom, he really napped today, as he needed it.

5:12 p.m. — Dinner, dishes and laundry. Little Bun is wiping down cutlery. I reluctantly eat dinner. I do not want to, it makes me feel nauseous. It is like my body is rejecting food, and particularly when it is hot, I do not want to eat much, if at all. My body gets fatigued.

8:54 p.m. — Bedtime routine, and then we go to bed.

Spent: $0

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Want more? Read all of my previous Week of Money Diaries.