Vitreous Trouble

I went to the eye doctor today, praying that some good luck would rub off on me because it was my youngest brother's birthday.  Ken would have been 45 years old today, and he was actually born on a Sunday on a kitchen table in the apartment our family lived in at the time.  It is also the 45th anniversary of when I learned the "here's the steeple, here's the church, open the door and see the people" game that people have been teaching little kids forever.  One of the midwife staff that day taught me that in an effort to keep me occupied while my mother was in labor.

After explaining the recent problems with my right eye (a new floater, white lights flashing), the doctor dilated my pupils with drops to get a better look.  My left eye has a floater, but it's fine.  There is a vitreous detachment in my right eye (and the floater in that eye is an indication of that).  "After four to six weeks if there are no changes with that eye, the possibility of a detached retina goes down.  But come and see me a month from now for a follow up appointment so we can make sure it didn't get worse," the doctor told me. 

As I carefully walked down the street later (dilation of the eyes makes sight blurry for awhile), I wondered how this was going to affect the fight I have next month.  The doctor suggested that if I spar, I shouldn't take any shots to my head at all.  He confirmed what I had suspected:  hits anywhere to the head could affect one's vision.  If I'm not sparring, I won't be getting in the extra practice I need to face my opponent.  Maybe I can do drills instead.

I was just thinking about who may have hit me and caused the eye injury.  But what does that matter?  Stuff like this is usually cumulative most of the time, and I've been boxing since 2001.  I'm still curious as to why it's my right eye and not the left.  I can't remember being hit in my right eye as much as my left eye has been.

Alan called to check up on me this afternoon, and I gave him the report about my eye.  "Didn't that light they shine in your eyes hurt?" he asked.  It was uncomfortable, but the light was the way the doctor had to use to check out the trouble. 

I'm grateful that my sight hasn't deteriorated much.  The eye doctor said that ten years after a diagnosis of diabetes is when the sight problems really kick in (I was diagnosed in 2007).  The capacity to see distances has diminished a little.  If I take care of the diabetes even better than I have been doing lately, I might not need a white cane later on.  I paid for a new pair of glasses, and those will come in a couple of weeks from now. 

No Eye For Sparring

About two weeks ago, I began to notice white lights flashing in my right eye.  It doesn't seem to happen much during the day, but as the hours go on, the light show begins.  While at the gym on Monday, Alan said that he had noticed the same thing going on in one of his eyes.  Years ago, he'd had some damage to an eye repaired after a retina became detached. The lights had begun to show, indicating tearing in the retina, awhile before he went to a doctor. "You better have that checked out," he told me.

I wasn't much for sparring that night because I was feeling out of sorts.  I came home after work and spent most of the afternoon laying on the couch.  After Alan told me about his eye, I decided to forego sparring for awhile until I can get to an eye doctor.  I don't even remember getting hit in my right eye recently (the left has taken some shots, however).  Can't take a chance on making a potential condition worse, however. 

Once I tell the folks who've always discouraged me from boxing to begin with -- namely, a lot of folks at church -- I'll never hear the end of it.  "See?  We told you that you could get hurt!  Now, you could go blind!" they'll say.  Some will remind me of when Willie, who attends my church, got hit so hard once that he was seeing double for awhile.  "See?  You really need to stop that and do something else!" they'll say. 

It certainly puts the potential fight I have in September at Loyola Park in trouble.  Sigh. . .if I go to the eye doctor and they do find something wrong. . .every time I've gone to the doctor since this century began, something wrong has been found. 

LaShawn surprised me by coming in.  She was the one who sparred with Jamil her first night in the gym.  She also tore her knee up, too.  She figured she had stepped down wrong at some point while sparring.  Luckily, she only needs physical therapy and not surgery.  She said she would back in the gym soon. 

Taking It To The Eye

I teased little Justin last night. He came in again with his father, Carlos. "You and I are going to spar on Wednesday," I told him. Justin gave me an amused look, and his dad laughed. Willie did a workout last night and noticed E's son. "Hillari, didn't you say that he was the one who knocked you out?" he winked. E's son gave us both a confused look as we giggled.

E thought he had taken a hit to his eye during sparring. I was working out on the uppercut bag while he was in the ring. He rested in the corner closed to where I was during the time out. "Is my eye swollen and red?" he asked. "No, not at the moment," I answered. His son stood next to Alan on the other side, helpfully holding up his dad's water bottle.

Alan's cousin, Ricky, came in with his two sons -- one 20-years old and the other 17-years-old. The sons worked out. "I saw your blog," Ricky smiled. More and more people that come into the gym tell me that.

Ieisha was going to ask me about sparring until she saw me rubbing my left hand. It doesn't hurt as much as it has been, but it still does, depending on how I move it. I was going to do uppercuts on the teardrop bag, but Ieisha suggested that I not do that. "I'm older and that's why it's taking me longer to heal," I said. "They say that 40-something is the new 30," she said. "Can't prove that by me," I grinned. Alan also asked me about sparring. When I told him about the continuing pain in my hand, he said something that indicated he found my claim dubious. "I don't want to get knocked out before I go to my high school reunion," I joked. I can imagine showing up with a black eye and having my former classmates thinking, "Who knew she was that crazy when we were all in school together?"

Deon (I think I have his name right) and Leon sparred. Alan kept warning Leon not to go so hard. I was working on the heavy bag that's closest to the ring, partially paying attention to the action. Several people gasped, and I turned to see Deon fall to the canvas. Leon had hit him in his left eye. Alan instructed Deon to remain laying down, and he did for several minutes. When he finally arose, Deon was a little unsteady on his feet. He said that his vision was blurry in that eye. I overheard Alan admonishing Leon about his heavy punching.

Alan ended up driving Deon to the hospital. I left a message for Barry to say that Deon left his bike in the gym -- he didn't have a bike lock, so that was the best place to leave it. I hope his eye is okay.