Testing, A Change in Perspective, Almost dropped

So my ailment testing started yesterday as I headed over to get some abdominal x-rays late in the afternoon.  During my visit at the health clinic nothing concrete was determined via the physical examination but in addition to the x-ray a comprehensive fasted blood panel was set up as well.  The x-ray procedure went very smooth and made me appreciate that I am one of the fortunate few that has decent health insurance.  The entire procedure included absolutely no paperwork and no transferring of money.  I simply showed up, gave my name and that was all that was required.  Really the only negative was the woman that administered the x-rays was rather robotic and sterile but other than that it went very well.

So I got a call last night from my dad who is a regular blog reader.  He was concerned about my recent health events.  Unfortunately I had no answers other than what I already described above.  Dad had just undergone a pretty big procedure, cataract surgery.  His vision was getting severely impacted by cataracts so I expected him to report an improvement after the operation but I did not expect the degree of change he has experienced.

My dad has had glasses, thick glasses, my entire life.  His vision has always been poor.  Well after this procedure he actually can see distance without glasses, which is amazing.  You see in addition to removing the cataracts the doctor also inserted some sort of focusing lens which resulted in this dramatic improvement in vision.  To hear the excitement in dad’s voice about the result made me feel good.

So during this vision procedure my dad stayed with my brother in SE PA for roughly three weeks.  During this time he got to spend a lot of time with both Todd’s family and dad’s friends that he rarely see’s otherwise due to being isolated in the remote area of northwestern PA.  Dad told me how he really enjoyed being able to see everyone and also enjoyed having more around him to do.  He actually got to go to the gym on a near daily basis which he really liked.

Well evidently those three weeks resulted in a dramatic shift in his vision, literally and figuratively.  I was floored when Dad told me he was going through the initial steps to list their house in Marienville for sale.  I mean this was really a big deal.  Dad has spent a small fortune on that house remodeling and adding to it almost non-stop since they moved there.  I could not even begin to list off all of the things that he and my step mom have done there.  Repeatedly he has said how he had no intentions of moving.  Well evidently the three weeks around what was once familiar realigned his perspective.

Dad has realized that maintaining a 16 acre property in basically the middle of nowhere just is not the path to happiness as he marches into his 70’s.  It’s something all of us have felt for a long time.  It’s just too much work, plain and simple.  Dad realizes his physical limitations which of course will grow as time passes. He is finally willing to look for something that allows him to maybe actually enjoy old age with the company of friends and family instead of being shackled with work while being isolated in a tiny town with people he mostly doesn’t like.

Despite only starting the listing process on their place, he and my stepmom are already starting to look at places in the greater Reading area.  Moving back would mean being close to not only Todd but also my sister Meghan and my niece Cadence, which my step mom will be thrilled about.  I am sure she is just thrilled period with the idea of getting out of Marienville.  As dad’s physical limitations have grown it has put more and more responsibility on her back so having less to do would help her out greatly as well.

The one question I had was about their animals, namely the 20 sheep and llama.  They view them much as we view our chickens, as pets and part of the family.  Dad said the plan is to actually move the animals with them.  That is touching and understandable but I hope it doesn’t result in them moving zip codes but be presented with similar issues as a lot of the work they do is related to maintaining so many barnyard animals.  I even said to dad that it would be crazy if they somehow wound up back at the Gouglersville house that they sold close to 15 years ago.  It is actually back on the market and has been for sale for over a year.  That would be quite the storybook arcing circle to finally close. It’s unlikely but it sure would be amazing.

So this morning I had my fasting blood draw.  It was a rough one.  For whatever reason I am one of those people that has a physical reaction when it comes to having my blood drawn.  I normally just look the other direction and buckle down to get through it.  Well today they took a ridiculous amount of blood, 10 vials worth, since they were doing so much testing.  I must have looked bad as the woman asked repeatedly if I was ok which I assured her I was. By the time I was done I had sweated through my shirt.

She again asked me if I was ok and not light headed.  I told her I was fine even though I was shaky and lightheaded.  I was so lightheaded that I had to stop half way on the walk back to the office to sit down for a few minutes.  I felt close to dropping.  I then made it back to the office and quickly ate my breakfast of Pop Tarts and XL DD coffee.  I certainly hope one of those vials of blood has the answer to why I have been feeling this way.

I have a four day weekend coming up.  Of course I have a sizeable to do list which may take me more time than normal due to my significantly impacted energy/endurance levels.  No worries there will be plenty of time in there for fun and relaxation during those 96 hours.

Shot a video last night too….