The final Skald the Rhymer thread...until the next one [updates].

In My Humble Opinion
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I’ve been corresponding with several of y’all through P M and figured I should let y’all know what’s up.

Tomorrow I go in for another consultation with the retinal specialist; it’s basically to schedule the surgery, which is called vitreoctomy, I believe. I’m not gonna bothr spellecheckking it. It’s not going to restore my sight but there’s about a 50 percent chance it can stop further decay (or at least delay it for a few years).

My latest A 1 C was quite low and my doctors think the vision loss is auto-immune. Which one is not yet determined as it does not change the immediate treatment but will have to be determined in the long run.

My boss has been very supportive. She called last week to say that my job will be there for me when I’m ready to come back, at the same level, and that she’s obtained an adaptive workstation fo the visually impaired for my use. This is a computer witha truly huge screen with a variety of special programs to assist me visually, along with a large keyboard (black characters on white keys) that will be much easier for me to use. My stepdaughter is assisting me in obtaining one for home use.

Memphis Area Transit Authority has a program called M A T A Plus to assist persons with disabilities. Basically it will let me get picked up and dropped off going to and from work on a regular schedule, and will cost seven dollars round trip. It is not ideal because I wiil be restricted to a fairly rigid schedule. I would have to for instance leave home every day at 7 and leave work at 6, so late meetings and away meetings will be a problem, but it is workable.

There is a local nonprofit called Clovernook that assists with occupational training, by which I mean everyday tasks. They also do vocational training but that won’t be an issue given my boss’s willingness to work with me and make accommodations.

Sunday we had venison for dinner. This is significant because it was from the freezer and is probably the last thing I will ever eat that I killed myself.

My wife has been wonderful and I do not have words to describe her. My stepdaughter and baby sister and best friend from college and work wife have all been supportive. my father has been his usual cantankerous self but frankly I am ignoring him.

In sum, things are not as bad as I thought they would be when I started this thread. Of course, then I was expecting to die on the operating table. Depression, as a couple of you pointed out in P M.

I still miss real books.

Anyway, that is all for now. My apologies for any typos.

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Thanks for the update, Skald. I, and I’m sure many other Dopers, care about you and wish you the best.

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Yay, Skald!

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Thanks for the update Skald.

You have friends here.

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Thanks for posting, Skald. I’m really glad you’re finding your way forward. I’m watching a friend slowly degrade because of MS, and it’s heart breaking every time she hits a new ‘milestone.’ Yesterday, she posted samples of her writing left-handed, because her right hand isn’t strong enough any more.

I hope the surgery works out and stabilizes you, so you “only” have to figure out how to live with your current situation. Good luck, as always!

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Thanks for the update. Nice to see some good news. (i didn’t find any typos, and I looked hard.)

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Thanks for the update! Best wishes for future progress. Good to have you still around.

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Have you ever taken a trip to get another opinion? My ex-father in law (ex due to both divorce and being currently dead) had a genetic disorder that caused extremely poor eyesight as one of it’s symptoms. He traveled to Wills Eye Hospital in Philadelphia. It’s usually ranked the or at least one of the best eye treatment centers in the country. If I was losing my eyesight I would head there for a consultation.

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Thanks for the update, and best wishes to you and your family!

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I’m glad you’re on the mend. Take care of yourself and do allow yourself to be pampered.

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Skald, I will think good thoughts for you. If there is something I can do to help you or your family here in Memphis let me know.

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Good to hear from you, Skald. Best wishes. I’m very glad that you’re able to keep eating venison and posting to the SDMB!

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Great to hear that you are feeling better now, thanks for the update.

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I’ll really miss ya…and I so wanted to know more about your personal mythology, the one where Athena deposed Zeus from the throne of Olympus! That intrigued the dickens out of me when you first mentioned it. Now, I guess I’ll never know!

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Many thanks, Skald, for the update! Take care and know that we’re all in your corner.

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You could always watch the movies, they’re just as good!

LOL! Just messing with you, welcome back Skald! :stuck_out_tongue:

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Thank you for the update, Skald! I’m glad things are coming along. We’re happy for whatever SDMB presence you choose to give us. You’re one of the major people who makes the board what it is, and even if you can’t make it around as much (or at all), it will always bear the marks of your influence.

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  1. Retinal surgery date has been set. Nid-October.

B) If you search Amazon.com for “retnopathy aids” or “legally blind aids” you get a whole bunch of crap. If you search for “low vision” aids you find a lot of useful stuff.

III: Return to work date is next week. I’m doing some training on an adaptive use workstation. Google it if you want; links are hard.

Quatro–Starting this thread was a good idea, but titling it “The Last Skald thread” was a mistake. I should have remembered the rule about never making decisions when tired, hungry, horny, or about to have your chest cut open so doctors can work on the technomagic mechanism that forces ichor through your veins. Sorry about that.

E) Some of that stuff from B) is really expensive. Fortunately I have long since implanted spyware in all o fyour brains so you’ve all sent more money than you can really afford to an offshore account of mine. Oh, and three of you may feel the iurge to conact the FBI and confess to certain felonies. I’d name names but hey, you’ll figure it out

44/7: There is a hidden code in this message. Really there is. Would I lie to you?

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Yup, Skald is back. Life is good.

Regards,
Shodan

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Thanks for the update, and best wishes and pie to you and loved ones, Skald!