Nuclear Degeneration
Let me
be blunt. It's been a shitty day. Last week Richard, my roommate and best friend, went to an alfuloptimist, that's an eye doctor. The doctor
said Richard had baccarats in his eyes. For those of you who don't know,
baccarats, which are also called punto bancos, cloudy up your eyes so
it's hard to see good. The alfuloptimist said he could fix 'em up real
easy, but he saw something else he couldn't fix.
So this morning Richard went to see a patina specialist. When Richard came home with a bloody eye, I knew things didn't go well. He told me all about it. He said they put some fluorescent dye into his vein and then took some pictures of his patinas. By the way, because of this, Richard had fluorescent pee all day. I'd like to have florescent pee; it would make my pee markings extra special and highly visible at night. All of the other dogs no doubt would envy me.
Anyway, the pictures showed that Richard had thingies called croutons on his patinas. The more croutons, the more difficult it is to see. Also, one of Richard's patinas was leaking blood and liquid patina stuff. This is especially bad. The patina specialist called this condition nuclear degeneration. So the doctor injected some anti-nuclear degeneration stuff into one of Richard's eyeballs. I almost barfed when Richard told me about that.
I don't think us dogs get that kind of eye problem since we don't live as long as humans, but I could be wrong. We can get baccarats though. I sometimes have some gritty stuff in my eyes after I dig out and chomp a ground squirrel, but that goes away after a few hours. This nuclear degeneration keeps going on and on. Richard told me all of this degeneration stuff could take some years before it does all that it does.
Anyway, Richard is bummed out, and when he's bummed out, I'm bummed out. Whose gonna take me for walks once he can't see? Who's gonna throw my ball and fight me for it when I retrieve it? I know I'm contastrophizing, but that day could come. If it does, I'm determined to enroll in a seeing eye dog school so I can take care of Richard. I'll even go in the car to help him get around, even though I'm scared shitless in cars, and I drool and shimmer, and pace. Yes, I'll do it. I'll learn to drive too (although I'll need a few accommodations).
I've been in morbidity land all day. I didn't even want to go walking to dig up and chomp field mice. Here's another thing that's on my mind. If Richard can't see OK when we're out walking, and I start digging out a varmint hole, he won't be able to tell me when the varmint sneaks out a backdoor hole and runs over to another place. I need my spotter!
Alice, my other friend and roommate, travels a lot. If she's gone and Richard can't see for squat, who's gonna feed me, give me water, trim my nails, and remove my loose hair with my furminator? I've got some serious issues here. Will he be able to scratch me behind my ears? I guess so if I nuzzle up to him.
I'm an optimistic dog - aren't we all? When Richard leaves the house and comes back later - even if it's just been for a short while, I don't know how long he's been gone. I wag my tail like crazy and greet him like he's my long lost buddy. When I wake up each morning I've forgotten almost everything that happened the day before, so I'm fresh and bubbly. But this is different. When I wake up tomorrow, I'll remember that Richard's got nuclear degeneration.
I usually can come up with something funny or scarsastic when I write my Chronicles, but not today.
To be blind is not miserable; not to be able to bear blindness, that is miserable.
~ John Milton