The Comfort Of A Loved One

[ruggerson]

Yet another straight person who gets it.

http://www.baltimoresun.com/news/opinion/oped/bal-op.marriage09apr09,0,6014678.story?coll=bal-oped-headlines

By John Monahan
Originally published April 9, 2006

I was scared and tired and uncomfortable and frustrated.
I'm certainly not the first person to feel that way in a doctor's waiting room, but I had spent so much time in them over the last few months that it seemed almost unbearable. Fortunately, I had my wife with me.

She could hold my hand and comfort me. She was there in the examining room to ask the doctor questions I didn't think of or remind me of the date of my last MRI or blood test. I could rely on her to take notes and write down when my next appointment was. They were simple things, but they made everything bearable.

I began to appreciate all the more the luxury of having a loved one with me as I sat in the waiting room across from another couple.

I saw in the woman sitting across from me a reflection of my own anxiety, discomfort and fatigue. I also saw her gaining strength from her partner sitting next to her. I took great comfort from the support and affection they gave each other. I saw them holding hands and looking to each other in exactly the same way as my wife and I. It didn't seem to matter at all that they were both women.

(more)

[Deja Q]

1. Pity they weren't both men

[peacebird]

2. Why? Does it matter if the couple is men or women? I thought it was lovely

and the basic facts remain: the comfort of a loved one who is there taking care of you when you need them regardless of gender makeup of the couple.

?
What am I missing, HypnoToad?

[Deja Q]

6. Because I no longer believe two men can.

That or I've had a disproportionate amount of so-called "bad luck".

[sui generis]

3. well speaking for myself and my supportive SO

I had my eyeballs sawed off last weekend and lasered, glued back together and forcefully reinserted into my skull - however I highly recommend being sedated and anaesthetized for the procedure, as I was not, and as a result the procedure was a tiny bit stressful, if you consider the sensation of having your cerebral cortex and part of your tongue extruded through your eye sockets, amazing Freddy vs. Jason pain (rock, scissors, paper, eyeball, saw) as the microkeratome sliced the top of my eyeballs off while I almost ripped the arms off the surgery bench, and drooling and going into shock possibly being a symptom of failed sedation.

However, on a scale of 1 to giving birth, I'm almost certain I'd rather have triplets all at the same time. I understand most other people don't have it as difficult, possibly due to actually physiologically processing the valium and anesthetic, which my body apparently does not do very well. That and they discovered that I have hypervascularization which just basically means my capillaries were oozing blood and I still look like the übervamp from Buffy The Vampire Slayer, green glowing eyes dramatically contrasted to my solid red glowing sclera. The really cool part is they said that my sclera will change colors like a bruise over the next couple of weeks, so they should change to a lovely hideous mottled purple, then lurid green, then ghastly yellow before looking vaguely human again.

But it was worth it - I have 20/17 vision now with the added side effect that people make the sign of the cross, clasp their brats to their bosoms and run screaming from my approach. I haven't recently felt like eating any puny humans or having a lovely goblet of warm blood, so I'm assuming the special effect eyes are just a surface side effect of the surgery and not a sign that the devil has called in the note on my soul or anything. Anyway, I've still got several more centuries and an oil painting in the attic before all that crap goes down.

So where was I, damn these are some good pain meds.

Oh yeah, my eyes were taped shut and my wonderful SO who faints at the merest sight of blood from a scratch was there to comfort and take care of me as he led me from post op to the elevator, making quiet retching noises. After being run into the elevator door head on, he left me on the elevator bobbing and weaving my head like Ray Charles playing ping pong on speed, walked me over the couch in the lobby and then cracked my head on the door frame getting into the car.

I'm so glad he was there for me. I almost didn't survive.

:P

okay, seriously, yes very happy to always have someone there for me. We're pretty much inseparable. I pity the health care provider who tries to get in the way . . .

[ruggerson]

4. lol

CAN YOU READ THIS? :)

I understand that you lose reading vision by having it done.

[Duncan Grant]

5. OMG! Failed sedation?

sui - that was like reading David Sedaris and Clive Barker at the same time! :spray: :scared:

Best wishes for a speedy recovery. :hug:

[ThomCat]

7. Ow. I'm having sympathy pain just reading this.

I hope you're feeling better. I'm glad your eyesight is now much improved.

Be well. :hug:

[Occulus]

8. HOLY CRAP!!