For the past year or so, I have had a decline in my vision. By the late Spring of 2024, my vision had deteriorated to the point that it was becoming difficult for me to drive. I also have found some of my responsibilities at work that involve reading challenging. I was able to do it by using magnification software on the computer screen.

I had an appointment with my ophthalmologist and she measured my vision at 20/100 and she advised me to have surgery to remove a cataract and also place a new lens in my eye. The surgery is normally low risk, but due to my medical history of retinal detachments, my doctor told me that there was a 1/100 chance that I may need another surgery or have other complications.

I had the surgery on 11/20/2024 and a follow up appointment on 11/21/2024. I am grateful that I did not have any complications. I was amazed at how clear my vision was. The doctor measured my vision at 20/25 without my glasses in my left eye. I have extremely poor vision in my right eye due to my retinal detachment.

When my eye heals from surgery, I will get a new eye prescription. I will need magnification to read up close, but my vision will be good for farther objects. I grateful for such a good outcome.

I ordered a Pedego Interceptor about 3 weeks ago, and it arrived on Wednesday. I haven't ridden bicycles in over 10 years. This is my 2nd day riding it. I am having a lot of fun. It is also good for my health to exercise.

Today, I cycled more than 14 miles. I am using an app called Strava to record the rides. So far, I have just gone near my neighborhood. There are some nice trails not far from me, and I'll try one of them soon.

Julie had surgery to treat breast cancer on 2/13/2024 and today was her first post-op appointment. We did not know what the prognosis or treatment would be until the pathology report was available.

The doctor gave us wonderful news. There is no evidence that the cancer has spread. She has a very good prognosis. She will need some follow-up treatment, but will not need chemotherapy. Her doctor told us that this is an excellent prognosis.

Today is not a typical Valentine’s Day, but Julie and I are glad to be together. It is a blessing to be in love.

Julie had surgery to treat breast cancer on 2/13/2024. We were at the hospital from 7:50am to nearly 6pm. She was nauseous after the surgery, so the nurse gave her some anti-nausea medication and she slept a little longer. She is having a good day so far today.

We have a follow up appointment on 2/21/2024. The doctor should have the results of the pathology report by then. If he has sufficient information, we will know more about her prognosis and future treatments.

We like her surgeon. His name is Dr. Levine and he has a good sense of humor. He is very experienced and a scholar in the area of breast cancer.

Julie won’t be able to drive or lift anything, so I’ll be staying home with her for about a week. We have a very supportive family. My parents and our daughters will be helping, and our youngest daughter, Emily, is going to stay with us for a few weeks, starting this Thursday.

While we can’t celebrate Valentine’s Day by going out or doing an activity, I’m grateful we can be together and focus on each other.

I have been working on several projects this weekend. I will be ready to send my taxes to our tax preparer in a few days and it will be good to have that chore out of the way. I have also been working on a good backup solution to my data and that has taken time. I also spent time changing and updating some of the websites and communication services I use.

I am still convinced that I made the right decision to stop using the big social media companies. I have found it much more inconvenient to stay in touch with people, especially when sharing pictures and videos. I have tried using several different services and I think I have settled on blogging (using the WordPress platform). While it is not as easy to use as social media, it is much more flexible and does not have the inherent security and privacy risks.

My wife, Julie, will be having surgery and other treatments for breast cancer starting on 2/13/2024, so I have been more mindful of trying to stay in touch with people. Fortunately, her medical team has told us that the tumor is small and the prognosis is good. She is feeling good now. I will be taking some time off from work and our youngest daughter is going to stay with us to help take care of her while she recovers from surgery.