A peek into Rob's soul

... so after his four-hour surgery, Rob was wheeled into the after-hours recovery room and I wasn't able to see him until about 7:40 p.m. Bear in mind that I'd been waiting there since 11 a.m., on top of the hour and a half-plus commute. Finally, FINALLY, the chick at the reception desk decided to let us all go back to see our loved ones -- there were a couple other people there.

I went to find Rob and the sight of him, all pale and drugged, sitting up with his eye patch on and his gown half hanging off his shoulders was enough to break my heart. "Hi honey, " I said. "How are you feeling?"

"My butt hurts," he replies.

I get all concerned. "Your butt hurts? Maybe you're sitting too long in the same position."

"No. They penetrated me. We have to go after them."

Seriously?

You come out of anesthesia, when you're supposed to be as truthful as you'll ever be -- when we get a brief glimpse into your naked soul and THIS is what I get? Jokey the one-eyed clown? Sigh.

I told him the next day and he was inordinately proud of himself. He asked if he was quiet and I assured him that he was pretty much just blurting it out for all to hear.

Healthy living and -- yes -- more surgery (but not for me)

 

People have taken to telling me, "you have nowhere to go but up. Things HAVE to get better," but they're wrong. It keeps getting worse. While I've been getting surgeries, Rob started complaining that his eye was really bothering him. Rob hadn't seen a doctor in almost 20 years and he was in no hurry to go again, but when I explained that he was going to have to see a doctor to address his eye problem, which had been going on for a while, he didn't put up a fight.

I should have been worried, but I didn't really think too hard about it when I made his appointment. He saw a doctor on a Monday, was having blood work done -- we are, after all, in our 50s and we can only be assured we're healthy these days with blood work -- and he had an appointment with a optician the next day, which was a Tuesday. Apparently in the Wide World of Managed Care, you have to see an optician before you can be referred to a opthamologist. In Rob's case, the optician took one look and schleduled an emergency appointment for him immediately with the opthamologist.

Unlike my doctors, who tend to be -- how shall I put this kindly -- less than in the top tier of their profession, (not everyone can graduate at the top of his class -- right?) this guy is an Assistant Professor of Opthamology at Johns Hopkins -- big stuff. He took one look and started the wheels in motion to have Rob seen in the West L.A. Kaiser Permanente Medical Center because none of the facilities available to us Kaiser patients in Ventura or Santa Barbara counties are equiped to deal with the complexities of Rob's detached retina.

So Wednesday found us scrambling to make a 3 p.m. appointment in Smell A. after finding out about it at 2 p.m. because the appointment person is an idiot and had forgotten to call us. Surgery was scheduled for the next day, and Thursday Rob underwent a four-hour operation to repair his messed-up eye. He had to spend the night because his doctor didn't want him traveling to Ventura and then back to L.A. in the morning. For those who don't live in Southern California, traffic in the greater Los Angeles area is a constant disaster. There is always a jam and stop-and-go traffic.

Of course, with all that traveling back and forth and waiting around, I started having extensive bruising on my leg, along with a lot of pain. I've been assured that I'm fine and that I just overdid it, but that it's understandable under the circumstances.

So here were are. Rob had to sit with his head pointed down for a week so his eye could start to heal. He had his lens removed, along with the vitreous fluid in the eye, which was replaced by oil, and a band was placed around the entire eyeball. Now he has an eyepatch and I'm walking with a cane. We look like the Pirate Couple -- Peg Leg Anne and One-eyed Rob. He'll eventually get a new lens and the oil will be replaced.

On the bright side, we're both recovering well and have been assured that we will get better. My doctor says I should be able to avoid a knee replacement right away and Rob's doctor says he may regain some sight in his eye, although it won't be much.

Along with all of the drama, it was revealed that Rob's cholesterol levels are high -- no suprise in someone who seems to have an allergy to vegetables and whole grains. So we both need to start eating a little healthier. I can't express how happy I am to finally have something to hold over his head when I try out the millions of healthy recipe ideas I have floating around in my head.

I started out with a recipe I'd conceived when I first spotted the box of Diced Harvest Medley, which is squash, yams and turnips at Trader Joe's. When I spotted the bag of rainbow-colored Swiss Chard, my concept was complete and I came up with the following. This recipe is delicious and even Rob liked it, and he didn't complain that it was meatless.

Whole wheat pasta with balsamic Diced Harvest Medley, served with braised chard

1 pound whole wheat pasta, prepared al dente according to package instructions
1 package Trader Joe's Harvest Medley
3 to 4 tablespoons olive oil
salt to taste
1 small onion, diced
2 garlic cloved minced or passed through a garlic press
1/4 cup balsamic vinegar
1 cup chicken stock
1 cup grated parmesan cheese
1 cup chopped hazelnuts, toasted for 6 minutes in 350 degree oven
Heat the oil in a Dutch oven. Add Harvest Medley and started cooking over medium high heat until startgin to brown. Salt, and add onions and cook, continuing to brown. Cook until starting to carmelize. Add garlic and and stir for about 30 second or a minute or until you can smell the garlic. Add the vinegar (keep your head away from the pot to avoid vineger nose) and add the chicken stock. Cover and simmer for about 20 minutes or until vegetables are fork-tender. Add to drained pasta and toss with cheese. Top finished dish with hazelnuts and serve with chard.

Braised chard with shallots

2 laarge shallots, finely chopped
4 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
1 package Trader Joe's multi-colored chard
salt to taste
1 to 2 cups chicken stock
Red pepper flakes to taste

Heat the olive oil in a Dutch oven over medium-high heat. Add the shallots and cook unil translucent. Add package of chard and stir and toss, until starting to wilt. Salt. Add 1 cup of chicken stock and cover and simmer for about 15 minutes or unitl chard stems are fork-tender. Add red pepper flakes, toss and serve.