Lightening strikes . . . again and again ....

I was putting a load of wash in early one morning before heading to eldest's house to do some painting (I am the official family painter). A little white moth began to dive bomb around my head. At least one side of my head. It's no secret that I don't like things with wings flying inside my house ... birds, moths, bats ....  Nor do I like the surprise of little jumpers like crickets, which remind me of small frogs. But I digress.

The gardener was nearby and I called for him to help while I continued to load the washer. "Get this little moth, would you? He won't leave me alone." As the "moth" continued to fly at me, the gardener insisted I was imagining it. I twisted the dial to start the machine and turned off the light. It was barely dawn. I then realized I was seeing arcs of lightening to the side of my right eye. Not a little white moth. 

I was tired, I hadn't slept well after a busy weekend at work. I was sure the flashes were due to fatigue and would go away. The day got brighter and it seemed they were gone as I gave a second coat of paint to son's bathroom. I was so relieved. But I did keep watching for "clouds" or a "curtain" to fall over my eye (classic symptoms of retinal detachment, which I knew could be what I was dealing with).

Unfortunately as dusk approached later that day, I was disheartened to note the lightening reappeared and continued into the next morning.  I called the eye doctor and they said I must come in a.s.a.p., and they fit me in with a retinal specialist for that very afternoon. I began to be scared and started feeling a heaviness in my eye. Or was it my imagination?

After a two hours of waiting and varied exams, the Gardener and I left the doctors elated and very grateful that my eye was OK.  I only had PVD, "Posterior Vitreous Detachment." Totally age-related. Imagine that (hear sarcasm). And the heaviness in my eye? The doc looked gently into my fully dilated eyes and agreed it might be related to my reading about such a symptom. Imagination is my strong suit.

After a quick bite to eat we stopped by my mothers for a visit. We walked her down to the sun porch. It wasn't long after we settled in for a visit that a big storm arrived. Lightening flashed and thunder roared. I had a double dose of lightening it seemed. It struck again and again ... in the sky and in my eye. It reminded me of that old Lou Christie song so popular in the 60s ... remember it?  "There's a chapel in the pines . . ." Going on to the chorus, "Lightening strikes again and again ..."  My new theme song. (My symptoms may or may not go away, but I am already getting used to them.)

And note: If you ever experience such a thing, do not delay in calling  your eye doctor, just in case.