A Cornea By Any Other Name ...

I saw my cornea specialist, who I absolutely adore, yesterday.

Dr. Jacobs is a specialist who has cared about my whole eye health. She’s appreciated the struggles I’ve had to be heard and not treated me like a widget on a hospital assembly line.

I went through no fewer than five neuro eye docs at Mass Eye and Ear before I found her. She’s the only one who’s come close to the care I received from Dr. Simmons Lessell, who died in 2016 (the same year I lost The Amazing Bob).

Fabulous post-exam news — the scarring on my orbs (a result of unavoidable nerve damage from my 50 bazillion brain surgeries), which I’ve been dealing with/combating for a couple decades or so now, has cleared up. WHAT? HOW? Likely a combination of things but definitely the piece that seals the deal is the chemo drug that my main neurologist, the amazing Doc Plotkin, put me on four-ish years ago.

This med has slowed or stopped the growth of most of my brain and spinal tumors AND it’s shrunk a benign motherfucker that was hanging out in my liver too! How d'ya like that! Better living through chemistry and shit, eh?

Yes, there have been some rather inconvenient side effects *cough* GI issues *cough*  but … worth it!!!

So, I no longer need to see her thrice yearly and can now just have annual appointments. EXCEPT … she’s retiring as of October next year. I figured this was coming — we’re around the same age. You bet I was dreading her leaving but she’s referring me to someone she likes.

She’s hooking me up with a new cornea guy who’s in a Mass General office that’s actually much closer to me (meaning, I won’t have to deal with the horrors of 93N, Charles Circle, and MGH traffic) and she says he's compassionate. This is key. His name is Dr. Austin Meeker. 

I only mention it but my new-ish PCP’s name is Dallas Miller. WHY would parents name their children after Texas cities? I guess, if you figure that both docs are at least 35, they were born when Ann Richards was governor. Texas was still a fine state, if rather strange, back then (aren’t we all though — strange, that is). Considering the times, I suppose I can understand the affection for the Texas town names. Sort of. Governor Gregg Abattoir, his chief crimer, Attorney General Ken Paxton, and the prepoderance of MAGAts however, have made the state a toxic joke.

Do parents name their kids Boston or other random city names? Is Pittsburgh Johnson going out for soccer this season? Did Birmingham Smith get signed up for Little League today? Can Detroit Williams come over for a playdate this afternoon? Did Sturgis Wilson get into grad school?

Dunno … if I had a kid and I HAD to name them after a town or city, I imagine I’d choose Marrakesh, Berlin or Tangier. Why? For the wildly rich histories of the places and the way the words sound.

Back to Dr. Jacobs — I’ll have one last appointment with her next year. It’s hard to let go and I was NOT ready to say goodbye yesterday. Honestly, I can only think of a couple of times in my life when saying goodbye and me have been properly aligned. 

Walter understands.