Coffee 9-15-12

Hey Greg,

Sorry to hear about the eye woes but glad you are out and about and having a great time. Enjoy it my friend and you never know, a good laser surgeon might have you seeing better then new! Fingers crossed Buddy. Have a great ride.

SteveZee wrote:a good laser surgeon might have you seeing better then new!

In today's newspaper, a local eye clinic is one of the few places in the USA that does laser glaucoma surgery. While they say it is good, and can leave you with good eyesight, they did point out that "normal" glaucoma surgery is just as good. The only difference is the actual surgery is faster with the laser. Also, they are hoping that as time goes on, statistics might show the laser is better in some ways. But, for now, if you need glaucoma taken care of, any qualified eye surgeon can do a good job.

LS,Try Smitty....I KNOW he can do laser surgery,and with his skill and cunning,you'll be back in the saddle ! Been runnin'&gunnin' since 0500,and the day 'aint over yet ! Stay warm,Friends !

Freddy wrote:In today's newspaper, a local eye clinic is one of the few places in the USA that does laser glaucoma surgery.

Oh crap, I made a mistake. That article wasn't about glaucoma, it was about cataracts. See why I don't have MD after my name?

Freddy wrote:

Freddy wrote:In today's newspaper, a local eye clinic is one of the few places in the USA that does laser glaucoma surgery.

Oh crap, I made a mistake. That article wasn't about glaucoma, it was about cataracts. See why I don't have MD after my name?

No worries Freddie, They actually both can be done with laser. I took my Mom for glaucoma maybe 10 years ago (Blue Hill) and then just last winter (Jan-Feb) she had cataract's removed from both eyes down in Ellsworth. Christ she's 82 and sees better then I do now!

Sorry I missed breakfast. I've been busy, ran to the local MUA with a truckload of debris, then spent a few hours in my daughter's room trimming the floor, then worked on the stove a bit trying to get it ready for the season. Got absolutely no where on it, ended up getting frustrated and walked away from it. Ended up back in my daughter's room hanging shelves and a mirror.

Maybe I'll get something done on the stove tomorrow after I help my brother with his range hood.

Hi Guys, according to the three eye surgeons I've seen, the Trabulectomy is not done with lasers, there are several laser surgeries done but this one is not a laser procedure.
One said he wished it was.

This surgery is the most effective at getting the eye pressures low, which is a requirement right now in order to save my eyesight.
If I can retain what I have, it won't be too bad, but if it gets too much worse, it will not only end my flying but might make renewing
my driver's license a 'challenge'.

Greg L.

My ol' man is going through the same thing. Has been for about a year now. Just recently had the cataract surgery, which formed when they went in the first time for a detached retina. On eye pressure drops that made his eye look 20x worse than it did before the doctors got ahold of him. Been a couple weeks since the cataract surgery - I'll have to ask him how the vision is now. Docs said should return to normal, which for him was way above average. 20/15 I recall hearing years back - he could spot a field mouse on a mountain top. Don't know who the hell I got my eyesight from! My good eye is 20/40 .. other eye 20/80 on a good day.

This is only the second time (first was my dad's) that I've ever heard of "eye pressure". I don't trust the medical field these days for a myriad of reasons ...... but awful strange that now I know of 2 people with eye pressure issues ...

SteveZee wrote:Smitty, is there anyway to get into the dash on the focus and pull the bulb for that pesky light? At least till ya get the sticker.

Ahhhh ....... if my life were only that simple, Steve! You forget where I live - the communist bastion of MA. As soon as they hook their computer up, your done. If you disconnect your battery, or clear the codes prior to the test, the computer tells them that too - your done. I need to start taking night classes in electronics so I can engineer cheater systems for every damn code that could possibly come up. I'd be a millionaire overnight ... as long as we don't get a second term in November ...

Yesterday was a road trip that ended with a nice dinner to celebrate our anniversary. Part of the road trip included a stop at the Weyerbacher brewery were we met up with forum member VigIIPeaBurner and his wife. We had a great time and a nice talk but it ended too soon because we had a dinner reservation to get to.

If you get a chance to try Weyerbacher give it a try. They make some interesting brews. Some very hoppy ales and some that are nice and malty with very little hops. Merry Monks is my favorite but there are a few left to try.

Freetown Fred make sure all four tires are the same size.

SMITTY, more alcohol. If the leak isn’t too bad you could just add oil as needed and change the filter once a year. The leaking oil could help to preserve the frame from that road salt that eats your cars up.

Sorry Greg, it sure sounds like you are having a tough go around. When it affects your career that just sucks. I hope they get you fixed up. After surgery is there a chance for vision improvement or does it only arrest the damage already done.

Everyone have a good week and take nothing for granted. Life is short and then it is over.

The End

gaw wrote:SMITTY, more alcohol. If the leak isn’t too bad you could just add oil as needed and change the filter once a year. The leaking oil could help to preserve the frame from that road salt that eats your cars up.

Yeah I medicated myself last night & feeling much better this morning. Works like a charm!

What sucks about that whole oil leak is ... that was the entire point of me doing the engine swap last year. The old engine burned a quart every 50 miles. This one was starting to leak a quart every 50 as well. Can't win. I thought about leaving it, but I figured ... it's just an oil pan - how hard can it be? Well, found out after unbolting the pan & ruining the gaskets that it's a royal pain in the ass!!

So now I've accepted the fact that the engine has to come out. This will give me a chance to do all the stuff I should've done last year - namely every single gasket, plus a few extras like the oil pump, timing set, & valve seals.

I started another thread because I'm trying to decide on how much of a "partial" (read: half-assed ... READ: CHEAP) rebuild I should do ......... Ok motorheads: how much of a "partial" rebuild would you do?

Hi gaw, according to the Docs, and everything I've been able to find to read, the optic nerves and retina are like brain cells, once deprived of bloodflow and oxygen, they die and stay dead,
they won't regrow or repair..

So the whole plan is to stop the decline in vision and see what I have remaining once it stabilizes..

Greg L

AHH that's completely different from what my dad has going on. Sorry to hear that Greg.

They at least find a cause of all that?

Greg, sorry to learn about your eye problems. If you need second or third medical opinions I can suggest the Johns Hopkins Wilmer Eye Institute in Baltimore. They have an informative web site. See:

http://www.hopkinsmedicine.org/wilmer/

Good luck with whatever choice you make and minimize your hospital stay as much as possible. There are some awful bugs in hospitals these days, some resistant to all treatments. The National Institutes of Health just outside Washington, DC is having a hell of a time with a killer bug that has left multiple patients dead.

Thanks Yanche,
Here is the page from JH's website about Glaucoma: http://www.hopkinsmedicine.org/wilmer/c ... _faq1.html

Greg L

That sucks. Hope your vision comes back.



Engine removal, 2.0 . It's finally out.

I've decided that it's getting all new seals & gaskets top to bottom, including head gaskets & valve seals, brass freeze plugs, and a timing set. I couldn't find a pickup screen for the oil pump I wanted, so I said the hell with it. Never lost an oil pump in my life, and these engines don't have a rep for doing that either, so gonna run it.

I'll be glad when this is done ...