We had a positive visit at MD Anderson today, and they put us on a 3-month / 6-month schedule. That is, we are still on a 3-month testing cycle, but we need come to Houston only a every 6-months  – unless the tests suggest something otherwise.

We started the appointment cycle at 9:30 with the check-in and some preliminary exams. About 11 a.m., Dr. Gombos’s PA, Megan, and his nurse Suzanne ushered us in for the “detailed interview” stage of things. During this process, we met Dr.  Gombos’s new PA, Cliff Leonard.

All the staff praised the work of the ocularist (Donnie Franklin), saying the prosthesis really looked good, even when it was sitting on the counter!

Dr. Gombos came in, and we discussed why some call ocular implants “coral” and the procedure known as “pegging.”  The implants are called coral because they are porous and encourage growth and familiarity with blood vessels and other body tissue. Pegging is the process of drilling a hole in the “coral” and then placing a peg on the prosthesis that fits into hole.

Dr. Gombos said he does not favor pegging because the increased risk of chronic infection outweighs the marginal cosmetic improvement.

We’re good with that.

So we left MD Anderson about 12:30 p.m.  with a handful of orders and prescriptions. We have to fulfill some of the orders this month, some in May, and return to Houston in August. Hooray!

The Fort Worth “appointment” turned out to be an all-day thing. A fascinating process. Got into the office at 8:45 a.m. Paperwork done by 9. At 9:05 the ocularist (Donnie Franklin) sits down with Nancy and me and explains the process.  

Digest version: He took an impression of the eye socket. When it was “set,” he made a wax model of the prosthesis. I had to wear the wax model for a while. Somewhere in the middle of all this he started doing the eye color / measurement thing, getting the color and such from the good eye.

Once the wax model had  shaped itself to the orb and socket, he did a couple of positioning things.

We got about 90 minutes for lunch.

He had two other patients throughout the morning. While the wax model was curing, he sent me into the waiting room and saw someone else. So we shuffled in and out.

The afternoon, I think I was the only one left.

At 1 p.m. he inserted the “rough” of the prosthesis and warned me that if I looked in a mirror, I should not be too frightened. I did, and I thought the thing was pretty cool, really. But he devoted himself later to doing a lot of finishing touches. I never noticed before, but I have a ring of blue around my iris. So does the prosthesis.

Donnie created “blood vessels” using cross-stitch thread that he shredded. By about 2:15 or so, he had that part done. He gave me about four pages of reading material, dismissed me, and told me to come back at 4:15 with all the reading material mastered.

He and his office staff now know what journalism professors do. I handed back their copy, marked up for corrections.

Sometime shortly after 5 p.m., he dismissed us with a maintenance kit and an acrylic prosthesis that looks remarkably like the other eye. 

Nancy and I were both tired, but we had agreed to meet our son Ben and his fiance and her parents for dinner in Grapevine. So we braved traffic, got to the Grapevine Mills Mall on time, had dinner, and drove back to the hotel in Fort Worth and crashed. And slept late.

Friday morning we celebrated. We decided after breakfast that I did not need to return to the ocularist for “adjustments” (attitude notwithstanding).

The socket and the prosthesis still have some “adjusting” to do, but we are on the right track.

And oh, I did all the driving!!!