Glaucoma Threat

I finally spoke to the gym owner about why there were suddenly so few parking spots in the morning. "Well, there's about 35 people who come in for Boot Camp class, and an additional 15 for the RPM class so that's about 50 more cars." Yep, that's about 50 more cars who weren't here a month ago. Either I need to adjust the time I show up, or resign myself to parking much further away. I'll just walk the few extra yards...

Today is Leg Day and later I have an appointment with the glaucoma specialist because eye drops currently aren't doing it for me. I'm pretty happy that I can get on Precor #3 and punch in my standard 30 minutes for hill #6. I'm feeling fairly energetic. Perhaps it was the "new" bag of frozen blueberries I found this morning. This time there was actually a date on the bag (I freeze them myself during the summer when blueberries are plentiful and cheap) written in black Sharpie: Aug 2010. I added a 1/4 cup of them to the 1/4 cup of quick oats, dash of salt, 1/4 cup of water and a 1/2 tsp raw sugar. Then nuke for 3-4 minutes in a microwave-safe bowl loosely covered with wax paper.

After a moment to memorize the mileage reading and a swig of water, I punch in another 30 minutes to do Intervals #7. I feel really good even though my lungs are burning and my lips are so dry that the sweat is forming a crust on my cheeks. Yep, odd things make me happy.

Today's Total Workout:
30 (+ 5 cool down) min hill #6 = 4.08 + 3 (+ 5 cool down) min intervals #7 = 4.43  Grand Total 8.51 miles  Wahoo! I've finally broken the 8 1/2 mile mark!Probably can't do it next week, but who cares...
Smith Squats: 12 @ bar / 6 x 12 @ 95 lbs (my right knee clicks as I descend and I struggle to find proper foot placement)
While I'm working out, a morbidly obese man plops down on the bench next to me and does a few sets of two-handed DB extensions. Yes, they're fairly heavy weights (3 plates per edge) but I can't get over the fact that he's twice as wide as he is tall, with pants that resemble a misshapen trash bag. He seems to be a bit disconcerted that I'm in the next station, but hell, I was here first. If he's upset that I'm not a guy, well, he'll get over it. More and more women show up to wrestle with dumbbells in the free weight area. They're just not consistent. And they seem very tentative. As if maybe they shouldn't be doing this. Not my problem.
Smith Stiff-Legged Dead Lifts: 12 @ bar / 6 x 12 @ 95 lbs
I pull off my drenched hoodie to do the thrusters because it gives me a thrill to see my lats flare when I push the bar up over my head.
Smith Thrusters: 12 @ bar (45 lbs) / 3 x 12 @ 55 lbs (I feel my left knee almost "pop" after I'm done; that can't be good but it doesn't hurt)
There's a bunch of guys at the free weight benches while I'm working out. Mr T-shirt should be renamed Polo Shirt because now he's taken to wearing huge over-sized polo shirts that don't hide the fact he needs to spend less time chatting and more time doing cardio. Skinny J shows up in the station next to me, but I don't really have anything to say to him and the easiest thing to do is avoid eye contact. I know he's dying to talk to me but I don't know why. Maybe it's an ego thing or something to have the Gym Rat Chick talk to you if you're a dude?
Cage Stretch and 6 Pistol Squats each Leg (just to work the kinks out from doing the squats and thrusters)
Seated Leg Extensions: 6 x 12-15 @ 60 lbs (the first 3 sets really seem to hurt more than the last 3 sets, hence only doing 12 reps in the beginning, but finishing with 15 rep sets)
Seated Leg Curls: 6 x 15 @ 90 lbs (I toy with the idea of doing less sets, or more weight, but I'm feeling really lazy at this point so I don't make any changes)
Torso Twist (because I HAVE to do some abs!): 2 x 25 @ 50 lbs
Mat Stretch

The scale reads 109 lbs and I think, "Finally! It moved!" I'm starving by the time I leave the gym and down the 25 gram protein drink in two greedy gulps. I don't know if B made it today or if she took today off. I do see Mo as I'm leaving, and I catch a glimpse of R in a bright orange T-shirt. I also saw Amazing Stretch (and Curly Cap earlier), but he seemed to have a worried pensive look.

I'm thinking perhaps I ought to post my workout blog at Bodybuilding.com but I haven't decided. I realize that we are all in our own "little worlds", that what's important to me doesn't have the same priority with others, but it'd be nice to find other people like me. Other people who'd be just as freaked out at the prospect of not working out for 2-4 weeks. 

The glaucoma specialist has a slew of eye tests for me, and then lays out the bad news. There's very few other non-surgical options other than an old eye drop (pilocarpine) that's not widely used anymore because of its nasty side effects: must be taken 4 time daily, may cause headaches, depression and nightmares. What?! I know my body is too sensitive to take anything that's systemic so the next course of action is to look at SLT (Selective Laser Trabeculoplasty) where an argon laser opens up the eye's drainage system. My doctor tells me that it's not 100% effective. In fact, it's barely 50% effective and there's no way to determine who will be responsive to treatment and who won't be.

After that, there's conventional surgery which requires a hospital visit, no driving, and no exercise for at least 2-4 weeks. Perhaps I'm jumping the gun, but so far conventional eye drops have not worked, the iridotomy didn't work, and my doc is telling me not to get my hopes up about the SLT either. And, conventional surgery may actually impair my vision, making it blurry. I have 20/20 vision in one eye, and 20/25 in the other. But perhaps not for long. Sigh...