Well, folks, I'm back from maybe the longest computer-hiatus I've taken since they were invented. I wanted to fill you in on everything that's happened since I last blogged here. So far, so good!

I received a cornea a few weeks ago from a 21-year-old young man who died in a car accident in South Florida the day before Thanksgiving. Thanks to the Miami Eye Bank, I can write a thank-you note to his family for this amazing gift. That's a letter I'm looking forward to drafting; it's great to be able to express my gratitude directly.

The first day after the surgery my eye was covered by this gauze patch. When the Doc took it off the next day, it  revealed a bloody, black-and-blue me. They use these big metal clips to keep your eye open during surgery, plus I'd taken a few needles around the eye as well -- injections of antibiotics and steroids and anesthetic, so this wasn't my prettiest moment.

It IS pretty amazing how quickly that all cleared up, though. Now, exactly three weeks later, you almost can't tell I've had any surgery, except 1) my right eye is a little more closed than the healthy left eye, and 2) I sport big Boca Raton-style shades everywhere I go. Definitely planning on getting the mileage out of my TradeKing Elvis shades, too!

I'm still getting used to the stitches on my cornea -- it feels sand-papery when I move my eye. Apparently the eye grows tissue around the stitches (which remain in place for at least a year) and my eyelid will get callused, so that irritated feeling fades more and more every day.

Right now the biggest risks are infection and rejection. I'm on antibiotics for infection and I'm almost clear of the biggest danger-window for rejection. My doc said 90% of rejections occur within the first year after the transplant, and 90% of those happen within the first three weeks. My chances are especially good, since I've been able to accept donated cornea tissue twice in the past. Keep your fingers crossed.

And thanks again for the good vibes! When you're laid up like I was, calls and cards like yours really mean a lot. I'll be blogging a little less frequently, with my editor's help, but keep tuned for more updates...plus on to the world at TradeKing beyond my eyeballs. ;-)  Onward!