Eye update

I was really nervous last night about my eye. My fear was that a tiny piece of wire had somehow lodged itself in my eye and that I could not feel it because it went into the soft white part. I was truly scared to death.

I awoke this morning to find my eye pretty much looking like it did yesterday morning: a little bleary, but otherwise fine. There was not so much as a tiny little bruise on my cheek. In fact, the whatever it was managed to nick the part of me that is perpetually red (thank you Irish ancestry and roseacea!). The scratch at the edge of my bottom lid seems to have pretty much disappeared and there is no more swelling.

I am at once thrilled that I have not suffered a debilitating injury and disappointed that I have nothing to show for my terror. Feh.

It's all fun and games...

Until this.


I don't know exactly what came off the angle grinder's knotted wire wheel, but it got past my safety glasses, the side shields, and came right up under, putting a hole in my cheek as it traveled up and over my eyelids. I can only guess that the impact with my cheek caused me to blink, thus saving the eye. We have yet to find a piece of metal.

It does not feel like there is anything in my cheek or in my eye, although things are continuing to swell nicely. This picture was taken about five minutes after it happened. If I think too much about it, my stomach just churns. I have no health insurance. I was wearing all of the protective gear I own for such things - respirator, safety glasses with side shields, earmuff hearing protection, heavy leather gloves. I had the good sense just to turn the grinder off and put it down, strip off the respirator and earmuffs and come directly upstairs to have L take a look at it.

My vision is OK, but I can feel a nice bruise starting. Ouch. Talk about suffering for one's art.

I think I will take a shower and make some nice cheddar-broccoli soup now. No more metal for me today. Tomorrow I will start anew.