04.30.08
Possible cataract / Chainline
I think the progressively blurry left eye is a cataract that is forming. I noticed it perhaps two months ago, but it seems to be getting to the point where I have a difficult time reading text on my computer screen, especially at night. My right eye is pretty good. At least, I don’t detect any changes in its vision. Viewing text on a white screen from my left eye resembles what it would look like if there was gook in my eye. But, it’s not quite homogeneous, like looking through a consistently blurry film. That eye has also felt particularly more irritated and, at times, the eyelid is “closed” a little more than my right. This could be just an allergy thing - the swollen, smaller eye. Viki gave me a script to see the opthalmologist. I just had a full eye exam in February and passed with only a slight change in my prescription, but not enough to require me to buy new glasses.
Cataracts are caused by many different things, and I’d venture to guess in my case it would either be the total-body irradiation (TBI) that I had just prior to my transplant, a history of plain old UV damage, or Corticosteroids, like Prednisone, which I had to take in 2004 (as part of CHOP-R), 2007 (for six months for my first cGvHD flare-up), and will probably be going back on again soon for a flare I’m having now. From what I know, the cataract surgery can trigger a cGvHD flare, so that needs to be considered. I was putting off scheduling the eye doctor appointment, but now I’m reading that cataracts can cause blindness or lead to glaucoma.
The stretching exercises have been helping ever so slightly. I still ache all over, all day long. Sitting at the computer for long periods makes me feel very stiff and I have to remember to take frequent breaks, which will also help relieve my left eye.
I got the IRO slapped back together, but I’m still not content with the chainline situation. I had to pull the Sugino 75 BB because it’s ISO and the cranks I have are all J.I.S. So, the crankarms torque down on the spindle too far inward and actually contact the BB cup. I just had to attempt the non-drive side very tenderly to know that it wouldn’t work. I anticipated this situation, so I didn’t end up causing any damage to the BB or the IRO crankarm. I wasn’t too concerned with the crankarm, because it’s a cheap IRO crank, but the BB is $82. Getting a $175 crank that fits the BB is not an option right now, so I popped a cheap Shimano BB in, but that introduces a milder problem.
The $19 Shimano UN54, like most Shimanos, are designed to fit both 68mm and 73mm BB shells. I have 68mm shells, so that requires a 2.5mm spacer between the drive-side BB cup and the BB shell. But, UN54 BBs only come in certain spindle lengths, the closest for my needs being 110.5mm. Ideally, I really need a 109mm. So, I had to try different combos of rear wheel hub spacers on the rear axle to position the fixed cog in the proper chainline. I don’t like doing this because it means the rear wheel is not centered between the chainstays. It’s now closer to the right chainstay by 3mm. And the chainline is still about 1mm too far out.
What’s the big deal? Just chain noise, which really bothers me. And that the rear wheel isn’t really centered in the frame, which means I can’t use the wheel in a flip-flop situation, like when I want to use the freewheel or cog on the other side of the hub, because it’ll be too far in. I just have to futz with it more or invest in the proper crank for the Sugino BB.