I have no frame of reference for this concept of cut roots growing at 90 degrees and producing additional problems on specimens no longer being blocked by container walls. Roots always grow away from the center of the plant when not deflected by uncrossable barriers. All of my experience aligns with this, including having new root tips pop out of container-formed root shapes at planting time. Bonsai have the roots trimmed annually as a maintenance procedure, why does this not produce an incredible confused mess over time? In some cases the time being hundreds of years? Carl E. Whitcomb wrote in Establishment and Maintenance of Landscape Plants (1991, Lacebark Inc., Stillwater) that when study trees are dug up later and found to still have circling roots researchers are looking at the hardened, older roots that were already present at planting time. If most of a tree is still going around in circles some time after planting it is because it wasn't corrected at planting and was in such poor condition at planting that it did not make many new roots growing away from the center of the plant - or in any direction - after planting. We can see how new roots grow away from the center even when much of the old roots are deformed by looking at the second picture right here on this thread. This post was edited by bboy on Thu, Nov 13, 14 at 21:35

Wow, what great news, Lisa! I'm so happy for you! Nothing worse than not being able to see clearly. I have been wearing trifocals since my mid-40's because I couldn't stand having that DEAD zone in the middle between my distance prescription and my close up prescription. But I have often wondered if surgery would help. Now I'm developing cataracts, and I have to wait for them to "ripen" before they will operate. Meantime, my vision gets worse and worse, especially at night. It seems crazy that you have to wait until the cataracts are so thick you are half blind before they can fix them, but that's the way of it. Maybe I will find out more about other options when I am ready to have that done. Thanks for sharing, and here's hoping your world gets brighter and more beautiful every day. (Including your hubby...shame on you, Tony!) ;o) Marcia

Even though this is an old thread I thought I would comment. I had Lasik in September of 2005. I had instane correction- BUT my eyes were so dry that the next day when I went back for post op check I coul barely get there! My eyes were so dry the doc said the cornea looked like 'scabs'. I had to stay another day before he would let me drive home- and I had to use drops every 10 minutes. I have had to have them looked at a few times because I will not be able to see, and there is horrible pain in the eyes. The eye doc says it is 'dry eye'. Now that the complication of dry eye is known, I am not certain I would have the surgery or not.... When I go south, where the climate is more humid I don't have such a problem, but here in northern Wyoming it is dry. Yesterday and today I can't read a book, cook a recipe because I can't read. I tried to use the phone book and can't. If there are errors in my tyoing I cannot see them. When my eyes are not dry, I like the results- I guess now I realize that I couldn't stand the contacts because my eyes were so dry. Mixed feelings... If you are thinking about LASIK, be CERTAIN you question your doc about the status of your eyes- if they are dry at all. It has been found that when the cornea is sliced, the 'lubrication/tear' nerves are damaged. They eyes become more dry.

Thanks for the kind words. I realize that this is a very specific surgery, that thankfully, most women won’t need to consider. El, it is an extremely difficult , long procedure, even more so than the mastectomy itself. The recovery is tough, and although I think I want it, I don’t have to go through with it. I think that it is understandable to be rethinking the decision due to the difficulty, but ultimately, I will most likely go through with the reconstruction. I just wondered if anyone here had any words of wisdom for me. Katz, my close friend had reconstruction at the same time as her mastectomy, many years ago. That isn’t really done anymore. Seagrass, I know your pain! Thank you for telling your story, and I am so glad that you are healthy and comfortable now.