Question and Answer (Q&A)

As I have been writing Adventures with Eve I have got several questions about our journey and the blog itself. Here are ten of the questions I have gotten over the last two years. In a future Question and Answer post I will answer ten other questions.

Where did the name Adventures with Eve come from?

The name Adventures with Eve was a suggestion for an Instagram handle to document mine and Eve’s journey by @shelbi_nichole, but because it was already taken I chose to turn it into a blog instead,

Looking back at my guide dog journey as a whole I think the name is perfect because it honors the overall journey that I went on to realize that I could and would benefit from using a guide dog, while also honoring the dog that started it all for me. This is also why when the time comes for Eve’s successor, I will not be changing the name of the blog, as this will help keep her with me always.

Lindsay and Eve’s graduation headshot.

How did your vision loss happen?

Unlike most people my vision loss journey started when I was born as a result of being born a month early with several medical problems.

The first medical diagnosis I was born with was Hydrocephalus, which is the increase of Cerebrospinal Fluid on the brain. The only treatment for Hydrocephalus requires brain surgery to relieve the pressure. In my case this meant placing a shunt when I was three days old. A shunt is a plastic tube that is placed in the brain and fed to the abdomen or heart where the fluid can be reabsorbed. Although Hydrocephalus has treatment options they all require brain surgery and in many cases multiple brain surgeries over one’s life. In my case I have had 5 brain surgeries in my thirty years of life, but am beyond grateful, as I know many within the community that have had more brain surgeries than years on earth.

Although I have had five brain surgeries, the last three brain surgeries that I had between my freshman and sophomore years of high school were the worst because I had three brain surgeries back to back in a five month period. Not only did I have three brain surgeries in such a short period of time, after my second brain surgery I fought an infection that got me admitted to the hospital for a week and took a month to clear. This was not the icing on the cake though because in July of 2010 my shunt failed for the third time that year and it took two emergency room trips for my local hospital to figure out what was wrong. As a result of taking two emergency room trips to figure out what was wrong the increase of fluid caused me to lose more vision and have a low blood pressure. Thankfully after my shunt was replaced the blood pressure issues resolved themselves, but it was still scary, as I was almost sent up to intensive care at one point.

In addition to Hydrocephalus I also have Retinopathy of Prematurity (ROP), which is the disorganized growth of blood vessels in the retina resulting in scarring of the retina or retinal detachment as a result of too much oxygen given to premature babies. This affects me in having almost no vision in my left eye. In my right eye I have no peripheral vision, as a result of the added diagnoses, as explained below.

Along with ROP over my childhood I was also diagnosed with Strabismus, Amblyopia, and Nystagmus. Strabismus is the misalignment of the eyes, but is often treated with surgery to realign the eyes. Amblyopia is a lazy eye. Nystagmus is the involuntary movement of the eyes.

In my early 20s I was also diagnosed with Glaucoma, which is the increase of ocular pressure. The treatment of Glaucoma often requires eye drops or surgery to lower the pressure in the eye and slow down the damage on the optic nerve. When this added diagnosis was given to me I was not surprised, as with both ROP and Hydrocephalus I was warned that this added diagnosis could come in my lifetime. All I can do is be diligent in my treatment options to slow the damage.

Did you name your dog?

No, I did not name Eve. She was named before I got her. As each litter of puppies are born at the guide dog school where I got Eve they are given a letter and named things that are related to that letter. For example, Eve’s siblings have names such as Eyna, Edison, Effie, Eden, and Epcot. If you want to help in naming a puppy you can go to this Guiding Eyes for the Blind link. Not only does Guiding Eyes allow donors to help name their puppies, but other guide dog schools have similar practices.

Are you allowed to pet your own guide dog?

This was a question asked by one of my co-workers as I was waiting on a class date. I will give the same response here that I gave them when they asked this question. Yes, I am able to pet my own guide dog, in fact it is encouraged especially in the first days, weeks, and months to help in strengthening the partnership. During class on that first day of having our dogs the instructors left us alone with our dogs for thirty minutes to an hour with the sole focus that we would take the time to get to know them.

When do guide dogs start their training?

In most cases potential guide dogs are assessed for their temperament as young puppies. If the puppy is seen as a potential good candidate, they go into puppy raiser homes where they learn basic obedience like sit, down, stay, etc. On this Guiding Eyes for the Blind page, it breaks down the Journey of a Guide Dog puppy.

How young can one get a Guide Dog?

Depending on the program chosen I have heard children getting guide dogs as early as 13, but the real test is how mature is the child and can they independently take care of their guide dog. With this being said the typical youngest age that one can get a guide dog is 16 and foremost guide dog schools there is no uper age limit to getting a guide dog, as long as the person is still getting out and about.

Is there anywhere guide dogs cannot go?

The only places that guide dogs are not allowed to go are sanitary environments like restaurant kitchens, burn units, operating rooms, and other places that the general public is not allowed to go.

Was your life just as busy before getting Eve as it is now having her?

My life was just as busy without Eve as with her. As things started opening up from the pandemic my life started getting really busy as I was being asked to travel across the country for different courses and conferences, as a result I realized that I could not do all of this travel effectively while just using a cane which really pushed me to really think about getting a guide dog. What broke the camel's back for me was almost getting hit by a car while crossing a familiar six lane intersection on my way to an appointment. From that point forward I knew that I needed to finish my application. Since this scary encounter with this six-lane intersection Eve and I have both crossed this intersection, and Eve has done amazing every single time.

Was the aspect of rideshare denials a reason why you did not apply for a guide dog until you did?

The aspect of rideshare denials was a small factor into why I waited so long to apply for a guide dog, but was not the main reason why I waited so long. As I have mentioned before, the main reason I waited so long to reapply for a guide dog had to do with my fear of denial.

Can your dog have puppies?

This was a question asked by many people at my employer. The answer to this question is no, in most service dog training programs once the dogs are determined to go into formal training they are either spayed or neutered. This is done to not only help the future client in not having to deal with monthly cycles, but in some cases helps in improving temperament.