Wednesday, June 19, 2013

As the old saying goes….

….it’s a woman’s prerogative to change her mind and this woman has just done exactly that.

As many of you know, I’m facing cataract surgery this year, as my right eye is now very badly clouded. Today DH and I drove across the Cambrian Mountains to Aberystwyth for my pre-operative assessment, which entailed a raft of tests and measurements to enable my consultant to plan my operation.

When I finally saw him for our discussion he was very frank that the detailed measurements of my eyes had shown that the operation would unfortunately not be simple and straightforward, but instead really rather tricky and the risk of complications greater than average. He is still very willing to do the surgery, as otherwise I will soon have no usable sight in that eye, but he was also frank that he wasn’t sure that it would be advisable to operate on the other eye unless absolutely necessary, since the difficulties and risks would also apply to that eye.

What this means is that if I opt for vision correction in my bad eye, I will make it necessary to have a similar operation on my other eye, in which the cataract is as yet very minor. However, if I simply have the lens replaced with a similar strength artificial one, I won’t need to have the other eye operated on until the cataract interferes with my vision, which could be many years down the line at the present rate of progress.

Interestingly, although I had been looking forward to the idea of discarding my glasses, or at least needing much weaker ones, I found it very easy indeed to come to the decision that I would simply have the clouded lens replaced and forgo any possible improvement in my vision. This way, once the operation (provisionally scheduled for September 17th) is over and my eye has healed, I can treat myself to some spiffing new varifocal glasses and get on with my life for the foreseeable future, without the prospect of a second operation hanging over me.

After all, I can’t remember a time when I wasn’t short-sighted and needed powerful glasses, so I’m not losing anything I already have, I’m simply not gaining something I might have had and I feel completely at ease with that decision.

With all the discussion and decision-making behind us, DH and I can now relax and get on with the preparations for our rapidly-approaching journey to France. The ferry is booked for next Monday and on Saturday the very small campervan will head across to my mother-in-law’s house for overnight visits to her and to DS, before taking us to Portsmouth and the beginning of what will hopefully be another quiet summer at our little cottage in Normandy. 


64 comments:

  1. From what you've written you sound as if you are entirely comfortable with your decision so I'm pleased for you :-)
    Bring on the snazzy glasses!

    Travel safe to Normandy and bring some of that nice sun you've been having with you!

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    1. Surprisingly comfortable, given that I'd gone out this morning expecting something quite different. I really need new glasses - the old ones have never been the same since I sat on them the summer before last. :-)

      I'll do my best to oblige with the sun, but I've a feeling it's about to desert us too. Sigh....

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  2. So glad to hear that the decision has been made - and I think the right one, although I'm sorry that you won't have the great improvement in your sight that was at first envisaged. But, as you say, it won't actually be any worse than you've lived with all your life, and hopefully a lot better than in recent years. Any way, prayers offered for you today have obviously been answered! Have a lovely time in La Belle France, and see you in a couple of months. Bon voyage, et nos amitiés. J & P

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    1. Yes, I'm sure it's the right one and if the op goes well I won't be shedding a single tear over what might have been, as I'll be too busy enjoying unclouded, if still short-sighted vision in that eye. :-) I'm really looking forward to being able to use the viewfinder of my camera with my right eye again!

      See you in September and in the meantime enjoy the new car.

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  3. Hari Om
    Oh my, all the wait to find this out... but it seems that you have made comfort with yourself for the moderate approach and it does sound the wiser path.

    Meanwhile, WOW!, what a pretty cottage - did you paint this yourself? May it be a safe and wonderful trip. YAM xx

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    1. The wait was longer than anticipated, Yam, but that hasn't worried me since it's not as though I have an urgent medical need, where waiting would have made a difference to the outcome. I think I'm becoming a lot more patient with age. :-) I trust my consultant and have taken his professional opinion seriously as it deserves.

      The painting was done by my artistic next-to-youngest sister who sometimes comments on here as PolkaDot. She did it as a gift on her last visit to us in France.

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  4. Making a decision makes the rest of it easier. Glad you're comfortable with what you've decided.

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    1. You've said it, Linda. It wasn't easy to give up the idea of vision correction, but I know it's right and I'm happy with that. Now just the op to go.....

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  5. Dear Perpetua - having discussed everything thoroughly you are wise to go with you instincts - travel safe to Normandy. Once again we are following hot on your heels but we are off to Brittany next Wednesday.

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    1. You're spot on, Rosemary. This instinctively feels right for me in the circumstances and I'm now going to stop thinking about it and enjoy the summer.

      Have a lovely trip to Brittany. We must stop almost meeting like this and try to make our paths intersect some day. :-)

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  6. Perpetua, it sounds like you made a good decision (about the cataract surgery). I just clicked on the blog where you bought your house in Normandy. How exciting! I'll bet owning your own little place and fixing it up each summer has been a wonderful adventure. What a great experience. Enjoy! (Will you be blogging from there?)

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    1. I think it's a good decision, Rian - certainly the right one for me.

      We've had an enormous amount of fun doing up the cottage over the past 10 years. It's still not finished, but we get a bit closer each summer. This year we're hoping to decorate the two bedrooms, but time will tell..... I will certainly be blogging from there and if you click on France in the list of topics in the sidebar, you can see the posts I've written from there in the past.

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  7. Peace of mind is the most important thing so I'm glad you've made your decision. Have a safe trip to France.
    I've thought about having the op to improve my eyesight but as I don't have cataracts, I can't justify to myself taking the risk (however small) of an unnecessary operation.

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    1. That's exactly how I've always felt in the past about vision correction surgery, but having to have cataract surgery did seem to offer a golden opportunity to be given it as a bonus. As even cataract surgery has its extra risks when you're as short-sighted as I am, the odds just didn't add up in the end and I'm fine with that.

      France here we come....

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  8. Reading this blog leaves me thinking that you have made a decision that you are entirely happy with. Well done and travel safely.

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    1. Rosie, you are absolutely right. I'm completely happy about it and have no regrets at having said no to the vision correction. It will be enough to have clear vision in my right eye again, even with glasses.

      Now looking forward to the journey which we always enjoy.

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  9. Perpetua, I'm pleased you have made your decision too - and I'm sure it's the right one. Have a lovely holiday.

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    1. Thanks, Molly. It's not the decision I thought I was making, but it's the right one for me. It will be a working trip to France as always - we have bedrooms to paint this summer. :-)

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  10. I think I'd have come to the same conclusion. You must be relieved to have the decision made. A summer in a cottage in Normandy sounds like a wonderful idea - enjoy!

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    1. I thought I HAD made the decision before I saw the consultant, but found it very easy to unmake that one and am completely happy about it all now. Now to finish the packing.....

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  11. It sounds as though you have found the right decision for you, and that is all that matters. Well done you.
    I hope you will have a lovely summer in your beautiful Normandy home.
    Travel safely.

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    1. I think it's actually the only sensible one for me, Ray, and as they say, you don't miss what you've never had. :-) Glasses it is!

      I doubt the weather will be any better across the Channel from what I've been reading, but we'll still enjoy meeting up with our friends again.

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  12. I'm sure I'd have made the same choice. Now off you go and enjoy your French summer x

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    1. Given the risk factors, I'm sure you would, Annie. As DD said, it was a bit of a no-brainer in the end! Our French summer may well be cool and damp, but I know we'll enjoy it.

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  13. You have made a good decision Perpetua, and it is good your surgeon was so honest about the risk factors. I have worn glasses most of my life too, and am quite comfortable with my multi-focal lenses. I have discounted the corrective surgery on the basis of risk factors - eyesight is one of our most precious gifts.
    Your house in Normandy looks perfectly gorgeous, and I can't wait to see your posts from over there. You certainly are perpetually on the move!

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    1. I knew you would understand from your own experience, Patricia. In an ideal world, corrective surgery would have been wonderful, but we have to work with what we're given and it's just not right for me. The risks really are too great at my age and with my degree of short sight.

      We're not usually on the move quite so frequently, but our visit to Scotland was postponed from April, so it's all a bit of a rush. We'll get there..... :--)

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  14. I think your decision to forego vision enhancement is a sensible one. If it ain’t all that broke, don’t fix it.
    I am struggling too, but they won’t even do the cataract op because, if it goes wrong, I have no good eye at all. So I’m waiting until i can’t wait any longer. Sight is such an essential part of us, the loss of it is dreadful to contemplate.

    Bon voyage and have a great time in France. I hope to see you in C later in the year. seems that we missed out spring meeting after all.

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    1. Vision correction is a lovely idea, but just not for me. At least i'm lucky enough to be able to have the cataract removed, even with risks, and I do feel for you in your situation. If anything does go wrong, at least I still have my good left eye and it must be so hard for you to have your sight worsening and not be able to do anything about it until you absolutely have to.

      I'm sorry the planned meet-up didn't materialise, but it was a funny old spring. Autumn would be wonderful as I love the colours of an autumn garden.

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  15. Given what your surgeon told you it sounds the right thing to do. Much reduced risk and eyesight back to what you have been used to coping with normally.
    And I'm glad (in a way) that I'm not the only person to sit on her glasses.

    Enjoy your trip to France...and I hope the weather there clears up after the hail and thunderstorms of the last few days.

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    1. The risks are the same for each eye whenever the op is done, but this way I can hopefully postpone one set of risks indefinitely. :-) It will; be so good just to have two eyes working together instead of the left one having to do almost all the work. As for the glasses, it was a bit of a nightmare until DH managed to bend them back into shape. At over £400 a pair for the lenses alone, I don't run to a spare pair!

      The weather in Normandy will be what it will be. After only one really good summer in the last six, my expectations aren't very high, but we still have fun.

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  16. I think you made the right choice. You are actually lucky to have a consultant prepared to offer that option.
    Good luck for your trip to France .... You will be arriving just as I am leaving and I sincerely hope you have better weather !!

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    1. Thanks, Jean. I asked the consultant whether other of his patients had opted to do without vision correction and he said yes. Not many, but I'm certainly not the only one.

      Having just looked at the local forecast on France Meteo it looks likely being mainly cool and changeable iin our first few days, so nothing new there. Our bit of Normandy has a very similar climate to southern England though usually a degree or two warmer. Sorry you had poor weather again.

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  17. I think we should always go with our instincts. The best decision for you I think. Enjoy France...safe journey xx

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    1. It was a mixture of instinct and very hard thinking, Ayak, but I'm happy with the result. One op has to be better than two!

      It's an easy journey from here to the cottage and we always enjoy it, thanks.

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  18. Thanks for the update after your appointment with your consultant, Perpetua. Having made the right decision for you I hope you have a lovely break in France(spending time on the house).

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    1. It's not the news I'd been expecting to report, Linda, but I know it's the right decision for me. Now to have fun trying to get the cottage finished (some hope!) before coming back to deal with the op.

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  19. I'm sorry you won't be able to have the corrective surgery, but the most important thing is to get rid of the cataract. And at least you don't have this hanging over you while you are in France. You cottage looks absolutely charming -- what a lovely present to receive from your sister. I so wish we were off next week -- another month for us, but at least we will not miss out entirely! Bon Voyage and God bless...

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    1. I was briefly disappointed, Broad, but only briefly, as I wasn't strongly wedded to the idea of vision correction. The risks for me are such that any other decision would have not been sensible. Now I know what's happening I plan to forget all about it until we get back at the end of August.

      I'm sorry your departure has had to be postponed, but it's for a very good reason and at least you will get there in the end and with crystal-clear eyesight!

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  20. That sounds like sound reasoning: The decision-making is done and dusted, and you can get on with life as planned. Good on you. As for the glasses, I think you should go for some Dame Edna Everage specs. Guaranteed success!

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    1. In the end it was the only logical conclusion for me, MM. it will be great to get rid of the cloudiness and use both eyes again. As for glasses à la Dame Edna, back in the 60s I had some very similar in shape, though without the diamanté. I don't feel retro enough to wear those again. :-)

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  21. I think you're brave even considering eye surgery. I faint at the very thought. Good news that you have made a decision - that's always the hardest part. I hope your journey to France is uneventful.

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    1. To quote another old and hackneyed saying, needs must when the devil drives. I too deeply dislike the idea of anyone doing anything to my eyes, which is why I put off getting myself referred for cataract surgery for as long as I could. However I'm now on the borderline of not being able to drive, so something HAS to be done. But first there is France, which is a much more cheerful thought. :-)

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  22. Glad you've made the decision and hope everything okay for you. I've had five eye operations over the last two years - always a daunting thought but eyes are so precious so anything to help is a bonus. Love that cottage, have a wonderful time. Incidentally, we've just bought ourselves a little VW campervan - posting soon.
    Patricia x

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    1. Thanks Patricia, I knew you had had eye surgery, but not that there were so many operations over a relatively short period. It makes me think myself fortunate to be facing just one at present. As you say, sight is so precious that we want to do everything we can to preserve it.

      Ooo, a VW campervan! How exciting.:-) Our first camper was a classic old VW, which we bought in 1989 and which was already over 15 years old then. We sold it long ago and have been told the present owner is an enthusiast who is keeping it running at nearly 40! Have fun. :-)

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  23. It sounds a sensible idea to change your mind given your consultation with the surgeon. And speaking as someone who has worn glasses since a child - while the idea of improved sight sounds all well and good - it's better to hang on to what we've got with a bit of improvement than run the risk of things getting worse. Enjoy FRance! Let us know if you find the sun.......

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    1. My feeling exactly, Sian. The thought of unnecessarily endangering the sight in my left eye just didn't make sense once we'd had our discussion with all the facts available.

      I'm starting to think we ought to put out an all-points bulletin for the sun, which has gone completely AWOL here too. This evening it's so misty and murky it looks more like November than June. Sigh....

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  24. I am so glad you've had time to think about your decision and that you had a doctor kind and professional enough to give you the truth of his concerns! I think it's safe to say that I would feel very similarly, Perpetua. You'll know when it's time to do more, and can cross that bridge at the time. Now go to France and have a wonderful time. And this American is really just a wee bit jealous--Normandy! I look forward to photos! :-)

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    1. It was a very worthwhile discussion, Debra. I like people who tell me the facts and help me to take a decision based on them and this is what my consultant did. He's not a man to mince his words and this was exactly what I needed and why I'm happy with what I've decided.

      We will do our very best to follow your order and have a wonderful time, though I'm not sure the weather is planning to co-operate. Thankfully Normandy looks lovely in all weathers, even pouring rain. :-)

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  25. I would have made exactly the same decision, given all the facts, Perpetua. I wear contact lenses but know that one day, I'll have to return to glasses as I get older. My sight isn't very good but if the consultant said I could have a relatively simple operation to correct the problem, I would go for it. Anything more complicated...well, probably not.
    As long as you are happy with your decision all things considered, then you've made the right one.
    It's a very lovely sketch of your house in Normandy - who is the clever artist?
    Axxx

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    1. As DD put it ion her email reply to the news, avoiding taking any unnecessary risks with your sight is a bit of a no-brainer, Annie. :-) I wore contact lenses very successfully for nearly 30 years, but had to revert to glasses 7 years ago when my eyes became very dry as a result of the anti-hormone treatment after my second breast cancer and am very happy with my varifocals.

      Lots of people do have the corrective lens surgery very successfully, so don't let my situation put you off if it's offered to you in the future.

      As for the sketch, it was done by my artistically-gifted next-to-youngest sister on her visit two summers ago. She also did one of the woodshed where our kittens lived and you can see it in this post:
      http://perpetually-in-transit.blogspot.co.uk/2011/08/gosh-august-already.html

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  26. Isn't it interesting how we go along in these things, thinking one thing will happen and suddenly find ourselves with another determination? You made the right "determination" Perpetua, and will be all-the-better for it. Once that clouding is gone, you will notice a difference, with a new pair of glasses.

    Safe travel. That is such a lovely picture. Of your cottage?

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    1. You're absolutely right, Penny. We plan for one situation and then find that a very different one is actually the right thing for us. Here's to an unclouded eye and brand-new glasses. :-)

      Yes, the picture is of our cottage and was painted for us by my next-to-youngest sister who, unlike me, can paint and draw beautifully.

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  27. Decisions are hard to make, and when they involve your sight I’d think that’s even harder, so I am pleased you feel good about your decision. “A small cottage in Normandie “ as you say – that sounds so good. My parents had a house in Normandie for the summer, an apartment in Paris and the house they lived in. I should have bought the apartment in Paris when my father died – I just did not think about it. Now when I go back to France I am like a tourist, having to book a room – it feels strange. Have a great time and I hope the weather will be good for you.

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    1. Thanks, Vagabonde. I do think this is the right decision for me and I am now looking forward to getting the surgery done after the summer.

      It's a pity you didn't buy your parents' apartment in Paris. It would not only have given you a base when uyou visit France, but would probably have been a good investment. Such a shame that we see these things better with hindsight than we do at the time. We'll be taking the ferry tomorrow afternoon, but I gather we will find it rather cookl and cloudy when we arrive. Fingers crossed for some improvement....

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  28. It's good to know that you have peace of mind following The Decision. Enjoy your lovely French home.

    Spindrift51

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    1. Thanks, spin drift. Yes, it's the right decision and I'm looking forward to the op being over and done with soon after we get back. The house is still standing and I've even managed to mow a path through the hayfield to the front door. :-)

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  29. What a relief to have made that decision! I would have done the same. Quite happy to be a girl who wears glasses (and it never seemed to stop the chaps making passes!) ;)

    Bon voyage en Normandie!

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    1. That made me laugh, DB, and no, they never seemed to be put off. :-) It was odd to come out from the appointment having decided to do the exact opposite of what I was expecting, but I have no doubt it's the right thing to do.

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  30. I'm sorry you're not going to get superduper bionic vision, Perpetua, but I think that in your shoes I would also have opted for what seems to be a wholly acceptable "Plan B". Bon voyage on your journey south, which, as I type this, should be well underway. I'm glad I've finally managed to shoehorn a visit to your blog into my day..I've missed it!

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    1. Nice to see you, CB, especially in the midst of your hectic life. I will admit to a twinge of disappointment at saying farewell to the possibility of no specs or very weak ones, but it didn't last. I'm lucky that though very short-sighted, my eyes are healthy and, when corrected, my vision is 20/20 so it would be madness to endanger that unnecessarily.

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  31. Cannot but echo the sentiments of your numerous previous commenters that, given what you now know, you've made the right decision Perpetua.

    Seeing that you've replied to some recent comments earlier today,I presume that you & DH have safely arrived in Normandy. I'm waiting for the first French post :-)

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    1. Thanks, Ricky. When it came down to it, there really wan't any other choice to make and I'm glad that my cataract will soon be gone.

      Yes we arrived just after midnight and found everything in order and the internet reconnected. :-) I've even published a quick post, so things are definitely back to normal.

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  32. Dear Perpetua, everything with regard to that decision just fell into place, didn't it? Of course, what is essential is that you be given information you can process--and you were--and that you have an open mind to change and to sort possibilities--and you do. Your contentment threads this posting. Peace.

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    1. Dee, I'm so sorry to have missed this comment at the time and am pleased to have found it now. You're absolutely right that the extra information and the discussion to help me process it were just what I needed to make the final decision and yes, I'm quite content with what I've decided.

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