Exhausted after eye exam??
jenn
17 years ago
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agnespuffin
17 years agocatherinet
17 years agoRelated Discussions
I Was Blinded By Brug In The Eye (kinda long)
Comments (24)Thanks everyone. I was getting upset when I still couldn't stand light a couple days later & was afraid I fried my retinas. DH has welded a couple times without his helment & he was far more miserable than I was. I looked it up on the computer after I could see again & was reassured because apparently this happens to a good many people. I don't remember seeing anything about it actually happening before this though. I was always very careful about not getting it near my mouth & would come inside to wash my face every time I got it on me. It didn't bother my skin. Karma, I am shamed,I normally sterilize my cutters in between plants but I was in a big hurry & these were the seedling beds where they were all stuffed in together. Live & learn. We've had frosts & two freezes so far & it's calling for snow showers tonight & tomorrow. Chaz, Welcome. My best friend lives on Mendum street in Haverhill. Are you anywhere near her? She's not into plants but it would be great if she could come & smell yours next year. All I can do is send her pictures. LOL Linda...See MoreSaints, Dry Eyes and other stuff.
Comments (23)Hi Karen, this is going to be a bit long but please bear with me 'cause early Sjogren's is sneaky & I'd like to give you a reasonably comprehensive overlook. I'll start with Dry Eyes & Dry Mouth 'cause they are hallmarks of Sjogren's. Dry Mouth - Even as a teenager, I remember always having a drink with me although I don't exactly remember why. Never went to the store, never went on a date, etc. without that drink. It was a part of me. It wasn't as if I felt urgent need to hydrate myself. Just always this desire for frequent small sips. That continued for the next 30 years but didn't get any worse. About 6 years ago, it became uncomfortable enough I started mentioning it first to DH. "Gosh, my mouth feels like cotton balls!" Soon, it was bothering me enough I mentioned it to my primary care doctor. I was taking Flexeril at the time for a spinal injury & my PC doctor just shrugged the dry mouth off as a side affect. Now, it's so dry it bleeds. Mouth sores - yes. Dry lips - yes. Blisters - yes. The dry mouth has progressed to now being nearly impossible to deal with but that has taken decades to reach this point. Dry Eyes - My eyes have sorta "itched" for several decades. I never thought much about it. I've had eye infections over the years also but they were far enough apart I didn't think to mention it to a doctor when a new one turned up. Dry eyes have not been my primary focus with Sjogren's but they are now dry enough my opthomologist pretty much insisted I have the Eye Plugs inserted. They've helped, a lot. I still need drops. Eye lid infections - yes. Sores in the corners of my eyes - yes. Swallowing, Talking, Choking - My Sjogren's has progressed to where I can hardly talk anymore. I also have trouble chewing & swallowing. Many foods are impossible for me to eat. My diet has changed dramatically in the past 3 years. I also choke - especially on pills but also just trying to eat a meal. At night, my throat swells & sticks together blocking off my air. I wake up in a panic reaching for water. Dry Skin - Again, for as long as I can remember I've had dry skin. I'd go through gallons of lotion. Now, I use prescription stuff that really helps. Fatigue - Gosh, just thought I was "weird" & a bit unlike my friends. I never had a curfew as a kid. Mom knew I couldn't stay up late enough to need a curfew. She was right. Sometimes, I would fall asleep practicing with my chin on my accordion. Again though - nothing that seemed like a trip to the doctor was necessary. I will say though that the fatigue was complete. Sometimes, it felt like lifting my arms to brush my hair was impossible. Muscle/Joint Pain - Today "this" hurts, yesterday "that" hurt. Everyday, somewhere else hurt. The pain would last for a day or weeks & then disappear just as mysteriously as it had arrived. I thought it must be "normal" & I was just a wimp. I was diagnosed with fibromyalgia at some point & from then forward whenever something hurt doctors would just shake their head & use that diagnosis as explanation for my pain. Many times the pain was unbearable. I once overdosed on aspirin trying to get relief. That episode resulted in more blood work. Negative for everything. The pain though continued. In my mid-40s, I had an extensive & unusual spinal surgery to correct a rare injury. The surgery almost did me in. After that surgery, doctors blamed the surgery every time I burped. I should note that I've had 13 major surgeries for "unusual" stuff. Fevers - I have a history of spontaneously running a fever. Fine one minute. Poof, next minute...I've got a fever of 101+ degrees. An hour later, I'm fine. Nightsweats - I've had then for decades. Always associated them with some cancers (I'm also a multiple cancer survivor) so I was afraid to mention them to my doctors. But, my fear didn't make them go away. Still have them. Still haven't told my doctors. Heart Palpitations - Ended up in ER. Diagnosed with "Anxiety Attacks". Nope. Sjogren's. Sensitive to Temperature Changes - I'm either cold or hot. There's only about a 5-8 degree range I'm really comfortable. It's not just chilly or a bit warm either. I'm either shaking from cold or in ER from heat stroke. So, we keep our house even temperature year around. Sometimes, cost isn't everything. Dental - Gosh, where to begin? Let's just say I fought a good fight but just a couple years ago I said, "ENOUGH! I can't tolerate this anymore. Pull them out, every single one - NOW! I'm not leaving this office until they are gone." Even implants would not stay in my jaws. I've pulled two that were erupting from my jaw by hand in the middle of the night to stop the pain. Now, I've got dentures (should have done that years ago!) but my mouth is so dry my tongue sticks like glue to the dentures & bleeds when I try to move it. Ugh. Neuro Pain - This is now a serious problem. I have no feeling at all in my legs/feet. Seriously, I can't feel the floor or anything else. Sharp pins/needles type pain virtually constantly. Stress - I had a garden accident July '09 & re-injured my spine around the surgical area (right between the shoulder blades). My back surgery had been so "unusual" a hotdog surgeon was brought in from Arizona. He published a "White Paper" on me that lives for eternity in medical journals along with the video they took of the the entire surgery. Anyway, the re-injury hurt so bad I had a stroke. Yep, I met the definition of "stressed" there for awhile. As I started to settle down from this little incident I noticed that my mouth was drier, my eyes were drier, my muscles/joint pain was worse, the fevers were more frequent, etc., etc., etc. I could go on with other symptoms but I think that's enough for you to get an idea of Sjogren's. Eventually, I found a doctor that treated me as a whole patient & didn't just look at the reason I'd written down for that particular appointment. It led to my diagnosis for both Lupus & Sjogren's. A word about the bloodwork is in order here, I think. I'd had these tests multiple times before - always negative. Many doctors said, "Tricia, I "think" you've got Lupus but your tests don't bear confirmation of that diagnosis." One even prescribed Placquenil & my fevers virtually disappeared. Unfortunately, that doctor left the practice & his replacement didn't believe my tests justified the risks of Placquenil. The fevers returned within a few short months. Anyway, my current primary care doctor redid the bloodwork yet again. This time, I was positive for both Lupus & Sjogren's. It tooks decades for those tests to turn positive. My last SS-A test results were 2.78. Positive. My SS-B test results were 3.25. Positive. Also, Sjogren's patients often show Vitamin D deficiency. I'm almost always testing deficient & take 50,000 mgs once/week for 4-8 weeks then off for a bit until we test again then back on for another 4-8 weeks. You will also, most likely, have an abnormally high SED rate. It will vary if you're having a Sjogren's "flare". BTW, that's the best time to make the doctor's appointment - when you feel awful, like you can't drag yourself anywhere. I'd recommend finding a doctor that will treat ALL of your symptoms. Treat you as a whole person with this variety of things happening that may seem unrelated, to you. Tell your doctor every little thing. Sjogren's is SYSTEMIC. It affects your whole body. Yes, there are specific markers like the dry eyes/mouth thing but many Sjogren's symptoms mimic other diseases. Diagnosis is often overlooked both due to doctor indifference & lack of persistence in patients. There is no defined Sjogren's protocol for treatment. It's a "treat it as it appears" approach for most doctors. (bummer) But, a protocol is being developed now & the goal is that it will be available to doctors in 5 years (I know, sounds like an eternity but, like breast cancer, you have to start somewhere). I've recently been excepted at John Hopkins. They have a specific Sjogren's department & a doctor heading that clinic who has chosen Sjogren's as his life work. My first appointment is October 18. I've received volumes of "stuff" from John Hopkins regarding my appointment that will be two full days. I'm got appointments for about a dozen specialized tests. I've got advanced Sjogren's & frankly feel just about defeated. After 50+ years, it's taken a toll. But, I accomplished a lot with my life - Sjogren's be damned. I don't know if my disease process will help you identify what you're experiencing, or not. But, don't ignore your symptoms. If they sound like they could be Sjogren's - be persistent. Just know that it will be a journey to diagnosis. Not a short sprint. Since getting me as a patient my PC doctor has been able to make a diagnosis on another women for Sjogren's. She's thanked me saying she would have overlooked the clues had it not been for having me as a patient. We're learned together about Sjogren's. So, doctors are becoming more aware & Venus Williams' diagnosis, hopefully, will also draw more attention to this autoimmune disease. mboston, don't give up. If your gut feeling is correct (and, IMO, our bodies usually tell us the truth) then you'll need to stay in your doctor's face until you get a blood test that pops positive. That can be illusive. If you're having a flare...make an appointment. Tell the receptionist that next week is not OK...you need an appointment tomorrow! /tricia...See Morefloaters and lights in your eyes
Comments (16)I have ocular albinism and am 41. I noticed several months ago a single floater in one eye and recently wnet to an optomitrist. He nearly scared me into a nervous break down.:( He suggested AMD or rather hinted yet now says he didn't see anything major just normal aging. He didn't see a detachment or tear even with the retina images they took but asked a few times if I saw flashes. Well I don't see camera flashes but I do see little silver/white worm streaks occassionally that circle under and around my eye then disapear in seconds. He did see slight shrinkage of the jelly at the back of the eye, a few specks on the eye and a small fovea but I reminded him I have ocular albinism and my poor vision comes from the missing layers of the fovea. I'm wondering if I'm starting menapause and this may be the reason for little silver worm streaks that occassionaly happen. My sight hasn't changed as far as I can tell and all of this started 7 months ago. He just brushes me of though. He's young and just out of optometry school which doesn't make me feel any better.(UGH)...See MoreWho do you go to for eye care?
Comments (23)I see an ophthalmologist. Over time I developed a cataract in my right eye. Surgery was recommended and I agreed to have it done. Every one that I know who has had cataract surgery has been pleased with the results, and loved to tell about how happy they are with the results. So I went in expecting good results. Unfortunately, that didn't happen. As the surgery concluded, the doctor told me there was something she had to tell me. I don't remember the exact words, but she was saying that she had not been able to retrieve some bits of the lens that had fallen back into the area of the eye. She cried as she told me that; we both cried. Her reputation and expertise is excellent. I was taken immediately to Charlottesville to a different doctor who specializes in such cases. I was put to sleep while he worked on my eye. Incidentally, I quite breathing at some point and had to be brought out of the anesthesia. He, and his assistant finished up and I was taken home. That was 6 years ago. I have limited vision in that eye and there is nothing that can be done about it. I'm getting a cataract in the left eye now and I admit to being hesitant about a possible surgery. I still see that same ophthalmologist, every 4 months. I accept the fact that "stuff happens" and this time it just happened to me, and, to her. I have never mentioned this here at the KT when someone posts that they are going to have cataract surgery, and the responses are always positive as to what to expect. I would not be the one to throw in a wet towel. We never know what is around the bend, but we do need to understand that, as I said..."stuff can, and does happen." Life is a bowl of cherries. Some times we end up with the pits. The thing is to just keep on enjoying the cherries. Sue...See Morewoodnymph2_gw
17 years agocatherinet
17 years agojenn
17 years agocheerful1_gw
16 years agosocks
16 years agoacey
16 years agocheerful1_gw
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16 years agogrittymitts
16 years agoBri Walling
7 years agocmuschany
6 years agoSamantha Edberg
5 years ago
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