Words cannot adequately describe how utterly fed up I am with my situation!
I am sick and tired of the merry-go-round of eye exams, getting the glasses, and still having an uncorrected left eye! These local doctors are very good at diagnosing and treating plain vanilla cases, but I'm becoming more convinced all along that mine is not standard vanilla!

The second opinion opthal is good. He gave me a Rx for a tube of erythromycin ointment to goop my eyes up with at night. He claims I will see a marked difference in my vision using this stuff. I agree that if dry eye is helped, it could help vision, but the uncorrectable left eye has been worsening more than my dry eye problems.

If this isn't from a small cataract, then it is not from "nothing". It is being caused by something. I was hoping I would get an eye exam, and try one more time, to see if another pair of glasses would help. I got an exam alright, but he would not write another script out. He said the exam showed I was the same as last time. I don't think so! My eyes, the last time, were in an extreme in being too strong. They were not that way yesterday.

Something is not right when you look through a bifocal with an eye, and at any given distance from the eye, running the reading material in and out, you don't get a good focus at any distance in that eye! I can with my right eye, but not the left. Dry eye is not doing that! I just don't think it is.

My eye feels better this a.m., but the focus is not to be had. I used the first dose of the ointment, like not to have ever gotten it washed out this a.m., but the left eye is like always. Even if the dry eye is helped, there remains the problem of the uncorrectable left eye.

He said a brain or head problem cannot affect vision! Hello?! Something is wrong with this picture! I beg to differ! Well, again, his training is restricted to eyes and vision, not the brain! I HOPE nothing is wrong with my brain, but something is not right, be it the cataract doing this or whatever. An incorrectable gauzed-up eye is not normal.

Well, I've ranted long enough, but it is getting more difficult to want to get out of bed with each passing day. This is all getting to be too lousy much.

He said a brain or head problem cannot affect vision! :nono:

Tell that to a neuro-ophthalmologist. I guess they'd all be out of jobs then. :rolleyes:

And I'd like to know how Erythromycin ointment is going to clear up your vision problem. I agree that it will definitely help the dry eye, but so will using plain old artificial tears ointment! Why does he have you on Erythromycin ointment? That's an anti-biotic. Do you have an infection? I can't even venture to guess what is causing your problems, but you really need to get a brain scan. That way maybe you will know, once and for all.

You know, the next time I see my eye doctor I am going to ask him what he thinks would cause someone to have trouble focusing, and to have daily visual changes. (that's pretty much the gyst of it, right? Tell me what else to ask.) He's a pretty smart guy. HE deserves his medical degree! I don't know about some of these other guys!

Oh, by the way..... the Erythromycin ointment is only going to make your eyes EVEN MORE GOOPY!

Here again, is the deal (what to tell your Superdoctor) Copy & Paste to print from here down:

Glasses can be made to fit the rt. eye, but the left is another grim little tale.

When they get a focus on the left eye with the machine, I still have some images around stuff, in it. It seems the weaker the Rx is to accommodate the eye, the more of the smearing effect I see. Looking through bifocals, the left eye is never sharp at any given distance. Yet, I can sometimes be using my magnifying glasses over my Rx's to make computer glasses, and images can appear sharp in the left eye if I have blinked right.
It seems like sometimes, gauze is over the eye, sometimes, not as much. Without glasses, I will see two images, stacked one over the other, sometimes close together, sometimes further apart. The last day I had a good focus in the eye uncorrected, was a few days ago. The last corrected sharp focus, maybe nearly two months ago!

Two opthals have said this is not being caused by the small cataract. If not, what is it? That's the mystery. Some days, the eyes are both too strong, to where even the rt. (better) eye is "off". Most days, it is only the left eye, that is the problem. One Dr. told me the blepharitis is not causing these distorttions, my main Dr. said it can cause astigmatism changes. Conflicting opinions also running me nuts! No solid answers here, no significant help.(end of copy, paste, print)

I would appreciate your bouncing all this off your Dr., Purple. The other posts beneath this one were so depressing and upsetting, I blanked them. Can't imagine why I'd be depressed, can you?:(

There is one thing I've forgotten to mention during all of my complaining is that in Sept. of '99, I had endoscopic sinus surgery, some rhinoplasty, and that did stop a chronic sinus infection and big problems. I have had no eye problems until the last two years or so, so I really can't blame anything going wrong from that surgery to be causing all this, yet I sometimes wonder. The left sinus was always the worst. The problems visually, are with the left eye.
I don't know--just thinking on the board.

Where in "heck" do you find a "neuroopthalmologist"? I went on Anywho.com and clicked for all of Texas and nothing showed up for one single neuro! May be, you have the only one in the United States!!

So, did the doctor actually say you didn't have any cataract formation?

Since I will never remember everything you posted, I am going to email my doctor that last post. When (and if!) he checks his email, maybe he'll be able to give some feedback.

I think you need to go to a major university hospital to find a neuro-ophthalmologist. I know for a fact that there is one here in NY, because my doctor told me his name and said he'd send me to him if my previous optic neuritis ever comes back. You'll probably have to go to a large city to find one. If I were you, I would do a search for Texas hospitals and then click on the department of ophthalmology and see what they list. If you have any eye hospitals, they've got to have a neuro-ophthalmologist.

Hello, Gooperwoman. Storms all day, and I'm just now able to get on da' line!:eek:

Well, today, it's been profuse goop again (skipped the ointment last night). There's "juice" in the eye at times, kind of 'bubbles'! I don't know what that is!
I started out with the weak glasses-did better, but by the time I hit this screen, the eyes were too weak through the bifocals, mainly the left. It's too strong with this pair in the left, and too weak and fuzzy with the other pair. I'm stuck betwixt two pairs!
I just "thought" I was going to get to enjoy TV tonight! I've not enjoyed that in months!:mad: I think I need an eye transplant IF there were such a thing! I still get to wondering if the bleph is some of the problem, or if it is that plus a neuro problem. This is so confusing to me and frustrating. Even when the eye feels clean, and I've yawned, and some tears wash it, it still isn't right by the glasses. But like today, I started out strong, but now I'm into the other glasses by now. Neither pair are right for me. Maybe I can find a neuro on one of those sites, Purple.
Well, enough complaints again from me.

I just did a search for you and found the Cullen Eye Hospital in Houston, TX. Don't know how far that is from you, but you could call them. My eyes are also very goopy today. I am so fed up with doing hot compresses. Like I have time to do that?

The bubbles in your eye are probably just your tears. That happens to me too. I wouldn't worry too much about that. You need to find a neuro-ophthalmologist. I even searched NY, but found only 4! In NYC, that is not very many! It just shoes that they are a very hot commodity! Do you have the means to travel? You go to UCLA or UCSF in California. I feel so bad, because there is nothing I can do for you. I feel like I want to come get you and take you to the Wilmer Eye Institute. They DEFINITELY have neuro-ophthalmologists there! (they are ranked the number one eye hospital in the country.) Even if you start with just going to a neurologist, they can lead you in the right direction, I am sure.

Hello, Purple- Bless your heart, I do appreciate all you are trying to do for this old goat.:) That's mighty nice of you to feel bad for me, but you really do lots for me! Just listening to my endless complaints helps so much! My patient Barb has to listen to me whine, so it makes it so nice to be able to let off steam to someone else, kinda give her a break.:D

I'll Googlize the Houston facility. We do have wheels, Elyse, but I'm not familiar with the bigger cities like Houston, Dallas, etc. I'd get us eradicated, sure as shootin'lol!
I'm doing good to survive this crazy Abilene, and their dangerous drivers!

I would feel hacked if this bad focus is just the bleph. or dry eye. But, I can't say for sure. Before bleph. or dry eye got so bad, there were the big changes starting with that first one on July 4 two years ago. That's where I again, start ruling out it being solely dry eye or bleph. I see my g.p. Tue. I'll bounce this off him, but then he's just an internal meds daktari.;) Is Wilmer in UCLA? I don't "think" phone numbers are allowed here. Mods? Is this true? If not, I'll not pass it to Purple--thanks.

Well, old "Magoo" will cease and desist again. Again, thanks so much for being here to listen to a frustrated ol' crow. I look forward to getting out for me and Barb to go somewhere out of the house, but when I start battling my left eye vision, that feeling falls apart fast. I sure can empathize about the goop and the hot rags! I ain't doing those enough, and I know that's bad, but I'm just tired of the routine. That eye sure feels gritty! I have *lived* in the bathroom today facing that mirror! Both got goopy days at the same time!:D

Thanks so much--I do appreciate you being here and your help to me!
Talkin' later, gator~

Well, I'm back already--I have been forgetting to mention that I'm on Medicaid and I don't know if one of these high-falootin' places would take it or not. I'm afraid they wouldn't because I checked out a hearing problem place in Dallas once, and they didn't. (I got tinnitus and hyperacusis in my hearing!:eek:)

I've also found that Medical City Hospital in Dallas lists Neuro-ophthalmology among their many, many specialties. You also might want to call Baylor University Medical Center. I think the best way for you to find a neuro-ophthalmologist is to just call some of these hospitals and ask for the department of ophthalmology. Now that I know you live in Abilene, I'll try to find one there.

Thanks so much, Elyse! I'm jotting all of this down. All I could find in our local book were the plain vanilla opthals. You might find something I didn't--never can tell.

Talkin' soon~

Hi, Me again. I also looked up for places in Texas and found the Cullen Eye INstitue in Houston. It was one of the top 20 ranked eye hospitals in the US in 2004 in a top new magazine. But I didn't know where it was either. I know how you feel about the driving, though. Im lucky enough to either take taxis or public trans. to my drs in Boston. And you've probably heard about our traffic!!! Yikes! As far as Medicaid goes, it never hurts to make a call.
Guess Purple & I just want to try and help.
Best Wishes, Hellas.

Howdy, Hellas! You two guys are sooo great! I do appreciate all this wonderful help too. I was just reading on a Dr. Richard L. Lindstrom's site about blepharitis. Even he says it can blur vision! I would feel embarrased if this is what is causing this, but as I've said, I first had a fast change in the left eye back 2 years ago, before bleph. It was, however, easier to fit with glasses before this blep. struck. I tend to want to blame this on the small cataract even though these two docs I've seen don't think it's affecting me. I wonder if I could be one of the few smaller cataracts affect, when others, it may not? Good question!;)

But, thanks again, Hellas. Ya'll are buddies to the end!:D

I just found an e-mail add. for Medical City, and asked them if they accepted Medicaid! Cool! Wasn't out a dime on the Ma Bell Mo-chine!:D

You should never be embarrased by wanting good health. We are just laymen afterall, and what the heck do we know??? If we don't push drs on our health, they aren't gonna break their backs trying to figure it out. They don't have the time and they have so many patients, they do what they can, I guess.
All I know about cataracts, is that mine showed up like lightning!!! It was that fast. I was at work, and all of a sudden a had blurred vision. And after all those retinas surgieries, my heart sank about a mile. They agreed to take it out, but it was a struggle to see till it was done. But as I recall I pushed to have it done, cause to me the blurriness was really getting in my way.
It's YOUR vision. You need answers. And since it is in your eye (the cataract) and NOT in theirs, how do THEY know whether it affects YOUR vision or not? They can't see through your eyes, or mine, or anyone elses. Maybe if they could, they'd be looking into finding answers (and solutions) faster!
You have a good night, and again, I wish you well.
H.

Man-howdy, and Great day in th' monin'!:D You sure did make some great points there, Hellas! That says it all! Yepper, if they were looking through the mess I am in that eye, and were unfittable with glasses, oh boy, they'd head out for the Mayo Clinic!
Well, you have a great night too, Hellas, thanks for them wishes, and we'll yak at ya' later, gator.;)

T:cool:ny

My left eye is so bad this a.m., I am scared to death! If I'm not back on today, it will be because I can't see well enough to type.

I don't think the blepharitis is causing all of your fluctuating vision problems! I don' think it would make you have trouble focusing, I hope you are able to go to that hospital that I found.

Hello, Elyse. Well, your post makes two that have said about the same thing-that my eye is from something other than just an eyelid. I hollered at Barb to come see your post and told her "See? There's yet another person that agrees with me that there's more to this mess than these local hick doctors are seeing!" So true! I'm half a mind to print out your note and the other one, to show my gp today, but more especially, the eye doctor. I wish I could get to that hospital too, Elyse. The other person said teaching hospitals are usually cheaper. For me, they're going to have to take Medicaid or I can't do it.

Monday was the most horrible day yet! I couldn't see very well to watch the Everybody Loves Raymond finale, and about an hour later I fell on Barb's shoulder and just started bawling my silly head off. Sure is depressing, Elyse--The biggest valley I've been through in my life.

Thanks for your caring and interest in my situation. Going to have to get help soon.

Sunshine your way...

Tony

Hi Tony,
i know how you feel, going through something similair myself, I get very depressed and very angry with my eyes. Some days I have days where nothing is going into my head at all, my eyelid is always swollen, painful and the vision in the right eye is basically non exsistant. The pupil does not dilate, there is a swollen feeling under my eye, my nose feels tight too, so wondering if its sinus, but the Dr;s say sinus dosens't cause these problems so "shut up go away and spend the rest of my life with the offending eye shut" not the advice you need at 40 is it.
I wish you luck my friend and fully understand how low you are feeling.

Hello, jdn. Bless your heart, you REALLY have something amiss there! Have you been to more than just the one "quack"? Sorry, but a dr. who tells you to get lost is not a good doctor, IMO. I do wonder if you might should see an ENT. This sounds like some nasal an sinus involvement going there. Abilene doesn't have one now, as he passed away years ago, but when I first started having sinus trouble in my teens, I was seeing an eye, ear, nose, and throat Dr. I never see that anymore, so I guess the old fellow was kind of a rarity! I just hope and pray you can get some relief, jdn. I wonder too if an allergy has all of that swelled shut? They can also swell stuff, but then the pupil not dilating could be a neurological issue too. We both need to choose up sides and head for a specialty hospital! I'm ready! Pack your bags and I'll pack mine!:D I hope you find relief and answers soon, jdn. Prayers for ya' and really for us all.
Take care,

Tony

I just came from an off topic board where someone was saying that a person they knew had horrible dry eyes. An optometrist gave them something called Viscotears ointment. They said both their vision and irritation improved! They also said there are variations of it, and some may help more than another type. I have a problem thinking that would help because I've been down the ointment avenue already. I would try it, though if I can get it.

Tony, it is good that you have such a good wife (I am assuming that Barb is your wife?). You need all the moral support you can get right now. Does that hospital take medicaid? When will you find out?

jdn, you need to get a second opinion! That is not something you should have to live with at ANY age!!!!

Yep, Barb is my God-sent angel (wife). We've been married for 9 heavenly years now.
I saw my gp today. He wants an MRI, but...
I have tinnitus (ringing and other tones) in my hearing, plus I have hyperacusis, an abnormal sensitivity to all sound. I have read of many with those being made worse by the noise of the "can". I am claustrophobic, but I did fair pretty well on a body scan with another type machine that was fairly close. We don't have open MRI's here. I either go through it, or I don't--I don't know what will happen. It's slated for Friday.

The Dr. said a lot of these neuros & fancy hospitals don't take Medicaid, and you get better care if you pay cash (via the nose?):eek: Well, my late aunt and uncle's estate may be divided and distributed soon, and it may be I will have to wait on that to pay the nose way.:D I'm noticing when I blink right, with my latest (weaker) specks on, the TV almost looked good in that eye at times! I wonder if cataracts can come and go like that? But, my vision varies day to day. The Dr. wanted to eliminate the chance of there being a brain tumor, and the nurse said with an MRI, they could more easily refer me somewhere. If only I could know my ears wouldn't be damaged further, ya' know?
I wear ear plugs, and there might be muffs put over those, but with sensitive hearing, I have no idea if it would be sufficient protection or not.

*CUT!* That's a wrap for this one--it's in the can. (Where'd I get that Hollerwood talk?):D Did you see the finale of Everybody Loves Raymond last night? Cool to da' max!

Hey There Tony, Just thought I'd throw in my 2 cents on the MRI. I just had one in March. I have some tinnitus (think it's from the BP med). WHen I went they gave me the option of earplugs or music. I opted for the earplugs, since I only like country & a little bit of opera (neither one very big up here in Boston). I was in the "tube" about 1/2 an hour. The noise wasn't very loud at all with the earplugs (the planes, fire engines and all the other city noise seem louder to me). This was the second MRI I've had, but this one I had to go in head first (last one was my knee). It's a bit claustrophobic, for sure. So this time I was lucky enough to have Ativan, so took that beforehand. I shut my eyes, and with the banging in the backgound and some other noise I couldn't figure out, it almost seemed like I was in the Australian Outback listening to Aborignal music. It was almost peaceful.
So, maybe they would let you wear earplugs, plus the music (assuming they are headphones...maybe without the music going) since your ears are sensitve to noise??
Just a thought....
Well, guess I better run and get ready for work tomorrow. Hi Ho Hi Ho!!
H.

Howdy, Hella! I do take lorazepam for anxiety, which is almost non-existant anymore, thankfully. I could take a bigger dose prior to that. I wear earplugs anyway, so maybe if they put "cans" on my ears, that would filter "chitty-chitty-bang-bang" out more.:D
I'm glad you made it through that thing. Mine will be of my head also. They may inject dye, so I don't know if it would set with me alright or not. But, thanks for the encouragement, Hella. It has helped! Sleep tight and see ya' later.

Tony, with my MS I have been for more than my share of brain MRIs. They will put ear plugs in your ears, and at my place, at least, they play music for me. They have special headphones that have no metal in them, and they fit over your ears. Then they put in a CD of your choice. (you can ask them if you can bring your own, or they usually have a decent selection. I listen to Billy Joel. :))

I always get mine with contrast (dye) and have never had a problem. You will only have a problem if you are allergic to shellfish. If you are, you have to tell the doctor now, and he has to give you prednisone to take before they give you the dye. Also, it's not an injection. They're going to start an IV. It has to go directly into your vein. With me, they can never get the IV started because of my bad veins :rolleyes: , so they just inject the dye right into the vein. (much harder than it sounds!) What will happen is that they'll do the first 15-20 minutes or so with no dye and then when that portion is over, they'll pull you out and start the IV and give you the dye, then you go back in for 8 minutes. I usually count the minutes by how many songs I have listened to! (1 song, about 3-4 minutes, 2 songs, about 8 minutes, 3 songs, about 12 minutes, etc.....) I am usually done by 5 or 6 songs. I don't remember how long the first sequence is. But I suppose I'll find out soon, because I am going to my neurologist on thursday of next week and I am not feeling well, so he'll be sending me for another MRI! I was scheduled to have one in July anyway.

The earplugs really do help. They don't block out all of the sound, but they make it much more tolerable. I liken it to sitting close to the speakers at a heavy metal concert. To me, the sounds that the machine makes sound like aheavy metal guitarist warming up before the show! Maybe you should go to the drug store and find the earplugs that block out the most decibals. (industrial strength!) Also, if I were you I would take a tranquilizer before you go. The MRI machine even makes ME claustrophobic, and I am usually not. Also, ever since I was diagnosed with the MS, loud, continuous sounds irritate me and make me panic. My mom can't vacuum when I am home because the sound irritates me so much. My heart starts racing and I have a panic attack. I guess I am noise sensitive too!

It's a little uncomfortable and unnerving to lay there and get the MRI, but it is over quickly and then you will know. At my place, they allow you to bring a stuffed animal with you to hold! They run it through the machine first to test it, to make sure it doesn't have any metal in it that will make you get sucked into the machine! Do you want me to send you my dolly? They actually have a basket of dolls there that you can choose from if you don't have your own and you want to hold one! Not very manly though, huh?

You'll be OK. Hopefully this will be the one and only time you will ever have to go for one. You will be able to speak to the technician during the test through the speakers, and they can always run in and pull you out if you really have a problem with your ears or start to panic.

I agree with hellas. It's not that bad. That's a good idea. Maybe they will give you the earplugs plus the music headphones. Maybe you even want to listen to some music.

A lot of times, the sounds from the machine put me into a trans!

Evenin'- Well, believe it or not, I've had two pretty goopless days in a row! I sure hope that bleph is going south! The focus has been slightly better too.

I do appreciate the encouragement and info about this proposed MRI I "might" have. Never told ya', but I won full disability for anxiety & panic disorder. Now, I've been doing some better since then, but there is always the times that it sometimes flares on me. I did pretty well on a body scan machine a while back, though.

I am so sorry that you are not feeling well now. I'm praying all is better for you soon.

Well, I'm not too conversational tonight I guess--sorry 'bout that. Kinda tired. I will sign out for now, and again, thanks for the pep talk. I needed that.

I have an anxiety disorder too. I suffer from depression as well (gee, I wonder why!) When I was away at college (which only lasted a year until I decided to come home!) I used to have full blown panic attacks and hyperventilate and cry hysterically for hours! They finally put me on Ambien to help me sleep, and Ativan to stop the panic attacks. That really helped. Now that my life is better under control, I no longer have panic attacks. But, when I stop taking my anti-depressant, I go into panic mode! Everything makes me panic!

If I were you, I would just take an extra tranquilizer right before the MRI. If anything, it'll just make you sleepy. Just make sure that someone comes with you to drive you home. ]

I am glad to hear that you are having less goop. I am having MORE! I think I have yours now! My eyes are cruddy and crusty, and extremely dry! I think I am spending too much time in front of the computer. :(

I ,too, have generalized anxiety disorder. Maybe there is a link with dry eyes. The doctor put me on Paxil but that didnt do anything. I went to college for two and a half years and I got so stressed out I couldnt sleep at night. So I decided to come home as well. I find that exersize helps protect against panic attacks as well as meditation.

I think its a travesty that we have to pad the wallets of these pharmaceutical companies because we are born with a condition we have no control over. It's an outrage really and so is having to go through life with nasty eye conditions without some kind of disability coverage.

My eyes are the opposite of goopy, they seem like the constantly watering a little bit. I dont think I have enough mucous. They don't really hurt anymore but my vision kind of sucks. I find it's hard to stay away from the computer when you don't feel like getting out much. It's like being stuck between a rock and hard place because you crave interaction yet its hard to truly enjoy anything and the computer provides a good medium.

I tried the tranquileyes goggles again, the ones that always fall off at nite. My eyes looked red in the morning so I decided to be bold and duct tape them to my head.haha My face must be sensitive to touch or something because it felt nasty and tore them off and gave up. I chalked it up as another day in the life of dry eyes hehe.

Just checking in. A bit worried about you. Haven't seen you around in a couple of days. Are you doing OK, Tony? You let us know how you're doing OK? I'm sure Purple is concerned, too. Just wanted you to know people do care. :angel:

LOL, I tried to sleep with special dry eye goggles once. They were made by eyeeco. Very expensive, and very nice! They had sponges on the inside of them that you wet before you go to sleep, and they keep your eyes moist throughout the night, They were made of soft foam. Nothing wrong with that, right? Well, apparently I didn't like them, because I would put them on at night and fall asleep, and in the morning I'd wake up, and they'd be neatly put away in their case! I was getting up in my sleep and taking them off and putting them away! I guess I didn't like them very much! LOL! I have to laugh. It wasn't enough for me to just take them off in my sleep. NO, I had to get up and put them away! That was the one and only time that I have ever done anything like that in my sleep! I am usually such a sound sleeper.

I feel the same way about using the computer. I know it makes my eyes feel worse, but it is the only way that I can talk to people who are dealing with the same problem. I have a support group that I go to for my MS. There is no dry eye support group!

Tony, how are you today? Did you get your MRI? (or am I wrong? was that scheduled for today?) I am RUNNING back to the neurologist on monday. They got me an emergency appointment. I had an appointment for thursday, but today my whole body got all tingly and it feels like my arms are asleep. That is not normal. I'm having an MS attack. :( So I called and spoke to the nurse, and he told the receptionist that I absolutely must be seen on monday. I'll be going for an MRI very soon, too.

Hey Tony! Guess what? My doctor responded to my email about you! (seeing as how he is so busy I wasn't sure he would have time!) Now of course, keep in mind that nobody can make a definitive diagnosis without examining you. I hope that his response can give you some insight. I would still get a neurology consult just to be on the safe side though. This is what he said:


Hi Elyse,

The blepharitis and/or dry eyes are the reasons for his symptoms. I would recommend aggressive hot compresses, and collagen plugs. His story is typical for these diagnoses. Depending on the cataract and its placement in the lens, it could also give similar symptoms due to different lighting conditions and secondary changes in the pupil size, but I doubt that this is the reason for his symptoms. The fact that blinking helps it, screams out insufficient tear quantity/quality.

take care

Hello, Hellas- I'm here. I got up looking like Col. Sanders crispy chicken around the left eye today. I've already hot-ragged, defragged and decrusted!:D I also had to get some goop out, so I guess I'm not as "well" as first thought.

Well, I'll get out of ya'll's way for now. Carry on.

Take care, and thanks for asking about me, Hellas.

t.

Hey, what about me Tony? LOL just kidding! :)

Hope you are doing better.

Hello, Purple & Hellas. I don't know what is wrong with the board, but your replies about what your doctor said is just now getting here! I am DEFINITELY printing his reply off to show my opthal come Monday! Thanks so much, Elyse! I'm a wiser man for having your doc's response! I kind of thought this dry eye stuff is a lot of it due to blinking sometimes helping. The fluctuations in eye strength is yet another mystery. I am now wearing the stronger glasses again. The weaker ones became too weak again!
I need to figure out how to graph these changes on some type of calendar with a roller coaster line of some sort.

I didn't go through with the MRI, and won't until I have had a chance to know more about this dye they attack your body with. I looked up some stuff about MRI dyes this a.m., and they can use any of several kinds! The possible side effects are scary!
I need to know exactly what kind of dye is to be used, then I will have to make a decision on the go-ahead or scrub of getting it. I will also have to re-slate it. Not enough is known about this stuff for me to be satisfied with just going in there, plopping down, and letting them shoot it to me.

I am so sorry you are not feeling well. I will pray for you.

Thanks so much, Elyse for doing that for me. I'm an only child and you are definitely a little sis to me!;)

Talkin' later-

Awwwww, Tony you are so sweet. :)

My doctor has a very big heart. I saw him yesterday, and after he wracked his brain about me, he wanted to know how you were doing!

I agree that you need to keep a record of what is happening to your eyes. I used to do that too. I had a notebook, and for about a year I wrote down every symptom and every drop that I put in my eye. I wrote down what the drops did to me, and if anything changed. I also kept track of the time of the day and the weather, since that plays a big part. It really came in handy when I had the corneal ulcer and I had to be on anti-biotic drops for a month! I never remembered if I had put them in or not, so I just had to look. I think it could really help you.

It might not be a bad idea to call the imaging center and ask them exactly what kind of dye they are going to use. But I wouldn't let that scare you into not doing it. If you are really that nervous about it, they can just do the MRI without the dye. It won't give them as much information, but at least it's better than nothing.

Hope you are having a goopless day today. I most certainly am not!!!

Hey, Sis! (hope that ain't forward!lol!)
Well, I'm square one--(made a separate thread about it). I got up with the left eye out of whack again. I think I'm getting two days out of every month to month and half, where the moon and sun are in the right positions, and I see normally for two days with the left eye! When it's not real dry, and no goop, it is STILL blurred (too strong or weak for my sets of glasses). Some times, it's so bad, no Rx will help.

I tried keeping a log for a while on how I was seeing until it became "bad every day", then I knew where this had led me! I see the opthal tomorrow, and I'm feeling like he will put me on a new glaucoma drop. I can't say the Xalatan was fault, because I am still having problems--the goop is back with a vengeance! Besides, if it was an allergy to the Xalatan, why wouldn't the rt. eye also be fouled out? Good question! My jury is still out on it being the Xalatan.

Yep, I need to ask the type dye they want to insult my body with. I did fine with an injection they used for a body scan a while back--no side effects at all! If it could be that same stuf, which I doubt it will be, I know I'd be good with it. I'm also, as you say, tempted to ask if they could tell enough without the dye.

I'm sorry about your goop-I got it too! I sat through church with Barb with it ducking in and out on me when I'd blink. Got home, got my Q-Tip shovel and got out two blobs. It's already feeling gooped again! I'm just very discouraged.

Later, Sis Elyse- ( We are kind of a brother & sister in suffering! )

That was mighty nice of your Dr. to ask about me. Just tell him "Same Song", and I've lost count on the verses!! I'd give anything to get to see him! Well, I'm hesitant on posting even a snail mail address for either of you, so I won't. I feel bad enough as is--don't want a "rule problem" today.;)

I had sinus surgery in 1999, and my worst side for sinus congestion and infections was always on the left side. I have thought, but can't really feel at this late date, that there is any kind of delayed reaction to that surgery. My vision was fine for several years after that. Just thinking on board.:D

Hey big brother! (shhhhhhhh! Don't let my REAL big brother see that!) It seems we truly are siblings in suffering. :(

My eyes are so goopy today. Perhaps it is because I was crying a lot. All the health problems have just gotten to me, and it seems that nothing is going right in my life. On top of the MS making me absentminded and forgetful, I showed up atmy friend's bridal shower 2 hours late because I read the time on the invitation incorrectly. I thought it said 2:00, it really said 12:00. I missed the 1. So I got there at the end. Everyone turned around and looked at me, and I really just wanted to crawl out of there. I stayed long enough to have something to eat and give her her gift, and I left with everyone else. I cried the whole way home. I am just so fed up with everything going wrong for me. I'm having a very depressed day. My eyes feel like crap, my left side is tingling, I am totally off balance, and I'd forget my own head if it wasn't attached. Isn't this too much for one person to have to deal with? You too. Your vision problems are too much for one person to have to deal with.

I also had sinus surgery. I had it when I was 11 or 12. I had a HUGE polyp in my sinus cavity that was causing me to have constant infections and dizzy spells where I would just black out. It was a major, major relief to have the surgery. I used to have 10 or 12 sinus infections a year. Now I get one or two, if even that much. It's a shame that the surgeon who did that surgery retired. I'd have him take my tonsils out. (oh yeah, that's just the icing on the cake with my health problems!) But I am going to the man that was his partner. I grew up in that office! And now, I am living out my adult life in the ophthalmologist's office, with the neurologist running it a close second! I just want to get out of the doctor's office!

At least I haven't had pink eye in a while.

P.S. Don't post any sort of private addresses (email, snail mail, etc...) It is stirctly forbidden! We'll just have to be content with using healthboards as our sole means of communication.

Hey, ((((Sis)))) Bless your heart, such a sad ol' day for ya'. I'm so sorry things are getting so uphill for you. I know it's a bummer. I don't know of passing pho. #'s are legal here or not. I better not do it, but I was going to say if you get to feeling too low, give me and Barb a call. Well, good intentions here anyway. Pullin' and prayin' for ya', and I KNOW that isn't a rule broken!;)

It's good that you got that sinus stuff done way back there. I started having sinus problems in high school. I've always had tons of allergies, still do, just not as bad as often. I sure know how ya' feel about these doctor's offices. We've been living in them here for a good while! The ice box stays wallpapered with appointment cards!:eek:

Gonna go now and read your reply on my "Square One" thread.;)

Aye-whoops! We were posting at the same time!:D I'm ten four on da' shorty note!:D

awwww, I wish I could call you. But it is illegal to post phone numbers here. But I feel better just posting here and reading your replies.