Times just aren't the same here now. I never hear from you guys much anymore--what'd we do, all break up?

Well, whatever...

Just a note, one of my few here anymore, that I guess all the tears I shed for my dad backfired, and I seem to have a sinus infection. What upsets me is the fact I had a radical endoscopic sinus surgery in '99 which was supposed to have put an end to such occurrences. The left side, problematic prior the surgery, is again the bad side. It is wreaking havoc on the dry eye problem in that eye! So, I guess I'll be taking the antibiotic Doryx to try to clear it up. I dread it, as it seems to, at one point every time, deal me some nausea.

Well, I'll sign out for now, maybe for good, I never know. No one I knew here ever posts anymore. I hope this means that everyone's problems are resolved. That would be great!

God Bless,

Tony

Tony, it's not you. I just haven't had time to sign on. My eyes have been really terrible lately, and I've been so busy going to the doctor (I saw him on saturday 3/11 and he wanted to see me again yesterday.) Read my post about high IOP. I've had to come off of mostly all of my steroid drops and my eyes are miserable for it. I've been coming home from work absolutely exhausted and just passing out. I love coming on the boards, but some days it's just not the most important thing. Cold compresses outweigh the need to come on the boards sometimes!

Anyway, I am sorry to hear you are still feeling so crappy.It makes sense that your sinuses would be clogged from crying. That always used to happen to me. Now, my eyes get so irritated when I shed even a single tear that I try to force myself not to cry. How are your eyes doing? When do you go for the second opinion?

I did get some good news today though. I went for my six month physical (they like to do bloodwork twice a year cause of all the meds I am on for my MS) and everything is really, really good. It seems that at the very least, taking the flaxseed and fish oil has lowered my cholesterol even more, to 156. At least it is doing *something* for me. God knows it isn't doing anything for my eyes. :(

Well, hi, Purple. Bless your heart, I'm sorry the eyes are hammering you down again. I guess it's like when DON'T they do that!

I just got another good cry. I've been wanting to hear the song, Beyond The Sunset a song about seeing our loved ones again in heaven, and I found it on a site. It had the words, a pretty sunset and the music by an organ and other stuff. I called Barb in here, and bawled my eyes out, thinking of my dad. I wish I could post the URL for you, but I know it's not allowed.
Anyway, I feel better now. It was just something I had to do. I prayed that my dad would hear or feel this song dedicated to him. I think he did.

I'm sure sorry that IOP went up at you. I can imagine how bad that has let your eyes get. If it ain't one thing, it's a dozen more! This sinus flare-up has done u-know-what to my left eye! It's felt like it's got sand in it, gritty, and yepper, I've been shoveling goop out of it!:mad: The whole nine yards (of goop). It's been blurred all day--If I'd have had a patch, I'd have just worn it over the thing, for all the good it's done me today!

Sure am proud for your cholesterol level, Sis. I've been guzzling my "bass oil", and hoping it has helped. I got blood work today, but he didn't want the cholesterol. I'd be afraid to know anyway. We eat too much red meat in this house! :eek: Like you, the oil hasn't fazed my eyes either. Some days, I think it actually worsens them!

I do understand if you are unable to stare at this screen. It's a strain on the eyes anyway. No telling how much better my eyes would get if I gave up the computer, but I'm hooked on the thing and my forums! Awful huh?

Take care of those eyes and we'll see you when you are up to being on.

God Bless,
Hugs,

me & Barb

Thanks for the kind words Tony. I am hanging in there. My eyes are just so itchy, and now he thinks I might have a low grade infection from coming off of the steroid drops, so I am dealing with being on anti-biotic drops besides.

I can't wait for the weekend to get here so I can sleep!

If it ain't one thing, it's ten more for ya'. Sure am sorry to hear that.
I still have my permanent starburst, so I have something I can't be rid of too. If my Dr. wasn't so nice, I'd consider a malpractice suit, but... oh well.

Hi Tony & Elyse
Sorry for being away so long, been a bad month all around by the sounds of it.
Tony sorry the eyes haven't improved on the starbursts. That can be such an interference with night-time driving, and extra glare some times. Sorry the dryness hasn't improved any either. I know how disheartening it is having to get the "just live with it" lines from doctors. Easy for them to say huh? (I don't think I've been out of the house at night in 3 years!!! It's almost a prison sentence,when you can't see in the dark due to those starburst! ) I hope your starbursts aren't bad enough to keep you inside at night like mine do to me. I wouldn't wish that on anyone.
It's interesting to note that the omega 3's are helpful for dry eye, but I have read that it doesn't help everyone. Mine seem to be ok, but I dont have the troubles that you & Elyse do with yours. And I surely wish you both didn't have those problems.
Sorry for all the sadness you've had recently too. I'm sure the crying would irritate all the tear ducts and sinuses, and just make things worse for you.
Elyse, gosh, sorry you're IOP got high and you had to go off the steroid drops. I know they helped you. Can you go back on them if the pressure comes down? Would you have to use another drop to lower the IOP? I use a drop for that and find it irritating, and I think it contributes to the dryness in that eye too, but that's just a guess on my part.
I never intended to be away so long from you guys. I think about you & pray for you all the time. I just got scared, because the last couple of times I posted, the thread disappeared. So I'm trying to be good.
Hope you both have better days ahead.
Faith :)

Well, howdy, Faith! It's been a spell.
Good to see you on.

Sounds by your experience, that I can call this starburst stuff permanent. I'm just glad it doesn't bother me in the daytime. I really think that Dr. blew it with that lousy laser! If he wasn't so nice, I would probably sue him, but I guess I won't. I have found out over the past several months, there is a lot they just don't tell you that can go wrong. I guess if they did, no one would fork over for a spendy cataract surgery.

I'm also finding the omega 3 isn't doing anything for my eyes. If they are better, they will be anyway. But, as it can help with cholesterol, and I have that, I will stay with it.

I do still drive at night if I have to, but the starburst is always quite visible and annoying.

Yes, it was so hard to give up my dad, but he was with us for almost 86 years. I guess he really was 86 due to his birthday being the following week after he passed to the Lord. I wake up in the a.m., and it occurs to me all over again--I don't have him now. At least the crying has about gone, but the sadness will always be til I see him again up there.

I can't imagine what you said that posts would fade out. You are owed an explanation for that.

Well, I'll fade myself for now and see you later. Again, good to see you back with us, Faith. And again, thanks for your prayers for us!

Love ya',

t. & Barb

Hi all!

Tony, when is that appointment with the new doctor for the second opinion?

Faith, my doctor is in no rush to put me on any sort of anti-glaucoma drops. We tried that once before. Years ago I had been on Dexamethasone and my eyes had actually felt NORMAL!!! They had never felt so good in my life. I was walking on cloud nine. But then my pressure went way, way, WAAAAAAYYYYYYY up! (I think it was 35 in both eyes!) I left the office and went out to the car and cried. He gave it two days to come down on its own with me off of the steroids, but it didn't work. So he gave me Betimol drops. It brought the pressure down, and he even let me go back on some steroids while I was still on the Betimol. But never again my precious Dexamethasone. Ohhhh, it would be worth more to me than gold right now.

But the Betimol was irritating me too much so he took me off of it and monitored my pressure with me still on some steroids. It was OK as long as I didn't use the Dexamethasone. I was just on FML for a while and then we found some other drops called Flarex which seemed to help. That was last year. I think I was on them for about 6 months and then one day a couple of weeks ago I was having very bad light sensitivity and my pressure was 26 and that was it. Goodbye Flarex, goodbye Tobradex ointment on my lids, and maybe this tuesday goodbye FML ointment. In which case, I will be desperate for relief because right now that's the only thing that helps with my severe, SEVERE itching. They have never been so itchy in my life. If the pressure came down enough over the last week then he won't take away the FML. PRAY!!!! I am doing some very hard praying to God!

Howdy, Purple Sister :)

Well, the appointment, if I don't have to cancel due to being low on dough, is set for Tuesday the 21st. We have another doctor's appt. with our g.p. come Friday. I don't know if I'll be able to keep this 2nd opinion thing or not.

We are praying too, that the pressure is down, and you can hang with the FML. I don't see how anything but a steroid could elevate pressure, esp. an ointment! Well, there's a lot I don't know anyway.

Hugs & Prayers,

me & Barb

Yeah, we know that the pressure became elevated from one of the steroid medications I was on, but the question is *which one*? My gut feeling is that the Tobradex ointment I was using on my lids got absorbed through the skin. Because in all the years I've used Fluorometholone based drops, it never made my pressure go up. I can't really tell if the light sensitivity has gotten any better because I've been inside a lot, and there hasn't been very much sunlight the past few days anyway. I guess I'll see tomorrow morning what the test results say.

I hope you are able to get to see the new doctor for the second opinion. It'd be a shame to have waited all this time and then not be able to go. How much money is it for a first visit, anyway? I think with my doctor it's somewhere around $150. That would be a lot to pay and then still not have an answer.

Well we called the bank and got the balance, and thankfully, it is sufficient to see the opthalmologist.

For certain, I am going to bear down on the fact that I didn't have this nighttime starburst crap until after my Dr. lasered the wrinkle. I've noticed that when I glance over at a light kind of quick, I will see one of the radials of light turn or "pivot" in a circle. I don't know if the retina could do that or the lens.

Tony

Hi everyone!!!
I'm sorry that I haven't checked in with you guys in a while. I'm really sorry that everyone isn't doing better. It seems to be a rough time of year for everyone right now. I've been having some of the same problems as you guys with the glare at night. I'm not sure if mine is due to dryness or some residual prescription or something else. My next doctor's appointment is the first week of April so maybe I'll find out something then. My starburst is mainly only in my left eye. It looks like a vertical sparkly prism going through the light. I don't know where it came from, but I want it to go away!

Elyse, OH MY GOODNESS! I'm sooo sorry that you are having problems with your steroid drops. I'm going to have to go back and read some of your other posts to get caught up. I really really really hope that you can keep using the ointment. My eyes are their very worst at night. I don't really understand why. If your eyes are dry shouldn't they feel better after a good rest. But noooo... my eyes feel nasty if I wake up during the night and early in the mornings. It stinks! If you have to stop the FML can you still use something like Refresh PM or Moisture Eyes PM? I'll be sending up prayers for you tonight that everything will work out OK and that your IOP will get back down to normal.

Faith, I'm glad to hear from you. It stinks that you can't really get out at night. My night vision isn't the best, but I can get by. At least the daytime hours are about to get longer. It sounds like the fish oil and flax oils work well for you. I've been taking Thera Tears Nutrition for a while now since that's what my doctor told me to take, but I've thought about also supplementing with some of the liquid flaxseed oil. I don't want to take too much though.

Tony, I feel so bad for you about the loss of your dad. I know that it has to be one of the hardest things to ever go through. My thoughts and prayers are always with you. I hope that those eyes are doing okay.

Missy

Well, Missy, howdy-howdy, gal! It's so good to see ya' back on, Pilgrim!

Thanks, about my dad, Missy. I wake up in the a.m.'s and still can't realize he's with the Lord now. Talk about tough times, we're going to really feel this come Father's Day, and holidays. His birthday was March 10, just 8 days after he departed. He was one mighty sweet dad. He looked so sad at times when he was so bad that last day we saw him. I think he was sad because he knew he was going to have to leave us.

Well, my eyes are worse at night too, Missy. They are their dryest and feel like grit in them.

Wish they'd hurry up and come out with a miracle drug or something to stop all this ol' stuff.

God Bless,

t.

Do you have any idea why our eyes are worse at night. It's really been aggrevating me lately. I want some answers and the docs just don't seem to have any!

I'll be waiting in line for that miracle drug!

:angel: It's good that you have happy memories of your dad to treasure. He sounds like he was a wonderful person.

Missy

He sure was, Missy. He had a sense of humor and spread lots of sunshine and cheer everywhere he went!

I'm guessing our eyes may be worse at night due to being more tired. With me, I'm sure it must be because I'm glued to this monitor all day, off and on.:D I think when we get tired, all the weak points in our bods just naturally flare more. The eyes are our weak points. I once saw on a TV medical report where some guy had his salivary gland transplanted to his eye due to severe dry eye. I can't recall where this was, but I wish they would start training our eye docs to do this.

Hi, I am still around. Been enjoying not having Blepharitis these days. The plugs plus Restasis and eye drops are keeping my eyes in good condition. Do have problems with blurring these days and the doctor says that is the nature of dry eye disease, so, started using eyedrops more often and it does help.

I have to use eyedrops without preservatives. Refresh Celluvisc works well, however, it takes 30-45 minutes for eyes to have clear vision. I also use Refresh Plus, and Systane. It depends on what I am doing at the time as to which eyedrop I use. At night I use refresh Celluvisc and then Refresh PM ointment. Almost forgot, still do the hot soak in the mornings.

Hang in there, you too will be successful. It took me a few years to get to this point!!

Setting a timer and keeping it in my pocket helps to use eyedrops on a regular basis, not allowing eyes to get too dry between times.

Misty

Howdy Misty-

Sounds like you've got a combination of stuff going. Whatever helps, gopher it! :D

Are you the same Misty as was on here before? I'm noticing the 800. When I posted this thread, I forgot to put Missy. There are more of us than I realize!;)

Earlier posts were Marie, decided to change internet name. I have been responding to your posts as Misty 800 for the past year.

Yes, there are several of us fighting a never ending battle, however, it beats the alternative.

The Refresh Celluvisc has only 2 or 2 1/2 drops per vial these days making it very expensive to use since I need 2 drops per eye each time. In the past there were at least 4+ drops per vial. There have been times I can only get 1 1/2 drops out of a vial. Guess that is a way of raising price of the drops. Wal-Mart has the best price on drops, that is, those over the counter.

Keep on trudging and you will win the battle sooner or later. Not any fun along the way, but, I have come a long ways in these past 3 years.

Yep, you're the same Misty, but with an 800 number. That has to be an honor--not all of us can have an 800 number!;)

Yep, I continue to fight the battle day after day...after day...