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Showing results for tags 'glaucoma'.
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It's been a long time since I've posted an update on my health situation here. Not that I've been trying to hide anything but there just hasn't been much to report since the surgery and radiation a year ago. I've been back to Boston twice for follow-up visits and have been told each time that the tumor is shrinking and things look like they are supposed to at this point. That all changed last Friday. I had been in Evansville, IN all week and was having no problems. When I woke up on Friday morning, my eye was a little red and it felt like I had an eyelash or something in it. I also had a slight headache at that time. I really thought that I had somehow gotten something in my eye during the night and it would be better in a day or two. Went through the weekend thinking at times that it was getting better but at other times, feeling that it was getting worse. Headaches had gotten very bad and I was taking Tylenol to address it. Woke up on Monday morning and got ready to head out to Michigan for the week. Stopped by the post office on my way out and by the time I was finished there, my head was throbbing, eye was very red and hurting like heck and I knew that I was NOT going to make it to Michigan. Went back home and called my local eye doctor. She got me in around noon and did not like what she saw. She says that the pressure was slightly high and was causing my headaches but also a lot of blood vessels growing in the eye where there should not be any. She immediately got me an appointment at the Cole Eye Institute of the Cleveland Clinic. The appointment was for Wednesday but she was so worried about the pressure that she had me come back to her on Tuesday so that she could make sure it hadn't gotten too much higher. So, went to the Cole Eye Institute yesterday for what turned out to be a four hour ordeal. A LOT of tests to determine that I have now developed Neovascular Glaucoma in the eye that I had the radiation treatment done on. Turns out that about 16% of the people who have this radiation treatment will develop Neovascular Glaucoma. I'm one of those lucky few. The visit went downhill from that point. I have never been too crazy about shots but I had a total of 4 needles put in my eye yesterday. The worse was the very first one...the "numbing" shot. That one was followed by an injection of some chemical that is supposed to neutralize the natural chemical in the eye that is causing the blood vessels to grow. That injection resulted in my eye pressure going from about 20 to about 74 and another massive headache. Simple to remedy that. All they had to do was insert another needle into my eye and draw off some of the fluid. Once couldn't be enough though so they had to do it a second time. The worse part is that they tell you that you absolutely must be still and NOT jump. I dare any of you to try and NOT jump when they stick a needle in your eye. They told me that it really wouldn't hurt much...I call BS on that. So, these were all temporary procedures to address the immediate pressure, inflammation and pain. Next week I go back to see a Glaucoma specialist to find out what the next steps are but it will almost certainly involve more surgery. The goal now is to address the Glaucoma while hopefully saving the eye but I was told that removing the eye may be the only option either now or in the future. Finally made it home yesterday evening and I tell you, my eyes were so dilated that I couldn't even stand to look at the screen of this laptop. I needed to add Snarley's rally to the countdown page and add the Ladyrider's shirts to the merchandise section and it was all I could do to get those two little things done. Never thought I would need sunglasses to work on the website. Anyway, that's been my week and the reason that I haven't been posting very much. Things WILL get better. It's just another little bump in the road.
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I know you have no idea what that is unless you had one, maybe even two. It's laser surgery to prevent closed angle glaucoma. Now nobody in my family has glaucoma, but that never stopped me before. Gotta be first sometimes. So back in March I went to get my eye's checked for new glasses (got bifocals) and found out I'm a candidate for glaucoma (who knew I didn't sign up for this, someone must have nominated me). Anyway I totally forgot to ask if I could get contacts because he kinda threw me with that one. He told me my eye pressure was a bit high (for info normal pressure is between 12 and 22) I was at 18. So I had to go back in April to see if it was still high, it was. So today I had my iridectomy. They put a bunch of drops in my eye and one of them was to do the opposite of dilating your eyes. (my pupil is literally a dot) They put this lens in my eye to direct the laser to the right spot. That felt kinda weird too. Plus they put a jelly on it which feels kinda gooey. Then a really quick zap (he said it would feel like a bee sting, wish he hadn't said that) Then it was over. Then I had to drive home with my eye watering like a faucet was turned on. It's finally a bit more normal now. I go back next thursday for my check up and I'm guessing to make my next appointment for the other eye. He said to check it, but I'm betting it has to be done as well. His tech was cute she asked if I'd had this before I said no she was surprised cause I was so calm. I've had plenty of stuff done to my right eye over the years. I was born with Ptosis (don't pronounce the P) plus astigmatism and lazy eye all in the same eye. Now I have this and I also seem to have floaters in that eye. Talk about piling on. But I've been going to ophthalmologists since I was 6 months old so I'm use to it. Plus since they found this out so early I shouldn't have any damage to my eyes now from that. So you really should get your eye's checked every year never know what you might catch early. Glaucoma doesn't have any real noticeable symptoms till it's doing damage. Well that's my PSA for the day. Margaret
