#24 Judy and Carol

I share my correspondence with my friend, Carol, from my on-line Dry Eye Support Group. Her words are in blue.

Judy, testosterone cream sounds awful!! A friend said she tried Restasis and it burned so badly, she stopped after 4 days! It is so expensive to try and that’s awful when it doesn’t help. I have not tried it and serum tears sound pretty awful too.

I must give you credit for getting me out in the car by MYSELF a today!! I saw a movie, which was just what I needed. I heard your voice telling me I should try because you said (and I paraphrase) that you feel better when you add diversion. It was true today for me and I thank you. You have truly been inspiring and so helpful!!

Carol, I am so happy you did this diversion of going to see an uplifting movie. It is absolutely amazing how our mind can help us feel better. Awesome!!!

Things that seem awful become tempting when you hear it could be a cure. And for serum tears, I had to travel really far to have the blood drawn. I still have vials of them in my freezer. I put in only a few drops and then my eyes swelled up and I couldn’t see well for days. It probably took me a month to feel better.

I use Restasis eye drops, but I don’t think they help at all. But I’m afraid to stop, because then my eyes might get worse.

I’m so glad I’ve been inspiring. Don’t give up hope and certainly it’s important to live your life despite this condition. Good job!

Yes, our mind can channel positively. I was in a deep dark hole, so you can understand how much you have helped me already. How awful for it to take a month to recuperate from those tears!!!!

I hate all the drops myself and sometimes they really seem to make me feel worse. Yet my eyes are dry, so I do what I am told by my doctor. Living life day by day has been challenging and sometimes hour by hour is difficult. Thank you for letting me “talk” and being so understanding.

I wish I had known more before I had cataract surgery that brought this condition upon me. I wouldn’t have done it knowing what I do now.

I’m so sorry you regret the surgery you had. Unfortunately, there are percentages and sometimes those rare complications happen to someone! I had cataract surgery; I also wish I were one of those people who loved the result.

I do realize rare complications do happen, but I just didn’t think it would happen to me!!! I had cataract surgery, too, but I also agreed to laser astigmatism correction. The lure of being able to see without glasses was too much to resist. I think that was the mistake, although no one will say. And to add insult to injury, I wasn’t totally corrected so I still have to wear glasses.

At least I am older. When I read comments from people in their 20s with eye miseries, I feel so bad for them. 
Again, thanks for all your support and information. You have been so much help.











© Judy Unger and http://dryeyediaries@wordpress.com 2016. Unauthorized use and/or duplication of this material without express and written permission from this blog’s author and/or owner is strictly prohibited. Excerpts and links may be used, provided that full and clear credit is given to Judy Unger with appropriate and specific direction to the original content.

 

#23 Judy and Carol

I share my correspondence with my friend, Carol, from my on-line Dry Eye Support Group. Her words are in blue.

Losing a child must be the worst possible life event. You have had more than your share, yet your attitude seems so positive about facing challenges.

Finding strength when one feels so depleted and hopeless is very hard. Distractions probably do help as they get your mind focusing on something besides eye problem. This is still new to me: realizing it is chronic and won’t go away as I was originally led to believe.

I am happy to read yours don’t hurt as much as they once did. How long did that take? There are so many things to try yet so little seems to provide relief. Your mindset is a lot more positive than mine is now!! But your words and support do give some hope. Thanks, again, I really appreciate it









!

I’m still learning how to accept this condition. A wonderful woman also helped me when I was down.

I know you are just beginning this stuff. It’s one thing to try remedies with hope of relief, but for me, the hardest part was when those things made my eyes worse! I tried testosterone cream and it burned so much. I went on hormone replacement therapy that not only didn’t help, it made me even more miserable. The one thing I hoped would help were serum tears; they set me way back. I had a terrible reaction from Doxycycline, too.

But I feel like I have to keep trying things in order to discover something that might help.

© Judy Unger and http://dryeyediaries@wordpress.com 2016. Unauthorized use and/or duplication of this material without express and written permission from this blog’s author and/or owner is strictly prohibited. Excerpts and links may be used, provided that full and clear credit is given to Judy Unger with appropriate and specific direction to the original content.

 

 

 

 

 

#20 SEARCHING FOR A REMEDY

Posts on my Dry Eye Support Group Site

 July 25, 2014

Hi everyone. I wanted to post an update about my condition. I had been using hormone replacement therapy (pills) and a testosterone eyelid cream for three months. Well, it didn’t help my dry eyes and the doctor said I could stop. In fact, the eyelid cream burned my eyes all the time. I will soon be getting serum tears and pray they will give me relief.

But yesterday at my appointment, my cornea specialist did something else. She used a fine needle like tool to unclog the oil glands in my upper and lower lids. Then she squeezed my eyelids. It wasn’t pleasant. My eyes were sore after, but I think it did help a little. She said the oil that came out was very thick, too.

I’m still using Restasis, eyelid wipes and hot compress. Those things don’t seem to do much.

The worst thing about this condition for me is depression. I don’t want to live this way for the rest of my life and it gets me down. So I try to stay hopeful and will certainly share how those serum tears work once I get them.

November 29, 2014

Just last week, I had to go off Doxycycline. I was having terrible pain in one leg and it became so bad that for two weeks I could hardly walk at all. I had an MRI and went to a chiropractor, but am convinced it was a side effect from the Doxy. I stopped taking it and the pain went away. It’s one thing to try a remedy and have it not work – another thing to suffer from it. Unfortunately, when I used serum tears – my eyes were much worse. I am not going to list all the remedies I’ve tried, but you are all familiar with them on this site.

Ever look for something and later you realize it was right there in front of you but you didn’t see it? Well that’s the best way I can describe something simple that seems to really help me. I’ve been drinking 10-12 glasses of water everyday.

I haven’t stopped searching. Although my eyes are better, they are not completely “normal.” That is something I always dream of having again someday.

June, 2015

I basically have surrendered to my condition. Stress causes my eyes to worsen, so I strive to keep my environment comfortable. Every day, my goal is to maintain serenity. Recently, I tried a few new remedies for my eyes, but found it discouraging when every single one caused my eyes to worsen.

Even though I have continued to drink water, my eyes still bother me and have worsened again.

I get depressed when I long for the eyes I had in the past. Acceptance and appreciation for what I’m able to do despite this, is where I’ve put my focus. It is not easy, but familiar – it reminds me of how I coped with grief. I have a strong belief that healing is possible. I tell myself on bad days that things will get better.

I never want to give up hope.

© Judy Unger and http://dryeyediaries@wordpress.com 2016. Unauthorized use and/or duplication of this material without express and written permission from this blog’s author and/or owner is strictly prohibited. Excerpts and links may be used, provided that full and clear credit is given to Judy Unger with appropriate and specific direction to the original content.