In June I had to get 2 hearing aids. December and January I had cataract surgery. January 29th I had Carotid artery surgery and ended up staying in the hospital for 5 days because they couldn't get my BP down. My left eye has been bothering me for some time and it finally got too much. I went to my optician today and it turns out I have what he called a Concretion which is like a large grain of sand and has to be cut out. I will get it done on April 14 when the doctor from Charleston SC comes up here. He only comes one day a month. At the rate I am going I may not be around to take care of my DH!!!!!!
Bluedaze, this doctor is from the Medical University of South Carolina so I am assuming he is one of the best. According to my optician he is the best.LOL. I can't read more than a few minutes and I have Baptismal Hankies I need to make for my church. I've emailed my pastor to see if he has any left from last time. I hope he does so I can hold off until April. I am getting really sick of myself. Thankfully DH has been really good for the past week or so. Sometimes I think maybe he doesn't have AD but then he does or says something to burst my bubble. We are going out for lunch tomorrow so I can get my Flounder Poor Boy and Wednesday morning I have a hair appointment so hopefully I can fill a few more days until the 14th. Or die trying.LOL
Thanks, Jim's wife I'm trying so maybe I will make it.
Deb, I can't say I am in pain it is more like there is something in my eye all the time. I was using eye drops thinking my eye was dry so obviously they didn't work. It is aggravating more than anything.
Joan, you have put off the tests long enough so get with it.LOL When I was at the opticians today a young woman came in and I think she wanted to get contact lenses. One of the ladies who work there asked her when she had her last eye exam. The woman couldn't remember...it turned out it was 3 years ago! So she has an appointment for tomorrow for a check up before she gets contact lenses. The lady who works there told her there was no sense in going by the old test for contacts.
Hey Jean! I had the same but probably less serious procedure last year because they were able to do it in their office. I first thought I was just having a sever amount of dry eye. I have Macular Degeneration in same eye, which also had a cornea transplant 3 yrs ago and have dry eye since. But this sandy stuff is very irratating. I found the best relief came by keeping it closed which keeps you from blinking so often. I thought of getting a patch cause it felt so much better when it was shut.
But, the good news is that after the procedure, the increased pain went away and all had afterward was the dry eye which is bad enough but not like the sandy stuff. Hang in there. Thes eye specialist are fantastic. I think they do great work especially considering what they are working on.
Jean, I have severe dry eye syndrome and it's miserable sometimes especially in overheated rooms during the winter and dry air conditioning in the summer. My eyes feel better closed and I close them every chance I get. What you have is even worse so just close them when you can and hang in there. A good surgeon is worth waiting on.
Thanks Bill and Dazed, this is in the outer corner of my left eye and it's worse when I try to do anything. It feels like a whole beach LOL. I miss my crossword puzzles and reading the newspaper all the way through but I guess I will make it Especially with all the people here cheering me on. Everyone give yourself a hug from me.
Jean21, this sounds terrible. I've had cataracts on both eyes removed but it didn't do anything at all for the macular degeneration. That's bad enough. Can't imagine what it's like having that grainy feeling all the time. My prayers are with you.
Jean, you are in my thoughts and prayers. Hang in there. Hopefully soon you will be pain free. (With your eyes, that is - you are still stuck with your SIL!) <grin>
Mary, The latest on SIL is..... she is accusing people of stealing her money along with calling them filthy names. So she has now lost her free transportation of the last 3 or 4 years.
I started my 1st day of work with contacts in. Feb. 9th. I couldn't see the computer. Next day I took my contacts out & put my glasses on. (Oh vanity!) I told my boss I was blind, I couldn't see. Went to my optometrist, got antibiotic & steroid drops. No improvement, sent to a cornea specialist. Seems my epithelium, top layer of the cornea, had separated from the cornea. I had been told I would have to have surgery, gross, TMI, but I started using the hydrating drops they had recommended, but I didn't use much, as it was over the counter. That did the trick. I was literally blind in my left eye, couldn't even see the top of the eye chart. Now I can read 3 lines w/ my left eye. Long story short, I felt the same feeling you have, my eye felt like it was being scratched each time I blinked. I hope you have a good outcome. I was certain I would need the surgery explained to me, but since hydrating religiously, I no longer need the surgery.
I have felt this for a long time but it wasn't so bad I couldn't stand it and at least I could read the newspaper. This got really bad last Friday and lasted through Saturday and Sunday. It doesn't feel like scratching just feels like there is something in my eye (which of course there is.lol.)and blinking doesn't make a difference it's there no matter wahat
I saw the hot shot from MUSC and that was a waste. I think he was more for removing wrinkles and bags under the eyes. Anyway to cut a long story short I called an Opthamoligist who was about 10 minutes away. Saw him a week ago and he said then I didn't have any concretions! He gave me some really thick eye drops to use before going to bed. They did NOTHING! Went back today and he said there are concretions under my top eye lid and some sort of folds on the bottom lid so I go on the 18th and he will do the surgery. According to him it will take about 15 minutes. He said I would be able to drive myself home so I have already told DH he doesn't need to go with me. He keeps saying he can drive but I don't want him to. The last time he drove he scraped my car. I wasn't with him but of course it wasn't his fault!!!!!!
I will be so glad to get this over with. It has been going on for 2 years and I haven't been able to read for long or do a crossword puzzle at all, it even bothers me peeling potatoes at the kitchen sink. So I hope after this I will be as good as new or at least as new as you can get at 70. lol
Oh, Jean, good luck with this. I had not seen this thread before and I didn't know you had eye trouble. I sure hope you have finally found a solution that will work. No, don't let your dh drive. Isn't there someone else who could drive you?
Jeanette. From what the doctor said I can drive myself. DH would get angry if I had to have someone other than him drive me. He says he can drive but I prefer he doesn't.
Jean21, so glad you are getting your eye problem resolved. I hope it all goes well for you.
As for making DH angry, I agree trying to prevent that is a good goal but it isn't always possible. At the early stage of prohibiting DH from driving I began a dental implant procedure the first visit of which I needed to be driven home. There is no way DH could have done that safely so I arranged for a girlfriend to take me. DH was not happy about it and angrily protested that there was no need for my friend to be involved but I viewed it as one of my first steps in arranging for "others" to provide care, both for DH and myself.
Now, 6 months later he is still fighting my bringing in paid help 2-3 times a month and I dread each confrontation but it is a fight I will continue to wage. He MUST get used to others being here so that I don't perish in my caregiving role. I would encourage everybody to bring in outside help sooner rather than later.
You've got it Weejun! Bring in some help as early as possible--even just for housekeeping help. Get your LO used to having others around, helping. Then you can transition to helpers who stay while you run errands, and eventually to personal care helpers for your LO. Keep in mind that your plate has become loaded down with all the new stuff that is now your's to do. Your time is better spent taking care of that business than in doing dishes, vacuuming, running laundry, etc. This is not a reflection on you--just facts of the Alz life. This is a part of taking care of you, so you can take care of your LO.
Weejun, DH doesn't drive anywhere, I do it all and it has never bothered him. He never did like driving if he didn't have to so I don't know why he would want to drive me back home from appointments. I had a friend take me and bring me home when I had the cataract surgery and I think he was relieved! I think that every now and then he wants to think he is okay to do certain things!
Jean21, glad you won't have the awful driving issue to deal with. From all I've read here and our experience it's one of the most difficult to deal with. I believe DH still "thinks" he can drive :)
I had the same thing earlier this year and thought it was just dry eyes or a stitch left over from earlier surgery. But my eye Dr was able to fold the lid back and scratch off the little grains (actually on the eye lid) and it was better the next day. I thought it was OK but eye started feeling dryer that usual and went to dr again and he said that this time it was a left over stitch from my cornea transplant.
My daddy always said: "Ain't nothin simple no more"
I have to laugh when you mentioned driving. when I had double vision, I pretended to drive myself and had my son meet me at my church, about 1/4 mile away, to drive me to the ophthamologist. Even when I was in the hospital, I didn't tell my DH that my son had driven me home. Meanwhile, the ugly subject of driving keeps coming up.