Eyes

[k9krap]

So I just got home from my bi-annual visual field and other tests.  The young lady that got stuck with me for most of the time was new.  She had to restart the visual field test on my right eye after it was over halfway done.  Turns out she ran the wrong test.  The next test got so hosed that the computer needed rebooting.   I don’t remember how many times I had to stare at that red x with all this white blotches flashing around it but it was close to twice as many as I should have had to do it.  Then I had to remind her to dilate my left eye!    Holy crap!  It’s a good thing I have had those tests done so many times.  

So, doc thinks I need to have my cataracts removed.  I’ve got an appointment next month to investigate. 

[Dave's Not Here Man]

Have them them replaced with a Rincoln Continentar. Or a Subaru.

[k9krap]

I’m truly waffling on this. I’m really freaked about having my eyes fucked with. I lose everything if I’m blind. Right now, my independence is all I have. The plus is, if I can afford it, I can have corrective lenses inserted so I will no longer have to wear contacts! But, because I have AMD, I can’t get the really good ones that will take care of my “over 40 eyes” (I’ll still need reading glasses). That’s no big deal. But it gives me some pause because if one lens is bad for AMD, why isn’t the other one? Doc says that the cataracts are interfering with the tests. My visual field was much darker this time, making it harder to make a diagnosis.

I think my biggest problem is that I haven’t developed a trusting relationship with this doc as I’ve only seen him 3 times. If Dr. Coleman, who I’ve seen ever since we moved to this area in 1966, told me I needed surgery I’d do it in a heartbeat. I’ve had these cataracts for awhile, and Dr. Coleman mentioned them every visit. But I get a feeling from this new (to me) doc that he’s always trying to sell me something. Last time, it was the plugs (blocking my tear ducts). The plugs seem to be working, so maybe it’s just me. But in 3 visits, he’s pushed 2 procedures?

[minx]

I have never heard of anyone having cataract surgery who regretted it - it really does a great job of restoring your vision.
And I was told that BC/BS will pay for the corrective lenses - my eyes aren't at the point where I qualify for the surgery yet.

My concern with your doctor would be with the tech to be honest. Clearly she hasn't been fully trained, and I'd be a little disturbed that s/he allowed her to go out unsupervised into the wild like that.

[k9krap]

And, to top off everything else, my eye pressuhad risen 8 points! In 6 months! I raised my concern but the tech (a different one) said it wasn’t 22 yet, so no cause for alarm. What? And, I was so rattled by the surgery talk that I forgot to mention it. My first cataract appointment is next month. I have many concerns, not so much about the surgery itself (I truly don’t think I need it yet but I won’t complain if BC/BS pays. It also bothered me that the doc seemed to be coaching me on what to tell the insurance company (“I’m experiencing a lot of glare”)). I left there with a feeling that I’m being sold a something I don’t need.

[minx]

Whoa! Why are they coaching YOU on what to tell the insurance? If you need the surgery, they should be able to easily justify it to the insurance company.

And the fact that the doc isn't concerned about your eye pressure isn't good. Man, if my pressure goes up 2 points it gets noticed, and the doc himself is the one who checks it!

Would you consider coming into Fredericksburg to see someone? The guy I use (Dr. Church) is good and doesn't sell you shit you don't want/need.

[Dave's Not Here Man]

Yeah I don't play that shit (being upsold) when it comes to any medical practice. Believe it or not I had two separate surgeons try to discourage me from having the fusion surgery on my back. The first one was from Kaiser and I figured he was just a company guy trying to save his employer a couple 10s of grands. But then I saw another specialist that makes her money doing the surgery also try and talk me out of it.

The bottom line is your comfort with your provider. Trust your instincts every time and move on if you have to. I always liked Dr. Brock (his brother is an MD and he's an optician) over on Lafayette. I wonder if he's still practicing? Or alive? Haven't been over there in 20 years. He prescribed a refill for my imitrex on Christmas eve one time. He was the only doctor of any kind open that day and was very gracious and kind to see me that day and help me out.

[minx]

Don't know if Brock is still in practice, but he was definitely a good doctor!

[k9krap]

I started with Coleman when we moved here. He sold his practice to Access Eye a long time ago. As long as he stayed there, I was happy. But he retired a little over a year ago, so I’m seeing the main ophthalmologist there, Dr. Arash Mansouri. I admit, I’m uncomfortable with doctors with strong accents. I have hearing issues anyway, so adding an accent makes things doubly worse. So there’s a prejudice from the start. (I always go to the main office on Rt. 3, near where Ukrops used to be) Plus, my optometrist left a year ago, too, so I saw the one here at their King George office and was not impressed at all. So I’m definitely open to a change. Is Church an ophthalmologist? I need one, give all my eye issues.

Yeah, the pressure issue really bothered me. I even told the tech that glaucoma runs in my family (both mom and my great aunt had it) and she showed no concern. Mine has always hovered around 11 or 12 but it was 18 on Wednesday! My great aunt would tell us that she couldn’t see the traffic lights, so she waited for someone to honk at her before she would go. How horrifying is that?

[minx]

Dr. Church is an ophthalmologist, and their office is by Wegman's. He had me tested for glaucoma when my pressure was at 13, so being at 18 would probably freak him out!

I go for testing twice a year - his main concern is just to keep things stable with little to no changes, but he is a big advocate of catching things early for sure.

[k9krap]

I see one on Butler Road, but that’s no where near Wegman’s. Oops, that’s an optician. Oh, here he is. Oh, he is with the group that Dr. Smart started. I saw him once or twice for contacts. I’ll see if I can get an appointment.

[k9krap]

I have an appointment for Friday at 10:55! Now, I have to get 50 years of records sent from ACCESS EYE. 🤣🤣🤣

[minx]

Sorry - should have mentioned they were formerly on Butler Rd.

We started out seeing Dr. Smart before he retired. While I like Church, I still miss him.

[k9krap]

101/85! How does that sound for someone who has been without her 3 BP meds for over a year? Not too shabby. I was shocked! Shocked! I was expecting it to be at stroke level, especially with the stress of this eye stuff and trash pickup (more in another post on that).

I was very impressed with Premier Eyes. It was an extremely pleasant experience. I love their “no drops” policy! No numbing drops for glaucoma test, no dilation, wow. The tech was very competent (she probably felt on edge because I bitched so much about Access Eye 🤣🤣). I loved how there was very little waiting. And Dr. Church took his time with me, explaining every to my satisfaction. I am so relieved. I am pretty confident I’ll be using prescription drops for glaucoma soon. I go back next month for more tests to determine exactly where I am on the scale. My pressures were a little better - 15 and 16, but he sees optic nerve damage in the right eye from it. My AMD seems pretty much stable so we are addressing the glaucoma issue first along with a new treatment for my dry eyes. I used it before I started Restasis, and it’s a lot cheaper. The plugs inserted 9 months ago are already gone, so we are working without them. He said my ducts are very small, which is common with dry eyes, so he wasn’t surprised they fell out. The doc had difficulty getting the right one to stay in so I wasn’t surprised. The dry eye test that I opted for says I have mid-range dry eyes, and that’s on Restasis.

No discussion on the cataracts. We will tackle them a bit later. They are the least critical of my eye ailments so can be put off for a bit.

Thank you, minx! I’m very much relieved.

[minx]

I am so glad you went and had a great experience too!

What I like about Dr. Church is that he has a huge focus on prevention - he very much is a proactive person rather than a reactive one. And he (like Dr. Smart) is not into surgery unless you really need it.

When Dr. Smart was still practicing I asked him about lasik. He said that he could probably get me out of glasses, but asked me if it would really be worth it. Because eyes do age, and even with lasik, I'd probably be in reading glasses by retirement age. Plus, he couldn't guarantee that I wouldn't still need glasses after the surgery - just that I should be able to see much better, and may only need glasses for driving. I really liked that he was so honest about it.

And when I asked Dr. Church, he said that it could be done, but they'd have to correct my right eye for distance and my left eye for close-up stuff. Again, doable but if I wanted to ditch glasses I should try contacts for a bit first before going for surgery.

Glasses (except for getting dirty all the time) aren't horrible, and they're easier than contacts. My priority has become being able to see clearly. If you don't like my looks, I hope that you are able to clearly see and hear me when I flip you the finger and tell you to go fuck yourself!

[k9krap]

Glasses are cold in the winter and hot in the summer. Annoyingly, they fog up, slip down your nose and hurt your ears. I. Hate. Glasses. Mine are thick and uncomfortable. Even with the fancy new thinner lenses, mine are thick. I am 20/25 with my contacts. I can’t get near that in my glasses. There’s just enough distortion in the distance between my eyes and the eyeglass lens that makes things less clear. But this was the first time they asked me to read the chart with no correction in a very long time. I am so fucking blind! I could see nothing. It wasn’t a surprise. That one huge letter? Nope. I could tell there was a blurry blob there but no way I could tell what it was.

I started using Cornea Care, which are self-heating hot compresses that I put on my eyes for 15 minutes before I go to sleep. Dr. Church says this is great for dry eyes. Between this and the Sustain gel drops at night, I hope to get rid of the Restasis.

I love how he approaches things.

Then there’s Access Eye. I finally heard back from them about transferring my records. They charge a $.37/page fee! WTF? Can’t they send them electronically? Now I know why they don’t have their fax number on their website.

[minx]

I wore contacts for a long time (had the extended wear so I could sleep in them).

Then I developed severe dust allergies and very itchy eyes. So back in glasses for now.

And yeah, I hate that they fog up and get dirty all the time, but I am also very grateful to be able to see.

I did have clearer vision with contacts though, so I 100% get where you're coming from.

[k9krap]

I had cornea damage from dry eyes years ago. I didn’t realize it until I went to get my license renewed, which required an eye test. I couldn’t see one of the letters with my right eye, and the tech helped me cheat and passed me! I got an appointment immediately. So I was out of contacts for about 6 years, trying all kinds of stuff for the dryness. The worst was thi gel that I had to put on my bottom eyelids before bed. It was goopy and a mess. I used glasses during the power outage in January. It was dark, why do I need to see clearly? But recently I’ve found reading with my latest pair of glasses is difficult. My older pair is much better. The bifocals are off a bit. There are days when I put a lens in my eye and it burns terribly from that peroxide cleaner. But im very thankful for my eyes. All my hobbies require sight. I’d be lost without it.

[Dave's Not Here Man]

I had to cut back on the porn. My eyes were starting to hurt terribly not to mention my carpel tunnel was really acting up too. And that's the hand I hold my beer with.

[minx]

If your eyes are hurting, you're pulling too tightly

If your eyes are blurry, you're watching too much.

[Dave's Not Here Man]

Thanks. You just saved me a 200 dollar doctor bill!!

[k9krap]

Sorry, guys. I have no other outlet to discuss my worries. I can internalize more, if you prefer.

[minx]

No. It's definitely okay to vent!

[k9krap]

So, today was a no go for sleep. I got up to pee around 1 pm and was wide awake. I tried going back to sleep but ended up fighting the bed instead. So, I was up and about in the daytime whicjhis unusual for me. The biggest problem is that the contact lens cleaning solution that I use requires a minimum of 6 hours (more like 8 in my experience) so that the peroxide wears down. Otherwise, you’re in for some very uncomfortable burning. So I went with glasses. Old ones since my current ones are uncomfortable and impossible to read while wearing. Im miserable. I may be so miserable that I may take the long trek upstairs to fetch my lenses.  They droop down my nose constantly, particularly if I’m sweaty (I get the sweats when I have to pee.  I’ve had this “thing” since I’ve had chronic kidney disease.  It’s disgusting and annoying because I sweat even if I’ve already pissed.  And.  I.  Hate.  Sweating.  

Okay, so I’m a little grumpy.  🤣🤣🤣

[minx]

No, I'd be beyond grumpy. I too hate excessive sweating. And I hate facial sweating because it makes my glasses slip around and get dirty faster.

So I feel your discomfort. Is it possible to get two sets of contacts? One that can sit and get clean while you wear the others?

[k9krap]

I have plenty of lenses right now, so I could do that. Good idea! Problem is, when you’re punchy from no sleep you don’t make the best decisions. My peripheral vision is back today, buddy!

The first place I sweat is my head. Always have. My mom was the same way. And, I don’t recall ever having sweated in my armpits, even after a big jazzercize session when I was sweating my ass off. My wisps of hair are plastered to my head and sweat drips down my face. Ugh. It’s miserable and disgusting. Today, when I got up, I peed and then gushed. I could have bathed in the sweat that poured off me.

[k9krap]

Although my pressures were good today, I am in the early stages of glaucoma. So I start on (more) daily drops. I’m trying to get rid of the restasis, but may not be able to as long as I use contacts. But that means over 20 minutes of my before-bed routine involved with putting drops in my eyes (Restasis, glaucoma, and Systane gel drops), but I’ll do it to preserve my precious sight.

Now, for the visit - since my appointment was early I was concerned about rush hour traffic so I left here at 0730 for my 0850 appointment. Of course, I arrived about 30 minutes early. No buggy, I can wait. (May I say how much more uncomfortable a bra is when you don’t ever wear one then have to? I feel like I’m trussed up in a straight jacket!) They we’re much busier today than my first visit. But I was taken back a few minutes before schedule and the testing started. Yes, I got the *new girl*. She’s very sweet but very very green. She wasn’t able to get the visual field test to load my prescription. I ended up doing that test a couple times because she did it incorrectly the first time. So I’m not totally confident in the results of that test. Regardless, the rest of the tests went smoothly (well, I blink too much when they flash bright lights at me but…) and I received a diagnosis. It was the first time I’ve had a doc waiting for me! He was waiting outside the testing room and escorted me to the exam room! He did say that he sees no urgency in removing the cataracts.

I go back in 3 weeks for a quick glaucoma test and then hopefully I’ll be good with the preventative treatment.

Now, can I mention how awesome the Bragg Road improvements are? I hadn’t used it in quite a while before my first trip to this doc last month. It’s beautiful and a very pleasant drive, quite unlike the old, grid-locked old road. And I get to avoid all that horrible route 3 mess.

[minx]

They did a great job on Bragg Rd and Fall Hill Ave.
Lafayette Blvd, not so much....

[k9krap]

I haven’t been out Lafayette way in a while (my internist’s office is on Lafayette, so that can tell you how long it’s been).

I get so tickled at UK PD. When they’re in a chase they dictate what the driver is doing. But they do it in 3s. So it’s, “right right right on the roundabout” or “wrong way wrong way on the roundabout”, “left left left” and my favorite, “crash crash crash!” And they say it so matter of factly. Almost deadpan.  I know when I was in the UK, there was no way I was driving.  The wrong side of the road is bad enough but couple that with so many roundabouts and I’m looking at head-on collisions.  

[k9krap]

I really think CVS is losing it, at least the one here in king George. They notified me that my eye drops were ready for pickup on Thursday. I was already home and ready to head up to bed, exhausted. So I went online and set up delivery. Great, no problem, it will be here Monday. This morning, I get a text that they will only hold the filled prescription for 10 days! I was just crawling into bed, so resolved to call them in the morning. Got up this afternoon to an email saying my order was on the way. WTF? No wonder people are losing faith in our institutions.