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AMD
Feb 8, 2023 3:05:42 GMT -5
Post by k9krap on Feb 8, 2023 3:05:42 GMT -5
I read an article today, by an ophthalmologist, that says some BP medications have been shown to cause early cases Adult onset Macular Degeneration. I took at least one of them for years. This degenerative disease commonly occurs in those over 65. Drusen was discovered in my retinas in my early 40s. 😖😖
And I have a new floater that is driving me batty! It looks like a piece of thread or lint and I keep brushing or grabbing at it. 🤣🤣🤣 I’m getting to crazy real fast.
All of this because of lupus. I had no issues with hypertension until the symptoms of lupus cropped up. As a matter of fact, my bp ran on the low side (I was young! Early 20s. Pretty healthy - avid jazzerciser.). Fucking bad genes. Thank goodness I didn’t pass them on.
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AMD
Feb 8, 2023 10:17:04 GMT -5
Post by minx on Feb 8, 2023 10:17:04 GMT -5
Oh wow!
I suspect we're going to find more of this as we age. Drugs that we took for one condition have unknown side effects that cause a second condition later on down the road.
I always had fantastic teeth. Enamel like titanium. Then I started on antidepressants and had to add HBP medication, so my mouth is like a desert. Well, one side effect of dry mouth is more cavities - since you aren't producing enough saliva, bacteria on your teeth aren't washed off naturally during the course of the day, so they sit and chew away at your enamel.
The solutions? 1) Drink more water (I already drink like a fish, so this one's out). 2) Decrease or stop the original medications. Um no. An unmedicated Minx is a dangerous thing. 3) Add another medication - not really into that. Don't want to see what 'new and improved' side effect that may cause.
But at the time I started 29 years ago, bad teeth weren't one of the things they really warned you about, as there hadn't been a ton of research on it.
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AMD
Feb 8, 2023 10:19:38 GMT -5
Post by k9krap on Feb 8, 2023 10:19:38 GMT -5
My mom had dry mouth from all her meds. It’s a misery.
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AMD
Feb 8, 2023 11:50:36 GMT -5
Post by minx on Feb 8, 2023 11:50:36 GMT -5
It's definitely not fun. OTOH, I'd rather have it than experience all the mood swings and erratic behavior I was experiencing before.
At the same time, I know people who are the reverse - the dry mouth is so irritating to them that they'd rather not take the meds in the first place - not for me, but everyone has their own tolerance level too.
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AMD
Feb 9, 2023 1:23:33 GMT -5
Post by k9krap on Feb 9, 2023 1:23:33 GMT -5
Absolutely! I tolerate the burning and discomfort every time I apply the prescription eye drops. And contact lenses! Holy shit, the woes they’ve caused me. They are possibly a main cause of my dry eyes. I started in tiny, hard lenses which were terribly uncomfortable and I struggled to get them out for a while (then I found a way to just pop them out easily which can’t be done with gas permeable or soft lenses). I was thrilled when they developed soft lenses that could correct my extensive astigmatism. But, I have to insert them so that a mark on the lens is at the top. Otherwise, my vision is blurry.
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AMD
Feb 9, 2023 11:04:56 GMT -5
Post by minx on Feb 9, 2023 11:04:56 GMT -5
Best friend in HS has congenital cataracts. Was legally blind by HS (as an aside, it was truly amazing how little we all noticed it - she lived a pretty damn normal HS life - just couldn't drive and needed things like magnifying sheets and large text to read).
She had surgery to remove the lenses in her eyes in her late teens and had to wear hard contacts - they looked like poker chips!
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AMD
Feb 9, 2023 11:14:42 GMT -5
Post by k9krap on Feb 9, 2023 11:14:42 GMT -5
Mine were tiny. And they gave me this teeny tiny suction cup to remove them. 🤣🤣🤣 They barely covered my pupils when they were dialated. I was surprised how much bigger the gas permeable ones were and the soft ones are en larger!! Twice the size, I’m guessing. I had to have had significant calluses on the inside of my eyelids from those hard lenses because they eventually became somewhat comfortable.
I worked it’s a woman who was blind. We went to Nagshead with a group that included her. I was amazed at her bravery. She just walked into the surf all by herself! Shit, when I get up to pee with my sleep mask on, it’s all I can do to get to the toilet without killing myself. 🤣🤣🤣 (most of the time, I take it off but sometimes the hot compress is still working it’s magic so I leave them on)
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AMD
Feb 9, 2023 14:20:06 GMT -5
Post by minx on Feb 9, 2023 14:20:06 GMT -5
Oh, my friend was the same - she was in marching band, was the first chair oboe in concert band and rode her bike everywhere.
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AMD
Feb 10, 2023 0:13:26 GMT -5
Post by k9krap on Feb 10, 2023 0:13:26 GMT -5
This young lady did the Jane Fonda workout every morning at the beach with the other girls there. I couldn’t contain my admiration.
And the way she navigated the halls of our office building was amazing. There were times you would forget she was blind.
She worked her computer like the pro she was. And it talked to her, but he’ll if I could understand it! It spoke very quickly and she had it set very low.
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