I can't believe it....

[Lindsey]

PINK EYE AGAIN! :mad:

My right eye was pretty red yesterday morning, it was mostly bloodshot at the bottom of the eye. I already had my contacts in so I thought I'd just leave it for the day, maybe I had gotten some dirt or something in it gardening.

Last night it was no better, and this morning my left eye had started to turn pink instead of white. They aren't watering but they are a little sore and itchy. I figured I might as well go to the doctor in case it is pink eye and I can catch it at the start. And yep, he gave me some antibiotic eye drops again. I'm glad I'm starting them today though, because I'm going to visit my pregnant best friend this weekend and I don't want her to be worried about getting it too!

I can't help wondering if it's being misdiagnosed though. I had it at least 3 times between December and February, and now 4 months later it's back again. Scott hasn't caught it ONCE. There are no germs from last time that should still be alive this time, and I haven't been anywhere except work lately. I'm home from work today though anyway, just in case.

It's just one thing after another with me!

[Blueyes]

I wonder about the diagnosis, too. I'm so sorry you're having MORE problems, Lindsey! Geezzzz:eek:

[DianaB]

That is funny to have pink eye so many times in the last few months.....you probably need to talk to your doctor about it.

Do you use a product called Reun with moisture loc? There are problems associated with that.

http://www.weitzlux.com/renu/eyeinfection_612312.html

You might do a search on chronic eye infections and see if anything looks like what you have. I hope you get to feeling better. Hugs!!

[Lindsey]

Diana, I have used Renu before, so I just checked but that's not what I'm using at the moment. I think I'll stay away from it now though! Thanks for the information.

I put in the eye drops when I got home, and they were itching a bit so I laid down, closed my eyes, and fell fast asleep :rolleyes: My left eye (that just seemed to start this morning) looks white again, but just with a bit of redness still showing. The right eye is still pretty red.

[DianaB]

How are your eyes now, Lindsey? Did you decide if it was pink eye or not?

[Lindsey]

I'm still wearing my glasses and using the antibacterial eye drops. Both eyes are not yet WHITE like they should be, and are still a bit veiny. Yesterday my left eye was bad... very very bloodshot from the inner corner right to the iris. I used the drops last night and it's much better today but still not good. I really don't know what's going on. I wasn't using the eye drops a lot over the weekend and it started getting bad again, so I am going to try to use them 3 or 4 times a day now. Hopefully this will be resolved before Tuesday when we leave for our holidays. We will be driving 9 hours or more on some days and I would really like to be able to wear sunglasses!

My eyes aren't watery at all though, and there should be discharge with pink eye. My eyes are just really sore most of the time. Of course, my glasses are an old prescription, and I'm sitting in front of a computer for 13 hours a day most days now because I'm so stressed out and working so much overtime. I'm not getting much sleep either, especially the nights when I don't get home until 10 pm and still need to make a meal and eat before bed!

I just think I need a break all around, and a chance to be able to just rest my eyes and hopefully they will get better. I also hurt my jaw last night and it's so painful to chew! And the scab on my foot still isn't healed so I'm walking funny. I'm just falling apart all over the place lol!

[judy]

Poor Lindsey!!!:bighug:

[gja1000]

Gosh Lindsay! I hope you are feeling better - all over - soon!

[DianaB]

I'm really concerned about your eyes especially since you work so much with a computer. You could be right that they just need a rest but I wouldn't think that not resting them would cause an infection. Maybe you need to call in and talk to a nurse at the doctor's office and see if there's anything else that they can do.

[Lindsey]

It's still not clearing up and I leave on vacation tomorrow night :( I guess I'll just have to wear my glasses. By the end of the day my eyes hurt so bad it causes headaches that just won't go away. But I use antibiotic drops before bed and when I wake up they feel fine, although they are still red. Since yesterday they have both had yellow goopy stuff which is a sign of bacterial pink eye. I've been trying to use the eye drops 4 times a day, but of course have days like today where I forgot them at home.

[Blueyes]

I'm sorry your eyes aren't better for vacation. There should be a doctor somewhere that can get to the bottom of this...when you get back, you gotta find the answer! Have fun, and don't forget to take your drops!;)

[DianaB]

I hope that you're able to get rid of it soon.

[Lindsey]

Well I may have a verdict....

I ran out of the antibiotic eye drops on Sunday before vacation was even over. My eyes have been getting worse and worse, painful and red all the time. So I called the optometrist today and got in just after lunch. She figures I had a viral eye infection at the start, maybe from a cold or flu. I started using the prescribed eye drops, the same brand I had used way back in December and January (and they didn't totally work then either). And now my eyes are STILL red, sore, and itchy. So her conclusion is that the infection is probably gone, but I'm just allergic to those antibiotic eye drops! She said it's very common to be allergic to that antibiotic, and the drops are just the drug combined with steroids. The steroid would make my eyes feel better for a little while, but then they'd get sore again. What I have now is just dry eyes with inflammation, an allergic reaction to the antibiotic.

Phew!

She gave me a box of artificial tears to put in my eyes every hour until I see her again on Friday. Hopefully this is the end of it!

[DianaB]

I'm glad that you finally found out what's wrong. I couldn't imagine that you were getting pink eye that many times so close together. Being allergic to the eye drops makes sense. I hope that your eye problems all disappear now!!!

[judy]

I hope this is the end of your eye problems now! I have dry eyes, and it can really be bothersome. It sounds like your will go away quickly!

[Lindsey]

I have put in three sets of drops now and my eyes are still sore and red but it feels so nice when the drops first hit! If this ends up NOT receeding by Friday, they will just give me stronger antibiotics. I am so not used to wearing glasses so I'm anxious to be able to wear contacts again. I've mentioned this before but my glasses are an old prescription so they strain my eyes too. I don't know if it's worth getting new ones now because I am hoping that next year I will be cleared for getting lasik!

[Lindsey]

There is still no change so far. I still had yellow goop and crusties on my eyes when I woke up this morning so I don't think the infection is gone completely. I have a feeling I'll be getting stronger antibiotics tomorrow.

[JJJ]

Have you considered lasix surgery? I used to wear contacts for a long time, then one day I was driving and the sun ray's hit my eye's and I was just tearing badly, I had to pull over. It was a normal sunny day but my eyes got fed up with the contacts. After that day I couldn't wear them or my eyes would start tearing badly. Well long story short the contacts did damage my eyes a little bit.
Do a little research on lasix surgery I love it.

[Lindsey]

Yeah, I'm hoping to have the surgery next year. My dad had it done at least a year ago now, and he is doing great. My optometrist wants me to wait another year to make sure my eyes aren't changing prescription much (there was only a slight change over the past year). So if they're staying stable by my next eye exam I'll look into it further!

The optometrist said she thinks I still have a slight infection left. She gave me a prescription for the strongest antibiotic eye drop available, and wants me to use it for 5-7 days. If it's not better then, I get to go back to her again. Luckily this one is only 3x a day instead of once per hour! Anyways, I thought I'd be paying for these appointments just like I'd pay for an eye exam because my insurance doesn't cover vision care. BUT apparently these consultations are just covered under my general provincial health care! Who knew! So when I went to Walmart for my prescription, I got to do a little shopping for myself too with that money I saved lol.

[DianaB]

I'm glad that the doctor is finally paying attention to your eye problems. It shouldn't have gone on this long. I hope you're better soon.

[judy]

Good thing the doctor finally figured it out! I had lasix and loved it! The only problem was that I ended up with "dry eye." I was much older than you though, and I think that might have been why. I would check into that seriously though.
I used Restasis daily for about 4 years, and now it is pretty much gone!

[Lindsey]

So the optometrist thought the redness would clear up in 2-3 days but I should keep taking the drops for 5-7 days to make sure it's all gone. Well, it's the beginning of day 4 and they are still very red! This morning it hurt to open my eyes and I kept them closed while Scott drove me to work this morning because they would not stop watering when they were open! The drops are about half gone but I'll use them until it's empty!

[Blueyes]

Maybe you should find a specialist. This has gone on wayyy too long!

[Lindsey]

If it doesn't clear up by the end of the week, I will go back and probably be referred to a specialist

[DianaB]

I think that if you're still having problems then you should go to a specialist. This has gone on way too long.

[Lindsey]

I called the optometrist when they opened this morning and got in just after lunch. She agreed that my eyes haven't responded at all to the new antibiotics and it's a really stubborn infection so she called an opthamologist and by the time I got back to my office they called me and would like me to go to the hospital at 4:00 today, so another hour and a half. That was quick! They may do a culture or something to figure out what it really is and see what they can do to get rid of it for good. The optometrist thinks it's probably related to the infections I was having around Christmas, so it's recurring. Keep your fingers crossed for me and my poor eyes!

[Blueyes]

I'm so relieved that you are seeing another doctor. Eyesight is nothing to fool around with. Please keep us updated.

[Lindsey]

I saw the specialist, and he didn't know what it was, so he called in another specialist, and he didn't know what it was either. They took scrapings and I am going back in a week. Yes, SCRAPINGS of my eyeballs. So uncomfortable! They also put in dilating drops, which I've had before, but if I'd have known that I wouldn't have drove. I had to get Scott to come pick me up. The amount of time I had to sit there with dilated pupils and a bright light shining straight into my eye was almost unbearable, it made me start to feel faint and nauseous. But, hopefully they can figure something out.

[gja1000]

I know it was uncomfortable, but I'm really glad you saw a specialist and that they took some samples so hopefully, they will determine the problem.

Let us know!

[Lindsey]

I'm glad I went too because I really want this to be done. Oh I didn't even mention the worst part... turning my eyelids inside out! That was sooooo uncomfortable!

[gja1000]

YUK! I know it was awful. My g-daughter had to have that done too, for a sty - she said it hurt like heck!

[JJJ]

I'm glad I went too because I really want this to be done. Oh I didn't even mention the worst part... turning my eyelids inside out! That was sooooo uncomfortable!

My boy's do that, they know they look hideous but they have outgrown it.:rolleyes:

I'm glad they took samples, that should narrow thing down. I hope it's just something simple that they missed. Crossing my fingers for you.

[Lindsey]

Well, this is my first day of putting NOTHING in my eyes! Scott said they weren't as red this morning, just very veiny. And they are super itchy! I'm trying not to touch or rub them.

[DianaB]

Hopefully the itching is a sign that they're healing. I hope this goes away and you don't have any more problems. I curious to hear that they find out from the scrapings.

[Lindsey]

Diana, they're not feeling so itchy anymore. I just checked in the bathroom mirror and they are still very very veiny, but in between it is white instead of pink. I think that's a good sign!

I got a call this morning and I have an appointment next Wednesday around noon. I am betting they'll do the same things as yesterday to check for changes, so I'll get Scott to take some time off to drive me there because they'll probably dilate my eyes again. I needed him to get a ride to pick me up yesterday because I couldn't even open my eyes if I was looking towards sunlight. I probably wouldn't be safe on the roads :rolleyes:

[Lindsey]

Well, the specialists have NO IDEA what's wrong :mad: My eyes are still red and sore and there is no explanation. I got a prescription for a steroid eye drop to take for a week, and I go back to see them in 2 weeks. I started the eye drops yesterday and there has been NO improvement at all yet.

For over a month now, every day I look like I've been crying or had a late night or whatever, and I'm just so sick of looking like this. I am so frustrated.

[judy]

That sucks!!!

Is there another type of specialist you could go to? An allergist maybe?

Gayle, what do you think?

[Lindsey]

I guesss if there's no improvement when I go back in two weeks they'll have to figure out where else to send me. Scott said this morning that it doesn't look like anything has changed.

[JJJ]

Gosh I'm sorry Lindsey.

[gja1000]

I don't know a thing about eyes - but I would say you do need to go to some sort of specialist. I don't know what kind though......

[DianaB]

Have you told them that you're on the computer a lot? Hopefully, you're still just getting over the drops that bothered you and in time your eyes will heal. I hope you have good news in a couple of weeks.

[Lindsey]

I did let them know I'm a drafter, but if it were computer related it should clear up somewhat on weekends, and definitely when I was on vacation for a week...

The specialists I'm seeing now are opthamologists, and they seem to think it looks like follicular conjuctivitis. This is basically what I found online:

Clinical features:
May present as an acute or chronic disease
Symptoms: hyperemia, chemosis, watery discharge, photophobia and periorbital pain.
Signs:
The follicles appear as gray-white, round to oval elevations which measuring between 0.5 to 1.5 mm in diameter
Smaller follicles may produce a slightly irregular and velvety appearance
Follicles can be seen in the inferior and superior tarsal conjunctiva, and less often, on bulbar or limbal conjunctiva

Acute follicular conjunctivitis is usually associated with viral (epidemic keratoconjunctivitis, Herpes zoster keratoconjunctivitis, infectious mononucleosis, Epstein-Barr virus infection) or chlamydial infections (Inclusion conjunctivitis), while chronic disease may be caused by chronic chlamydial infection (trachoma, lymphogranuloma venereum) or as a toxic or reactive inflammaytroy response to topical medications and molluscum contagiosum infection.
Treatment is directed to the causative agents.

The eye scraping ruled out a chlamydial infection. I got so worried when he brought that up the first time saying "You can get it from touching door handles or anything touched by someone who has an infection" :eek: I use hand sanitizer CONSTANTLY but now I will even more! But anyways, that was ruled out and they can't figure out what is causing it. They said it can also be caused by viruses that cause cold sores, but I've never had a cold sore in my life. I just don't know!

[DianaB]

At least they have some idea of what's wrong. It doesn't sound very good but now they'll know how to treat it. Hugs, Lindsey.

[gja1000]

They said it can also be caused by viruses that cause cold sores, but I've never had a cold sore in my life. I just don't know!

That is a really serious problem and I hope that is NOT what you have (I don't think that is it). Did you ever have chicken pox as a child? If not, then I don't think you carry the virus that can cause it. If you did have chicken pox, then it is possible, but again, I really don't think so. That type of eye infection is VERY painful.

[Lindsey]

I did have the chicken pox... TWICE actually! I had a mild case when I was a baby, and then I got it full-blown again when I was 4 or 5. My mom was sure I wouldn't catch it from my brother because I had it once already, but I sure did!

My eyes aren't in a lot of pain. They get sore a lot faster than before, and it seems to be a pain kind of around my eye sockets and between my eyes. It's not severe pain, just a dull ache. At the start of all this the pain was a lot worse and I got pounding headaches from it. That may have been from the drops I was using though.

[gja1000]

Well, it is definitely a chronic condition, rather than acute, I think. It is hard to understand why they can't get it cleared up - but I guess that may be because they can't readily identify what is causing it. This is really frustrating!

[Lindsey]

You're telling me! When I had the same problem through December and January, I think it's the same thing now. I don't think it was bacterial or viral pink eye then either, because that should be highly contagious and NOBODY caught it from me, even when it was untreated for the first week or two. Even sharing pillows with Scott!

I think seasonal allergies are out of the question because it was winter the first time and now summer... and I'm not even living in the same place so it's nothing at home... and I still had it when I went to BC so it's not the office or anything like that. I don't know if it's an allergy at all. But it's definitely annoying.

[Lindsey]

Well, I have used the steroid eye drops for a week, and have been off them for two days. They didn't get any better on them, but they didn't hurt. Now that I'm not using them, they seem to be more red and definitely more painful. My next appointment with the specialist is on Wednesday because that's the earliest I could get in. I am so frustrated with the specialist too because he basically said "I don't know what it could be" :mad: Well he is paid to figure that out! I think the guy I'm seeing this next time is someone different though.
I want my eyes back :( I'm just feeling down today but it seems that since April, I have not been well. Layla went down, and then I had surgery on my hand and foot (and my foot still hurts), and then my eyes got screwed up, and I just don't know how much more I can take.

[gja1000]

Oh Lindsay! It is hard for so many things to be wrong at the same time. I'm so sorry! I keep thinking that someone is going to be able to figure out what is wrong with your eyes!

[judy]

I am sending you a big hug!!!

[gja1000]

Lindsay, when is your next appointment?

[Lindsey]

My appointment is tomorrow, and I can't wait. My eyes have been hurting ALL DAY, and I wasn't even in front of my computer because I was in meetings for about 6 hours. Now I'm working late on my computer and my eyes are just killing me. I just checked in the mirror and they are so bloodshot it's scary to look at.

[gja1000]

I'd be getting VERY firm with the doc - this has gone on way too long. If you are seeing a new doc, even though he/she has your records, be sure to tell him/her how long this has been going on and all the things you have tried.

Ask him/her what could be causing it and then take each possibility and ask why he/she thinks it might/might not be that particular diagnosis. Make him/her talk to you about each possibility. Why might it be X, why not might it be X. What are the symptoms? What are the causes for EACH possibility. As they talk, you may think of something that might give them more ideas about what this is.

[Lindsey]

Thanks Gayle, I will. I hope this one has a little more thought than the last one. He basically threw up his hands and said he doesn't know what it could be. I can go online and find a million things it COULD be but I don't want to do that! I want to know for sure from a doctor exactly what it is and what will fix it. I will do anything at this point!

I'm pretty sure my eyes are dry, and not producing enough tears right now. Even when I want to cry, I can't really. I get some tears, but not much. When I am really tired and I have a big yawn, no tears. When I was that tired before, I'd usually have to wipe my eyes. I always cry at weddings, and on the weekend I felt my eyes heat up but there were no tears coming out. I am definitely going to bring that up. I also get very very itchy on the inside corners of my eyes and it doesn't go away unless I scratch the edge of my eyelid. I've also had some stuffy sinuses lately too, so I'll bring that up as well.

The most frustrating thing is that the symptoms keep changing! I didn't have sinus issues at the start of this, but I did have very red eyes with yellow discharge. There is no discharge anymore, but there is pain that wasn't there before. Before, I was wiping my eyes constantly, and now I barely tear at all.

[judy]

Please post as soon as you get this doctor's opinion! Poor Lindsey!!!

[DianaB]

Lindsey, I hope that you find out what's wrong soon.

[Lindsey]

I'm leaving for my appointment in a few minutes. Scott may also have caught it from me now... his eyes have been very red and veiny for the past week. He blames in on allergies, but he has had allergies since June and his eyes just started getting red last week, and they're getting worse like mine.

[Lindsey]

It turns out I saw the same doctor. And again, he has NO IDEA what it could be. I told him my eyes hurt and he said this has gone on way too long. He sent me back out to the waiting room and came back 20 minutes later, gave me a prescription for MORE steroid drops (apparently a little different from the first?) and said another specialist's office will be calling me for an appointment. This new guy is an internal eye specialist. Maybe he can figure it out.

I got my eyes frozen and prodded again today and it made me feel nauseous again. I wish I was normal.

[gja1000]

I got my eyes frozen and prodded again today and it made me feel nauseous again. I wish I was normal.

:mad:GRRRRR! They better find out what is wrong soon or I'm gonna come up there and whup someone!!! By the way, if you were normal, you wouldn't be as interesting! ;) But really, I wish your eyes were extremely NORMAL! :p But I ask my students to define normal. Have you ever tried to define normal? What is normal? It's kinda hard!

[DianaB]

I can't believe that you STILL haven't found anything out yet!!! I'd be getting pretty upset with my doctor by now. I hope the specialist finds something out and soon!!!!!

[Lindsey]

I have not even heard from the new doctor yet to set up an appointment. If he doesn't call today, I am calling the referring specialist, getting his number, and calling myself.

I am 95% sure Scott has the same thing now. The whites of his eyes are pink and they are very veiny looking. I told him it looks like pink eye, but he refuses to go to a doctor. Maybe he has had it this whole time too but hasn't been showing symptoms. Maybe I can't get rid of it because he's not being treated for it either.

Anyways, on top of this I am still having sinus problems and for the past two days I've had terrible chest congestion and a cough. I can't say after this long that anything is related, but it's all just making me pretty miserable.

[Lindsey]

Oh yeah, and the new drops haven't helped at all yet. Frustrating.

[gja1000]

Did this all start before toy moved into your new house? I think it did so it's probably not anything environmental, but it's just a thought.

[Lindsey]

We moved in April and it started in mid-June... I had that feeling too but I think we were there long enough before that it should have started earlier if that were the case. We did get new bedroom furniture just before it started, but that's all that has changed. But I have been away from the house, even on holidays for a week, and it doesn't get better when I'm away from home.

[Lindsey]

My appointment is tomorrow afternoon. I asked the receptionist if my pupils will be dilated and I'm glad I asked because the answer was yes... Scott will take time off work to go with me now. I don't think I will be able to come back to work after it either. They say it lasts for an hour or so but it seems to last much longer with me. Last time they were dilated around 4:00 and I couldn't even look at the tv until around 7:00... it's more comfortable just to keep my eyes closed!

I looked at the new doctor's information online and he's actually a surgeon. But obviously he's specialized enough that he might be able to figure something out. The building is the same place where they do lasik and other optical surgeries so they have very specialized equipment and hopefully can see a little more. Scott's eyes have been continuously getting more and more red too, so it MUST be something contagious or an allergy or something. It's not affecting JUST me.

[DianaB]

I hope they finally figure out what it wrong.

[Lindsey]

I feel like I've waited forever for this appointment and the day is finally here. Please cross your fingers that he can find out what's wrong!

[Lindsey]

I am frustrated beyond belief. He said NOTHING is wrong with my eyes. They used dilating drops which also whiten the eyes (I learned from the last eye doc that it happens), so he just said "They look fine to me". I told him the steroid drops haven't helped and he told me to keep taking them for the next month (the pamphlet says 10 days max or you heighten your risk of getting eye diseases and loss of sight). I told him my eyes are so red in the mornings I can't see any whites. I said they're in pain like they're strained or fatigued all the time. I said they're itchy in the corners every once in awhile. He just said "There's nothing wrong, take these lubricating drops and come back in 6 weeks"
:mad: I held my tears on the way out. I am getting NOWHERE with this.

[gja1000]

Lindsay, I think this is paternalism at its height. The doctors are not listening to you. And the more insistent you get, the more they think you are a dizzy woman. It is absolutely maddening. I have a friend who works with women with heart disease. She knows a woman who had jaw surgery, her gall bladder out, her teeth fixed, physical therapy for back pain, diagnosed with depression - all before she had her heart attack. Yep, ALL her symptoms for months were heart pain - undiagnosed because most research is done on men and doctors do not understand that the symptoms of cardiovascular disease in women is very different than men.

This is all to say that I believe you are experiencing doctors who are not listening to you. I'm so sorry and I don't know what to tell you except to keep searching for a doctor that will listen to you. There IS SOMETHING WRONG WITH YOUR EYES and you may have to shout and stomp your feet to get some help. However, you may be treated like a hysterical female - which really stinks. But remember the squeeky wheel ultimately gets some oil!

[Lindsey]

Thank you Gayle. I don't want to wait until something serious happens before someone takes notice. In the morning I am calling the eye care center that referred me to this guy, and asking if there's anyone else I can see for a second opinion. I'll tell them I feel that it is something contagious since my boyfriend seems to have gotten the same thing. I just need another opinion before 6 weeks is up. I am also not going to take the steroid eye drops anymore. I have used them for 7 days and not seen any improvements. And straight from the drug information:

Prolonged use: Prolonged use of this medication can cause eye problems such as glaucoma, optic nerve damage, vision problems, cataracts, and perforation of the cornea. Prolonged used may also increase the risk of fungal and bacterial eye infections. If this medication is used for more than 10 days, your doctor will check your eyes routinely.

I don't know WHY this doctor would suggest me taking it for a month and seeing me again in 6 weeks. Not worth it to me if I haven't seen ANY improvement yet. My eyes really hurt and this doctor just acted like I was wasting his time. I wouldn't be wasting MY time and using all my sick time at work if there wasn't a real problem here. I have never been treated like this before. I had a lump on my neck when I was very little and I was seen and tested by every specialist possible... it went away and they never found the cause but they never stopped trying. I had kidney problems in my teens and again saw every specialist for it and was tested for every possible disease and am still being monitored to make sure it's healthy. But these eye specialists just don't care.

[gja1000]

The uncaring attitude and telling you to take a medication that clearly is dangerous long term is just unacceptable. Keep after them!

[judy]

I had very bad dry eye after I had Lasix about 15 years ago. I found the name of a doctor who was very well known for specializing in this. I wrote to him asking for the name of a specialist in NYC, and his assistant emailed the name of a great doctor. She gave me a list of things to try, and then gave me the name of an excellent doctor to go see who was doing research in NYC. He started me on a medication that was in clinical trial. At the end of all of this, about 10 years later, I don't even have to take the medication he gave me anymore.

Maybe you can start doing some research online and see which researchers keep popping up when you research your symptoms.

[Lindsey]

This is so absolutely sickening. I called the eye care centre who referred me to this guy and the receptionist said I can't just go back there, I have to get my optometrist to refer me again. I have to start from scratch again if I want to see the guy in the middle.

[Lindsey]

I called the office of the specialist I saw yesterday. I told them he found nothing wrong but there IS something wrong and I'd like to see him again without the dilating drops, and I'm not waiting 6 weeks because my eyes hurt. The soonest I can get in is September 5th.

I called the optometrist who started the referrals and her receptionist was going to call me back after talking with her. They talked and called and said I can get in on the 23rd. She said it should be able to wait that long. She can't see me again until she gets reports back from the specialists I've seen.

I am making Scott call the optometrist now. He's going to say he has the same problem as me so we're worried it's contagious and if we can't get in sooner, can we at least both see the doctor when I go in on the 23rd.

I have such a headache. I have been hiding out in the office bathroom a few times already this morning to wipe my tears. I am so stressed out.

[DianaB]

So sorry, Lindsey. :hug: I can't believe that this has gone on for this long. I think that it's a good idea for Scott to see the doctor......maybe they'll take him more seriously. It's sad but it doesn happen.

[Lindsey]

They said they need to see reports first and I just wanted to scream "You know what they found? NOTHING! The reports will say NOTHING!"

Scott said the girl is talking to the optometrist and then calling him back again.

[Blueyes]

NO WAY!!!! NOTHING????? That's the most ignorant thing I have ever heard!! Oh Lindsey, what are you going to do? You'll just have to find another doctor!

[Lindsey]

Scott has gotten us in to my original optometrist tomorrow. The one I had been seeing about this issue isn't the regular one I see... just the only one available on short notice. They think it's best if we both go back to my original optometrist for another opinion. I agree! We need to be there at 8 tomorrow morning. Scott also needs to have a full sight test done since he hasn't been there before.

My eyes were red all weekend although not as sore as usual. I'm back at work today and they really hurt. Maybe there is something to this computer work. Maybe I have something underlying but the computer irritates it more. Either way I just need to get it figured out. I think I'm going to cancel the plates on my motorcycle. We get 3 good months of riding weather up here and I've wasted 2 of them - my helmet won't fit over my glasses. So I might as well cancel the last month and say "screw it" to riding even once this year :(

[gja1000]

I'm so sorry you won't be able to ride your motorbike - well not really, I'm a nurse and I see what happens when cars don't see motorbikes. The person on the bike always loses. So, I really can't say that I'm sorry you won't be able to ride. But I am sorry that your eyes are preventing you from doing things that you want to do!

I sure hope you can find out what is wrong! I'm glad you got the appointment together!

[Lindsey]

Oh Gayle I know what you mean. The bike is lots of fun but since we have such a short riding season up here, drivers don't look out for us. I haven't rode to and from work in a long time because rush hour is terrible with people hurrying to get to work or hurrying to get home. I hate riding in the city. I was so excited to ride around our (almost trafficless) town though! And the highways outside of town would be good too. I was considering selling my bike next year, and for sure when Scott and I decide to get married we want to sell both bikes to pay for a wedding and honeymoon. So I'm getting to the end of my "biker chick" era and it sucks that my eyes had to cut it even shorter!

We saw the optometrist this morning and I am so much happier with her. I wish I saw her in the first place! She thinks we both have allergies and dry eyes. Other than that, NO infections. She doesn't like that they put me on all the steroids to begin with instead of an antihistamine eye drop, but she does want me to continue with them once a day as the specialist said just because I'd be following up with him. I'm also supposed to use hydrating eye drops, and we're going to look into a humidifier or two for the house. And we're going to vacuum out all the vents in the house (I think we may have started running A/C around the time this started) and since we are painting anyway, I have been cleaning out a LOT of dust!

I totally trust my optometrist and she is concerned with me and not pushy. She is very thorough. I am also glad she mentioned allergies, when the specialist said he saw no allergic reactions. I thought that could be part of it.

[gja1000]

You might look into getting your air conditioner vents cleaned (inside the vents). Lots of crud, even mold, can build up in them and that might be contributing to the problem.

I'm really glad that you are comfortable with your doctor. She sounds like she is listening to you!

[judy]

Thank goodness you found a good doctor! Allergies would make sense, especially in a new environment. There may be one or two new things that could really upset your allergies.

I always had allergies, sometimes worse than others. They very often changed when I changed the school I was working in. The funny thing is, when I moved upstate, many of my allergies are gone. You would think all of the greenery would make them worse, but I think allergens hide in corners of building much more than we think.

Check out this google search page:
http://www.google.com/search?hl=en&rlz=1B3MOZA_enUS366US366&&sa=X&ei=redvTPLSGMGblgfxqoiKDQ&ved=0CBMQvgUoAA&q=how+to+clean+a+house+of+allergans&nfpr=1

[Lindsey]

Thanks Judy! I'll have to read through some more of that when I get some time!

I am sure it's something in our house now. When we went to BC on holidays, I think my eyes were still red because I DID still have an infection then. Or perhaps I was allergic to those drops. But I had yellow gunk coming from my eyes for the next few weeks, so there was an infection. On Saturday I spent most of the day outside, then went into the city and spent the night at my grandma's house. My eyes were so bright white in the morning! The veins were still there, but not as prominent. We were in the city shopping all day and my eyes didn't hurt at all, and stayed white. Last night we came home, went to bed, got up this morning, and they're more red again. We're going to clean the vents this week and hopefully buy a humidifier soon. If we can't fix it ourselves we'll look into how expensive it is to get someone out to test the air in our house.

[DianaB]

I hope your eye doctor has finally figured out what's going on. You may want to check into an ionizer. They ionize the air and help with allergies. The dry eyes could be caused by not blinking enough when you're on the computer.

[Blueyes]

Maybe you WERE allergic to the drops! I'm so glad you found a doctor you feel confident with.

[Lindsey]

Well. my eyes are still not better. I tried wearing contacts on Saturday night to a barbeque for a few hours. My eyes still hurt, not really any worse or better than when I wear glasses. I was supposed to go back to the specialist this Friday, but my grandma's second husband passed away on the weekend and I will be going to his funeral Friday instead. So I have rescheduled the appointment for next week.

Scott is taking antihistamine eye drops and his eyes haven't improved either! But now the cold is settling in, leaves are changing, crops are being taken off feilds, so if it is an outside allergy it may be calming down soon.

[DianaB]

I can't believe that you both have this and nobody has figured out what's going on!!! I would be so fustrated!!!


I'm so sorry about the loss of your step grandfather. My condolences.

[judy]

I am so sorry about your the loss of your grandfather.

I think allergies can take a long time to figure out. I hope it gets solved quickly!

[Lindsey]

Thanks guys. I actually haven't seen him in years... shortly after I went back to school after living with them, he went into a home. He had been going crazy for months and I had to lock the bedroom door at night because he would frantically try to get in! :eek: He just got worse and worse in the home and hasn't recognized my grandma for years. He had a new "wife" there that he would introduce her to when she went to visit lol! But my grandma knew this was coming, he wouldn't even eat lately without her there to feed him. And she will have less to worry about, and her whole income will not be going towards his stay in the home (his family had nothing to do with him in these last years). And now he's in a place with his first wife and I'm sure he's very happy too!

Yesterday, Scott bought a humidifier for $5 from an old couple. I worked until 1:00 am so by the time I got home and to bed it was 2:00. We tried turning on the humidifier to see how it would work. It is LOUD!!! We kept it right outside the bedroom door for the night. I ended up sleeping through it anyway, and my eyes weren't as sore this morning, but they're still very very red. Since yesterday, it the back of my right eye hurts when I look left. But also, I haven't gotten much sleep this week. Next week I can just relax and stay home and hopefully try to figure out if it's the house or office or just strain making my eyes so red.

[Lindsey]

By the way, I'm going to stick with the humidifier for a few more weeks and see if it helps anything because I think there's something to the dry eyes theory. My skin has needed moisturizer constantly every day, my throat is dry and sore, and last night when I got home, I was just about to start the shower when my nose started pouring blood. Sometimes I get nosebleeds from dryness. I think we should invest in a quiet humidifier for the bedroom and maybe use the loud one on the main floor. Hopefully it will help a little.

[DianaB]

I hope the humidifier helps. You have certainly dealt with this long enough! An eye doctor can check the moisture in your eyes. Did they ever do that on you? You'll know if they did because they stick little paper tabs in your eye........it feels really weird!!

[Lindsey]

Lol nope they've never done that to my eyes!

We used the humidifier again last night and again, our eyes weren't scratchy feeling and sore when we woke up, but still quite red.

[JJJ]

Oh Lindsey my condolences on your grandpa, even if you weren't close I'm sure you felt the lose.

I'm glad the humidifier it's helping :)

[Lindsey]

Thank you. It didn't bother me much until the funeral when all the memories came back of him before his Alzheimers. He was almost completely opposite from my grandpa who was always fun-loving and joking around and very kid-friendly... but he kept my grandma company and would call her "dear" and was always willing to be involved in whatever our family was doing, whether it was my dad and uncle taking him hunting, golfing, or just playing cards with us. So I did get pretty sad, and I spent some time with my grandma last week, but I think she's doing okay.

I saw the specialist again last Wednesday and he told me my eyes are fine and I can wear contacts again. So I am. They don't hurt any more or any less with contacts in, so I guess it's okay. They are easy to take out at the end of the day so my eyes don't seem to be dried out, but they are still red. They actually cleared up last weekend when I was away from home, almost completely. The veins were still there but very very faint pink. Now that I've been at home all week, and back to work today, they're red again. I'm 90% sure it's an allergy to something.

[gja1000]

Good detective work Lindsay!

[judy]

I hope you find the source of the allergies fast! At least you know what you have now.

How is Layla, by the way? Is she scooting around on her wheels? Please kiss her for me.

[Lindsey]

I hope so too! My eyes hurt SOOOO bad this morning and were totally red again. We haven't used the humidifier for a few nights though. Scott's eyes are really red too still. It's just frustrating. But at least I'm wearing contacts again. I just feel prettier and it makes me feel like it's not SO bad lol.

Layla is doing fantastic! Every once in awhile she stands up :D I took some video of her walking around my parents' yard last weekend in her cart... I'll put them on YouTube when I get some time!

[judy]

I bet she is glad she can get around with her wheels!

Put the humidifier on!!!

[Lindsey]

It is just sooooooo loud, we try to turn it on when we get home from work and have it run until we go to bed so we can shut if off to sleep... but we've been forgetting to do that, especially on the weekends.

[gja1000]

It sounds like it might be time to invest in a quiet humidifier. Or make some other noise to cover the humidifier noise. :D What I mean is, can you use a big fan or something that won't bother you as much as the humidifier.

Gary's oxygen machine (that he has to use during sleep) makes an awful noise, and it is not the same noise, it goes something like this, WHOOOOSH - KA THUMP - WOOOSH - KA THUMP over and over again. I just lay in bed and keep listening for the whoosh or the ka thump over and over and over and over - well you get the picture - it keeps me AWAKE.

So, we got a BIG wind machine fan - it makes a huge amount of noise, but it is the same noise and doesn't change, so it becomes white noise and it covers the whoosh ka thump noise. That's the only thing that saves me from the whoosh ka thump, whoosh ka thump, whoosh ka thump ALL NIGHT LONG!

[gja1000]

Lindsay, I posted on the wrong thread, asking about your eyes. Are they better?

[Lindsey]

Not really Gayle. They are red in the mornings but don't really itch or bother me anymore though. Scott's are also red in the mornings.

We bought an anti-allergen mattress cover thinking it may be something in our mattress bothering our eyes (we got our new bedroom set when the problem started) and it did seem to maybe help a little, but it's really hard to tell. When we don't sleep at home, our eyes are fine. Tonight I thought about it while we were watching tv and Scott's eyes were white and he said mine were too. I know they will be red again in the morning!

I am wearing contacts full-time again and they don't itch or get sore and are easy to remove so I don't think dry eyes is a problem. I guess if my vision is fine and I don't feel discomfort I will just wait until my next normal optometrist check-up to have them looked at again. I need a break from the eyeball prodding!

[gja1000]

LOL! I'd be tired of the eyeball prodding too! :D It must be something in the bedroom that is causing it. Hopefully, you will get used to it. I'm glad though, that your eyes don't hurt anymore!

[judy]

I think Gayle is right about there being something in the bedroom. Are there any trees around the bedroom windows that might be doing it also? I worked in a school where there were trees that just about drove us crazy when they pollinated.