HAD UPPERS PLUGGED YESTERDAY

[louisa]

HI
Thanks for your good wishes when my husband Mat posted on this forum a few days ago( i am a bit weary of forums as have some bad experiences).
I had my uppers plugged yesterday. Sad to say that unlike the first time i have had no dramatic improvement, although to be fair i was probably coming out of the "flare" at that point back in 2007.  I am feeling quite depressed as i just dont want to think i will not be helped at all by this, i am not normally this negative, in fact this is not me at all but i am sick of this particular pain and feel i cannot cope very well with the thought that this might be forever!
Luckily i do not have blepharitis and warm compresses do not help me anyway, they just make it even drier, if thats possible. I have been taking fish oil  and salagen for over a month now so i am praying that something will work. My opthalmic is seeing me in a month and i think it is possible that he might use a steroid drop.
Although i do not watch a lot of television it would be nice to think i could watch even the shortest programme in comfort and being an artist, well thats out at the mo. Sorry to whinge but i am in the lowest place i think i have ever been and i have had some freaky unpleasant things happen to me but strangley this has to be the worst. I am trying so hard to do as much as i can but i am exhausted trying to think of things to do that dont involve looking at anything if you get what i mean. That said i am lucky i am married to my man and not with my last partner who was a real pig! There are many things to be grateful for and at times i look back and am thankfull i survived the things i did-but this is just so horrid.
I just hope it gets better. Thanks for your good wishes though.
Louisa x

[Butterfly]

Hi Louisa. I'm so sorry to hear that things aren't going well for you right now. Hang in there-things will get better. Have you tried Tranquileyes? I hear that they do wonderful things for really dry eyes. They brought products to a Sjogren's Syndrome patient seminar I recently attended and people there just raved about them. Their website is www.eyeeco.com. There's also something called moisture shield glasses (Panoptics) that are also supposed to be really helpful. At the seminar in September one of the topics included dry eyes. Some of the suggestions discussed included the following: Everytime you eat or drink feed your eyes with some tears; use artificial tears as often as you need them to keep them moist-more normal like. There's something called autologous serum-it's made from your own serum/blood. They are preservative free. They contain nutrients present in healthy tears now found in artificial tears. They draw usually 8 tubes of your blood, separate serum from red cells. They pipette serum under a sterile hood into sterile eye dropper bottles. You freeze extra vials and keep the one you are using refrigerated for up to 2 weeks. It's used in extreme cases and is supposed to work pretty well. Oral steroids or steroid eye drops are often needed to help reduce inflammation. Hope this helps and you feel better soon!

[lynnmarie219]

Hi Louisa,

I'm glad that you decided to post here and yes...you are very lucky to have such a supportive and caring husband!

I am sorry to hear that you don't feel the plugs are helping you much...have you called the doc back? Maybe they are not in correctly, or the wrong size and fell out...it happens...so its worth a call! I do hope you can get your dry eyes resolved...keep us posted!

Also don't ever feel like you are whining when you come here...that's what this place is all about...we come from all over the world and from all walks of life and we all learn from each other, support each other, and make each other smile as well.This is a safe place and someone will always be around to offer some advice or comfort.

Hang in there......

[olmphoto2]

Yes, do hang in there!

Are the plugs flush with your openings?  I do not know if there is more than one kind or brand of plug available.  Mine were just slightly rounded on top.  

Dr. had problems placing the uppers and I had problems with them remaining in.  The lower plugs were more successful, and I had those in (very comfortably) for years.  

The uppers were primarily uncomfortable when they were coming out.  Can you see whether this is happenning? If need be ask someone to look for you using a magnifying glass if they need it.

Although it's been many years now since I had plugs in I do believe that they caused (very helpful!) scarring of the ducts, narrowing the openings to help preserve the little amount of tears that I do make.  

[Dolly Dimples]

            Louisa, Sorry that the plugs are  not as good as hoped..
         I know how you feel as I have the dry eyes along with cold sensitivity,
                                                                   and it drives me crazy!
            My husband is quite sympathetic, but I don't believe that anyone who doesen't have this problem,
                                                                can ever understand how bad it can be.

                             My own brother has been quite nasty to me as he is always going off on holidays abroad etc'

                             and tries to tell me he has bad eyes, and they don't stop him doing anything he wants ,
                                                                         (don't know exactly what it is wrong with his eyes)
                                                               because I don't go far at all,
                                                                                he calls me old moaner, and has even introduced me to people  as such!
                                                                                           Ah well at least I can come here and moan ,
                                                                                                                           yet I know I'll get nice people to sympathize.. 
                                                                                                                                                                                  Dolly
                                                                                                                                                                M                                                                 

             
                                         

[lori]

Louisa,

if salagen doesnt work or help maybe you can try evoxac (sp???) anyhow, I am taking it and I even drool at night and I noticed my eyes feel better- went to eye dr. Fri and he said they have improved greatly. been on evoxac about 1mo or maybe a bit less. i am also on Restasis- that takes a long time to work- they say up to 6 months for full benefits. i forget to use the night time drop all the time and its still an improvement. hope this helps. hang in there.

God bless

lori