Author Topic: Seems my right eye is not so much better as I had thought (Read 1757 times)

Graybeard · « **on:** March 06, 2008, 12:19:57 PM »

For those who knew I was having a problem with an infection in my right eye and those who didn't as well I guess here is the current story as I know it.

It seems the problem with my right eye is more serious than I understood it to be. The first eye doctor I went to (an eye surgeon) really failed to explain to me just what was going on. He merely said I had an abrasion and it was infected and called it an ulcer. He gave me drops and said come back on Monday which I did.

At that visit he really showed his butt big time. I knew he was an unfriendly and unsocial type more suited to life as a hermit than a doctor but it had never really mattered before. He just refused to discuss the situation with me or explain the seriousness. In fact he was quite rude at my even asking.

So I made an appointment with another today and he was most friendly and helpful and explained to me in detail the situation as he saw it. I've been on the drops the strongest available now for six days and he said that with it as bad as it is today (not know how it was originally) that he felt it imperative I see a corneal specialist immediately. He has me scheduled with the best in B'ham at 7:30 in the morning. Matt's real happy about that as he is my official driver for such trips.

In addition to the original abrasion I was told I had this doctor saw a couple of addition "lesions" as he called them radiating from it and all is infected. He feels this is an organic likely fungal infection that the drops I'm on will not kill. Only a corneal specialst he says can determine the extent of the damage and deal with this type infection.

So it seems I'm a long way from over and done with this eye problem and I still don't have a prognosis for the eventual outcome of it.

All projects are on hold until the eye is fixed if it's fixable. Prayers would be appreciated.

GregP42 · « **Reply #1 on:** March 06, 2008, 12:42:55 PM »

Bill,

You got them coming your way. And I would go back and kick that other doc in the backside!

Greg

30-06man · « **Reply #2 on:** March 06, 2008, 12:55:56 PM »

Coming your way. Good luck and hope all is well soon.

dw06 · « **Reply #3 on:** March 06, 2008, 01:26:15 PM »

G.B.
Best wishes and prayers sent your way.Keep us updated when you can.

torpedoman · « **Reply #4 on:** March 06, 2008, 01:41:29 PM »

prayers on the way. here is good news they can do wonders with eyes today the wife has two new corneas several cataract surgeries a bunch of laser treatments and she can still read without glasses . wears glasses for distance only. She sees better than me up close my arms got too short to read the paper.

quickdtoo · « **Reply #5 on:** March 06, 2008, 01:45:05 PM »

Ya got prayers Bill!!

Best wishes on the visit with the specialist tomorrow, hope ya heal quicky once you get properly diagnosed and are on the mend.

Tim

greg916 · « **Reply #6 on:** March 06, 2008, 02:31:49 PM »

Graybeard, my wife has an eye problem that sounds sort of like yours. She has lesions in her left eye, cornea is turning cloudy. This happened about 5 years ago, and they stopped it with a medicine called methatrexite (prolly spelled wrong). It came back about 6 months ago. Her vision has degraded to 20/40. The best answer they have given us so far is something similar to arthritis in her eye.

Our thoughts are with you and would appreciate you remembering Deborah also.

DalesCarpentry · « **Reply #7 on:** March 06, 2008, 02:45:59 PM »

Holy crap Bill!!!!!!!! That really stinks. I sure hope you can overcome this. My thought and prayers are with you. Like said before you need to go give that other doctor a good kick in the ass because to me eye sight is on the top of my list as being the most important as far as health goes. Dale

deltecs · « **Reply #8 on:** March 06, 2008, 05:51:04 PM »

My best wishes and hopes go with you.

Brett · « **Reply #9 on:** March 07, 2008, 04:59:05 AM »

Prayers going out GB. Glad you were wise enough to seek a second opinion. Some folks look up to these doctors like they were gods or something and dare not question them. I will not continue to see a doctor who will not take the time to explain things to me in layman terms that I can understand, or who sidesteps or dances around my questions.

Steelbanger · « **Reply #10 on:** March 08, 2008, 03:02:11 AM »

Prayers said for your eye condition GB. Growing older becomes more frightful with each passing year, doesn't it?

Graybeard · « **Reply #11 on:** March 08, 2008, 03:14:47 AM »

Thanks guys. The specialist in B'ham seems to think that the infection will clear up OK in time using the prescription drop I've been using plus some additional stuff he has suggested. I am now using the Vigamox every two hours while awake and have also added Thera Tears also at two hour intervals while awake but with at least 15-20 minute separation and that one goes in both eyes. In the evening before going to bed he has given me yet another medication to use and I am to use Restasis twice daily in both eyes and there is a pill I am to take twice daily.

If I understood this correctly all but the Vigamox is for the rest of my life. he says that I have a very severe case of dry eyes which he feels most likely led to the infection and maybe the abrasion/ulcer as well.

I have an appointment with Dr. Grissett in Gadsden Wednesday and then on March 28 wil head back to B'ham to see Dr. Pfister again. Hopefully at that visit I'll get a clean bill of health on the infection and maybe with all the meds going into me and my eyes even the dry eyes situation will be improved.

My vision in the right eye really is almost as good as my left again now so seeing is not really a problem now as it was last week. The infection now is for me at least the biggest concern and Dr. Pfister seems to think it will clear up OK on the regimen he has prescribed for me.

DalesCarpentry · « **Reply #12 on:** March 08, 2008, 04:29:09 AM »

Very good to hear GB. Maybe all the thought and prayers did help. Dale

quickdtoo · « **Reply #13 on:** March 08, 2008, 06:25:25 AM »

Goods new, glad to hear it!!

Tim

powderman · « **Reply #14 on:** March 08, 2008, 01:44:26 PM »

BILL. Prayers sent friend. My best friend is having a similar problem with his eye. POWDERMAN.

Brett · « **Reply #15 on:** March 10, 2008, 05:43:20 AM »

Glad to hear things are looking up.

We will keep you in our prayers.

35Rem · « **Reply #16 on:** March 10, 2008, 10:19:37 AM »

Sorry to hear of the eye problems, Mr. G. Hope all turns out good.

On the bright side, at least Dr. Pfister isn't your proctologist!

30-06man · « **Reply #17 on:** March 10, 2008, 01:28:04 PM »

Good news.

jhm · « **Reply #18 on:** March 10, 2008, 02:00:06 PM »

I am always glad to hear GOOD news, take care and get better the site is best when you are around. JIM

rex6666 · « **Reply #19 on:** March 12, 2008, 09:51:15 AM »

Been thinking about you GB and praying. I am sure evry thing will be ok in GODS time
Don't let them operate, they might getbthe optic nerve connected to rectal nerve
and you know what happens then (bad out look)

Graybeard · « **Reply #20 on:** March 12, 2008, 10:01:00 AM »

There has been no discussion of an operation and I don't expect any althou the doctor in B'ham is the number one in the state for that and he does many cornea transplants. In fact when I was there a guy who had gotten a double cornea transplant was sitting next to me and we talked a good bit.

For now I think the infection is going away and we're treating me for dry eyes which the B'ham guy thinks is the real problem that needs attention. Hopefully when my mail order prescription for Restasis arrives it will begin making things better.

But now a new one has cropped up. When I last visted my GP he did some blood tests and said I failed both the kidney and liver blood tests. He redid them and I still failed the liver test with an even higher (bad) reading. I am now scheduled for further testing of my liver on Friday. Several of the medications I take or have taken have liver problems as potential side effects. Might be that dropping those alone will take care of it but until we hear the results of the tests on Friday and I talk with him about it I guess I'll not really know.

Iffen it ain't one thing it's a dozen. Growing old is not for the weak or timid.

quickdtoo · « **Reply #21 on:** March 12, 2008, 10:09:14 AM »

Hopefully all that will be needed is a change of meds to fix the liver and kidney problems, more prayers on the way!!

Tim

greg916 · « **Reply #22 on:** March 12, 2008, 02:11:41 PM »

GB, wish you well on the liver problems. The wife has to be checked regulary also because of her meds. Scary.
Cornea transplants , they tell us, have very high success rates.

Our thoughts are with you.

30-06man · « **Reply #23 on:** March 12, 2008, 03:01:13 PM »

Quote from: Graybeard on March 12, 2008, 10:01:00 AM

There has been no discussion of an operation and I don't expect any althou the doctor in B'ham is the number one in the state for that and he does many cornea transplants. In fact when I was there a guy who had gotten a double cornea transplant was sitting next to me and we talked a good bit.

For now I think the infection is going away and we're treating me for dry eyes which the B'ham guy thinks is the real problem that needs attention. Hopefully when my mail order prescription for Restasis arrives it will begin making things better.

But now a new one has cropped up. When I last visted my GP he did some blood tests and said I failed both the kidney and liver blood tests. He redid them and I still failed the liver test with an even higher (bad) reading. I am now scheduled for further testing of my liver on Friday. Several of the medications I take or have taken have liver problems as potential side effects. Might be that dropping those alone will take care of it but until we hear the results of the tests on Friday and I talk with him about it I guess I'll not really know.

Iffen it ain't one thing it's a dozen. Growing old is not for the weak or timid.

That's not good at all. More prayers coming your way. Hope all is well soon.

Siskiyou · « **Reply #24 on:** March 12, 2008, 03:50:58 PM »

GB thoughts are with you, and what you are posting is educational. A lot of issues are surfacing with dry eyes, the main one is caused by medications, and the next one is from to much time spent staring at a computer screen and not blinking.

rex6666 · « **Reply #25 on:** March 13, 2008, 04:54:55 AM »

I had lasik surgery about a year ago, they told me then that dry eyes was a big problem most people didn't realize, i had never even heard or thought about it until then.
Prayers are with you GB

You are correct GB getting old is not as much fun as i have be lead to believe. I just have to
consider the alternative

torpedoman · « **Reply #26 on:** March 14, 2008, 03:27:36 PM »

the very best eye man in the u.s, is Erick Seick last time i had contact with him he was going to mo.

NONYA · « **Reply #27 on:** March 14, 2008, 05:25:42 PM »

Prayers sent.I had horrible welding burns on both eyes once,they only thing that would relieve the pain was Novocaine drops,if they will give them to you they will help.

oldandslow · « **Reply #28 on:** March 14, 2008, 06:29:50 PM »

Glad to hear the eye is responding and sorry to hear about the liver problem. Growing old really does stink doesn't it? Of course the alternative is worse.

At least the doctors should appreciate us for helping them maintain a high standard of liiving. I commented to my dermatologist last week that my wife had bought his orthopedic surgeon friend a new car over the last few years. He replied that she had bought him a very nice one.

Tn Jim · « **Reply #29 on:** March 15, 2008, 08:15:24 AM »

Prayers inbound Bill. Please keep us posted.