[Anonymous]

#1020689

I’ve done a couple searches on this site and have come up with nothing… I vaguely remember reading something on here about swimming in fresh water after having orbital decompression and that it should be avoided? I had decompression done in March, strabismus surgery in May and eyelide retraction done in November. All has gone well without complications. I will be traveling to Mexico early next month – I plan on doing some snorkeling in the Carribean and possibly in a fresh water cenote in the area. Also on a side note (won’t be happening this trip – I’m not certified) I would like to learn to scuba dive and I think had read here that it can’t be done after decompression surgery – is this true? Is there time limits for this or is this just immediately following the surgery. I checked with my opthalmologist (sp?) before surgery on all of the above and he said I would be okay to go ahead with any/all the above activities, that there are no contraindications to any activities following these surgeries other than immediate post op. Just wanting another outlook/experiences if anyone has anything to contribute. Thanks!

[Anonymous]

#1078069

You have asked your doctor, and been given an answer. It might be better to get a second opinion from another doctor, than from someone here. Why? Because you might be comparing apples to oranges here. The type of surgical procedure done on someone else may be somewhat different than the one done on you, even though they are both called “decompression.” Another doctor would have your information in front of him/her and would be a safer person to make the type of judgment that you want.

Bobbi — NGDF Online Facilitator

[Anonymous]

#1078070

Hi sar!
Jake had orbital decompressions and his surgeon told him he was not to swim in brackish waters(ponds, rivers, etc) and only in pools or the ocean. However, there is no more scuba diving due to the pressure on the eyes and having no sockets anymore. You also need to watch closely for sinus infections due to openings to the brain.

Hope this answered your question(s) and was helpful to you.

My Best,
Jan
Online Facilitator, NGDF

[Anonymous]

#1078071

Hello everyone, I now alternate between .88 and 1.00,
my Doctor believes I should be on .94 after 4 mnts
on this change I feel fairly good but then I have
lots of bad days too.My Husband loves to go on tour
bus trips especialy long ones 2-3 weeks. Does anyone
have and suggestions on how to cope on such trips if
I were to go? This is one area way I have trouble
with my Husband.
Hope all of you have a wonderful
Day, A smile kind of day. Prov.3:5-7 Louisa

[Anonymous]

#1078072

I rarely, if ever, expect my husband to tailor his activity level to mine (and vice versa). We work out compromises that we can both enjoy.

Even now that I have regained health and strength, there is a mismatch between my husband’s stamina level and mine. So, I plan for those moments (occasionally hours) when I will not be able to keep up on one of our tours or hikes. I love to read, so when I have to say “uncle”, I make sure that I have a book and a water bottle with me so that I can sit and rest while he goes off. If we were on a bus tour, it would be easier to do this, I think, than when we’re miles into the mountains. I would have my book, make sure I had some money in my wallet, and I would head back to the bus area as soon as I was feeling worn down. Perhaps sit at a cafe and have a cup of coffee, etc.

You are probably going to have to experiment a bit, to see what you can do and cannot do at this point in time. But my personal preference in situations like this is for neither partner to “martyr” themselves. For example, my husband doesn’t have to give up what he loves simply because I don’t think I can do it; and I do not have to drain myself of energy and stamina trying to keep up if things are truly too much for me. He has to allow me to say “enough”, and I have to allow h im to enjoy what he enjoys. It is a win/win situation.

Bobbi — NGDF Online Facilitator

[Anonymous]

#1078073

Hello Bobbie, Thanks for your response. The part of traveling
I have a problem with is staying in different hotels, ajusting
to sleeping in a bed not my own, eating on a different schedule.
I take my own pillow, sheets and towels. I have a hard time
changing my regular routine. I have to stay in bed at least
10 hours.I feel like I am not the same person anymore. How
do you deal with that?
Thank you for your Kindness
Louisa Lam. 3:21

[Anonymous]

#1078074

Well, I am not struggling with the same issues you are. I have gotten well, so I need a normal night’s sleep, not 10 hours. There can be a few months after getting effective treatment where that would not have been the case necessarily, but now, 10 years and counting, things are “normal” again.

And when we are travelling, it is usually somewhere that I want to go, too, so I am excited about seeing new things, exploring new places. I can put up with different beds, etc., because I want to be where I am. I find travel stimulating, but I know that others do not, necessarily. Probably the hardest place I’ve found to sleep was a cot in a tent in the Thar Desert, in India, near the Pakistan border. I was worried about snakes…. By comparison, modern hotel rooms are a piece of cake. ; ) But, I was there because I wanted to experience PARTS of that trip, and when I was in that tent, and not comfortable, I practiced Lamaze candle blowing exercises, to relax myself to get to sleep.

I have had situations where I could not sleep (because of one thing or another) and I have been willing to try sleep aids. A friend just uses an antihistamine (over-the-counter — it makes her sleepy). That doesn’t work for me, so I have asked my doctor for a prescription sleep aid when I need one — and I take about 1/2 of the prescribed dose. It gets me “over the hump” (i.e. asleep), and once asleep, I’m OK.

I guess what I’m trying to say, in much the same way as Nancy’s post a couple of days ago, is that there are ways of coping, if you can just think of them: there are ways of doing things slightly differently that are still “OK.” It takes working on it as a couple — both making some concessions but perhaps not the most important ones.

I do hope you are feeling much better, and have much more stamina soon. It takes a bit of time, but we do get well again.

Take care,
Bobbi — NGDF Online Facilitator

[Anonymous]

#1078075

I thought I would chime in on this subject. I have recently hit the normal range (within the last 6 months) but find that my adrenaline is still a bit out of wack. When we get scared, startled, or for me irritated, our adrenaline elevates, but with Graves it doesn’t go back down as fast. I find that this happens more often when I travel as I can’t control the situations that I find myself in and there goes the cycle. I travel with my job extensively and this makes it very hard to deal with. It has taken me time to recognize that this is happening and to ‘not react’ to the situation. My husband also recognizes this and works with me to defuse my irritation. It has taken me 18 months to get to this point, but just knowing what is happening has sure helped.

Good luck with your travels.

I recently read a quote that I just love “Normal is just a cycle on the washing machine”. How true.. it is all about how we feel.

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