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Both medial wall and orbital floor will be done endonasally. The surgeon said he’s found the irrigations and Netipots caused a higher incidence of infection, which is why he doesn’t recommend them.
I am trying to see it as a positive, but I’m still adjusting to “no hurry, just starting a conversation so we’re ready just in case”, to scheduling a date within a few weeks. (I’m a control freak. I’ve never been drunk, let alone unconscious.
)Mostly, I’ve read that the eye disease should be inactive prior to surgery, excepting the need for emergency decompression due to optic nerve compression. This is the question I need answered in my mind. Is it inactive? I don’t want any more surgeries than I have to have. I’ve noticed some changes in the past few months. (More pain, the left image is now diagonal down instead of diagonal up, stuff like that.) But, I don’t know what changes the eye doctors look at–maybe those are no big deal. The strabismus doc I saw at the end of May said there was still a lot of inflammation and redness. (I thought they looked pretty good at that point, so it goes to show what I know.) But, double is double, and with a lens occluded like I have, it doesn’t really change anything. But I have a call out to them just the same to ask the question and put my mind a little more at ease that this is the right time to do this. The eye surgeon making the recommendation was recently named one of the top doctors in Mpls/St. Paul magazine, which I think is a ranking by his peers. But I think when all he’s done is press on my eyeballs for the last two visits with him, and the first time say it’s not needed, it’s a big deal, avoid if possible, etc. and now it is needed, and just like sinus surgery, not a big deal, I think that’s why I’m struggling a bit with this. While those visits were about 4 months apart, he also said nothing’s really changed, but his nurse did the exam (except for his pressing on my eyes.) I think the strabismus surgeon who sent me back for reevaluation for OD may be what’s driving this decision. (He was surprised it wasn’t recommended with the prior visit and was concerned if he’d have enough room to do the muscle surgery, or something like that.) And, I can look in the mirror and see a pretty scary eye looking back, and I’d have to be pretty unobservant not to notice the double takes and staring people do. Even with the film on my lens you can see a big, turned in and down eyeball. So I guess I’m not questioning the “if” it’s needed, just the “when”.
Or, I’ve been trying to find research on this, when doing the surgery totally endonasally like this, does it truly not matter if the disease is inactive or not? The ENT surgeon said it didn’t matter, but last time I checked the “E” is for ear, not eye. Maybe there’s a new standard and I’m fretting over nothing?
Sorry for the rambling. Guess I’m not as into the acceptance place yet as I thought I was.
Not to be contrary, but I’m not sure it’s quite that simple for everyone. I’ve been hypothyroid a few times from ATDs, and it’s harder for me to make good food choices, and maintain my usual activity level, when I feel that lousy. Or maybe it’s just harder for some of us. Gaining weight is one of my “signs” that I’m heading hypo and am most likely overmedicated with methimazole, since I already eat pretty well and am active…when I’m feeling well. I guess we’re all just different.
I still have the laptop, thank goodness. But they got new chairs for us with a remodel that are a bit low, (we’re all tall, so not sure what they were thinking) so I sit on some cushions so I can look down at the screen. I’ve requested a new chair. The old one is gone. They’ve also removed half of the bulbs from the fluorescent overhead light, and I have a lamp. They also recognize there are some tasks requiring fine detail (depth perception) that I just can’t do right now. I’ve got a letter from my eye doctor stating why, and they’ve been OK with it. But, I have a new boss as of 2 days ago, and a new management company comes in August 1, so I hope they are as understanding as the current company.
I think they recommended acetaminophen because when I called and asked about it I was about a month out from my appointment, and I don’t think they’d want me taking an NSAID for that long. But I ended up taking naprosyn for my knee, anyway. At least my knee felt better. They just need to fix me.
When I was on this dose before, I was doing some cutting and splitting doses, and I got really hyper again, anyway. Then I went to some straight doses, but when the alternating dose was ordered again, I think I figured “why bother?”, since I couldn’t stay stable anyway, and it was harder to see to do it. But also by that time, I was already heading waay back down and had developed the brain fog. But yes, on that last, higher alternating dose, there was a day to day difference, at least to those around me. I’ll keep an eye out, and pay attention to observations of those close to me, and even it out if necessary. I needed a new pill cutter, anyway, so I got one with a magnifier, just in case.
Thanks Kimberly! Now why didn’t I think it through like that? This is where the brain fog comes in, I suppose. I sort of didn’t connect that my last dose was a different alternating dose of 5/7.5mg, and it was my assistant who told me I seemed ditzier on certain days. I noticed a pattern that it was the higher dosed days, but didn’t connect the dots to even out the dose at the time. It just never occurred to me. If I start to notice a pattern this time, I will make the effort, or get someone to help me, to cut the pills to even out the dose. I am so hopeful that this dose reduction will allow me to start tracking better…without going hyper.
