Not that anyone is asking

For 3 weeks my left lower eyelid has been hurting. Just the lid. It constantly burns, more annoying than painful, but if you touch it even lightly, the burning gets real, real bad, and it stings too, but then it's ok after a few seconds, or like 5 seconds at most, and it's back to the annoying burning. Thing is, there was never any redness or a bump or any swelling at all. Just looked normal.

I finally got to see a specialist today. He put a couple drops of dye in my left eyeball, and then pulled this microscope up to my face and took, obviously, a real close look. He's pretty sure he saw bacteria in the tear duct, which indicates it's probably all down in the lacrimal canaliculi, a sort of canal that drains tears from your eyes to the nasolacrimal duct, and then into your nasal cavity. That's why your nose runs when you cry.

Had to laugh when he said canaliculi because it sounds like either an Italian dish, or even moreso, Italian cursing.....'eh, kissa my cana-le-cooli!

Anyway, he Rx'ed an oral antibiotic/antibacterial and I'm supposed to hold heat on my eye 4 to 6 times a day for about 10 minutes. Should clear up in a week. No idea where this bacteria came from. He said it's probably not from my cat - this bacteria is everywhere, it just doesn't usually cause an infection. But older people are susceptible because our eyes are less moist and not as efficient at self-cleaning.
 
Sounds like a question to me (Can I lick your eye?)

My left eye has been red, itchy and twitchy for a few months now so I called for an appointment and can't get in for a few more months. It's not painful, though.

Bacteria! I would have suspected the cat, too, or my dog who licks my face a lot. She came trotting in with a dead baby rabbit in her mouth yesterday. I screamed, so she dropped it, but I had to scoop it up for the trash and all the time I was thinking of how much dirt, germs and bugs she probably brings in every day.

I'll try the hot compresses along with you, Murr.

Sorry about your eye, but, when this popped up, I was afraid it was Mandy again, so I'm glad she's okay. I hope she chooses rehab, if nothing else it might break the hold the jerk has on her.
 
Sounds like a question to me (Can I lick your eye?)

My left eye has been red, itchy and twitchy for a few months now so I called for an appointment and can't get in for a few more months. It's not painful, though.

Bacteria! I would have suspected the cat, too, or my dog who licks my face a lot. She came trotting in with a dead baby rabbit in her mouth yesterday. I screamed, so she dropped it, but I had to scoop it up for the trash and all the time I was thinking of how much dirt, germs and bugs she probably brings in every day.

I'll try the hot compresses along with you, Murr.

Sorry about your eye, but, when this popped up, I was afraid it was Mandy again, so I'm glad she's okay. I hope she chooses rehab, if nothing else it might break the hold the jerk has on her.
🤣

A hot compress Buddy! Awesome!

We'll be dealing with Mandy issues for a while, I'm sure. Grant was so tempted to take the BF down, but he was aware that if he had, or if any of us reported him or asked the county to bring charges against him, it would probably alienate Mandy from her family and make her feel closer and more sympathetic to her BF. So we're taking her parents' tough-love advice - leave her to learn from her mistakes, be there when she asks for help, and keep insisting on rehab.
 
The 2 great-grandkids I've never met. Their dad is the oldest son of my oldest son, and was my first grandson. He's a factory worker in Kansas, divorced from a native of Kansas, and has split custody of their Kansas-born kids whose names sound very Kansas-y, so he ain't gonna be leaving there anytime soon.

Kage and his sister, LaKota

Kage 2022.jpg

LaKota aug 2021.jpg

Kage looks just like his dad, minus the full beard and 'stash. She looks just like her mother 'cept purdier.
 
So I finished the antibiotic prescribed for this eye pain but it didn't get better at all. It got worse. I called the eye doc this morning and he said he wanted to see me this afternoon, which was awesome.

He suspects something beyond his scope is going on, so he's going to talk to someone he knows who is expert at eyeballs - she's a professor at the medical university - plus he's going to get my PCP "in the loop" to all figure out together who I should be referred to based on what this eye doc suspects is happening.

He didn't say exactly what he suspects is happening, only where he suspects it's happening...somewhere in the inferior orbital cavity just under the eyeball. In order to see that area, we need to do imaging.

Meanwhile, my left eye still burns and aches relentlessly, and whatever it is could be causing the vertigo that started about a week ago, as well as this small, round light I see in the lower part of my left eye whenever I close both my eyes, like, to go to sleep. That started happening a few nights ago.

Now that I know for sure that my heart and lungs are all good, I want to call my spine doctor to schedule another surgery, but now I'm going to wait until this eye thing is all dealt with. >tsk<
 
Ok, so I found out what the eye doctor thinks might be happening, and it doesn't sound good.

In the After Visit report, he wrote

Follow-Up:
1. Refer urgent to ENT for left maxillary sinus eval, multiple visits requested
2. Refer urgent to neuro-ophthalmology for retrobulbar optic neuritis OS eval
3. Follow-up return for Refer urgent to neuro-ophthalmology to r/o retrobulbar optic neuritis OS eval
4. Follow-up return for Refer urgent to ENT for left maxillary sinus eval


So, jeeze, how many times we gotta say "urgent"?

Retrobulbar neuritis is associated with various brain lesions. That's a big Yikes. And the doc wants the left maxillary sinus evaluated because he suspects maybe there's a tumor or lesion in there somewhere. Already this morning (at like 7-freaking-a.m.!!) I got calls from the ophthalmology and ENT depts. So, they take the word "urgent" seriously... 'specially when you write it 4 times.

Interestingly, retrobulbar neuritis (RBN) is usually the first sign of Multiple Sclerosis. Patients with RBN generally have a family history of MS, and 65 to 80% of patients diagnosed with RBN develop MS. No one in my family has MS, but I don't know if any extended family does, or if anyone way back did...like before 3 grandparents ago.

But the RBN thing is interesting because of the occasional temporary paralysis I get in my legs and my sometimes jerky hands. So I need to read up on MS to see how long the onset symptoms can last before the really serious, full-blown symptoms happen. I know it can progress slowly, but my legs have been doing this for like 4 or 5 whole years, so I doubt it's MS; I'm sure my old spinal injuries are the direct cause.

Aaanyway, I don't like the sound of the after visit report. Sounds kind of scary, so I'm not gonna say anything to Michelle about it. Not until I actually know for sure what's going on. And I should know before the end of the month.
 
Ok, so I found out what the eye doctor thinks might be happening, and it doesn't sound good.

In the After Visit report, he wrote

Follow-Up:
1. Refer urgent to ENT for left maxillary sinus eval, multiple visits requested
2. Refer urgent to neuro-ophthalmology for retrobulbar optic neuritis OS eval
3. Follow-up return for Refer urgent to neuro-ophthalmology to r/o retrobulbar optic neuritis OS eval
4. Follow-up return for Refer urgent to ENT for left maxillary sinus eval


So, jeeze, how many times we gotta say "urgent"?

Retrobulbar neuritis is associated with various brain lesions. That's a big Yikes. And the doc wants the left maxillary sinus evaluated because he suspects maybe there's a tumor or lesion in there somewhere. Already this morning (at like 7-freaking-a.m.!!) I got calls from the ophthalmology and ENT depts. So, they take the word "urgent" seriously... 'specially when you write it 4 times.

Interestingly, retrobulbar neuritis (RBN) is usually the first sign of Multiple Sclerosis. Patients with RBN generally have a family history of MS, and 65 to 80% of patients diagnosed with RBN develop MS. No one in my family has MS, but I don't know if any extended family does, or if anyone way back did...like before 3 grandparents ago.

But the RBN thing is interesting because of the occasional temporary paralysis I get in my legs and my sometimes jerky hands. So I need to read up on MS to see how long the onset symptoms can last before the really serious, full-blown symptoms happen. I know it can progress slowly, but my legs have been doing this for like 4 or 5 whole years, so I doubt it's MS; I'm sure my old spinal injuries are the direct cause.

Aaanyway, I don't like the sound of the after visit report. Sounds kind of scary, so I'm not gonna say anything to Michelle about it. Not until I actually know for sure what's going on. And I should know before the end of the month.
Not that it's any help to you Frank, but both my m-i-l and my eldest brother have MS
 
Sending lots of hugs and good thoughts, Frank.

JMO, if I were Michelle, I’d be more upset if I didn’t know what is happening with you.
She will be, but I can't handle it when she cries, and she might cry. She probly will. And I'm kind of a mess when she cries. I mean, if it's over something I can apologize for, or find or fix it, I'm golden, otherwise I'm kind of at a loss.
 
So I finished the antibiotic prescribed for this eye pain but it didn't get better at all. It got worse. I called the eye doc this morning and he said he wanted to see me this afternoon, which was awesome.

He suspects something beyond his scope is going on, so he's going to talk to someone he knows who is expert at eyeballs - she's a professor at the medical university - plus he's going to get my PCP "in the loop" to all figure out together who I should be referred to based on what this eye doc suspects is happening.

He didn't say exactly what he suspects is happening, only where he suspects it's happening...somewhere in the inferior orbital cavity just under the eyeball. In order to see that area, we need to do imaging.

Meanwhile, my left eye still burns and aches relentlessly, and whatever it is could be causing the vertigo that started about a week ago, as well as this small, round light I see in the lower part of my left eye whenever I close both my eyes, like, to go to sleep. That started happening a few nights ago.

Now that I know for sure that my heart and lungs are all good, I want to call my spine doctor to schedule another surgery, but now I'm going to wait until this eye thing is all dealt with. >tsk<
Hopefully you will feel better soon.
 
I honestly can't tell you a lot tbh Frank. ..because I simply don't know too much. My M-I-L was diagnosed very early in her 30's by the time my husband was 15 she was permanently wheelchair bound... he never questioned her or his father as to how or why it could have happened, just accepting it as a fact ( he's like that in life)... she's since died from the complications of it, but not until she was in her 60's... but from what I understand she had the same type as my eldest brother .. which is Primary Progressive MS ( PPMS)

My brother is someone whose always lived on his last nerve, caused by Trauma in his childhood ( before I was born) and has had a pronounced and severe stammer all of his life.
At around his mid 40's, ( he's now in his 70's) he started experiencing blurred vision as well as poor colour vision which meant he had to wear sunglasses at all times , deep tiredness, and bouts of dizziness which meant he had to stop driving for a living.. ..once he was diagnosed , he went through a period of deep depression, and further symptoms, but he;s never used a wheelchair like M-I-L, altho' his various symptoms come and go, bowel problems. tight torso pain.. he's pretty much stabilised.. and has bad and good days..


 
Frank, my nephew's wife has had MS since her late teens. She is now in her mid-40's. I know that, about 5 years ago, she bought a cane .. just in case she needed it. However, I think she rarely uses it. She is still working at the research lab, as far as I know. There is now very good medicine for MS patients.
 


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