Tag Archives: lachrymal implants

Ophthalmologist Referring Me to Oculoplastic Surgeon

Day by Day with a Movement Disorder Posted on by  

Ophthalmologist Appointment

I saw my new Ophthalmologist for the first time yesterday. Of course I had to go through all that’s been happening to my sinuses and tear duct for all of last year. I told him about my general health issues and that I had had lachrymal implants a couple of times several years ago to treat dry eye. The implants fell out, but stayed put long enough to give the eye a chance to heal. Or so I thought.

This doctor pressed hard for what seemed like forever right on the spot in the corner of my eye where the swelling has been, and where it is very tender. It was all I could do to make myself lean into the head device, despite the pain.

He thinks I have one or more of the lachrymal implants logged in my tear duct. Once again my body is the exception to most rules. I never know when MITO is going to rear its ugly head and cause problems with my healing process.

I explained to him about my upcoming sinus and septum surgery. And I asked his opinion about what should be done first. Hubby is having a vein procedure done next week, so I don’t want to have any procedure done until after he is well.

He said there is no time push for this to be done. He made an appointment for me with the Oculoplastic Surgeon for a month from now. And he also re-filled the eye drop prescription my Optometrist had me on while he tried to clear up the infection in the duct. After all that hard pressing he did, I’m sure I’ll need the drops to calm down the tissue again.

Oculoplastic Surgeon

So what does this kind of eye doctor do? They operate on the lids, among other things. He will likely make a slit along the top edge of my bottom eyelid and attempt to remove the blockage. He may find implants or maybe just scar tissue. Whatever it is, it needs to come out.

Then he will put a stent in the tear duct to keep it open. My Ophthalmologist says this is a relatively simple procedure. He said that sometimes they do it right in the doctor’s office. I sure hope it’s as simple as he tried to make it sound. It makes me squeamish and apprehensive just thinking about it.

ENT

I’m calling my ENT today to try to determine when I will have the sinus and septum surgery. Looks like we’re going to have a very busy calendar for the next month or so!

Irritated Eyes and Digestive System – UGH

Day by Day with a Movement Disorder Posted on by  

I’ve been dealing with eye issues for the last few weeks. I figured it was just allergies, as I’ve had a runny nose, too, but I obviously didn’t have a cold. Lots of itchiness and feeling like I had an eyelash in my eye, and it was progressively getting worse. I reached a point where being in sunlight or in bright lights was very painful.

So off to the eye doctor I went, reluctantly, but I really didn’t have a choice. Turns out it was a bacterial infection, and he put me on antibiotic and steroid eye drops.

I was still very uncomfortable, even after I finished the bottle, so we went back to the doctor. I have a history of dry eye syndrome, so this time he plugged the lower tear duct holes with lachrymal implants. The purpose of these is to keep the tears from evaporating off the eyeball so quickly.

Thanks to my Mitochondrial Myopathy, we both agreed that the implants were a better choice than Restasis, the usual drug prescribed for this issue. The fewer toxins I put in my body the better. He had tried the implants some years ago, but they came out. At least they got me through the allergy season that had me irritated at that time. I’m hoping for the same good outcome this time.

I’ve also had constipation problems ever since we were stuck in a hotel for two days after a harrowing two plus hour drive to get out of the unexpectedly heavy snow storm that hit the South last week. I shouldn’t be surprised, considering both of our stress levels had to have gone through the roof while we crept along that three miles to the hotel.

We weren’t able to eat what we normally would either, which I’m sure just added to the problem. But the reason I bother to mention this is the new LCHF diet I’m on makes me wonder if the constipation was more due to stress or to the drastic change in what I eat, particularly the huge increase in my fat intake. Time will tell whether it’s diet related, or just a blip caused by such an unusual week.

I know how to deal with the constipation, as that has been a recurring problem for many years. One of the ways my Mitochondrial Myopathy presents itself is a slow digestive process, called gastroparesis. But not being able to read for any length of time or work on the computer is bothering me greatly.

I pray that the implants stay in long enough to improve the quality of my tear production and heal my irritated eyeballs. And I hope the constipation problem was temporary and not caused by the LCHF lifestyle I’m trying very hard to live.