Eye exam today :(

Type 1 and LADA
1

Was not the best. Glaucoma pressure was way up, in both eyes.

I’ll do a brief history first, for those that don’t know about this eye issue, since I wasn’t onboard here at the last exam, this past January or February.

I have two types of glaucoma.

1.) DX’d in Feb / March. of 2008 with a rare type of glaucoma, called Closed Narrow Angle Glaucoma. Only 1 to 4 people in 100,000 get this kind of glaucoma. I’ve had preventive laser surgery on one eye, but not the other one yet. Surgery is the only way to treat this rare glaucoma. This type of glaucoma, can lead to total blindness in 48 hours, if not surgically corrected during that 48 hours - he gave me the things to watch for, and to head straight to the ER, if they came about. Two of the causes for this kind of glaucoma, are allergy meds - which I’ve taken for 40 years until this diagnoses; the other cause is diabetic related.

2.) This past Dec. 31st, my opthamologist told me I had glaucoma - the everyday kind, and put me on a particular eyedrop, called Travatan Z. Since I had just come off of Prednisone a couple or three weeks prior, he wanted to make absolute certain, that it was not Prednisone causing it. He then confirmed the DX of Glaucoma - the everyday kind, at the end of January. The pressure in both eyes, was within normal range at that time - due to the eyedrops and no Prednisone.

Now to today’s exam. The pressure was more in both eyes, than it was at the time of DX. So now, I’m doing the eyedrop in each eye, instead of the one eye.

We discussed my RX’s, 3 blood pressure pills plus 1 heart pill. He told me that they could increase the pressure maybe by one point - not much at all. I then remembered about the Prednisone. I was on it again, and had the last dose of it on May 2nd. Bingo, there’s the culprit. Because of the kidney disease, Prednisone is the only med of its kind, that I can take. Now, with it being in the affirmative of affecting my eyes, for longer than it is within my system, I’m kind of up the creek without the paddle, for fighting inflammations. I’ve been fighting an inflammation in my foot, for about a year now, with having to do Prednisone for 2 months out of three, for this entire past year.

I have to go back in 2 weeks for another followup exam.

And life goes on.

Trisha

2

Geez, I’m sorry you were dxd. with Glucoma Trisha. That’s one condition that I fear I’ll be dxd. with each time I visit my Ophtho. Honestly! You do your darndest to keep Diabetes under decent control and something else manages to creep up to bite us in the butt, usually side effects from other drugs for some other disease/condition.

My eye pressure in my right eye was higher after I had the cataracts removed so I was put on Travatan drops also, some years back. So far, so Good pressue-wise. I’ve been on Pred. for many years for my other autoimmune disease. I do not have a choice there. My sugars have been in Good-decent order for many years but inflammation in my body still haunts me. We can’t pin-point it. There are many different things that can cause it even certain pollutants in our environment. Frustrating!

Hopefully your follow-up exam will bring you some Good news. Best Wishes to you! :slight_smile:

3

Trisha–Sorry you’re having to go through this and I hope you get better results at your next check-up. Although I have a bunch of medical issues, mine tend to be the common manifestations of certain diseases. You are the opposite with very unusual conditions. The things you mention I don’t know anything about and I hope never to have to learn much.

Thanks for the congrats on my getting approved for the Dexcom. I’m quite excited and hope it works much better for me than Medtronic. It sounds as though Medtronic is working well for you and I hope it continues that way.

4

I’m sorry to hear about the bad news and that you have to deal with the challenges of 'roids. That’s a lot of extra work that’s not attached to any carbs, or even protein. :frowning:

5

Trisha, will keep my fingers crossed and say a prayer that you will get better news at your next eye exam.

6

Terri,

Are you still on the Travatan? Has it changed the color of your eyes? The insert has, that it can do that, after a long time of use. Of course, I don’t remember if it specified months or years.

It does seem like there is always something going on with 'betes and or related. Major PITA at times, as we all know. :frowning:

Best of luck to you, and thanks.

Trisha

7

Thanks, Lathump. I hope no-one else has to put up with this stuff. While it is a way of life for me, and has been, for many years, I wonder how it would affect someone new to these issues. Sometimes I think, ha!, that’s from me being so stubborn and hardheaded. LOL!

Your welcome! When will you get it, and how soon will you be able to start on it? Since you’ve used a cgm before, will you have to do training for the Dexcom? Medtronic said that I had to, even with a year and half expereince with the navi. Yes, it is working out quite nicely for me. There have been a couple of issues, and those have, and are, being resolved. The receiver was replaced last week, and tonight a new senserter is being shipped out. The hardest part at first, was trying to forget how the navi worked, as that was throwing me off. But, by the same token, it also helped with some of the Guardian stuff. Based on the reports, the BG and SG are about 85% to 90% spot on. As with the Navigator, though, I think that with both of those (probably the Dexcom too) , that the sensor glucose is way ahead of the game, and not behind it, for some of the time. Anyway, I’m pleased with it, and I had told Mary and Kelly, that I was going to make it work for me, one way or the other. It’s that stubborn / hardheaded stuff at play again. :slight_smile:

Each and every day brings a new mystery, just waiting to be solved.

Good luck again. Keep us posted how it goes for you.

Trisha

8

Thanks, and I know, AR, and it is pathetic - all the extra work. It does get very frustrating at times. I’m hoping that the doc will be able to find something else, that won’t kill the kidneys and eyes, when I do need the Prednisone.

How have you been doing, by the way???

Trisha

9

Thank you Sue. It is appreciated. One thought…can you cross your toes too? :slight_smile:

Trisha

10

I’m fine, have run 10 miles w/o any ill effects other than creaking and fatigue!