I am so nervous and upset

[Claire]

This could be funny if you have a sense of humor. A few years ago I lost most of my hair. No, not chemo. Psoriasis. It kept coming out and coming out in clumps and clumps and more. I just gave up. OK, I'm going to be bald, so be it. It's not like I had pretty and full hair to begin with, I didn't. It was always thin and fine and ... well, blah. When I was just about to have my head shaved, it was so bad, the skin condition abated. But the hair that grew back in was insanely ... curly. It's settled to something I can live with, but, really, it was so curly it was crazy for awhile.

 

[PrincessFiona60]

Yes, lots of people get "Chemo Perms" upsetting if you don't know what to do with it. I have so much hair now that it is ridiculous...

 

[Addie]

Claire, when I was losing my hair a few years back, I mentioned it to my doctor. All she said was, "It is a nutrition problem." So I had to stop and think what wasn't I eating. Veggies! Sure enough when I started to eat them again, my hair stopped falling out. I too have psoraisis on my scalp. I have gone into full remission several times on my body, but never on my scalp. Don't know why. Just is. I think it is because I don't stay in remission long enough for my scalp to start going into remission. I do notice that it is less and doesn't itch as much when I am in remission. Right now I am in remission and have been for more than a year. I also have been using Taclonex. But fortunately I don't have to pay for it. It is $503.00 a tube. And I get two tubes a month. Whether I need them or not. Stress plays a big part in psorisis. But that is another story.

 

[CWS4322]

Until I was 21, I had "Carole King" hair. I ironed it and did all kinds of things to straighten it. After all the drugs I was given because of injuries from a car accident my hair straightened, and I had to have tons of fillings. I keep hoping my gray hair will be wild and curly....

 

[SherryDAmore]

Claire, when I was losing my hair a few years back, I mentioned it to my doctor. All she said was, "It is a nutrition problem." So I had to stop and think what wasn't I eating. Veggies! Sure enough when I started to eat them again, my hair stopped falling out. I too have psoraisis on my scalp. I have gone into full remission several times on my body, but never on my scalp. Don't know why. Just is. I think it is because I don't stay in remission long enough for my scalp to start going into remission. I do notice that it is less and doesn't itch as much when I am in remission. Right now I am in remission and have been for more than a year. I also have been using Taclonex. But fortunately I don't have to pay for it. It is $503.00 a tube. And I get two tubes a month. Whether I need them or not. Stress plays a big part in psorisis. But that is another story.

DH had terrible psoriasis; he had tried everything for it, and was on the Enbrel study. Nothing. He had given up. We heard on the radio about an OTC stuff called SkinZinc. By then I think he would have gone to a faith healer. So I got some and.........it worked!!!!! Enough so that he could get in the sun, and it's practically gone. A few spots but nothing like the rot he had before.

 

[Nick Edwards]

I'll say a prayer for u

 

[Addie]

DH had terrible psoriasis; he had tried everything for it, and was on the Enbrel study. Nothing. He had given up. We heard on the radio about an OTC stuff called SkinZinc. By then I think he would have gone to a faith healer. So I got some and.........it worked!!!!! Enough so that he could get in the sun, and it's practically gone. A few spots but nothing like the rot he had before.

I was supposed to be part of the Embrel study here in Boston. But I was working for the company that developed it. So I was excluded. I would know instantly if I was getting the real thing or the placebo. I was able to see every patients records in the study. Your husband probably was in the control group, which means he was getting the placebo. My girlfriend's husband was on it for several months. It worked for him. He went into total remission. I am glad that DH found something that works for him.

 

[Addie]

I'll say a prayer for u

Thank you.

 

[SherryDAmore]

Addie, I guess I lied. My appointment was on Thursday, 3/1. (Thanks Smartphone for alerting me)

Anyway, I got good news/bad news/good news. Good news: don't need to bother with the cataracts right now. Bad news: Eye pressure was of great concern; have beginning glacauma (my mother and uncle did, too.) Good news: the drops he gave me are the ones that grow eyelashes!! No more extensions for me!

I asked him about the cataract surgery, and I 'knew someone who was concerned.' He said that the light they use is shining so brightly in your eyes, that you can't see or feel anything, anyway. I was planning on taking my MP3 and playing the Doors in my headphones. I have done this for dental procedures.

Let us know how you do. I'm grateful they can diagnose these things, and treat them.

 

[Addie]

My appointment is on the 8th. I will get all my questions answered then. I will be seeing the surgeon. She will examine my eyes herself to determine if I do need the surgery right now. I am a bit calmer now, but as the day approaches, I am sure I will work myself up again. Definitely will ask for a calming med. Right now I am concerned about all this stress and the effect it will have on my heart. Thank you for your concern. Will let you know how the appointment goes.

Sorry to hear about the glaucoma. I have been at risk for the past 30 years. But my eye pressure has stayed the same over the years. With the new equipment to measure the pressure, they now can get a more accurate number. And they no long have to blow that gust of air in your eye. I still hate those dang eye drops that enlarge your pupils.

 

[taxlady]

I have glaucoma and I hate that machine that measures the pressure. Monstrous thing coming at my eyeball. But, I don't stress about it.

I get the drops that make you grow eyelashes, but I have such short eyelashes it doesn't really help.

 

[PrincessFiona60]

Addie, I guess I lied. My appointment was on Thursday, 3/1. (Thanks Smartphone for alerting me)

Anyway, I got good news/bad news/good news. Good news: don't need to bother with the cataracts right now. Bad news: Eye pressure was of great concern; have beginning glacauma (my mother and uncle did, too.) Good news: the drops he gave me are the ones that grow eyelashes!! No more extensions for me!

I asked him about the cataract surgery, and I 'knew someone who was concerned.' He said that the light they use is shining so brightly in your eyes, that you can't see or feel anything, anyway. I was planning on taking my MP3 and playing the Doors in my headphones. I have done this for dental procedures.

Let us know how you do. I'm grateful they can diagnose these things, and treat them.

I had a patient who only used Lumigan in her left eye, beautiful long eyelashes...short stubby ones on the right.

 

[taxlady]

I had a patient who only used Lumigan in her left eye, beautiful long eyelashes...short stubby ones on the right.

I had to use the drops in one eye only for the first eight weeks. The idea was to see how much the drops helped, by comparing to the other eye. Then the dose could be adjusted. I got slightly thicker eyelashes on the one eye. It wasn't Lumigan, it was Xalatan. I tried the Lumigan later, but it made my eyes sting a little bit and cost more.

The junior doctor who tested my eyes after eight weeks told me that both eyes had normal pressure and wrote me a 'script for the drops. I tried to get her to explain. To me this indicated that the drops were not working. I may have gotten a bit excited. She gave me ****. Why wasn't I happy that the pressure was normal?

I did eventually talk to the ophthalmologist in charge of my case, but didn't get any kind of sensible answers. I'm looking for another ophthalmologist now. Over a few years, it hasn't gotten better.

 

[PrincessFiona60]

I had to use the drops in one eye only for the first eight weeks. The idea was to see how much the drops helped, by comparing to the other eye. Then the dose could be adjusted.

The junior doctor who tested my eyes after eight weeks told me that both eyes had normal pressure and wrote me a 'script for the drops. I tried to get her to explain. To me this indicated that the drops were not working. I may have gotten a bit excited. She gave me ****. Why wasn't I happy that the pressure was normal?

I did eventually talk to the ophthalmologist in charge of my case, but didn't get any kind of sensible answers. I'm looking for another ophthalmologist now. Over a few years, it hasn't gotten better.

Yeah, I think I would find someone else, too. Doesn't make any type of sense to me to only treat one eye...unless the other eye has normal pressure.

 

[taxlady]

Yeah, I think I would find someone else, too. Doesn't make any type of sense to me to only treat one eye...unless the other eye has normal pressure.

No, both eyes are being treated, that was just to see if the drops worked on me and how much, since eye pressure varies throughout the day.

 

[PrincessFiona60]

No, both eyes are being treated, that was just to see if the drops worked on me and how much, since eye pressure varies throughout the day.

Still not sure about only treating one eye for 8 weeks...I can see a trial to see if it works, but not just one eye.

 

[taxlady]

Still not sure about only treating one eye for 8 weeks...I can see a trial to see if it works, but not just one eye.

The explanation was because the pressure varies throughout the day and both eyes tend to have the same pressure. So if the eye with the drops is at 14 mmHg and the eye without the drops is at 18 mmHg, we assume that the drops made the difference of 4mmHg and can calculate a dosage based on that knowledge. Apparently the eye drops effect varies greatly between patients.

 

[Nick Edwards]

Tats

There is a guy who does tats on your head that looks like u just shaved ur head.

 

[Addie]

Well, my appointment was for 11 o'clock. At 12 o'clock I walked out. If I were five minutes late, they would make me schedule another appointment. What makes them think my time is not as valuable as theirs. I was sitting outside waiting for my ride. They came and found me about twenty minutes later. So back inside I go.

The final consensus is that because of my heat problems, they want to consult with my cardiologist and an anesthesiologist. They will let me know in a month. I will have to go back and let the anesthesiologist examine me. Then they will decide. They have an absolute rule, no surgery for any patient that has had a heart attack within one year from the date for the eye surgery. Unfortunately, at this time I fall into that category. In a month I will be outside those parameters. They checked my BP while I was there. It was sky high. One of them stated that if it was this high just talking about the surgery, what was it going to be like on the day of surgery.

So now I just have to wait for these dang eye drops to wear off so I can see what I am typing.

 

[PrincessFiona60]

Well, my appointment was for 11 o'clock. At 12 o'clock I walked out. If I were five minutes late, they would make me schedule another appointment. What makes them think my time is not as valuable as theirs. I was sitting outside waiting for my ride. They came and found me about twenty minutes later. So back inside I go.

The final consensus is that because of my heat problems, they want to consult with my cardiologist and an anesthesiologist. They will let me know in a month. I will have to go back and let the anesthesiologist examine me. Then they will decide. They have an absolute rule, no surgery for any patient that has had a heart attack within one year from the date for the eye surgery. Unfortunately, at this time I fall into that category. In a month I will be outside those parameters. They checked my BP while I was there. It was sky high. One of them stated that if it was this high just talking about the surgery, what was it going to be like on the day of surgery.

So now I just have to wait for these dang eye drops to wear off so I can see what I am typing.

"White Coat Syndrome" the biggest cause of High Blood Pressure. Ask Son #3 if that is true. What they need are readings from a normal week with no MD appointments. Day and night readings to see what your true BP is, not when you have anxiety over doctor's appointments. I'm still advocating for a mild anti-anxiety medication to help you while you are waiting.