Need Help for my dry little eye!

[Kathy M]

HI All!

Well, after all the posts about my breast cancer, I now have a question related to my AN!!!!  The chemo is drying me out like a big raisin, and since my AN surgery, my left eye has been dry anyway.   Now, it's worse than ever.  I'm back to work part time and with all the computer time, I end up holding my lid down by the end of the day!!

So, I've tried Refresh, Refresh without preservatives, and it just isn't enough.  The pharmacist at the Cancer Center suggested Sustain, which I haven't bought yet - thought maybe my AN friends might have some suggestions, too.

Any ideas??  All are appreciated!!!

Kathy

PS  I have only 2 CHEMOS LEFT!!!  I'm off the worst type of chemo that made me so sick and now it just makes me achy and tired.  After my last treatment in early June, I'll have a 3 week break, then 6 weeks of radiation.  The, I intend put all this lousy health behind me and get on with things!!!

[Pembo]

When my eye would really act up, I used Lacrilube. Yes it is thick but it sure made my eye feel better. Best of luck to you in your treatment.

[Kaybo]

Kathy~
SO great to hear from you!  I use Sustain when i have a weight in - I can just use it of a morning and then Refresh PM at night.  When I am weightless (my eye not my body! ), I use Refresh PM at night and in the morning.  Whatever you decide, I would recommend using the Refresh PM every night anyway so that maybe you can stay ahead a little - this might even be enough!

Good Luck!
K   

[lori67]

Good to hear from you, Kathy!   

I use the Refresh PM at night too.  I don't need drops all the time, but on my "bad eye days", if the artificial tears aren't quite enough, I have had good luck with Refresh Liquigel.  It's thicker than the artificial tears, but not as thick as the gel, so you can still see pretty well.

I think I've tried them all out at one time or another.  Fortunately, my eye surgeon used to hook me up with a ton of samples so I could try them out and not wind up with a zillion boxes of drops that I'd tried and didn't like.

Hope you're feeling good - sounds like you're coming into the home stretch!  Yay!!!!

Lori

[nancyann]

Kathy:  Like Kay & Lori advised,  I use Refresh PM (the lubricant) exclusively throughout the day.  It leaves me with a blurry right eye,  but it keeps the burning away.  As soon as I feel the burn I put it in.  Sometimes every 1-2 hours,  sometimes longer.  I'm also on the computer alot at work,  I have to remind myself to 'blink hard' & hold the blink, if I don't,  my eye doesn't blink at all (my ophthalmologist told me to blink hard, he said 'you have to be very conscious of it' - this after my cornea got really dry).
Always good thoughts,   Nancy

[CHD63]

Kathy .....

So good to hear from you again.  Not quite sure how to say this ..... but, I am grateful your post is about a dry eye problem .....  You have several excellent suggestions from those who know so I hope this smaller wrinkle will soon be handled in a timely manner ..... and be a thing of the past.

It will be such a relief to have the chemo all finished.  Keep chalking 'em off!

Continuing thoughts and prayers.

Clarice

[leapyrtwins]

Kathy -

don't really know anything about dry eye - I only get it slightly on occasion and thankfully just use regular eye drops - so I'll just say listen to the others.

Good to "see" you back here again.  Glad the chemo's almost over.

Rest up a lot because a couple of party-type people will be invading Cincinnati in the summer of 2011 and we need another party-type person to join us 

Jan

[chrissmom]

Chris has always had me buy him Genteal.  It comes in moderate and severe formulas.  He also likes Optive.  Even though he has a gold weight in his upper lid and has had a lid operation, his computer work and college studies continually dry his eyes.  He seems to carry a bottle of  these, in his pocket, wherever he goes.

[Kathy M]

Thanks so much everyone!  It's off to the pharmacy....it'll be kinda nice to be there not needing pain killers, anti-nausea drugs, anti anxiety drugs, antibiotics, or gauze for my head!!!

BTW...I had the best day today.  It was "Race for the Cure" day in Columbus, Ohio, and although I felt lousy (chemo was just a few days ago), we went.  50,000 people in downtown.  Breast Cancer survivors wore pink shirts, the others wore white, and everyone wore names of people they were walking for (or running for) on their backs.  I'm telling you it was overwhelming.  My husband and darling daughter were at my side all day, and we just soaked it all in.  Next year, we are waliking the 3 miles.  The view of this sea of humanity, all pink and white, weaving through the downtown and ending up at the state capitol was breathtaking.  There was a special place for survivors (Survivor-Palooza!) and I got a massage and my nails done!  It was just what I needed!

Now, I'm relaxing, still wearing my pink t-shirt, and marking this day in my memory forever.

Love to all of you, and thanks for the eye drop info!!! 

Kathy

(and Jan, I'm SOOOO looking forward to meeting you guys in Cincinnati!!!)

[Kaybo]

Kathy~
Addi (my oldest) just played in a basketball tourney all day - 4 games - for Breast Cancer awareness.  Everyone got pink armbands and all games were played with pink & white balls!  We actually won!!  We finally beat a team that has beaten us 3 or 4 times now - once we went to TRIPLE OT with them!  They needed that confidence booster!  Way to go Fire & Ice!

Glad you had such a wonderful day - you deserved it...and many others!   

K