Finally! A Doctor Visit With Good News!

Since late last year we have been seeing too many doctors. It started with a GI doctor, then a cardiologist, then a urologist, then a general visit, then physical medicine, dental, then an ENT - and those were just for my husband. And after all of them there were more tests, new prescriptions with awful side effects, and more follow ups. It seemed like we were making weekly trips to the outpatient center. Luckily things were tolerable and nothing horrible ensued. But it really puts things in to perspective and limits our lifestyle - especially since the pandemic. And for two months I have been dealing with plantar fasciitis which has been a very slow going process. That means no more morning walks for a while, ice packs, foot exercises, splints and new walking shoes. Between my husband’s dizzy spells caused by medications and my foot hurting it’s been a real drag. Yesterday both my husband and I had our routine six month eye appointments. Last year at this time I had cataract surgery in July on one eye and the other was done in August. I was keeping my fingers crossed that nothing more would surface this time around. We both have glaucoma that is controlled with eye drops and I have some weird retinal thing. The visual field test is at least less bothersome with the new virtual field test equipment. And for the first time that test was a winner. I had the best results in five years and my eye pressures were good. So both my husband and I were able to leave the office without a worry and no need for any more follow ups - except to make appointments in six months. It was  wonderful feeling! 

Eye Doctor Visit

It’s bad enough to see a physician once a year, but having to go twice a year is not only more expensive, but can be nerve wracking. My husband and I try to keep our eye appointments together. It just makes it easier to get it done at one time. When our last eye appointment was due, he needed to have a procedure done related to his cataract surgery from three years ago, and subsequently his eyes were checked as an after visit. I hadn’t made my appointment and by the time I got around to it it was past the six months mark. But I wanted to get it in before the end of the new year because all of the deductibles had been paid. So I got an appointment for Friday, December 23 - a day no one wants to work. In spite of the atrocious weather last week both my husband and I walked over to the office. He kept me company and would be on hand in the event I would need to have something done. Even having been in health care for thirty years my anxiety level sky rockets whenever I see a doctor. My heart races and my blood pressure climbs - which is why I alway bring a history of these measurements to share. My eye pressures have been on the higher end for as long as I can remember. I’m currently taking drops for that and it’s been “stable.” The doctor needed to recheck the eye pressures because they seemed a bit high this time. I asked him if my eye pressures would rise like my blood pressure  - and he said that could be likely. In any event the pressure was already lower with the second reading - which is what always happens. Aside from the fact that I still don’t need cataract surgery and everything else was in check makes me happy. I can’t tell you how many visual field tests and optic nerve photos I have had. Then out of the blue I lost vision on the right side of my right eye this week. I haven’t had this happen for at least four years. It’s almost like a migraine event with eye involvement. It’s scary, but usually subsides once I lay down, take two aspirins, and rest a bit. Thank goodness I know what it is and have had about eight instances of this since it first started way back around 1980. I’ve been on baby aspirin ever since after having had a CT scan and a neuro consultant. I have a lot of little things wrong with me and they are starting to add up. Let’s hope this new year is good to us. 

Optase Dry Eye Kit, Refresh Drops, and Muro 128 Ointment

There are some mornings that it’s hard to open my eyes. I need to pry them open with my fingers. Three times in the last six months I woke up with eye pain - in either eye - that subsided after using eye drops all day long. So when I went to the eye doctor for a routine six month check last week, I knew the inevitable. Taking prescription eye drops to keep the ocular pressure down also contributes to dry eyes, along with a dry house, and wearing masks. I already use systane eye drops twice a day, but it doesn’t seem to help. So it was recommended that I try the Optase dry eye kit, use refresh drops, and Muri 128 ointment. There’s also a procedure that can be done with the tear duct, but I’m not going there yet. The kit comes with an eye patch that gets heated in the microwave that is worn for ten minutes two times a day. There is also a gel that is used to clean the eyelid and removes junk. And there are more optase eye drops. So the daily routine now is refresh eye drops in the morning, eye patch after lunch, gel before shower, rinse, optase eye drops after shower, eye patch after dinner, refresh eye drops after patch, prescription eye drops around nine PM, refresh eye drops before bed. I tried the eye ointment before bed, but it is a cream and causes a really bad haze. So I’ll save that for when I have eye pain in the morning, or I might try it again. Have I noticed a difference? I’m not sure, which is sad. The house is still dry with the heat going in spite of a humidifier. Getting older is a real pain. Just the cost to pay for all of this makes it difficult along with all the other prescriptions and health care needs. Luckily we can afford it. What happens to those who can’t? I feel like I’ve aged ten years since the hibernation. That’s not exactly what I was looking forward to in retirement. Yes, things could be worse - but I don’t have to be happy about it. 

An Unusually Busy Week

Last week was really weird. We had something to do every day. We aren’t used to that at all! Monday we went to the National Arboretum to take some images for the weekly 52frames photo challenge. Tuesday we went to Old Town Alexandria to finalize our will, power of attorney, and health care directives. Our Midwest documents needed to be updated after forty years. After that we stopped at Vaso’s kitchen to pick up Greek food. We hadn’t been there in over a year and it was delicious. The small throw blanket we ordered from Target arrived. It added a bit of color to the living room. Wednesday we picked up our groceries curbside. We had a huge bread haul as we ran out of just about everything. Thursday was a huge event. I finally got a haircut after thirteen months. I wanted a bob and got a short bob. It felt wonderful. My husband was happier than I was. My hair was looking like a witch and I felt like one. Then on Friday we had eye appointments. My husband has scar tissue on one eye from cataract surgery and my eyes are so dry that I need a special kit and eye gel to try and get them from sticking shut in the morning. Although it was exceptionally unusual to be so active it felt a bit more like “normal.” The only thing that got us out of the house before was a morning walk and a weekly drive in to DC. It was a psychological lift doing really nothing. 

The Eye Doctor Visit

We don’t want to go anywhere unless we have to - especially when it comes to doctor visits. Some are unavoidable; others can wait. We both have had virtual doctor visits that went very well. But you still need to go in to get blood work drawn and other routine xrays. My husband had cataract surgery in February and then in March - just before everything closed down on March 13. He hadn’t had a follow up visit until yesterday. It was rescheduled a couple of times because we didn’t want to go in to the office. The sad thing is is that we always do everything together. Now, you have to go alone. It’s a very odd experience for us. Luckily, we purposely moved to a neighborhood where not only the dentist and doctor are literally less than one block away, the eye doctor is located across the street. So my husband got his mask and gloves on and walked over. I watched him from the balcony and since it was so nice outside, decided to wait for him there. He came back in about forty minutes. He said everything was managed very well and the staff was wonderful. It still amazes me that you can take an eye pressure without direct contact. He needs to go back in four months. I’m supposed to go in July but am in no hurry. Next week I need to walk across the street and get some blood drawn. It seems when there is nothing going on the routine activities of daily living become an annoyance. Speaking of routine activities - it feels just like yesterday when I did the house dusting. It’s already time to do it again. Time is passing us by rather quickly. It’s just not what I had in mind when I retired four years ago. One of my friends from the Midwest always said you needed to have something to look forward to. I’m not sure what that is. 

Changing Doctors is Hard

We moved to northern Virginia nine months ago. We waited for a while to change doctors and now the show begins. After spending a lot of time searching for what we thought we might like, the main factor was if the office was near to where we lived. We needed an internist, an ophthalmologist, and a dentist. I already found a hair salon, and it was two blocks away. Along with finding the doctors was then getting medical records transferred. Our first experience was with the ophthalmologist - and his office was literally one block away. We had requested the medical records but I don’t think they arrived yet. The old office was paper intensive and it cost $30 each for records to be copied, etc. Regardless, my appointment turned out to be routine, but my husband needs bilateral cataract surgery. Of course, that has to to be done in an office and surgery center that is ten miles alway from where we live. But at least it’s in Reston where the driving is easier than in DC. So after reviewing all the pamphlets and information, we needed to take a ride to the “other” office today to get some eyeball measurements taken before the surgery is scheduled at the end of February. This office is obviously the main office and the office by our house is the satellite. Hopefully all the follow ups can be done closer to home. Having cataract surgery is taking a lot of appointments but there’s no way getting around it. We hope we will like our new doctor. So far, so good? 

There’s Something in My Eye

My eyes have been feeling a bit dry lately. Sometimes it’s even difficult to just open them in the morning. With a fan blowing on me all night it probably makes them even more dry. Since both my husband and I have eye pressure problems, we both take the same prescription eye drops. What that means is even more visits to the eye doctor. This morning it felt like something was in my eye and I couldn’t get it out. So I put in a couple of drops of Visine. It felt better, but got gritty again. It so happens we had another eye doctor appointment scheduled today. Luckily the pressures have gone down, but our doctor said my eyes are really very dry. So much so that it was like sandpaper on the eye that was bothering me today. So to get me back to somewhat normal, she said to start taking eye drops/tears four times a day for two weeks, and then cut back to twice a day. Between those drops and the prescription drops I’ll be taking a lot of drops. So we stopped at the CVS on the way home and got a two bottle Visine deal. The bottle I had at home was dated 2015 and the sample bottle I got from the office a long time ago was also long overdue. It seems to have been the year of cataract surgery in my family - my sister just had one eye done, and two cousins earlier this year. My husband may be the next one up. It’s just something else to think about. Now we have to schedule another visit in three months. 

It’s Time to Find a New Doctor

It was bad enough to go once a year, then it became twice a year. Now it’s been more than that because both my husband and I have eye pressure issues. Since we moved to Virginia two months ago it’s been even worse reaching our destination. Getting to Washington Hospital Center was a pain on a good day when we drove in from Capitol Hill. I always made appointments for the first time slots after lunch to avoid rush hour traffic either way. We’ve been thinking about getting another doctor closer to home because I am all about convenience. Driving in to DC for a scheduled appointment is a crap shoot - you never know what will block the road on top of foul weather. This morning helped us make up our minds. We need to leave 90 minutes before just to get there, maneuver around a major medical center, find a parking space - if you’re lucky - then walk to the physician office building after walking through the hospital. You also have the privilege to pay for parking. Neither one of us would want to go there for a procedure because of all of these variables. Then the waiting room was stacked with unplanned emergency patients that delayed our five minute pressure readings and evaluation making our total stay two hours just in the office. There were no apologies for the delay and the treatment by the staff is always less than desirable. More than half of the day was blown by the time we got home from this excursion. The sad thing is is that I have another appointment on Wednesday in our old Capitol Hill neighborhood. Maybe it’s time to find another interist too. DC is nice when you enter it on your own terms. The photos don’t do the frustration justice. So glad we finally moved on.