What I Heard

How will I know if I meet a cute puppy? That's easy. We're all cute.

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How will I know if a black cat crosses my path? You'll sneeze. Same as always,

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How will I know what I look like? How will I fix my hair? Do you fix it now? No. Problem solved.

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Last week I had an appointment with my eye doctor. Unfortunately, the news wasn’t good. What I heard was:

You’re going blind!!

You have cataracts!

The Bell’s Palsy is irritating your eye!

You are diabetic!

Your prescription is off due to your blood sugar!

We can’t replace the lenses in your glasses!

Oh my gosh, did the doctor really say all of those things? No, but that is what I heard.

In reality, the doctor said that although my cataracts are worse than last year, they are still a young person’s cataracts. Also, they really can replace the lenses in my glasses despite me having rimless frames.

The other stuff has me upset, though. It appears that I have developed the familial inherited blindness. When I spoke to the doctor on Tuesday, the she didn’t think I needed to see a specialist about it yet, but after the week I’ve just had, I’m not sure. I plan to call her again this week. (The catch is that she is going out of town for a family situation and won’t be back until mid September.)

After checking my prescription, the eye doctor commented on how drastically different it was from the last time. What I took away from our conversation was that my eyes are acting like those of a diabetic. I had to go home and look up some of the terms she used, and it looks like I have had a number of diabetes symptoms….yet every doctor dismissed me when I talked about them. I am really confused because none of my blood test results ever came back that I have diabetes. Now I am afraid to eat anything. I feel like every carb is a threat.

One can’t help but be upset getting news like this. I know that it is possible that things may never progress or that as the BP improves, my symptoms in general will become less. For now, I fear that I will have another left turn coming up in my future. It seems like I’ve had nothing but left turns. I’ve had so many that I am constantly going in spirals instead of moving forward.

I’m tired. Can I get off this ride now?

29 Comments

  1. ssnowdrops's avatar

    DEAREST LESLIE WE CN GO BLING TOGETHER !! THE GOOD NEWS IS THAT CATARACT OP IS ONE OF THE MOST SUCCESSFUL OPS THESE DAYS. USUALLY THEY DONT DO IT TILL THE CATARACTS REACH A CERTAIN STAGE,
    HANG ON IN THERE LADY SADLY THOUGH I HAVENT YET FOUND THE OFF SWITCH FOR THE RIDE !!!

  3. Unknown's avatar

    Get yourself a glucose meter, girl, and start tracking the blood sugar so you can present the Docs with the facts. Daily BP measurements and weekly glucose to build up a data base and establish trends. And just remember…it’s always darkest just before things go totally black. Wait…that isn’t the inspirational message I was looking for…

  4. Reiko's Journey's avatar

    Get yourself a glucose meter, girl, and start taking consistent measurements so you can present your Docs with facts. Daily blood pressure readings and weekly glucose to establish a database so you can track trends and changes. And always remember, it’s always darkest just before things go completely black. Wait…that wasn’t the inspirational message I was going for…

    (this might a duplicate – problems with the log in)

  6. doesitevenmatter3's avatar

    I’m so sorry to hear all of this!
    I say get a second opinion. That always gives some perspective. Helps with decisions moving forward.
    I always like finding someone who has/or is going through something similar and seeing what they would advise. I’m sure, by now, there are support groups online for every medical issue.

    If you figure out how to get off the ride, let me know. I’ll get off, too.
    Always sending bestest wishes, with love and concern, for help and healing your way.
    (((HUGS))) ❤️❤️❤️

  8. Dr Mari B's avatar

    Hi, Leslie. I agree – 1)monitor BP and glucose levels at home – keep a log of them, so you can establish a baseline. 2) Get a second opinion about the familial blindness and what can be done to prevent it, delay it, and prepare for it. 3) Find out now what services and support are available for this condition. 4) Accept help.
    Hugs from Pippin and me.

  9. Anony-mouse's avatar

    I’m genuinely sorry that you are going through all of this. Perhaps the family members who have had the same eye problems can offer some practical help and medical direction for selecting specialists. Is this the same inherited retinal disease that now has gene therapy? It’s a king’s ransom at $850,000, but maybe figuring out that route (insurance, medical assistance from the pharma company, logistics) might be worthwhile. You seem to have both parents, so I’m sure they’ll help in any way possible. Your sweet mom even mushed up cake for you! And as a final tidbit, as a petite person an average adult BP cuff may be too large and therefore inaccurate. They come in different sizes, so perhaps get a small adult size or even child size if your really have a small upper arm.
    Again, I hope this all starts to sort itself out and with the help of a solid medical team and family and friends support you’ll start to feel better and get on the path to where you want to be.

    Annoy-mouse and the Terrier

    • Bitey Dog's avatar

      Thank you! I talked to the eye doctor today and told her about my problems and how they seem to be getting worse. After listening to me, she said that my symptoms are most likely from the Bell’s Palsy and not from any eye disease. That was such a relief because Bell’s Palsy can go away.

      Unfortunately, my familly members with the eye problems have passed away. When they were alive, I could never bring myself to ask them what it was like to be impaired. Unlike them, I won’t have a spouse or children to help out. That makes the prospect of change even more intimidating.

      I think the BP cuff I have is the appropriate size, but I’ll check into that. Thanks!

  10. Anony-mouse's avatar

    I’m genuinely sorry that you are going through all of this. Perhaps the family members who have had the same eye problems can offer some practical help and medical direction for selecting specialists. Is this the same inherited retinal disease that now has gene therapy? It’s a king’s ransom at $850,000, but maybe figuring out that route (insurance, medical assistance from the pharma company, logistics) might be worthwhile. You seem to have both parents, so I’m sure they’ll help in any way possible. Your sweet mom even mushed up cake for you! And as a final tidbit, as a petite person an average adult BP cuff may be too large and therefore inaccurate. They come in different sizes, so perhaps get a small adult size or even child size if your really have a small upper arm.
    Again, I hope this all starts to sort itself out and with the help of a solid medical team and family and friends support you’ll start to feel better and get on the path to where you want to be.

    Anony-mouse and the Terrier

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