Worrying about dry eye making it worse

[sanna]

I was just going to ask you all if you think stress is making your eyes worse but i guess i don´t have to now. The problem now is how to not be so stressed....

[dgreen97]

the thing about these pain problems is that any job i can do would involve pain. if i work standing up at some job i have relentless plantar fasciitis pain (which I'm going over 5 years of having now) and with my current job as a designer i have fatigue and dryness problems with my eyes. so either way i can't really win in the pain column

[irish eyes]

. Feel better and sorry for this novel

It's good that you feel better - and I love novels so no need to apologise.

[irish eyes]

The word `pain' has its origins in the Latin - pæna - meaning punishment, penalty and pain. But pain is important; without it, we could hurt ourselves without knowing it, or we may not realise that we have a medical problem that needs treatment.

Speaking for myself, I find that chronic pain has had a significant psychological component. Emotional symptoms can develop if medical treatment hasn't eliminated the pain but if this defies the diagnostic skills of the health care provider, it doesn’t mean that pain is imaginary.

Any psychological treatment for chronic pain should supplement medical care, not replace it. Pain is complex in nature but over the years, I have learnt to observe my pain and report it in the clearest way possible. I tend to describe mine in terms of its `quality'.

dgreen 97 - if you feel pain, then you feel pain.

[willwork4tears]

wow i feel bad for you that you had to work in an environment like that. i do know what its like when your boss thinks you're slacking at work even though you're just trying to cope with pain. i also have a chronic condition with my feet called plantar fasciitis and i would have to take frequent breaks at work (i had to stand on a forklift) before... my boss accused me of chatting on my cell phone and not working so naturally i was pretty pissed off.

it's just really weird that both my pain conditions effect any job I could possibly do. perhaps there is a psychological problem i'm not aware of that makes pain for me chronic?

anyhow thats pretty bad when you have to hide out to take care of your eyes.. i hope you're doing better now

I highly doubt the pain from plantar fasciitis is psychological! This is a very uncomfortable and painful condition. If you haven't already, you should see a good podiatrist b/c it is a very treatable condition. If you have multiple unrelated pain disorders, it's probably more likely that you're unlucky than that you have a psychological pain disorder. Don't let "them" make you think it's all in your head!

[GinaJ]

I agree with a lot of thoughts here. In the treatment I have had for my conditions I don't think the doctors(good ones anyway) expect us to forget about our pain and problems because it is impossible but it is about living life still in the best way you can. I have a condition with my legs that limits my ability and I am unable to do a lot that I used to and so I have had to find others things I enjoy. I still think of my condition/pain 24/7 but still try to do what I can. I know jobs are hard to come by but sometimes if possible looking into another career path. I have not been able to work and with the eyes and legs I am trying to figure out something I can do when I get to a better point that is not a huge strain on either. On a side note I really feel getting on the right combo of mental meds with self help tools can help. I truly was loosing my mind through all my health conditions. My life was filled with anxiety,depression,anger I can go on. Now it took awhile to get on the right combo and it did not take away the physical pain but it has helped me cope with it in a better manner. That and then I try to apply some self tools I have learned like people stated here meaning be social,hobbies what ever. Feel better and sorry for this novel

[irish eyes]

I retrained as a careers consultant because classroom teaching was too taxing, both physically and emotionally. I followed a postgraduate route, which was heavy on the practitioner's role in terms of ethics, self awareness and equal opportunites. I once came close to failing an observed interview because I appeared to be `steering' a disabled youngster into a stereotypical occupation.

Once out in the workplace, it was a whole lot different. My first role (with a government funded organisation) displayed all the usual wishy-washy commitments and policies on the wall but as an employee, it didn't seem to apply to me. I felt like an object of curiosity -people weren't even subtle about it. There was no evidence to show I couldn't do the job but there seemed to be concern about this `great unknown' i.e. my eyes. It certainly gave them something to talk about. The youngsters were great - it was the `professionals' who had the problem.

Years later, I'm with a great team but sadly - I can never be completely off my guard because of the earlier experiences. Some days, my eyes feel absolutely dreadful but I know if I didn't have my job to go to, I would probably spend most of my day in bed - and not really feel any better.

We can't be wreckless with our eye problems but we need to find a balance. Avoid things that might cause distress or exacerbate symptoms too much, but we can pick some activities that are life affirming.

[dgreen97]

wow i feel bad for you that you had to work in an environment like that. i do know what its like when your boss thinks you're slacking at work even though you're just trying to cope with pain. i also have a chronic condition with my feet called plantar fasciitis and i would have to take frequent breaks at work (i had to stand on a forklift) before... my boss accused me of chatting on my cell phone and not working so naturally i was pretty pissed off.

it's just really weird that both my pain conditions effect any job I could possibly do. perhaps there is a psychological problem i'm not aware of that makes pain for me chronic?

anyhow thats pretty bad when you have to hide out to take care of your eyes.. i hope you're doing better now

[Lucy]

Dgreen, you are right about needing to use your eyes at work. I remember once when I was still working, I closed my eyes to hopefully catch a few seconds of relief and the office "B" came up and said very loudly, "we're taking a nap are we?" Needless to say, I could have slapped her. She ad all the others knew of my problems.

I used to have a soft blue gel icepack in the office frig and on break and lunch, I'd go to the ladies room or my car and put this over my eyes. This was the way I made it to the 5 year mark after Lasik. I slept most of the time as soon as I got home from work and weekends.

In my post here, I detailed how I tried to get my mind off my eyes by doing something different. I had to use eyedrops every 20 minutes working those 5 years in a high profile office. One day one of the VP's said "why don't you do that in the ladies room?" Duh, VP and just who will be here to answer the President's phone while I'm in the "john?" I understand it did not look good, but I tried to do it out of the gaze of others.

I still think we need to TRY as best we can to do something. Go bowling, to a movie, visit our Grandma, and there will be times you think "oh, I forgot my eyes a bit, even though they still hurt." Most of us have had to work with the dry, gritty eyes. I was a secretary in the President's office of a college. 90% of my work was computer. I filed for disability at the end of 5 years after a medically necessary eye surgery made my vision worse. Try not to dwell. Lucy

[dgreen97]

its hard to stop thinking about them when they are constantly irritating and feeling like crap. i've tried to put it out of my mind but when you have to use your eyes at work for computers and stuff like that the only other thing to think about is doing your work (which is using your eyes) lol

[peepers]

I constantly think about my eyes.They're the 1st thing on my mind in the morning & the last thing at night.I wake up every morning hoping that my eyes wont be red.Its taking over my life.I feel i cant look people in the eye when im talking to them because im afraid they'll think 'oh my god look at her eyes'.Its quite depressing

[irish eyes]

It's a difficult call yet I'm sure it's a goal we all want to reach. The nature of the discomfort can draw us away from whatever we are focusing on - work, relationships, conversations etc.

Some days, my burning eyes seem to interrupt everything and even the smallest task becomes a struggle. I have a very satisfying job working with students. On occasion, I feel that my world has become too much about `me' and I worry that my ability to relate to others has faded somewhat. It can feel very insular and lonely.

As GinaJ said about her pain doctor's advice; on the good days you do the most you can and on the bad days - just do your best. My students can drive me to distraction - and then it only takes one of them to make me laugh......and I feel 100% better.

[GinaJ]

I haven't tried CBT for OCD before. That is a solution I should look more into. Right now I'm actually taking a very small dose of celexa to try and combat the worrying and anxiety problems. Since I'm really the only one I know with this problem it's good to talk with others who share similar issues and have some of the same worries that I do.

Another good therapy is biofeedback. I agree about how others in similar help one feel less alone

[nycdryeyegirl]

Hi!

I thinking participating and belonging to a wonderful community like the DEZ forum creates an opportunity to interact with others who have similar dry eye signs and symptoms and hearing how they cope with similar problems, thus possibly reducing the stress and anxiety associated with a oftentimes chronic disorder/condition.

Pam

[dgreen97]

I haven't tried CBT for OCD before. That is a solution I should look more into. Right now I'm actually taking a very small dose of celexa to try and combat the worrying and anxiety problems. Since I'm really the only one I know with this problem it's good to talk with others who share similar issues and have some of the same worries that I do.