Taking the auto serum plunge

[Erik]

After hemming and hawing (and just being lazy), I have decided to give the serum drops a try--have just handed the articles to my hospital's bloodpbank to get the drops made. I will keep everyone posted as Diana and Homes have done regarding my success or failure on this regimen.

Question for those who have already been there, done that:

Are you using 100% serum or the 20% dilution?
Also, how many times per day are you doing the drops?

If you've had success, I want to do it the same way you did.

--Erik

[DrG]

OK, I've read through your previous threads, looking for the one where you said you gave Restasis a trial. All I found was that Dr. Tseng diagnosed you with demodex blepharitis. Demodex can be killed. Was demodex not the correct diagnosis?

I also read where Restasis was not one of your "favorite things." Was this because of burning, or because you tried it for at least three months and it didn't work?

Inquiring minds would like to know.

DrG

[dianat]

Erik,

I see Doc Foulks on Wed. to have more serum prepared. As you know, it has been my plan to get back in there, but he's been out-of-town and I couldn't get in. I will ask him some questions regarding the serum preparation and let you know what I found out. (I had already planned on doing so anyway due to the trouble I had with the recent batch I had prepared locally.)

I'm darned near certain saline is added to my serum, but I will ask that also.

If I recall correctly, I was told in the beginning to use the serum three times a day and after a couple weeks drop down to twice. On particularly bad days I've used the serum a third time because I think it helps my burning.

Good luck with this, Erik. I started using them in the spring and feel strongly that they helped me have a better summer.

Diana

[Erik]

OK, I've read through your previous threads, looking for the one where you said you gave Restasis a trial. All I found was that Dr. Tseng diagnosed you with demodex blepharitis. Demodex can be killed. Was demodex not the correct diagnosis?

I also read where Restasis was not one of your "favorite things." Was this because of burning, or because you tried it for at least three months and it didn't work?

Inquiring minds would like to know.

DrG

Re: demodex. The story is on one of these threads here, but bottom line: I did the treatment (daily shampoo, weekly direct application on eyelid of an aromatic oil) and and did not have relief of my dry eye symptoms.

Restasis: it DID work for me, but I did not know it was helping until I stopped it (due to the burning on instillation) and had the "wateriest" month of my past two years. I have restarted a few times, but have been unable to stick with it, again because the burning actually makes my problem worse.

Diana, thanks for the info. I am excited to get this thing rolling--have been exceptionally uncomfortable lately despite all of the usual tricks.

[Rebecca Petris]

Erik,

Sending you a PM with a contact for some info that might be helpful.

[Philipp_from_Germany]

@ Erik: demodex treatment

Hi Erik-

Has any other doctor besides Tseng diagnosed you with the mites?
And - even more important I think - has any opthal. examined your eyelids again by now in order to evaluate your demodex treatment from an objective point of view (e.g. has the population decreased or vanished).

Would be interesting to know since I am uncertain whether your standard MD is able to diagnose demodex in the first place...

Anyway, how's your serum story progressing?

[Erik]

Late Reply

Sorry, Phillipp, I missed this thread, but just found it.

Not started yet, due to being very busy and also to feeling (fingers crossed) pretty decent right at the moment, so it has moved down on the priority list. But I have talked to my pathologist, given her the articles, and she says she'll make the serum, so once I have it in my grubbies, I'll be using it.

I'll keep everyone posted once I get started.