Might be getting plugs

[Danny_]

Danny,

Unless you are a credentialled medical professional I would like to ask you respectfully to refrain from urging on fellow users invasive procedures in such terms, especially if (as is the case here) they have already stated they are not comfortable with the risks.

Of course it is up to each and every user here to consult their doctors and follow their doctor's advice rather than simply embracing any treatment that they heard enthusiastically promoted on the internet. But that does not lessen the responsibility of each and ever user to show caution and consideration in advice they attempt to give others.

In short, be a plug proponent by all means if you choose, but please do it responsibly and with consideration.

I just want to point out that this warning isn't given to people who share their bad experiences of plugs on here. And the proceedure actually isn't that invasive as anyone who has had it done (which you I am guessing have not) would tell you. The only reason I am urging her to get it done is because it is extremely EASY TO TAKE OUT THE PLUGS if it does not have any benefit for her. It literally took two minutes in my case to remove the plug from my right eye. I would hardly call that an invasive proceedure and I was terrified too before having it done but I sure am glad that I did have it done.

[Rebecca Petris]

the proceedure actually isn't that invasive as anyone who has had it done (which you I am guessing have not) would tell you.

You are mistaken. I have had several types of plugs put in, and never had a bad experience myself other than plugs sitting too high or not fitting properly.

The only reason I am urging her to get it done is because it is extremely EASY TO TAKE OUT THE PLUGS if it does not have any benefit for her.

It is precisely because of this type of statement that I am asking you to tone it down. It is not always "extremely easy" to take out plugs, despite your or my or anyone else's personal experience. Ask any oculoplastic surgeon who's dealt with lids injured by failed plug removal attempts.

[Danny_]

Nonsense. It literally took two minutes in my case to take the plug out and just because there are people who have had difficulties (how many I wonder...what is the risk factor - I am willing to bet it is a very small minority), does not mean that I should not advise or encourage her to go ahead with it especially when HER PHYSICIAN has said she is a candidate.

But this thread is case in point about what I was talking about. Had I come here prior to getting the plugs, I might not have gone through with it. You people would have scared me to death and I was scared enough already as it is.

Delilah, if you live anywhere near Chicago, I am prepared to meet with you or anyone else for that matter reading this to talk to you about my experience as I feel very sorry for the people on here suffering with this condition as I have done for the past 10 years.

[neil0502]

I disagree with you, Rebecca.

If Danny has tried something ... unsuccessfully ... then I don't see any reason why anybody else should ever try it.

Conversely, if something HAS worked for Danny, then I can't think of a single legitimate reason why anybody here would refuse to try that method, too.

Does that clarify things?

[Danny_]

I disagree with you, Rebecca.

If Danny has tried something ... unsuccessfully ... then I don't see any reason why anybody else should ever try it.

Conversely, if something HAS worked for Danny, then I can't think of a single legitimate reason why anybody here would refuse to try that method, too.

Does that clarify things?

I am being condescended to by some anonymous person over the internet. How will I ever live it down. Btw, I would prefer if you didn't keep stalking me and inserting your sarcastic jabs at every available opportunity, but I don't suppose you have anything better to do with your time so carry on if it makes you feel better about yourself.

[crispen_2000]

To plug or not to plug - that is the question...

Plugs didn't help me at all. Plugs help some people. Like any kind of treatment, people respond differently.

My opthamologist told me she was always hesitant to put plugs in. There have been documented cases where it can actually make symptoms worse.

If you don't respond well to other therapies talk to your doctor about plugs.

Punctual occlusion, from what I understand, might be considered for patients with aqueous tear deficiency. In some cases, it is the most useful and practical treatments for "keeping the tears in".

However, I do think that some patients get a little TOO paranoid. (I've been guilty of this.) I was very anxious about trying an anti depressant, fearing it would make my eye condition worse (and indeed, CELEXA did make it worse.) Understandably, I didn't want to try another one. However, after a lot of research and talking things over with a couple of doctors and pharmacists, and talking to some people online, II tried Wellbutrin SR.

So far, it hasn't exacerbated the problem at all.

Indeed, I'm doing very well with my treatment. It is now almost seven in the evening and I've only had to put drops in twice today. Who knows...if I had opted for the plugs rather than the restasis, maybe I'd be doing worse.

As with many things, dry eye syndrome retains an unquenchable aura of mystery.

Bottom line, I think Rebbecca is right. You HAVE to discuss things with your doctor.

[Danny_]

Crispen,

I am sorry to hear that and I am not saying that plugs are guarenteed to suceed by any means. I am told that if your dry eye symptons are due to the tears evaporating, then they can make the symptoms worse. In my case, they succeeded spectacularly well because my dry eye is not because my tears evaporate. It is because I have a deficiency and am losing too much through the punctua.

However, all I am saying is that if your doctor recommends plugs, there is no reason not to try them and they are the only thing out there that I know of that has the potential to cure you, not just relieve your symptoms but cure you completely.

Also, unlike others, I don't feel the need to apologize about being enthusiastic about something and strongly recommend to everyone that they try plugs if their doctor says that it is ok.

One last thing, in my case, having the lower puntua plugged had little noticable effect. Some phsyicians don't want to plug all four because the tears stream down your face if they do but if the lower ones don't work, do what I did and get one of the upper ones plugged and wait and see. When I got the upper ones also plugged, it made a HUGE difference and it wasn't gradual. It happened in a matter of days. So that's my two cents. As I said, if any lives in the Chicago area, feel free to meet up with me some evening after work and I will happily tell you about my experiences and you can see that I am just a regular guy that has gone through this horrible cr@p just like you.

[kitty]

I will echo everything Crispen_2000 said. I personally am paranoid about everything to do with my eyes. Every little thing that comes up that is out of the norm really stresses me out. I get myself talked into having all kinds of horrible eye diseases, when in reality, it is just this one with which I must contend. The problem with DES, at least for me, is that I don't know what is causing it so I can't do research and find out what modality might be the best treatment. I will try anything and everything as long as it is legal, in hopes of finding some relief. Some people are not willing to do that and that is fine. This message board is the one place I can come and learn about other people's experiences, learn about new modalities and hopefully gain enough knowledge to do my own research and make my own, informed decisions.

For my DES, everything is trial and error- which drops work best for me? Will plugs ever work for me? Will Restasis ever help me? I stopped caffiene and that did not help my eyes, but it helped my blood pressure. The fish oil did not help my eyes, but I take it anyway for other health benefits. What I am trying to drive home here is, there is no one-size-fits-all. Restasis does not work for everyone. Fish oil does not help everyone. Steroids do not help everyone. All plugs may not necessarily be easy to remove, and all DES is not created equal.

If I could come up with the one thing that does work for everyone, I would be a cured rich woman and there would be no further need for this board. I look forward to that day for all of us. Now, may we please return the subject matter of this thread to that for which it was intended? I feel better now. Thanks.

[Delilah]

Plugs?

Hi everyone, boy oh boy I just read all the posts lol, I didn't think ya'll would start fighting I've decided not to get plugs for many reasons, my eyes are doing a little better with the castor oil eye drops but still they will act up, they are very dry in the mornings like usual and thank-you Danny for wanting to speak with me but I am no where close to Chi Town lol. Im far away in Potatoe land, I go see my eye doc for another schrimmer test next month and not anyone in the world can talk me into getting plugs, I've made up my mind and I'd like to thank all of you for your support. God Bless. Luv D

[Rebecca Petris]

Well, this is a first here, but I really don't feel obliged to walk on eggshells forever.

Danny I'm suspending you for one week on the off chance that in the interim you'll (a) observe the rest of the community carefully enough to learn to show at least a modicum of courtesy to your host and to the rest of the community, and (b) read the bulletin board a little less selectively, in which case you may just discover all the happily plugged patients on the board.

Neil, next time pls. leave it alone, poking people with a stick isn't exactly calculated to motivate them to change.

Couple of comments on this point:

Had I come here prior to getting the plugs, I might not have gone through with it. You people would have scared me to death and I was scared enough already as it is.

I think there is an element of legitimacy in this complaint. It goes beyond plugs and it is something that I have commented on in the past as something readers should keep in mind to keep things in perspective.

The fact is this board naturally attracts many of the most challenging, exceptional dry eye patients. There may be a disproportionate number of patients here who either did not have a successful experience with, or who had complications from, many dry eye treatments, not necessariliy reflective of the overall percentages of successes and failures. That is absolutely natural, and newcomers should bear in mind that the extremes are the exceptions rather than the rule.

At the same time, we all know many of the people on this board are here because they have ALREADY been subject to harm from something without having been aware of the risk. Examples include people with persistent LASIK dry eye and some of the very young people here struggling with persistent eye problems after using Accutane. Many of these people have a heightened awareness of what it means to be one of the minority who are injured, and therefore, some of them are understandably going to be extra cautious when considering treatments that may pose serious risks, even if the percentage is small.

[Delilah]

Rebecca

Hello hope your doing good, I had a question, instead of plugs is it possible for my eye doctor to flush out my tear ducts where he inserts the plugs, can he use some sort of little device and flush them out to see if anything in there is plugged up? Would it hurt, do you think it would help? At first I thought I might have blocked tear ducts but many doctors said no, if you have blocked tear ducts can you still cry? I just thought that maybe if he flushed out my tear ducts maybe that would help my dry eye? Today is a good day Rebecca My eyes feel really good and I've noticed since I QUIT SMOKING lol that my eyes have improved much better, but I just don't understand why I have good days and bad days with my eyes and why my left eye is the worst eye?

Do you think I should ask my eye doctor in Salt Lake to flush out my tear ducts? Also I am not sure if I told you about the sinus operation I need badly, since I was born without eustachian tubes my drainage is extremely poor and I need tubes in both ears at all times. I can barely breathe through my nose as my septum is badly deivated and my turbinates are enlarged, my ear, nose and throat doctor is going to perform surgery hopefully this fall so I can breathe through my nose and I was wondering since I am always so stuffed up and can never breathe, maybe this is affecting my eyes, like the mucus is backing up into my eyes?

Im still using the Restasis with the Castor Oil eye drops, it says on the bottle to discard the drops on the 27th of this month but they are in the fridge at all times and seem like they wouldn't go bad, would it be bad if I kept them longer? Should I throw them out when it says, what will happen if I keep using them for longer? I know I will need to order more, how long can I use them after the due date and is that safe to do? Sorry for all the questions Becca lol, I just need some advice. God Bless Delilah

[indrep]

Delilah

Yes, the doctor can use a blunt end port cannula and BSS to flush or irrgiate your lacrimal drainage system. They also use a lacrimal probe to see if they feel an obstruction. It is not painful usually and you will taste the BSS when it enters the back of your mouth.

Flushing out the system probably would not be beneficial except for peace of mind. If you have never had plugs it is unlikely you have a blockage.

The blocked tear ducts and crying are two seperate issues. I assume you are now talking about the lacrimal glands that produce tears. That is different than the puncta where plugs go. Blocked puncta, where the tears drain, would not affect your ability to produce crying tears.

[Delilah]

Thank-you

I didn't know it was different? So I guess getting the puncta flushed out would just be a waste of time? Anyway's thanks for your info and have a good day D