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**neil0502** · 17-Mar-2006, 11:51

As always, congrats on getting a "firm" diagnosis. I hope it leads you to medical improvement.

Further congrats on the no-smoking thing. No downside. Lots of upside.

Why so down on punctal plugs? Why not a trial of the dissolving kind ... just to see if they'll help you. Again, little downside. Possible upside.

Fingers crossed....

Neil

PS: I'm considering a move to Colorado--as dry as ID, so take this with a grain of salt, but ... could you move?? If there's a climate that's far more hospitable and improves your comfort, decreasing risk of further eye complications ... could you move?

My wife and I already agreed: if Colorado proves horrible for my eyes ... we aren't staying. I'm dumb, but not stupid

**shells** · 17-Mar-2006, 12:10

Hi Delilah,

I'm glad that you finally got a diagnosis, and found a doctor who seems to know what he is talking about. I really hope that the NAC drops give you some relief. Also, much congrats on the not smoking! I'm sure it will give you a better chance at relief with your eyes! You mentioned that you were back on the Restasis? Why did you stop taking it in the first place? Did you get bad burning from it? I think I'm gonna post a question about it and see what others think. I wish you the best of luck with your new treatments!

-Shells

**kitty** · 17-Mar-2006, 12:42

Delilah, I am so glad you had a good experience at The Moran Eye Institute and have a firm diagnosis. Congrats on your quit too! I have noticed the further into my quit I get, the less eye mucous I have. Same thing with the throat. I think there may be a connection!

**Lucy** · 17-Mar-2006, 17:26

Way to go Delilah

Also great news today is day #8 with NO-SMOKING!!!!! I have noticed a slight improvement with my eyes but nothing dramatic. Although my lungs feel quite better, Ciao for now Delilah

Girl, this is wonderful news! I say that as a former smoker myself, 16 years off the tobaccy weed now! Even more exciting is today is also my daughter's 8th day of no smoking! I am very proud of her and now I can add you to that list. Continued good luck.

Don't look back!! It probably doesn't have a thing to do with it, but I hope not smoking does help with your eye problems! Your lungs and pocketbook will look much better, too.

**dianat** · 17-Mar-2006, 19:53

Delilah,

I'm really excited that you have a firm diagnosis...best of luck with the NAC drops. I'm still thinking of trying the oral supplement some time. Does anybody out there (including Delilah!) take them with any confidence that they are helping?

Congrats also on quitting smoking. It really should help those eye a great deal, I would think. Be good to yourself in this weaning stage! You deserve it!

Keep us posted...

Diana

**kitty** · 17-Mar-2006, 20:31

Originally posted by dianat

Delilah,

I'm really excited that you have a firm diagnosis...best of luck with the NAC drops. I'm still thinking of trying the oral supplement some time. Does anybody out there (including Delilah!) take them with any confidence that they are helping?

Congrats also on quitting smoking. It really should help those eye a great deal, I would think. Be good to yourself in this weaning stage! You deserve it!

Keep us posted...

Diana

Dianat, I went on the fish oil caps when I was first diagnosed. I went off them for a couple of weeks recently and noticed the longer I was off, the more burning I had. I am back on them. It takes at least 6 weeks to see results. My friend has Rheumatoid Arthritis. Her rheumatologist put her on a high quality fish oil and she was able to control her inflammation with that for several years. I'm not sure if the benefit I see is as an anti-inflammatory, or if it is somehow altering my tear film. Either way, I am more comfortable on it than off it. Try the TwinLabs Super Max EPA. That is one that my friend's rheumatologist recommends. Besides, the fish oil raises the good cholesterol, lowers the bad cholesterol and has many other health benefits.

**dianat** · 18-Mar-2006, 09:39

THanks for the info Kitty. I actually was referring to oral NAC/Glutathione. I wasn't very clear in my original post. I think I'll start taking NAC/Gl. when I'm done nursing.

Still, it's reassuring to hear about the fish oil. I stopped taking them for a week now because my baby was having some digestive issues...I also quit milk products. I stopped the oil not because I really felt like they were at fault, but because I simply made up my mind to make every change I could just to make him more comfortable. The omitted milk products are probably what's helping.

I've had some really lousy eye days this past week...I think we'll get back on the cod. (I didn't miss the fish burps!) I tend to think my issues are related to chronic inflammation...

Diana

**Delilah** · 18-Mar-2006, 13:55

Thank-you Everyone!!

Thank-you all for your support and sweet and thoughtful words, well the Restasis never burned my eyes, I had no side effects but I used it for a month and seen no results and finished it and never got anymore, but now the doctor told me it takes 3 months or longer for it to show results I am back on it. With the NAC supplements I never seen any improvement, but yet again I may have not been on it long enough, maybe 2 months at the most and I also noticed little bumps like pimples on my skin, must be a side effect.
About moving from Idaho I would love to move, but at the moment I am stuck here, I have no money, no job and my family is helping me get on my feet, after graduating from college it hasn't been easy finding a job, they seem to think of me as "over qualified"? So until I can pass my social work exam then I may find a good job and be able to save money and move to a more humid climate.
Not too mention that all of my life long friends are here and my Uncle, he has no one and he's been the only one that has stuck by my side and helped me through with everything and I just couldn't leave him. So I will just have to deal with the weather and hopefully these eye drops will cure most of the mucus.
About the punctal plugs, I didn't know they had ones that dissolved? I may try those in 3 months. Im just a little scared to try them as I heard so many people say they fall out, get infected and get caught in their punctum. But the dissolving ones sound pretty good, I may give those a try in 3 months. Hopefully the Restasis and the NAC drops will make things much better? Today is number 9 for the no-smoking and I do see quite a bit of difference with the mucus and my lungs and pocket book do feel better too lol

Congrats to all of you who quit smoking and have stayed smoke free, its such a hard habit to quit, I chew the nicotine gum but not very often, it actually hasn't been that big of deal to quit, I feel that every time I tried to quit and failed was because I really deep down didn't want to quit.
I think if you really deep down inside your soul want something, a change, you will do it. Will power is a funny thing and I never knew that I had that much will power until now. Again thank-you everyone for replying and for all your wonderful comments and support, I don't know what I would of done if I had never found all of you? This website is like the bible to me lol. Ciao for now Delilah

**jcorbett** · 18-Mar-2006, 23:04

Delilah - Congrats on the no smoking. I never was a smoker, so can't relate to how hard it is to quit. However, I try to imagine not eating chocolate anymore

and I know how hard THAT would be!!!!
If your eyes feel better, hopefully that will be an incentive also.
Good luck! Keep us posted.

**Delilah** · 23-Mar-2006, 12:05

Restasis

Today is my 3rd day on Restasis, I've noticed a slight burning this time? It never burned before? I also got my NAC drops today from Leiters pharmacy in San Jose, I have to put one drop in each eye 4 times a day, I am hoping that these eye drops that are compounded from mucomyst will get rid of the strings, if so I have found my cure for the strings and if not then I've just wasted more money on another eye drop. I am happy that I found a pharmacy that ships eye drops to your home but I am not happy with their service!!!

The lady that took my order was extremely rude and she also over charged me when I specifically told her I wanted the cheapest shipping, I am not a cheap person but when you spend hundreds of dollars on eye drops with no insurance every penny counts, so I am making a complaint today. Today is exactly 2 weeks no smoking and yes it's hard, Im chewing this nicotine gum, not eating chocolate would be a piece of cake, ha,ha,ha, no pun intended, I love chocolate as well.

I never thought that I would ever be "addicted" to anything as I usually can try something and it doesn't faze me

Let's just say in my younger day's I've experimented with a few things and I never turned back to want more, with cigarettes I use to hate them, I hated the smell and I thought it was the stupidest thing to do, to me it was like rolled up dollar bills that were being "burnt" up. Then at about the age of 18 when I was a huge pot head lol, I sometimes would try a smoke from one of my friends, I always put it out, I didn't like it. Not too say that weed was better but I never heard of weed causing cancer of the lungs?

To make a long story short I started smoking cigarettes after I quit smoking weed, I did it because I was bored not because I wanted to fit in. I got bored of weed and switched to something that I never thought would have a hold on me. As I got older and was able to get into the bar at 21 is when I really started to become a smoker, something with drinking and the bar makes many want to smoke and I turned into a heavy smoker, it became no longer enjoyable, it became a habit and I needed the nicotine. Maybe turning 30 really does make you open up your eyes because now Im thinking different and all I want to do is get into shape, eat healthy and of course I quit smoking.

I wish I had never touched cigarettes, they truely are the most powerful things I have ever came across and I have also noticed a huge difference in the mucus in my eyes!! All these years I have been suffering and all the advice to quit I could of saved a lot more grief. Just the 2 weeks I haven't smoked I have noticed I am not coughing in the morning like I use to, I had horrible "coughing-attacks" when I woke up. I am no longer winded when I walk, I no longer have diarehhea in the morning which nicotine can cause that, I had no idea. The main thing I've noticed that the strings of mucus in my eyes are not as bad as they were, they still come about but not as often as they were when I was chain smoking all day and night.

Sorry for such a long post I just had to let you all know that I seriously have noticed a huge difference in the no smoking and I am hoping this time that the $114 Restasis works along with the NAC drops, for now Im gonna keep chewing this gross gum until I can all together quit thinking about smoking as now its all mental. Have a good weekend everyone. D

**Lucy** · 23-Mar-2006, 17:25

Delilah said

for now Im gonna keep chewing this gross gum until I can all together quit thinking about smoking as now its all mental. Have a good weekend everyone. D

Delilah, I quit smoking in 1989. "Back then" nicotine gum was the only "help" available. It was gross, but it probably made the difference in me QUITTING. I wanted to say though, I "needed" the gum for about a year. For a long time, I "had" to chew one piece a day. I thought I'd never be able to give up my piece of nicotine gum, but eventually did. It was not offensive to anyone and kept me from smoking, so I should not have even worried about it. (My daughter is still in the non-smoking category, same number of days as you!)

**Delilah** · 24-Mar-2006, 08:39

Lucy

Tell your daughter I said Congrats and not to give up either!! I don't have to chew the gum every day which is weird. Like I said it's all mental now, its the old habit that is stuck in our heads, we really are no longer actually "craving" the nicotine as it's out of our systems but our minds make us think we are, another thing too is that the gum puts small amounts of nicotine in our systems and can actually make it harder to quit. That is why I am trying my hardest not to chew it every day. I chew regular gum which can be a great placebo, although when I think Im really going to give in I get the real nicotine gum.

I also had a question, it says only 2 drops 2 times a day for Restasis, is it bad to use more than that? Can over using it hurt your eyes? It's hard just to get one drop in each eye since those stupid viles are made so weird, I usually just flush one eye with Restasis and do the same with the other. Not too mention you can only use the vile for up to 3 days, and I don't want to waste it since its so expensive. Thanks a bunch Delilah.

**Amy09** · 24-Mar-2006, 16:35

i would say, no, its definately not bad to put in more drops than it says. Since about a month into using Restasis, I've been putting 2 drops in each eye in the morning, and 2 drops in each eye at night. So its 4 drops two times a day I guess? I know the recommended dosage is only supposed to be one drop in each eye in the morning, and the same for at night. Using twice the recommended dosage really really helps flush out the extra mucus left in my eyes that the first drops didn't get out. (sorry i know, gross). I might check with your doctor first though. my doctor was the one who told me to do twice the drops. he also said to wait fifteen minutes in between before putting the second set of drops in. sometimes, if im running late though, i'll only wait five or ten minutes. the only bad things about using more drops than normal is that i end up going through a whole vial in only a day and a half, sometimes even just a day... which sucks because they're expensive and i have to buy the packages more often. anways, i hope i was helpful to you delilah and have a great day!

**calli66** · 24-Mar-2006, 17:08

Originally posted by Delilah

I also had a question, it says only 2 drops 2 times a day for Restasis, is it bad to use more than that? Can over using it hurt your eyes?

If this is your first time using Restasis, maybe it would be better to be conservative.
I tried it last summer- it didn't work for me. I was using the recommended 2 drops 2 times per day. The doctor said I could try half that, but by that time my eyes were a wreck, and I gave up on it. I guess what I'm trying to say is that maybe "more is not better" at least till you find out if it's doing anything for you and how your eyes react.
Also, the directions for use say to "pinch" the bridge of your nose for a minute after putting in the drops, so that they don't just drain out down the "punta" (sp.-- my mind went blank--you know the 'drain' holes in your lids). So I think maybe more might just get wasted. And the Rx is very expensive--I always tried to make the vials last as long as possible.

How are you doing so far? How do the drops feel?

C66

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