Bizarre Symptoms?

[JAH1973]

Follow Up

I finally met with another optometrist on Monday who diagnosed me with clogged glands/blepharitis. I am not sure that this explains the continuous mucus in the eyes since I am still learning. The doc recommended warm compresses, lid scrubs, and Azasite whereas I started that last nite. I still use restasis, acetylsysteine 10%, and refresh PF tears.

Had a candida test done whereas the test did show a small level of candida, but was not significant. Given three days of diflucan.

I was also told by two different doctors that they each suspect that I have multiple chemical sensitivity. (Still need to learn more about this).

Had a blood test done and have food intolerances to Tuna, Beef, Pork, and Lettuce. (Who would have thought that lettuce would be a problem. Oh Well, I now have a reason to choose dessert over a salad)

I have been sick for six months due to a sinus infection. I have taken several round of strong antibiotics in which I thought the infection never went away. I would feel good for a few days then the swelling and dizziness would come back. My doc seems to think that the "infections" on the CT scans is congestion from allergies/hypersensitivities in the environment and not an infection. He gave me a perscription for singulair. Will be taking tonite although I am kinda nervous about taking a pill since you never know which great side effect you may get.

That being said, what do you think?

Could the food intolerances be causes the blepharitis/clogged glands/mucus?

Is it me or does the Azasite burn like crazy and significantly dry the eyes?

Does anyone know much about the multiple chemical sensitivity and dry eye correlation?

Is there a possibility of all of this being cured or even managable?

Has anyone else had similiar diagnosis?

Thank you for reading and please let me know your opinions. It really does help to get input from members here since many have gone through so much trying to some type of answer!


Julie

[Lucy]

Hi Julie-
I can't answer many of your questions. Yes, I do think you can be "controlled" if not cured. It's not quick and takes lots of patience. I see a new post and am showing the thread below. It has some references to candida and food allergies, thought you might like to see it. Lucy



http://www.dryeyezone.com/talk/showthread.php?t=7762

[JAH1973]

Thank you for your post Lucy. I really appreciate getting feedback from those who have been going through dry eye and other medical issues and have been down the long road of ups and downs to get to where you are now.

[bernmee]

Who did your blood test and candida test for you? I'm from Ireland and the medical system over here can be a little confusing. I went to see a dermatoloist regarding my rosacea, ocular rosacea and MGD with the intention of getting a blood test, but was told there was no connection between food allergies and my condition...I'm not inclined to believe him. Maybe I should have one to see a different specialist for these tests?

Anyway, on to your questions.

There is alot of talk on the forum about the food and other "things" making this condition worse. If you look in the "triump" section you will find some postings. I know "skygoddess" discovered she is intolerant of many things, including rubber. I'm not trained in a medical field but my understanding of it is that MGD and blepheritis are caused/made worse by inflammation, so if you introduce anything into your body that causes inflammation than it can affect your eyes.
http://nutrition.about.com/od/dietsf...inflamfood.htm

I think with time and patience this condition can be controlled. But I really think it requires sticking to a system and being careful with your diet and lifestyle.

Yes Azacite does sting when it does in, but for me I found that it numbed the pain for about an hour. It seems to be different for everyone.

I'm sorry I can't help you with the rest of your questions, but now you know "what you have" you will be able to move forward with your treatment.

Bernadette

[JAH1973]

I switched family doctors about six weeks ago. My prior doc told me to "take an anti-depressant and pray for a medical miracle". I had tried the anti-depressant and found that they dried out my eyes (my main complaint). I do pray every day, but found the statement very rude and knew that it was time to move on.

My new doc was affiliated with a local hospital, left to try homeopathic on his own. He came back to the hospital setting after struggling to pay for his own family medical benefits, etc. With all of my issues, I wasn't sure if he would accept me as a patient, but he did. His staff told me that he found my situation to be a challenge and wanted to try to make me better. I had told him I would be willing to try anything, which was right up his alley. Therefore, he has done some various tests that most doctors do not order.

Both the candida test and the food and inhalanct blood tests were ordered from Genova Labs in the Carolina's. The test was an allergy test and a sensitivty blood test. The candida test came back slightly elevated, but the results were not enough to perscribe a long-term dose of diflucan. I am not sure if you can order the tests yourself from that particular lab, but I have seen some sites whereas you can.

Since I just got the results for the food intolerances, I have only elimated the foods from my diet for the last couple of days. I don't have any concrete evidence to support the food elimation results. My husband and I go back and forth on the accuracy of the results since I was almost certain to be sensitive to soy, eggs, and broccoli; which all came back perfectly fine. The pork, beef, and lettuce really threw me off, but maybe it better explains why I would get so sick doing the Atkins diet. The tuna was really odd since I have not eaten tuna since I was 17 therefore no evidence of that could have been in my system. Who knows, but once again I am willing to try anything.

My doctor suggested elimating these foods for two months. Will definitely keep everyone posted since I have found these illnesses to be a living nightmare; but that's another post.

[JAH1973]

I switched family doctors about six weeks ago. My prior doc told me to "take an anti-depressant and pray for a medical miracle". I had tried the anti-depressant and found that they dried out my eyes (my main complaint). I do pray every day, but found the statement very rude and knew that it was time to move on.

My new doc was affiliated with a local hospital, left to try homeopathic on his own. He came back to the hospital setting after struggling to pay for his own family medical benefits, etc. With all of my issues, I wasn't sure if he would accept me as a patient, but he did. His staff told me that he found my situation to be a challenge and wanted to try to make me better. I had told him I would be willing to try anything, which was right up his alley. Therefore, he has done some various tests that most doctors do not order.

Both the candida test and the food and inhalanct blood tests were ordered from Genova Labs in the Carolina's. The test was an allergy test and a sensitivty blood test. The candida test came back slightly elevated, but the results were not enough to perscribe a long-term dose of diflucan. I am not sure if you can order the tests yourself from that particular lab, but I have seen some sites whereas you can.

Since I just got the results for the food intolerances, I have only elimated the foods from my diet for the last couple of days. I don't have any concrete evidence to support the food elimation results. My husband and I go back and forth on the accuracy of the results since I was almost certain to be sensitive to soy, eggs, and broccoli; which all came back perfectly fine. The pork, beef, and lettuce really threw me off, but maybe it better explains why I would get so sick doing the Atkins diet. The tuna was really odd since I have not eaten tuna since I was 17 therefore no evidence of that could have been in my system. Who knows, but once again I am willing to try anything.

My doctor suggested elimating these foods for two months. Will definitely keep everyone posted since I have found these illnesses to be a living nightmare; but that's another post.

[odydnas]

JAH, how is your food elimination diet going? I got tested for food sensitivities and it pulled up over 25 things...many of which are common things like soy, wheat, gluten, eggs, yeast, dairy! I'm been on the diet for about 5 weeks..and it's driving me crazy since apparently these things are found in most foods and I dont see any difference yet. I was wondering if you've noticed a change?

[JAH1973]

I have stuck to this diet and seem to feel somewhat better. The swelling isn't as bad and I don't get as bloated. I am on singulair so I am not sure if that is helping. However, I am too afraid to quit since that Big Mac isn't worth the misery that comes with being sick.

Your diet is even tougher than mine! I did give up dairy since it was on the mild list, but like you, have found that most foods contain derivatives of the foods considered sensitive.

I have dropped some pounds by basically not eating red meat.