From lurking to delurking and now to triumph, it’s only taken me about five months to assemble a regimen that has served me well for the past three weeks straight. I feel confident enough to post in this section because I am sure that if I keep my routine up, I’ll have way more good days than bad.
My visit with Dr. Hector in Bradenton went very well on Friday. He knew all about this board and said that if I stick with my current routine, I will probably have zero staining on my corneas at my next visit (in 6 months).
I think all of this speaks to the effectiveness of this board as a whole. I have to second what LasikLady said in one of her posts, that if she had relied solely on the advice of her three doctors, there is no way she would be where she is today. THIS BOARD ROCKS!!
Here is what helped me in no particular order (I am post-LASIK / had it in January of 2008):
1) Supplements. If you want my specific regimen, please PM me. It is a lot of pills, taken three times a day, but I am sure it has bumped me up in the comfort department. Also, be patient with supplements – it can take months for your body to begin to use them.
2) Olive oil. I apply it around my eyes after my warm compresses in the mornings and evenings.
3) Dwelle. Once I gave up on the fruitless drugstore drops, I went on Dwelle exclusively. While it wasn’t a magic bullet, it STOPPED the BURNING, which was huge. I only have to use Dwelle once at night now! No dropping during the day!!
4) Hot compresses and Dr. L’s gland expressions (2x a day).
5) Water. I drink 80+ ounces of water every day. As soon as I wake in the morning I chug an entire glass of water and I believe that sets the hydration tone for the day.
6) Diet control. I eat tuna fish 4x a week and salmon at dinner whenever possible. I also eat carrots religiously (over a cup a day) and as many veggies as I can get. I never drink soda and rarely eat sweets. Yes, I am that jerk at the office birthday parties who refuses a slice of hydrogenated-oil-laden cake but jimmy crack corn, and I don’t care!
7) And I think I owe this following tip to autumnN and Hangus – Stay off of this board if you are looking for downer stories, because you WILL find them. You will find plenty of reasons to beat yourself up – whatever the cause of your dry eye – so you eventually have to make a decision to come here only for feedback when devising your plan of action.
8) De-stressing. Easier said than done, but you don't want to end up in adrenal failure so try to get a handle on your mind now.
9) Patience. Introduce one thing at a time and give it a real college try before moving onto something else. Otherwise you’ll never know what is working and what is not.
10) Exercise. Take walks, go to the gym, do sit-ups in front of your TV – any sort of physical activity. This gets the blood going!
11) Reaching out for help. I started seeing a therapist who steered me away from the brink, and a mild anti-anxiety medication was all I needed to start feeling normal again.
I'm not disappearing from this board - I just wanted to get the word out that some simple tweaks in your lifestyle may lead you to more "good" eye days than bad, as in my case. I'm going out of town with my husband and another couple in 2 weeks and typically I would have been DREADING a trip out of my 'comfort zone'... BUT I AM ACTUALLY LOOKING FORWARD TO IT!!
- Rose
My visit with Dr. Hector in Bradenton went very well on Friday. He knew all about this board and said that if I stick with my current routine, I will probably have zero staining on my corneas at my next visit (in 6 months).
I think all of this speaks to the effectiveness of this board as a whole. I have to second what LasikLady said in one of her posts, that if she had relied solely on the advice of her three doctors, there is no way she would be where she is today. THIS BOARD ROCKS!!
Here is what helped me in no particular order (I am post-LASIK / had it in January of 2008):
1) Supplements. If you want my specific regimen, please PM me. It is a lot of pills, taken three times a day, but I am sure it has bumped me up in the comfort department. Also, be patient with supplements – it can take months for your body to begin to use them.
2) Olive oil. I apply it around my eyes after my warm compresses in the mornings and evenings.
3) Dwelle. Once I gave up on the fruitless drugstore drops, I went on Dwelle exclusively. While it wasn’t a magic bullet, it STOPPED the BURNING, which was huge. I only have to use Dwelle once at night now! No dropping during the day!!
4) Hot compresses and Dr. L’s gland expressions (2x a day).
5) Water. I drink 80+ ounces of water every day. As soon as I wake in the morning I chug an entire glass of water and I believe that sets the hydration tone for the day.
6) Diet control. I eat tuna fish 4x a week and salmon at dinner whenever possible. I also eat carrots religiously (over a cup a day) and as many veggies as I can get. I never drink soda and rarely eat sweets. Yes, I am that jerk at the office birthday parties who refuses a slice of hydrogenated-oil-laden cake but jimmy crack corn, and I don’t care!
7) And I think I owe this following tip to autumnN and Hangus – Stay off of this board if you are looking for downer stories, because you WILL find them. You will find plenty of reasons to beat yourself up – whatever the cause of your dry eye – so you eventually have to make a decision to come here only for feedback when devising your plan of action.
8) De-stressing. Easier said than done, but you don't want to end up in adrenal failure so try to get a handle on your mind now.
9) Patience. Introduce one thing at a time and give it a real college try before moving onto something else. Otherwise you’ll never know what is working and what is not.
10) Exercise. Take walks, go to the gym, do sit-ups in front of your TV – any sort of physical activity. This gets the blood going!
11) Reaching out for help. I started seeing a therapist who steered me away from the brink, and a mild anti-anxiety medication was all I needed to start feeling normal again.
I'm not disappearing from this board - I just wanted to get the word out that some simple tweaks in your lifestyle may lead you to more "good" eye days than bad, as in my case. I'm going out of town with my husband and another couple in 2 weeks and typically I would have been DREADING a trip out of my 'comfort zone'... BUT I AM ACTUALLY LOOKING FORWARD TO IT!!
- Rose
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