Announcement

Collapse
No announcement yet.

How I solved my problem

Collapse
X
 
  • Filter
  • Time
  • Show
Clear All
new posts

  • How I solved my problem

    Hello everybody,

    I'm writing here today because some people may find their solution in my personal experience, although I must preface my post by saying that my case of dry eyes is probably quite unlike most of yours so my solution may not pertain to anyone else who frequents these forums.

    Many years ago, my life became a nightmare when my eyes started being dry and itchy and scratchy, and they had that cold "menthol" feeling that some people here have experienced. For about 2 years, if was a constraint on my life and not one hour would pass without me having to manage my eyes. My productivity at work declined, at one point the dark thoughts started coming in - life in such intense discomfort at a young age seemed unfair... At my worst, I suffered corneal abrasions which forced me to wear an eyepatch, and wore glasses with padding below to prevent air from passing in front of my eyes, irritating them. I tried most things that were available to me, eyedrops at first, then I saw 2 optometrists, an ophthalmologist, I started reading about treatments, tried to eat differently, bought a bunch of devices that made my situation marginally better. I couldn't spend more than a few hours on the PC which was devastating for work, school and most other things about my life.

    Then, something happened that made me realize something. It's dumb, maybe a little disgusting, and I've put off writing this because it's a bit embarrassing, but here we go. The easy part, I put bias lighting behind my monitors, which tremendously reduced eye strain but by no means solved anything. I noticed that my eyes got better when I ate spicy food. I even bought hot sauce, when my eyes got bad, I would go put a spoonful of painfully spicy hot sauce in my mouth and I spit it out (to avoid the aftermath). It would help for sometimes an hour or two. And I wondered why it helped... I connected the dots (well, kind of...) with the thought that for me, spicy foods have a tendency to loosen the snot in my nose, so something is happening up in my sinuses... One of my vices, at least until that moment, was that I picked my nose a lot especially during the dry, cold winter, sometimes with dirty unwashed hands. I started hydrating my nose with saline and I stopped picking my nose which is difficult because it's a bad habit, but in desperate times all is possible! After a few weeks, my eyes were better. Good even.

    And for the last few years, my eyes have been mostly good, with some minor relapses during dry cold weather, which I can mostly handle by hydrating the inside of my nose.

    Like I said, I don't think that many people will be able to relate to this, but when I researched my problem a few years back I didn't find anything about nose involvement. But if this helps even one person, that's a win for me. Cheers all, and take care <3

    CM
    Last edited by anonbro; 15-Jun-2018, 12:27.

  • #2
    Novel.....whodathunk!, thanks for sharing

    Comment


    • #3
      That is really interesting. Thanks for sharing, and I'm glad you're doing better. There's no question that many of the bodily systems "above the neck" are interconnected. For example some medications to treat allergies and sinus problems can dry out the eyes. I have no idea why keeping the nose hydrated would help the eyes directly though. So how do you keep the nose hydrated with saline? Do you use some kind of spray? A NETI pot type device?

      Comment


      • #4
        In a pinch, I would just wash my hands, cup them to pick up some tap water and put my nose into it. Even wetting the inside of my nostrils helped quite a bit. But if I wanted to do it properly in a way that would give me relief for a bit longer, I used a measuring cup with a spout, I'd fill it with water and a bit of salt, I'd put the spout to my nose and tilt my head, which was messy and spilled a lot. After a few days of that, I bought a NETI pot type device and did the same without spilling everywhere. I even used some canned saline wash with a nozzle from Costco but the pressure was uncomfortable.

        Comment


        • #5
          Thanks. I used to a use a NETI pot for allergy problems and never noticed a connection, although that was before my eyes got really bad. It looks like others on the forum have also mentioned NETI pots as a treatment: http://forum.dryeyezone.com/forum/dr...e-problems-too

          Comment


          • #6
            This is super interesting because I react to things you are not allowed to have on the AIP diet such as coffee, nightshades, almonds, ect. I have never done the FULL protocol but want to. Yours isn't the first post I have read that claims the AIP diet if you dont cheat really helps! Seems worth it though. I am also drinking way more water and less coffee for sure makes a difference. This is great news! My condition is caused by my rosacea which I believe is autoimmune (my opinion).

            Comment


            • #7
              Shit I just posted this in the wrong thread! lol sorry

              Comment


              • #8
                interesting...maybe something to do with stimulating inside the nose like the new Allergan TrueTear device ?

                Comment


                • #9
                  anonbro, so the main "treatment" consisted in hot sauce in your mouth? I too have noticed a little change when eating spicy food, but it is difficult to imagine a solution like that.

                  Comment


                  • #10
                    Thanks for sharing your experience. It is helpful to me.

                    Comment


                    • #11
                      OP here, I know it's usually not the best idea to bump old threads but I feel a bit guilty because after I originally posted this thread I kind of abandoned it without answering people's questions. A user DMed me recently and so I guess people find utility in my post and so I figured I'd come back and answer the questions people had.

                      Q: How do you keep your nose hydrated.
                      A: At the time, I used a neti pot. I have since purchased an electronic nose cleaner which I prefer. I don't want to "advertise" the brand but it's easy to find and you if you DM me I'll direct you to the right product. In any case, neti pots work great.

                      Q: Did the main treatment consist of hot sauce in my mouth?
                      A: Not exactly, but it is one of the "treatments" that have worked for me. Having spicy food in my mouth helped me get relief for a few minutes which is very helpful in a bind. However, more durable for the specific type of dry eye issue I experience is mostly done through keeping my nose clean and hydrated. Honestly, and I find this embarrassing now but I used to pick my nose quite a lot. Forcing myself to stop by being mindful about it got me about 70% of the way to recovery. Then, running saline water through the nostrils helped a lot. Adding to that bias lighting behind my monitors and these days I have my symptoms largely under control.


                      To summarize, and I realize that everyone is different and these might have no effect on the symptoms that certain people experience:
                      1: Don't pick your nose!
                      2: Moisturize the inside of your nose and your sinuses if they are dry and irritated.
                      3: If you use the computer a lot, ensure that the area behind your monitors is well lit.
                      4: In a bind, spicy food may provide short-term relief

                      I wish you all the best of luck.

                      Comment

                      Working...
                      X