does your DE wax and wane?

[stella]

I'd be interested to know what peoples experience is in this regard?
Does your DE have remissions ? If so for how long ?
Can you go for days ,weeks even months with it being improved and then wham back to square one?
I suppose i am looking for some hope that there is light at the end of this particular tunnel
Since returning from a whole summer mostly in a caravan when i hardly noticed DE at all during the day and night was not too bad -I've slid down into a bad patch when it burns prickles/itches most of the time It is really getting me down.
I put the improvement down to Doxy but i'm still on doxy and it does'nt seem to work the same
If i thought it would ease up again it would give me something to look forward to
Thanks
Stella

[Guest]

Stella

I am sorry to hear you are having a tough time of it at the moment.

I find that my DES is mostly under control when I am not working and doing general pottering around in the garden or rennovating the house.

The moment that I walk into the office or get into the car, my eyes seem to flare up.

It is really difficult to pin it down to something. I find it so frustrating at times, like you, I am on Doxy and have noticed that the burning in my eyes seems to be under control - some of the time but my face sometimes feels like it is on fire.

My face doesn't look red but it certainly feels inflammed, not sure if that is a side effect of the Doxy but it is the only medication I am taking.

Again, I wish you well, I hope that you find the window off opportunity before much longer.

Warm regards

Ian

[kitty]

Unfortunately, nothing but rainy weather gives me comfortable days. I don't know if you call a week or two of rain a remission or something that occurs during any one of the four seasons in Washington State.

[Dryeyetrauma]

I find that the symptoms come and go several times a day depending on environmental factors - if the relative humidity of the air is low or if there is a strong current of air blowing, it is really rough on my bad eye, but at other times I barely notice it. It's a bit like playing russian roulette at times.

[Hangus]

Hi stella
i certainly think it is cyclical but just why it flips from good to bad overnight is one of the mysteries of the world.
It is interesting though to hear that other people feel like I do about one aspect of the condition. If i am out in the garden working away listening to my Ipod i forget i have it. This is also the case if i am decorating etc. My worst symptoms occur at the weekend usually when i am doing my couch potato act watching Tv. Perhaps the moral of this story is to keep busy!
i do remember one member writing in about a doctor who had insultingly told him that it is all in the mind. We all know that is not the case but perhaps there is a diversionary issue for our thoughts on the condition.

Barry

[Guest]

Kitty

Maybe you should move to the UK, there are few days that we don't have rain (particularly this summer - is it over already ).

Unfortunately, that doesn't seem to work for me otherwise my eyes would feel normal most of the time.

I agree with Barry that I can't pinpoint my triggers but I also have to agree that when I am out in the garden or rennovating I don't see to notice it as much.

the moment I jump in the car to head to the DIY store, I notice my eyes straight away.

I am prepared to accept that some of it is in my mind but try as I might, I just can't turn the whites of my eyes from bloodshot to clear with the power of my mind alone, maybe I should make an appointment with Uri Geller, for a man that can bend spoons using the power of the mind, just imagine what he can do with red dry eyes!!.

cheers

Ian

[Hangus]

Perhaps when we put together activities like TV, computing, driving etc. it is the act of focussing on a specific point that kicks in the symptoms. The other stuff like gardening, doesnt involve continuous focus on a fixed point. Not sure what this all means but it may be just another part of understanding what is happening to our poor eyes! If this is the discovery that leads to an outright cure can we call it the Hangus theory please?

[stella]

Thanks you guys - You are all wonderfully supportive and with a little help from our freinds we will get through the rough times
I' ve had a better day today - went a 3 mile walk in the country.Excercise puts your serotonin level up(the happy hormone )
You just think you have a handle on it and there you are back to square one
I've always believed you can get used to anything eventually and still do - but this ones hard!
My new psychological tactics (as from today) are to tell myself it does'nt matter and that it will go away (even if its only for a while ) and to try to minimize the pain and discomfort as much as possible making "a molehill out of a mountain" instead of the other way round.and to live as normally as i can
Meanwhile i intend to explore every eye drop that is appropriate
At the moment I'm working on the allergy issue - I've recieved the Similasan homeopathic drops from the net ,that Rebecca suggested and find them soothing - at least they dont make things worse, and maybe they will live up to their claims
I've also gone onto HRT which contains weak (and i stress the weak ) androgens in the hope the androgen content will help the eyes
So - we shall see
I find if i am doing something towards trying to resolve this i cope better
Cheers
Stella

[liz56]

If I could crack the code to this pattern, I think some researchers would be interested in it! I cannot at all predict how my eyes are going to feel from day to day or whether or not how they feel is predictive of an erosion.

[stella]

Been thinking about your replies
What i was actually trying to find out when starting this post was
What were peoples experiences of duration of bad and good /better times?
Can we expect to have remissions and excasserbations with DE ,and if so how long do they last for ?
You read of people on this site who have been better for a while and then worse again, in fact most people seem to be like that
Is that the nature of this syndrome ?
If so, i was thinking i have to come to terms with that aspect of this miserable condition (until we find a cure or at least some eye drop that will better control the symptoms)
Also if there are remissions - at least one can put up with the bad times knowing it could be better again soon
What made me think this way was this article specifically on blepharitis which mentioned that it "tended to wax and wane"
Cant get the website but quote -- under prognosis --
"recognition of the waxing and waning ,and a prolonged program rather than an instant cure helps them (us) to approach the disease in a successful manner"
eMedecine -Blepharitis Adult :Article by R Scott Lowery,MD

[shells]

Hi Stella,

I hope that you rough patch passes soon. Not sure if you are already doing this, but for allergies, I also like to do preservative free saline rinses. I find that I do slightly better when I rinse my eyes out a few times a day during allergy season. If the saline is cool, it feels pretty good too!

In terms of eye comfort, my eyes definitely fluctuate like crazy. I think that is common for most of us. It used to be just a couple good days here and there then a couple bad days, etc. I'd say in the last 6 months my streaks have been longer for some reason. In April I did AWFUL, but then in May, June, and most of July, I did pretty decent meaning the dry eye really did not seem to be running my life. I still had the usual discomfort and had to use my drops every couple hours and did all my treatments, and ofcourse there would be the day here and there with pain, but rarely would I get in a "rut" (several days/weeks in a row with pain). For the last 6 or 7 weeks though, I've been having lots of trouble with pain. You are right about how to keep getting through it though....just remember the good times. It is certinaly frustrating when you think you are making progress, and it does put a damper on my mood, but this cycle has happened to me many times before, and somehow I always get back to a more manageable place. It's not always obvious what causes our ups and downs, but I just have to believe that I've gotten through rough patches before, and I will again. Hang in there, and I hope this rough patch passes for you soon. Just take extra good care of your eyes now, and remember they are still capable of feeling good! Good luck.

-Shells

[stella]

Thanks Shells - your very kind

[momaxwell]

Have you tried this?

Not that we all don't have enough to obsess over and to do in general, but has anyone ever started a dry eye journal (tracking food, hormone changes, environment, and state of DE that day)? I noticed my eyes flare up after I eat eggs (Omega 9s). I found out in another thread in this site that I probably had these GROSS microscopic critters living on my eyelashes that like to munch on Omega 9s. I don't know for sure, but it is possible since I use to let my cats sleep on my pillow and anti-biotic and a change in pet habits really helped. I have fewer flare-ups since I cut down on Omega 9s. I realize my DES is probably not as bad as everyone else’s but it might be a good way to help pinpoint some changes, though, of course, there is no one cause. Just a thought. It could also just be terribly time consuming and fuel our OCD tendencies about our dry eye (or at least my OCD tendencies).