I'm Back!!!!!!!

[Kyle]

Hi there,
Didn't know where to post this, so I guess here is as good as any. Don't even know if there's still the same people on here as before. I just noticed I haven't posted in a year...wow, how time flies! Between shooting so much and major computer issues...a whole year flew by.

Anyway, sadly to say...I'm having severe issues with my eyes again and I'm back for much needed support. I just spent about 2 hours reading all my old posts (and everyone's responses), so I'm hoping, once again, you all can get me back on track.

I shot a film for 18 days in Palm Springs (I live in LA) and for some weird reason it brought me 180 degrees back to my first days after my lasik surgery. I am now a little more than 3 years (oh my gosh...3 YEARS!!!!) post surgery and my eyes are killing me!!! I'm on about my 12th eye doctor (a corneal specialist in Beverly Hills named Dr. Assil of the Assil Eye Institute) and I'm also seeing a nutritionist, a therapist, a holistic doc, a life coach/hypnotist and I'm scheduled to see an Acupuncturist next week. Seriously tho, nothing has helped me like you guys!

What's new in the eye world? Any new drops? Plugs? Antibiotics? RELIEF?????

I'm kind of back to square one because I was on so much stuff my new eye doc took me off just about everything except my bottom plugs, Refresh eye drops, Genteal Gel at night, flaxseed, a humidifier, compresses, eye scrubs and Doxycycline. I've run the whole circle tho and been on just about everything else in the past 3 years.

I was sent to this new guy after, about 3 weeks ago, I woke to find my eyelids glued to my eyeballs. I was in severe pain and my doc I was with just threw his hands up in the air and said he couldn't figure out what else to do with me! He's been trying to treat me for severe dry eyes, blepharitis and GPC. After peeling my eyelids off my eyes (and hearing a sickening 'pop'...so gross!) he sent me to this new guy. He said my corneas look like someone took them out and rubbed them up & down the sidewalk.

Anyway, wanted to check in and reach out. My emotional state was [I]extremely[I] unstable tonight and it got me a little scared. I am just [U]done[U]with this whole dry eye syndrome and wanted to see how everyone else is doing.

Shoot me back an e-mail if you guys get a chance, ok? Oh, and Rebecca, I tried to send you a personal e-mail, but it said your mailbox was full. Hope all of you are having better eye days than me.

Take care,
Kyle (yup, the female one)

[Rebecca Petris]

((((((Kyle)))))

Welcome back!!! Only I sooo wish you didn't need to be here! I was thinking about you recently. My sister was in charge of costume design on something being filmed back in Ohio last Oct-Nov (they had a big thing of some kind about it in LA... something to do with the fancy new camera being used on it... not that I know anything about this stuff) - it was her first time, and she was telling me about the insane hours and how hard it all was on everyone's eyes. I had sent a little 'care package' with dry eye stuff drops & gear and apparently they went through it all in no time flat. Anyway, it reminded me of you and I was wondering how you were doing.

Are you getting the weekly Monday dry eye bulletins? If not you can by signing up in the shop.

Woke up with erosions it sounds like? UGH. I think that in the last year or so a lot of people around here have been doing well at night with the Tranquileyes goggle + Dwelle.

Sorry about the full PM box. I have so many unanswered messages that I can't even delete them to make some space, and I didn't want to raise the limit because I will just get 'behinder'. Email me though! Or call during the week.

I woke to find my eyelids glued to my eyeballs. I was in severe pain and my doc I was with just threw his hands up in the air and said he couldn't figure out what else to do with me! He's been trying to treat me for severe dry eyes, blepharitis and GPC. After peeling my eyelids off my eyes (and hearing a sickening 'pop'...so gross!) he sent me to this new guy. He said my corneas look like someone took them out and rubbed them up & down the sidewalk.

Did he at least offer you bandage CTLs??? If not why the heck not?

What kind of compresses and scrubs are you doing. Sometimes the devil's in the details.

If you're having a bad flare-up I'd try and get into some moisture-retaining eyewear as much of the day as you possibly can - anytime you're alone, at home, etc.

No magic goop out there yet, sadly.

[Kyle]

Re: I'm Back!!!!...Thanks Rebecca!

Hi Rebecca,
Yea, I wish I could say I'm glad to be back on this site, but you know how that goes!

I'm using the OcuSoft scrubs and just warm compresses with a washcloth. I do have the Tranquileyes, but haven't used them in a while. Also, don't think I ever tried the Dwelle drops. I'll sign up for the newsletter now cuz I'm not getting it.

Are any of the old "gang" still on here? Shells, Lucy, Jenny, Diana, Holmes, Jeff? How is everyone doing?

You're probably lucky that I didn't have your home phone or personal e-mail last night. It was rough! Probably the worst emotional state of the whole 3+ years.

No, they didn't really do anything when my eyelids were glued together. Look at me like I was crazy...maybe...but not much else. They think I developed an allergic reaction to one of the multiple drops I was on at the time (Restasis, Lotemax, Alrex, Tobradex, Soothe, Optiv, Pataday. Bacitracin), so they just took me off everything cept Refresh Tears during the day and Genteal Gel at night. It's been 3 very painful weeks so far!

Yea, Hollywood is Hollywood. Actually my professional career is going well. I don't know how I do it, but I do. I was on the TV show 'Mad Men' for 4 months as a recurring secretary, shot a movie in Palm Springs called 'Cathedral City' (comes out later this year), did 2 music videos (Miley Cyrus and the Eagles), an infomercial, plus multiple day playing on the TV shows 'Dirt', 'Boston Legal', 'Hannah Montana', and 'Without a Trace'. I think there's more, but I can't keep up with it all. Yes, each day is typically 12-16 hours on VERY dry sets! Oh yea, I stood in for one of the stars on the new Jim Carrey film 'Yes Man' and my eyes actually got so bad the second day someone had to drive me home from the location because I actually couldn't see! It sucks...truly. I might have to give up on all this if I they don't find a "cure" soon. It just gets harder & harder.

Thanks again Rebecca for the advice. Unfortunately, I'll be around this site again for a while now. Hey, any plans for another dry eye reunion? Let me know!

Take care,
Kyle

[liz56]

Hi, Kyle.

I know what the glued eyelids feel like. It is not fun. I'm really sorry that such a bad problem brought you back here. In addition to the Dwelle drops that Rebecca mentioned, Cindy on this discussion board, recommended that when I awaken with my lids stuck to my eyes, I should have a glass of water nearby or a bottle of plain eye drops. The trick is to lie still and drop the drops or water in the corner of the eye near the nose. Be patient and wait, and add as much as you want until it starts to seep in. You will slowly feel that you can open your eyes without tearing the epithelial layer. The Dwelle drops will help to keep it from happening as much or maybe altogether.

Good luck!

--Liz

[Kyle]

Re: I'm back!!!!!! Thanks Liz...

Liz,
Thank you..I hadn't thought of that, but I guess it makes sense. I'll try the Dwelle and some of the new things that are on this site since I last was on years ago.

I know this doesn't help you, but it really does help me to know someone else has experienced their lids being glued to their eyeballs. My eye doc came in on a Sunday morning as one of my friends rushed to me to his office....he actually looked shock when he saw what was going on.

Thanks for replying and helping me out.
Take care,
Kyle

[dianat]

Kyle!

Hey, Baby....good to see you!!!

I hadn't taken the time to respond to your video success, but I LOVED it! Can't complain when you get to be a bombshell.

Hey, so sorry to know you are suffering so much. I actually take comfort when someone disappears off the BB. Sometimes it means they are carrying on okay.

Homes is long gone on the BB, but not in our hearts. His spirit is still with us. Perhaps he'll show up again one day and make us all blush.

Lucy's here somewhere, as is Shells. She'll be glad to "see" you. She's had a tough time of it recently as well. Hmmmm....interesting coincidence.

Dwelle sounds like a good plan for you for now. Wish I had more to add to it. The humidifier is one of my best friends.

Hang in there. I'm on the BB every day and will enjoy your company until you feel better. And you will feel better. If you could get to a place of comfort and not need us for a year, you can get there again.

Diana

[Kyle]

Thanks Diana!

Hi lady!
Good to hear from you too. Sorry, it's taken me so long to reply...computer issues and a much needed trip home to Virginia prevented me from responding sooner.

Weirdly enough, my new eye doc (a corneal specialist) thinks I've developed allergic reactions to almost everything I've been using. As I said before, he only wants me using Refresh drops during the day, Genteal Gel at night, Doxycycline (he also said I have Roscea...something I've never been told before) and the Ocusoft eye scrubs. I'm hesitant to use Dwelle because he's adamant about me not using anything else.

Also, the day after I got back from my trip home my bottom eye plugs worked themselves out of my eyes. They were poking out and scaping my eyes, so he took them out as well. He said that area of my eye was infected and thinks I developed an allergic reaction to them as well. What gives!? All of of a sudden, after 3 years, I'm allergic to everything! Needless to say, I feel like life has become hell, once again. My eyes are always bloodshot, dry, irritated and they hurt! UGH!!!

How's life with the kids? Are they even kids anymore? It's been a while!

Just "talking" to you guys helps a lot. Oh, and Rebecca, I'm getting the dry eye weekly bulletin now and yes, it does help too.

Take care to all. Here's wishing/hoping for better eye days ahead!
Kyle (the female one)

[Lucy]

How'd I miss this? I swear I miss many of the nooks and crannies of DEZ and once in awhile seem to end up in one.

Hi Kyle! Am sorry you're still in the same pickle. So are many of us. Your career sounds so cool! Although working (anything) with bad eyes is the pitts. I am in the midwest and we have had a long, long, winter with lots of cold and snow. I'm having cabin fever. February was a record for us in snow accumulation........well, second worst ever and it was over 30"!

Glad to see you here and will look for your posts. Lucy

[Kyle]

Hi Miss Dry Eye Queen....

I was going to say it's good to know you're still on here, but then I thought...hmmm, maybe it isn't!
Anyway, it was good to hear from you again. Yea, career was going okay (except for the writers strike which shut us down for a while), but now I'm back to dealing with a new wave of dry eye issues. My new saying is "it simply sucks". I know...not very ladylike, but I'm so sick of having to explain everything to everyone that when someone asks me about my eyes I just say..."it simply sucks".
Wow, you and Jeff are so lucky! All that snow sounds so romantic & beautiful. I did see a flurry when I went back to Virginia about a week ago and I have to say it was a sight for sore eyes (ha!). Seriously tho.
I'm back in LA now and it's been about 80 every day. Spring has sprung for us already and it is quite nice.
Anyway, it was good to hear from you. Yes, unfortunately I'm back. I'll look forward to your witty remarks in all the posts.
Take care!
Kyle

[Lucy]

Wow, you and Jeff are so lucky! All that snow sounds so romantic & beautiful.

Who the heck is Jeff? Maybe if I knew him it might be all romantic and beautiful. Just kidding -hubby is in the other room, but he isn't Jeff.

[Kyle]

Funny! Same ole Lucy I see!!

That's funny! I forgot how you always seemed to be able to make me life!
Jeff is one of the guys on this site that has sent me some of the most beautiful pictures of snowfalls that I've ever seen. Truly, they look like postcards.
I should have clarified my statement and said something like "Wow, the descriptions of the snowfalls you and Jeff have described to me separately are very romantic".
Thanks for the laugh Lucy...as always.
Night!

[shells]

Hey girl!!!

KYLE!!!!!!!!

Sorry I missed this the first time around! I've enjoyed your emails and even caught a few episodes of 'Mad Men' when I could. Sounds like things are going good in your career. So sorry to hear about your eyes though . What about the Restasis? I thought that helped you alot? I guess when you are in a bad flare-up though, sometimes not much does help. As Diana mentioned I just went through a pretty bad one myself in Dec-Jan. I was in between doctors, trying some new stuff, and pretty confused about what to do and what not to do. It was as close as I've been to my early days in a long time, and reminded me how much I DON'T miss the anxiety and everything else from back then. But guess what.....I feel MUCH better now. Hang in there, you will get through this too. I've adopted a few new things recently that I think have helped with my recent struggles. COLD COMPRESSES. My eyes always feel better for atleast a bit afterward, and I really do think it is good for my inflammation, becuase they seem whiter too. I actually use ice instead of just a cold washcloth. Something tells me that you might already do these though. I think Rebecca already mentioned the Tranquil eyes goggles, and I've been using those since December too. I'm back on Restasis for the last 2 months, so fingers crossed it helps me this time. If you are having trouble with the plugs scratching your eye, how about some dissolvable ones? I recently got the 6-month dissolvable ones in my left eye (lower and upper), and I think they are helping. I know they are not ideal since you really don't know if they are in there or how effective they still are, but for those of us who can't tolerate the ones with the cap, and don't want to risk the permanent intracanalicular ones, I guess that is all we can do. I think I'll consider cauterization at some point in the next year or so. I've been holding off since it's such a permanent move, but I'll be 3 years post-op this summer, so I'm not expecting my eyes to all of a sudden start flooding like crazy with natural tears .

I remember Jeff! The post-lasik auto mechanic from Michigan. We used to email all the time. Heck, he used to give me car advice. He sent me a new air conditioner part at a fraction of the price that the dealers around here wanted! And who said DEZ was only good for eye advice . I should email him. I don't see him on the site that often anymore. I enjoyed his pictures as well.

Anyway, welcome back, but sorry you have to be here. Seriously, I felt SO TERRIBLE in Dec-Jan, I have no idea what was going on, but I'm definitely back to manageable now and am even having some "good" days. Hang in there.

-Shells

[Lucy]

I remember Jeff! The post-lasik auto mechanic from Michigan. We used to email all the time. Heck, he used to give me car advice. He sent me a new air conditioner part at a fraction of the price that the dealers around here wanted! And who said DEZ was only good for eye advice . I should email him. I don't see him on the site that often anymore. I enjoyed his pictures as well.

Now, I remember Jeff! With Shels' description, I had a lightbulb moment. He lived and worked not far from me. I think about 40 miles or so. He is probably snowed under and won't be out until spring. This area has been buried in snow this winter. I think he had a plow on his truck and if he's doing plowing on the side, is probably a millionaire by now.
Lucy