My leukemia's back.

[sourland]

Rachel, even without Prednisone 'inside my head' is a scary place. About the auction, all I can say is 'Rachel' = incorrigible.

 

[Blooie]

I fessed up to her I'd actually dropped it down to 45 on Monday. Did I mention mental heath issues? They were reaching critical mass and I had to do something. So when she said down to 30mg, I told her she was my new best friend .

If I wind up staying on it a while I'll look into the eye exam. She gave me the name of a guy here who works with g v h patients with their eyes. My eyes water all the time, she says it's common to get the ducts plugged. Ehh, no thanks. That just sounds icky, and the watery eyes don't bother me that much.

Ah, Rachel, punctal plugs are nothing! And they help tremendously......I have Sjogren's Syndrome and of all the dryness symptoms the eyes were the absolute worst. Running and watering like Niagrara but sometimes when I'd wake up in the morning it was painful to open them because they had almost dried to the inside of my eyelid. Painful as all get-out! Chronic dry-eye, whether from allergies, illness, medications, or just inherited, is so easily and comfortably resolved!
We tried the Restasis drops - the burning was unbearable and lasted for over an hour sometimes. Then we tried the little pellets the you put in your eye just under the lower eyelid. Those hurt too, and weren't very effective anyway. So finally I agreed to the "surgery".

Huh! What surgery? She numbed my eyes, tucked those plugs into place, and I was done. oh, I'd made a huge deal out of it - arranged for a ride up there and back, cleared my afternoon and the next day for recovery, but none of that was even necessary - as soon as I got home I went out and helped Ken rake the yard. It felt like nothing had happened even just a minute after she was done putting the plugs in! It sounds odd, but at times the drier your eyes are the more they water......they just can't produce enough effective tears. I'm so glad I did it.....less trouble and discomfort than clipping off a hangnail and doesn't bug you for days afterward! Please rethink it. If your eye doctor thinks they will help, why put up with another side effect of the transplant unless you have no alternative? Those watery eyes might not bother you much yet, but trust me, as the dry eye inflammation gets worse (which it always does) they sure will start!

 

[LittleLakePhil]

RACHEL... I can totally relate....when I was on high doses of prednisone...80 mg...I would become a totally butt....however what prednisone did do was make me more aggressive in Good way when dealing with the public....usually I let salesman walk all over me...not on prednisone I got some of the best deals in my life then!!!...., another thing I went back to college to get another degree while recovering....the first time I went to college I miss out on getting my degree because they changed the rule that said my basic training counted as physical edu.....well when I went back I went to the president of NMU and told her out right if they didn't give me my degree I'd take all of my financial aid and go to Bay college in Escanaba....they immediately have me a waiver!!!!

 

[sourland]

RACHEL... I can totally relate....when I was on high doses of prednisone...80 mg...I would become a totally butt....however what prednisone did do was make me more aggressive in Good way when dealing with the public....usually I let salesman walk all over me...not on prednisone I got some of the best deals in my life then!!!...., another thing I went back to college to get another degree while recovering....the first time I went to college I miss out on getting my degree because they changed the rule that said my basic training counted as physical edu.....well when I went back I went to the president of NMU and told her out right if they didn't give me my degree I'd take all of my financial aid and go to Bay college in Escanaba....they immediately have me a waiver!!!!

"It's an ill wind that blows no good." It might not have been fun, but it helped you get the job done. Isn't it a shame that sometimes we have to be a 'butt' to get the job done? I had reached that point the last few years that I worked. Being a nice guy no longer got the job done = too bad.

 

[LittleLakePhil]

Yup

 

[donrae]

Blooie, you make it sound so good I may have to look into it. I'm not too freaked out about my eyes, too many years of contacts and other things, but plugging things just sounds wrong. Maybe I'll give him a call and see about getting in. Probably won't hurt to be established with a Dr who is familiar with gvh and monitoring prednisone and cyclosporine.

 

[Blooie]

Couldn't hoit, Rachel! I haven't regretted it for minute. Even when one worked out a bit, I just called her, got in that afternoon, she pulled it and replaced it, easy peasy. I'm not funny about my eyes either. I'm the dimwit who has a 10x magnifying mirror attached to the bathroom mirror, and I stand there with a pair of lighted tweezers and pull eyelashes out. I remember one time Tam called and asked Ken if I was busy. He said, "Nope, she's in the bathroom pulling out eyelashes again." There was a pause while I'm sure she asked him if he was kidding, because then I heard him say, "No, she does it once or twice a month."

She didn't even say goodbye - just slammed the phone down and within a couple of minutes she was running down the hall yelling, "Ma, what the he!! are you doing?" It's all good, though. Dr. Kim used to do it every eye exam and she taught me how to do it so I could get the really painful ones between visits. Now she doesn't do it at all anymore....I do. So eye stuff is no big deal for me. Don't know why I made such a huge production out of these plugs. I hope your eye doctor can explain it better than I did. Wouldn't it be nice to be rid of one more side effect?

 

[Sally Sunshine]

need to remember that one,
its an issue my family really hates about me but I have no control other than sticky notes
and a great cup of hot coffee and some extra love and understanding!

 

[Sally Sunshine]

Sally, welcome! Since this is "my" thread, I think I can ask you for the link to that store with the pendant? It's beautiful. If you can't post it here, please PM it to me.

Yep, orange is the leukemia color. I have orange clogs, an orange sweatshirt my Sugar Monkey says could be used to find me from outer space (necessary sometimes cause I'm always taking it off and laying it on a fence, etc when it gets warm, then forgetting it), several crocheted hats in orange, and of course shirts. And an orange butterfly sticker on the van

.

Good Morning Rachel!
I hope your feeling better this morning! as far as the orange tree pendants, I have asked her for her page link and I have also asked her for two pendants, so when she gets back to me and I am sure he is still making them, my gift to you or course, you can give her your info directly if possible, but I will pay her here. and dont say anything, everyone always says I dont have to do this or do that, but this is how I am, I dont have much but what I have I give,and we all know, although it seems most forget.....

you get what you give, be it good or bad.... so give a lot to keep far away from evil.... and in tight with "good"

 

[Sally Sunshine]

And sourland what you did was a really nice building block in that young lady's life.
I hear people all the time b###h about kids these days. But I've seen kids do so much good. You just have to pay attention. I've seen some of the most tough kids grow up and become outstanding citizens.
And it always amazes me how the smallest acts of kindness can help plot a course for success.....thanks for you thoughtfulness today......Phil