Normal-tension glaucoma?

This has been an interesting week.  I developed what looked a severe case of conjunctivitis, which seemed to mysteriously disappear the next day.  Turns out it was not conjunctivitis. 

After a night of feeling like my left eye was bugging out, I managed to get a walk-in appointment with my primary care doctor who insisted that I go to the ER or to my opthamologist.  Since my ophthamologist was 45 minutes away, ER it was.

I was put through several tests, including a brain CT scan, which turned out normal.  (You can stop laughing now.)  I then underwent several eye tests, but the main one that I needed could not be done due to faulty equipment, so I was sent to a nearby eye specialist.  He happened to be in surgery at the time so I had to wait a couple of hours to see him, which was worth the wait.

It was determined after many tests that I could possibly have no-pressure glaucoma.  More follow ups will have to be done, but it looks like I have 60 percent hollow-ness in my optic nerves.  I have never had this quite explained to me, and with a family history, it is now being taken more seriously.

Glaucoma is a disease that damages the optic nerve, which connects your eye to your brain so you can see. The condition usually is due to too much pressure in the eye. But the "normal-tension" kind is different.

There's a fluid that normally circulates around the front of your eye. With many kinds of glaucoma, that fluid doesn't drain as well as it should. So it backs up, much like water in a clogged drain. As a result, pressure builds up inside your eye. Over time, it starts to harm the optic nerve.

But with normal-tension glaucoma, the optic nerve becomes damaged even though eye pressure stays within normal levels.

Also called low-tension or normal-pressure glaucoma, in normal-tension glaucoma the optic nerve is damaged even though the pressure in the eye is not very high.

Doctors do not know why some people’s optic nerves are damaged even though they have almost normal pressure levels.

Those at higher risk for this form of glaucoma are:

• people with a family history of normal-tension glaucoma
• people of Japanese ancestry
• people with a history of systemic heart disease such as irregular heart rhythm.

Well, it looks like I have 2 out of 3 risk factors.

Additional risk factors for normal tension glaucoma include:

• Female
• History of migraines
• Raynaud’s phenomenon
• Optic disc hemorrhages (shown at right)
• Low systemic blood pressure or high diastolic blood pressure

There will be a lot of follow-up appointments, and considering that I have many conditions that I deal with on a daily basis, it leaves me wondering if any of them are exacerbating this eye condition.

No treatment plan has been set up yet, as no official diagnosis has been made yet.  I will be doing a follow-up in the coming weeks to see if anything has changed.

Quotes To Inspire You To Reconnect With Nature (Images are from my garden)

Nature is the antidote to today’s busy and stressful world.

Being in nature benefits mind and body: from reducing stress and anxiety to increasing our sense of awe—that feeling of being a part of something larger than ourselves.

Over time many great authors have understood the healing power of nature, and why we should be spending time outside.

Recently I was going through some of my images and realized that I had quite the collection of photographs that I had taken over several years.  These images were of blooms that I had taken in my garden.  I love being in my garden, and different times of the day provide me with different images.

I decided to create a short video with some of my favorite quotes about nature.

Hope you enjoy it!

Blessings.

Caution: Vent ahead! POTS, lupus, and all the other diagnoses, plus dealing with this fatigue!!!

It has been a while since I have posted.  Over the last few weeks a lot has happened.  I was diagnosed (officially) with POTS and Atrial Fib.  The past week has been a true challenge, especially with dealing with fatigue. Today I decided to take a "day off" from all the stuff that I do on a daily basis, like my gardening, doing the dishes, laundry.  I woke up with all the intention in the world, with a list of things to do, but I honestly can't fulfill them.  I am just too tired today.

......and don't let me get started on the pain.  Continuous pain.  Pain when I bend.  Pain when I get up.  Pain when I turn my head,  Pain when I breathe.  Pain when I move at all.

I often wonder what would happen if I were to pass out while working in the garden.  There have been numerous times that I have had to use the wall for support.  It would appear that chairs are strategically placed in the backyard for when one of my dizzy spells hits while outside working.

Recently I've noticed that I cannot be outside past 7:30 a,.m.  Yes, you read that right.  7:30 in the morning is extremely hot for me.  My skin feels like its on fire if I am out there past that that time.  What is going on?

After doing some research I finally realized it is what my we're in the middle of a Florida summer.  To top it off, GI issues are rearing its ugly head.

When I was diagnosed with lupus, I thought that was it.  Things could not possibly get any worse, right? I was so wrong.
I have been pretty positive about dealing with chronic illness.  I never felt there was anything to gain from being negative and bitching about being sick.  This has been a challenge, however.

I am going to take a lucky guess that lupus may have caused POTS in me.  I am not really sure.  Prior to my hysterectomy in November, I was not this bad off, and I fully believe that that surgery may have triggered some symptoms.  Whatever the case is, I am struggling today to handle the POTS symptoms. At least my view is nice.  The bottle-brush tree is heavy with bright red blooms that mimic those of a brush that is used to clean baby bottles...hence its name: bottle brush.

The wind blows gently, while the sky gives hints of coming showers.  

My sunflowers stand tall, as if on guard, protecting the rest of the vegetables in my garden.  Long purple Ichiban eggplants dangle from the branches amidst a bed of squash and peppers and kohlrabi.  I cannot wait to harvest.

My left eye has been bothering me since yesterday.  It appeared to be bugging out last night, but got a little better overnight and now it's acting up again.  I'm really trying to hold off on going to the ER, but if this keeps, I may have to.  I seem to be experiencing 90 percent of these symptoms right now.  

Maybe I just need some salt!