Eye Adventures

A few weeks ago I posted about going to Urgent Care for a corneal abrasion. The super-nice doctor examined my eyes, prescribed some drops, and sent me on my way. Simple, quick, and a “normal” diagnosis, for once.

Well, flash forward 3 weeks and Friday night I found myself with a very swollen eye, unable to see. I showed my mom and she thought we should wait and go back to Urgent Care the next day. Well, about half an hour later, things got worse and we ended up driving over to see the doc.

I was pleasantly surprised when I found out that the doctor I had previously seen was working Friday night. He seemed to remember me (well, I mean, how many girls come in on crutches but have an eye problem as their main complaint?!) so I felt like I was in good hands. He even knew what RSD/CRPS is, so that was an extra bonus. Anyways, I got my vitals and everything taken and the doctor came in, a bit puzzled. He threw out some diagnoses, including a rash, allergies, pink eye, a stye…and ended up officially diagnosing me with episcleritis, noting that this was not related to the corneal abrasion a few weeks beforehand. He said to go to an ophthalmologist to have further testing done and sent me on my way.

Yesterday (Saturday) morning I woke up and nothing had changed. My eye was still swollen, red, and painful. My mom suspected my RSD might be spreading, so that was definitely a cause for concern. Thankfully, yesterday happened to be the one Saturday a month that my eye doctor was open. She told me that I could stop by and she would check things out.

My eye doctor should receive every award in the world for how awesome she is. She knows a lot about RSD/CRPS, takes extra care when doing anything to my eyes because she knows how I react weirdly, always listens to her patients, and will do anything possible to help. After a ten minute exam, she concluded that I do not, in fact, have episcleritis, but rather it’s simply infiltrative keratitis, inflammation that is caused by too much contact use.

Today I woke up and can finally see more than shapes and my eye isn’t as swollen. I’m still not 100%, but within a few days I should be good as new. The only downside is that I can’t wear contacts for a while (the doc said 3 months, but I’m hoping that was just a worst-case estimate) so I’ll be rockin’ my glasses until I get the all-clear.

You really never realize how much you rely on your eyes until your sight is taken away. It’s a whole different world when you can’t see, especially when you already can’t walk! I’m thankful that this is something treatable and not too uncommon. After being legally blind for a year and a half, I’ll gladly accept this diagnosis, even if it means becoming a four-eyes again 🙂

A “Normal” Diagnosis

Today I took a Saturday field trip to my (not-so) favorite place…Urgent Care.

As someone who would rather not have interactions with doctors, I tend to avoid places like Urgent Care as much as possible, especially when it has to do with my RSD/CRPS. I don’t like dealing with people who haven’t even heard of this disorder and are even more clueless about to help. However, this trip had nothing to do with my crazy chronic pain, so I was a little bit more willing to go.

I went to fill out the papers to be seen, and of course, everyone thought I was there for my leg. I guess the crutches and swollen-ness make people automatically assume that that’s the problem. I was quick to inform them that I was not there for my leg, and was instead there for something a little less complicated…my eye.

I know, I know…urgent care for an eye issue? Well, here’s the story: on Thursday I got home from a busy day of babysitting and felt some pain in my eye. I grabbed a mirror and took a look, quickly realizing that it was red and a bit puffy. Of course, after spending time with kids and seeing a red eye, I automatically thought it could be the dreaded pink eye. I decided to let it go and waited to see if it would improve. It didn’t, so that’s how I ended up sitting on an examination table, staring at painted giraffes and zebras on the wall and waiting to be seen.

The doctor was very kind and even knew what RSD is! What a concept! He did a really cool test where he numbed my eye, put a piece of paper on it to dye it orange, and then looked at it using a magnifying glass with a purple light to check for any scrapes. I’m sure there are fancy terms for all of this, but whatever. After a quick test my diagnosis was discovered…a corneal abrasion. Easy, simple, normal.

Maybe it’s weird, but I was elated when I found out that there was actually a physical reason for my problems, and that it was normal and easily treatable. When you’re used to being the “mystery patient” with crazy symptoms and diagnoses, it’s nice to have a break and just be average. Usually I leave doctors’ offices more confused than I was when I walked in, but not this time. I had a great experience and walked out with a prescription in hand.

In the end, I’m glad to know that it’s nothing crazy and not at all contagious. I have instructions to not wear contacts for a week and I have a couple bottles of eye drops to use, but hey, things could be so much worse. So here’s to being normal, at least for once in my life! 😉