Eyes

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Vanessa

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Relationship to Diabetes
Type 2
Just when the week seemed to be going well as heard I'd passed the OU course on diabetes care, lost 2.5lbs, agreed with my GP that I could reduce the gliclazide due to late evening hypos, made birthday plans and was looking forward to a few days away ....

..... results arrive from the Eye Hospital to tell me there are "significant changes" and I will get an appointment at the Laser Clinic within 4 weeks for more detailed examination and possible treatment. Mind you it took them 12 days to produce the letter and another 7 for it to arrive in the post so not sure when the "4 weeks" starts!

Of course being the "difficult woman" that I am then I am really irritated to read the standard clause in the letter that if I smoke I should stop. Do they ever read their own notes - I haven't smoked for 23 years unless you count the steam rising with the irritation. Grrrrrrrrrrr .....

So just when I think I'm getting a handle on it all the diabetic gremlins re-assert themselves. Then there is the HbA1c blood test to look forward to next Monday morning
 
Sorry to hear this Vanessa, I suppose the positive thing is that you are being monitored, it has been spotted and can be treated - i know that probably seems like little consolation.

Congratulations on the OU course result! I did that course too. I did the first assignment but not the final one, so technically I failed :( Other things got in the way and I missed the deadline, unfortunately (not the first time in my OU career!).

In fact, I was probably in your tutorial group (Oxford?), but it was a bit far for me to go.
 
Northerner, my thanks - you are so right about the positives. Just having a surly moment or two ..... but I am really lucky in my care on the whole.

Yes - we were in the same tutorial group for OU. As had to allow an hour for travel it was bad enough getting to Oxford Brookes on a Saturday morning from here let alone from Southampton - good excuse for lunch out on the way home though. Other than getting a good mark and personal satisfaction I don't think doing the final assignment added much to what I got out of the course so, in my book, you've succeeded too.
 
Vanessa - just a quick note - eye complications can go back to be caused a long time ago. I have had excellent HbA1c results for the last 5 years and am currently being treated! Very frustrating I know!
 
Admin said:
Vanessa - just a quick note - eye complications can go back to be caused a long time ago. I have had excellent HbA1c results for the last 5 years and am currently being treated! Very frustrating I know!
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Thanks Admin. Unfortunately for me, my doctor thinks I was probably diabetic for about 10 years before diagnosis and it seems likely that my initial eye problems were partly rebound from getting the blood glucose under some semblance of control. I suppose I just wasn't expecting this result as my last one just before Christmas was that the changes I had weren't clinically significant and my control has been improving all the time. Frustration comes partly from the "if I'd known then what I know now" mindset which is a particularly unhelpful thought process but easy to fall into - briefly

It is so good to know that others are being treated - hope it is going well for you
 
Well done on your pass!:D

Sorry to hear you may need laser treatment - but can i tell you that on the DUK weekend we went to, there was a young mum who got retinopathy during her pregnancy and had hundreds of laser treatments on her eyes (she was virtually blind) and her eyesight is now 98% -i know its still scary for you - but - i just want to reassure you that things can be done and i am sure you will be closely monitored and treatment will be given as required! So chin up and stay positive! :DBev
 
Congratualtions on passing the course 🙂 parking at Brookes is a bit of a nightmare too.

Sorry to hear about your eyes I hope that the clinic appoitnment will give you better information about whats going on. Like Admin I have had good control for past few years but have recently developed a complication.
 
Hi

It is good that you can have the laser treatment. I've always been good at attending my eye appointments (the last one being only 3 months ago) and have been extremely pleased that I had managed 38 years of diabetes without any laser treatment. However everything came tumbling down around me last Monday - I went to the optician because I thought that there may be something vaguely wrong. The optician found loads wrong with my eyes and referred me straight to eye casualty who told me that I have a Central Retinal Vein Occlusion and that nothing can be done about it. There is no treatment and it is probably as a result of a the diabetes plus the glaucoma that I've had for 10 years. They are going to monitor to make sure that the swelling doesn't get worse and to make sure that nothing else progresses. I'm keeping my fingers crossed that the vision that I've lost will return as it has affected my macula which makes it very difficult for me to read print - not a good idea if you are a teaching academic! I'm trying to be positive but it is upsetting me a lot and I just want to get back to work but my GP has said that my vision needs to improve for me to be able to do this.........I'm just so pleased that at least it was "only" the vein in my eye that was blocked and not one in my head or near my heart.🙄
 
AJL,
So sorry to hear that your having problems with your sight, but hopefully it will reduce a bit so you can get back to work asap. Hope things start to improve very soon or you. 🙂 Bev
 
bev said:
AJL,
So sorry to hear that your having problems with your sight, but hopefully it will reduce a bit so you can get back to work asap. Hope things start to improve very soon or you. 🙂 Bev
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Bev

Thanks very much for your kind wishes. I hope that everything is going well for you and Alex.
 
hi there sorry to hear of your eyes but well done on your pass x
 
Sorry to hear about your eyes, but at least you know what is going on with them and you are being kept an eye on, albeit slowly.

Wonderfull news about the pass, congratullations.
 
OK, i'm thick!!! what is OU??

Sorry to hear about your eyes, will keep fingers crossed for you.

julie x
 
Proudspirit said:
OK, i'm thick!!! what is OU??

Sorry to hear about your eyes, will keep fingers crossed for you.

julie x
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OU is Open University the web site is www.open.ac.uk

If you have never heard of it called OU then you don't know, so the question is not as dafet as it sounds. My son worked at The National Maritime Museum and kept talking about ROG. he forgot we know it as The Observatory rather than the Royal Observatory Greenwich
 
..... results arrive from the Eye Hospital to tell me there are "significant changes" and I will get an appointment at the Laser Clinic within 4 weeks for more detailed examination and possible treatment. Mind you it took them 12 days to produce the letter and another 7 for it to arrive in the post so not sure when the "4 weeks" starts!


Hi Vanessa

Have you heard anymore from the eye hospital? I hope that you are feeling ok. Please let us know how you are. I hope that your eye problems aren't affecting your ability to read but if they are there is some great software out there to help with reading things on screen.
I took a big mental jump yesterday and downloaded a demo version of Jaws screenreader which speaks the text to me. It makes life a lots easier for me than trying to struggle to read he font on screen which is still too out of focus for me. I'm also really glad that I can touch type so II can type replies quickly and then get JAWS to read them back to me - but please accept apologies if thre are any typos in this!!
 
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does it not explain the changes then no x x
well good luck and keep u posted x
 
Hi Steff and AJl - still waiting to hear from the Eye Hospital. I've decided to give them until Wednesday's post before I start ranting as hoping to go away next week for a few days again and will need to book hotel and confirm arrangements for meeting up with some friends in Yorkshire.

Still not noticing anything obvious with my eyes - right one is a little blurred at times if I let my blood glucose creep up a bit or get the varifocals in the wrong place. Also chosen to see my GP next Monday morning to get my results of today's HBA1c rather than just ring up so can chat my concerns/niggles through with him.

In meantime I'm doing everything I can to keep those glucose and blood pressure levels in the recommended ranges so justifying a "chill-out" time for the rest of the day to enjoy the warm weather and sit in the garden catching up on some reading for my Book groups. Relaxation is so good
 
Well I've finally been to the eye hospital for a review by the consultant this morning. Good news is that I didn't need any laser treatment. However I will have to have 6 monthly retinal screens and be seen by an opthalmologist each time as the changes I have are near the centre of the macula and so require careful monitoring. In the meantime I have to keep up the good blood glucose control and low bp readings

Mightily relieved and just waiting for those darned eye drops to wear off now
 
Hi Vanessa, glad things aren't as bad as first thought. Good luck with improving your control and keeping the problems away.

I have to admit that eye problems are the thing that scare me most about having diabetes. (And not just because I hate retinopathy screening)
 
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