Everyone that I’ve talked to, living a chronic life, seems to have brain fog. Are you one of them? Mine has gotten so much worse lately. My brain isn’t working well and forgets everything. When I actually remember something, I actually am shocked and feel like celebrating!
I do feel like there is a fog hanging over me, like a giant grey cloud. There is a physical feeling to this brain fog. I forget words, names, and tasks. I forget appointments and that I need to fix a meal. My work is piling up, too. I don’t like feeling stupid.
My husband helps me remember appointments and things. But, he forgets a lot of other things. I feel like I’m falling apart.
Today I had an appointment with the ophthalmologist in the city. They had scheduled me for a 7:30 AM exam and 8:00 Doctor exam. I got up at 5 and hubby and I made the trip. I didn’t have time for any coffee, but did have to take a Benadryl as I was scratching my itchy skin until it was bleeding.
The tech assistants at the eye doctor starting doing the tests: eye pressure and checking for Plaquenil toxicity. Having to take that drug for Sjogren’s Syndrome calls for yearly tests to see if Plaquenil is damaging my eyes. It can happen, but isn’t necessarily going to occur.
My tests had good results. By the time it was dilation time, the tech told me that the doctor wasn’t able to come in. They told me that she would call me to go over the results. I was pretty annoyed that I had gotten up so early and my eyes weren’t getting a good check-up.
She called me on the hour’s drive to go home and we discussed dry eyes. She’s going to try to get me a prescription for Restasis. I’ve had a prescription for Xiidra, but it makes me sometimes throw up when the drops go down my throat. She also mentioned putting in punctal plugs to help with the dry eyes.
Xiidra and Restasis are so expensive! She’ll try to get me a discount from the manufacturer. This makes the drops affordable. She’ll see me in 3 months to see about the plugs. I hope that the eye drops will work, because I would worry about a reaction from the plugs.
My body has allergic reactions to almost everything, so this unnatural item would probably get swollen or infected in my eyes. I want to have better eyesight and less dryness because my evenings are tough. Not only is it hard to read, watch tv, or talk to others, but the eye pain is sometimes really awful!
It’s just another day with another doctor’s appointment. There are no easy answers and no magical pill or treatment that can solve chronic medical problems. Part of the chronic life is the trial and error of treatments and the acceptance when they don’t work. It’s another challenge for me to be content with my chronic illnesses. My life is important whether I’m sick or well.
@2022, copyright Lisa Ehrman
Disclaimer: I’m not a medical expert. This post contains my experiences and opinions and is not meant to be taken as medical advice. If you have a medical concern, please consult your personal physician.
