Kickas.org Forums Ankylosing Spondylitis General Discussion #1 AS Web Support Group iritis /uveitis

Hey Kewanee, can you explain about the operation your hubby will have on his eyes? Is it cataract surgery? Is the steroid induced glaucoma cataracts or something different?

Your hubby's iritis woes have been going on for about the same as mine? My eye started this current flare, back in July 2006. When did your husband's start?

Looking for more info....

Rita

James, 12, Adrian, 10, Elisabeth, 3, my babies!

I am so glad you are all better and that Elisbeth was able to stay out of the hospital. That is one place you don't want to be unless you just have to and then I am really thankful for them.

I worry about your eyes. I wish they could find something to get it stopped. Nothing worked for me except the oral medications and now they won't take me off them because they say they have to protect my eyes.

I am glad to hear from you. I have been thinking of you. I am in a lot of pain at the moment and have just taken some med so I am going to go lay down with the heating pad. I will catch up more with you later.

Speaking of injections, I got 16 Botox injections around my eyes last week for the Blepharospams. I have one beautiful colorful eye. I don't usually get a black eye. Maybe a little tiny bruise where a needle goes in but he must have hit a vein with this one. It is a shiner. But I have had others lately.

My other hip is so bad I can hardly walk. I would like to take the Remicade early but I hate to get started on it at a closer time frame so I haven't told him yet how bad my hip is. In fact that whole leg just won't hold me up. That is why I am off to bed for a while.

Talk to you later. I will PM you afterwhile.

I am glad you all are getting well. Take care. AND take care of those peepers.

Hugs,
Southern Belle

Rita,
I think it's called Moleno implants.

Yes, steroid induced.

He had Ulcerative Colitis in 89-92 before surgery and was taking Prednisone, up came the glaucoma.

After surgery and no med it got better and then recently after a bout with lymphoma which is in remission, we noticed that his eye problems he had been complaining about even before we found out about that, was not dry eyes. It was Uveitis, Iritis.

Put him on Predforte and here comes the glaucoma with it.

Would not tame, and so the last resort was these implants so he won't have to worry about the Predforte and Metho. ect. for the Iritis.

You can find it online I think. But anybody with this Iritis problem is welcome to post on Dr. Fosters Uveitis forum and contact him at his office.

Dr. Foster has a site and I think some of the Doc's he's trained to treat Iritis are listed on his site. It is good to see someone who deals with mostly just it.

My husbands Iritis is at a low simmer right now but we are not sure why it's there either. A flare of whatever causes it could be trouble. He is HLA-B27 neg. That's one of the first tests Dr. Foster did. It's either Steven or Stephen. Got to find those papers.

May things go better at your end.

~Kewanee

Thank you Kewanee, I will research that.....

I hope your hubby is at least feeling more comfortable these days?

Sometimes all this medical stuff tends to take the wind out of [our/my] sails....it is hard to do and think about 'normal things'.

Rita

James, 12, Adrian, 10, Elisabeth, 3, my babies!

Thank you so much and yes it took the wind out of his sails. He had one eye done and the eyelid droops for a little while, and hopefully will return to normal. There are stitches that are uncomfortable and irritate until they dissolve.

On top of that a car pulled out in front of him that he could not avoid and that resulted in rotator cuff surgery and some other stuff in there.

Boy that leads to medications and yep....wind out of your sails.

That surgery. They place mesh and duct like things in such a way as to have your eye drain the water freely all the time. You don't see it and you do get used to it being there.

Next surgery is next month by one of the Doc's that Dr Foster trained and we don't have to leave our state now for that.

We will travel however to see him for the Uveitis.

Boy I never appreciated how much this disease affects one or how serious it was until he got it.

Thank you for your kind thoughts.

~Kewanee

update i see the eye specialist on may 4th, i get my knee brace on may 1st, and remicade treatment on may 9th, so i got one more week before my eyes can be checked i waited this long whats another week doc will say theres nothing wrong and act like i wasted his time again. but o"well im wasting my time too......oak

Oak, it won't be a waste of time. If your eyes are in good shape, then you will be so glad to know that. If they are in a flare, you will be glad to know that.

I am glad you are getting your knee brace. I think I need a "body" brace right now. I think I get my Remicade the same day you do except they may move me up to next week. I am in a whale of a mess right now. Can barely get myself to where I need to be in the house even with the cane. Hubby is going to drag out the wheelchair tomorrow and get me out a little while. Bless his little thumping gizzard.

I am glad you are doing this Oak. Keep us posted. Have a good weekend.

Blessings.
Possi

when you do go in ask your rheumy if he will up the dosage a 100mg more. mine did and it does last the 8 weeks but now its starting to last 6-7 weeks again so i just might have to go in every 6 weeks i see my rheumy this time so i will talk to him.. i know how your feeling ive felt like getting a body brace my self for over 20 yrs. my father in law who is like a father to me keeps telling i need to be recycled...i tell him as soon as he builds one then i can be recycled.....its been a joke between us for many years....in fact he is taking me to get my brace on tuesday helives 18-20 away and where i get my brace is another 10 miles my wifes family has been very supportive when it comes to me needing a ride to an appt. they also make me do things to keep moving little things like cut shingles for when we roof a house cut lumber when we are building or framing something, cutting sheet rock and all the wholes that need to be cut out...oak

It is wonderful to have good in-laws isn't it? Both my f-i-l and m-i-l are gone on now but they never treated me any differently than their own daughter. I love them very much.

I am going to see the dr. Monday. He wants to see me before he just automatically has me to come in earlier. I don't know what has happened to me but I can barely walk to the kitchen to refill my water glass. I have actually cried today and I don't do that often. At least I got it out of my system before hubby comes home. It just gets him so bad to see me cry that I try to not do that in front of him. He gets teary eyed himself watching me try to get around.

The dr. talked about increasing the dosage but since I am having so much trouble tolerating it, he is a little afraid to. I have really bad side effects. Have trouble breathing and they have to stop it for 20 minutes and restart, get the bad headaches, the diarrhea and sick stomach, the works. It took 4.5 hours the 1st time, 7.5 hours the 2nd and 4 hours the 3rd so he says he is a little afraid to increase it but we may go for more often. I called yesterday but they just got back to me this a.m. and they close at noon on Friday so he is going to see me Monday.

Hope you have a good weekend. Oh, speaking of braces, I have braces for my wrists and thumbs and my hip and knee hurt so bad I have forgotten about my wrists and hands and haven't even worn those braces this week. That is the way I can get past my hip pain is to get something else to hurt and I will forget my hip.
Possi

its good news to hear he will see you before your next treatment. speaking about braces i got wrist braces too as well as a rib belt. if i should ever need them again. maybe remicade is not for you maybe enbrel or humira might have less side effects and could be better for you too....something to ask about anyway...last time i had a crying meltdown ffrom the all the pain and spasms was when i went hunting last november i was alone and spasmed off the bunk onto the floor in a crooked position i couldnt get out of and the pain was indescribable i was like that for 1.5 hrs before my father and brother in law came back and i made them cry too..of course being on 2 anti depressants didnt help either even now i tear up when bambi's mom gets killed....i asked for a hip belt or brace and the doc told me no because it wouldnt feel comfortable....i hope you have a good weekend and you can take 2 aspirin and call the doc in the morning LOL.....oak