Week 58

I spoke last week about my appointment with an ophthalmologist who had absolutely no idea why I was there. I also said my eyes were given a clean bill of health (ish). What I never said, is that the eye doctor said that she was going to to arrange for me to go back and have a 'Visual Fields' test. 

What is a Visual Fields test, you could be wondering? This time, it is me who has 'absolutely no idea' about what this Visual Field test is, but fear not, I shall endeavour to find out what it involves before I publish this diary entry. 

All of these eye tests I've already had had told me one thing - I need glasses. I've known that for a while now, if truth be told. I'll have to 'bite the bullet'' and go and see an optician. 

Wikipedia has very kindly informed me that a visual field test is an eye examination that can detect dysfunction in central and peripheral vision which may be caused by various medical conditions such as glaucoma, stroke, brain tumours or other neurological deficits. Visual field testing can be performed clinically by keeping the subject's gaze fixed while presenting objects at various places within their visual field. Kind of obvious really, eh?

I got the letter with the appointment date, it's on my son's birthday, in November, so that won't be happening then   It'll probably the new year before I get this test now, but to be honest, my concerns have passed, so  I'm seeing it as a routine check up. I shouldn't have said that, should I? No 'eye' puns here.

Stay well. 

Dan 

Week 57

I had my hospital appointment today and they checked out my eyes. They lost the notes as to why I was there, but having bored you all with stories about swollen maculas on more than one occasion I was able to remind them why I was there. All in all, it's been a bit of a cock up. They got my appointment date wrong last week and now I have the Doctor asking me why I was there and what department had referred me to her!

Anyway, I did the usual triangle of letters where each row gets smaller. It was at this point all was agreed all round that I probably need glasses as I am a bit short sighted. Then the Doctor puts some drops in my eyes. One lot to make my pupils dilate, and another to 'make my eyeballs numb'! I assume the patronising old bag meant anaesthetic, but I did turn up for the appointment in a wheelchair and the general public do have a tendency to believe wheelchair users are mentally disabled as well as physically. No wait, she's a professional. She should know better. 

She then looked into my eyes (not lovingly) through some microscope type thing, before giving me the good news: There is no sign of any damage to the myelin surrounding the optic nerves, and there isn't any swelling in or around either eye. Happy days! You was expecting a sarcastic reply to my 'good news' announcement just then, wasn't you?

So where does this leave me with the eye issues I had this summer? It must've been just that. The hot weather. Not optic neuritis and not a Gilenya caused side effect. And that's official 

When I think back, I was getting some neuropathic pain in my legs during the night I the summer too. Not often, but more than one occasion. That too has died right down recently.  It really must be a case of the weather exacerbating my symptoms. 

Any chances of an Indian summer have completely gone now, so all in all, Dan's a happy man. 

Have a great weekend,

Dan

Week 56

Week 56

I have been talking about MS related stuff that's not Gilenya recently. The reason for this is that I don't have much to say about Gilenya. In fact, all I do seem to say about it is that I don't have anything to say about it. 

 Therefore Ive decided to create a second blog. This new one will not be so factual. It will be my ppinion, merely my inane ramblings about MS.  I'm going to call it 'Dan's Inane MS Ramblings'. I promise it will be as boring as the title suggests.  

I will keep this one to talk about Gilenya and possibly other disease modifying drugs. It might become bi-weekly now, I suppose it all depends on what is going on in the world of Gilenya. 

I spoke recently about an issue I was having with my eyes. Was it optic neuritis? Was it being caused by the Gilenya? Was it the hot summer (by the UK's standards)? So many possible factors. My eyesight has settled right down of late, which suggests the problem could be to do with the weather. The heat, the humidity.

I have got an appointment to see an ophthalmologist (eye doctor) next week that I arranged back in July when my eye issues were at their peak. Even though they've settled down, I've kept the appointment. I though it was today (Thursday). I was going to give you an update, but when I checked in, they told me I was a week early! Well, I was not prepared to wait that long, obvs (sorry, but I only wrote that sentance so I could write the word 'obvs.) so I came home and rued the fact that I had got up early for nothing. Whose fault was this admin error ? It certainly wasn't my mistake. Even if it was, I'm not to blame because I've got MS! This has messed my diary entry right up!

What they WILL do is make sure there isn't any Gilenya caused, swelling of the macula (a spot in the centre of the retina). They will also be able to tell me if there is any damage to the myelin around the optic nerve. 

If both of these are okay, it will leave me happy that my troublesome eyes played up because of the humid summer we had and that there is nothing sinister going on just yet. 

I feel like I am just repeating what I've already said, so I'll stop wasting your time (again). Don't blame me though, blame the appointments clerk at Southend hospital: or my MS, you can blame that too. 

Happy Friday

Dan