old helmit's back(helm1t now... )

casaulty of NASTY LASIK GASH like most of you on this board.

anyway - i finally found some relief with RGP's after 7 goddamn years of lasik-induced hell and corrupt, lying "doctors."

my previous extreme intolerance of any type of lens in my eye coupled with so-so OD's and the utter obliviousness and flat-out denial of others just prolonged that s*** over 7 years.

the key for me were PLUGS(i think they're called "punctal plus")- they made it so i can tolerate lenses - made all the difference in the world. lower plugs. also using restasis but i think plugs made the real difference.

i used alphagan and pilocarpine but the relief was so transient. the RGP's(well only one in the left eye now but will order one for the right) have helped so much and it is only the first pair with no refinements. i was driven almost to tears by the relief.

i always thought plugs were only for severe, excruciating dry eye(which i don't have) but they are not. so any of you out there who think you cannot tolerate RGP's- you might wanna give plugs a try.


-h

"Whatsoever therefore is consequent to a time of war, where every man is enemy to every man, the same consequent to the time wherein men live without other security than what their own strength and their own invention shall furnish them withal...and the life of man, solitary, poor, nasty, brutish, and short." -Thomas Hobbes

also i was wondering...

already been diagnosed with depression.

read GASH can cause a type of post-traumatic stress disorder- any resources/info on being diagnosed with that PSD? thanks!


-h

"Whatsoever therefore is consequent to a time of war, where every man is enemy to every man, the same consequent to the time wherein men live without other security than what their own strength and their own invention shall furnish them withal...and the life of man, solitary, poor, nasty, brutish, and short." -Thomas Hobbes

-h,
thanks for sharing your success with RGPs and plugs.

Not much has been done scientifically on failed RS and PTSD, but anecdotally, we hear about it regularly. I've yet to find a practicing clinical psychologist willing to work with us in depth with these issues. Mostly, they just don't get it.

quote:

Mostly, they just don't get it.

yeah like everyone else.


-h

"Whatsoever therefore is consequent to a time of war, where every man is enemy to every man, the same consequent to the time wherein men live without other security than what their own strength and their own invention shall furnish them withal...and the life of man, solitary, poor, nasty, brutish, and short." -Thomas Hobbes

another little tip - don't settle for alphagan - get pilocarpine - it is much more powerful - my pilocarpine is 1% which i use in conjunction with the lenses. i let them shaft me with alphagan for years.

guess i should've posted under "rehab sucess" well the lenses may need some refinements anyway.


-h

There is no ONE solution that is best or most appropriate for everyone with RS complications. For some patients, 1% pilocarpine is too strong and produces it's own potential problems and side effects. If Alphagan relieves symptoms for others, they should not believe for a second they are being "shafted" and that 1% pilo is a better alternative just because it is more agreeable for your circumstances. Sensitivities to drug agents vary remarkably from patient to patient.

Your comment strikes me as ironic since, from where I sit, the one-size-fits-all mentality is the root of many RS complications.

Whoa, back off, helmit. One man's pleasure is another man's poison.

What works for you doesn't necessarily work for someone else. I've spoken with literally hundreds of people with GASH, most of whom have tried either Alphagan or pilo at some point in their search for rehab solutions. For some, Alphagan has worked for them to reduce or eliminate GASH, enabling them to drive and resume a "normal" life, while others experienced horrid, intolerable side effects. The same is true for pilo in various concentrations. For those of us who cannot tolerate any pupil-constricting drops, we've just had to learn to live with the visual trash we got, and get on with our lives as best we can.

Why not start out the new year with gratitude that you've finally found something that helps, instead of being angry at being "shafted" by well-meaning doctors who were simply trying to help you. If they had all the answers and fixing us was that easy, VSRN wouldn't even be here.

as i am not a doctor i will no longer try to dispense advice on this site.


-h

Helmit

I hope you do continue to give advise - With the greatest respect to all, it is the aggrieved patients of this surgery who have usually had to self-diagnose and spend long distressing years finding the workable solutions.

I remember being told point blank by many doctors that contact lenses would never help with aberrations caused by surgery! Thank God others perservered.
Some of your experiences have the greatest chance of shortening the distress for others.

I think you have every right to feel angry, although I dont think it will help with your depression.

As for the well-meaning doctors, there reputation would be intact, if it was not for the laser surgeons/doctors, who drop patients 'like lead balloons' after seriously comprising the eyesight of their patients.

I would hope that anyone viewing this site, who has been the victim of previous naieve judgement, would always throughly exam the side effects of any treatment before trying it.

Debbie (UK)

quote:

I hope you do continue to give advise - With the greatest respect to all, it is the aggrieved patients of this surgery who have usually had to self-diagnose and spend long distressing years finding the workable solutions.

I remember being told point blank by many doctors that contact lenses would never help with aberrations caused by surgery! Thank God others perservered.
Some of your experiences have the greatest chance of shortening the distress for others.

you hit the nail on the head - my thoughts exactly. the fact is that pilocarpine IS more powerful than alphagan which COULD very well be helpful information for people on this site.

my wording may have been a little off. i said mine was 1% not that they needed 1%. was "shaft" too strong a word? i dont' think so... hell no, not in the world of lasik complications and the lasik industry.

i find the 2 posts before yours a bit unnerving. i will continue to post where i see fit.

Helmit, I never said you shouldn't share your experiences. I do feel, however, that suggesting that you have been "shafted" because one drug works better for you than the other was not neccesarily an accurate depiction of circumstances. Sometimes, STRONGER is not BETTER, just more deadly. One dose of dilute pilocarpine created a far worse problem for me than the seriously bad reaction caused by Alphagan—your "solution" was my misery—an extremely painful, severe corneal erosion.

We are all here to share what we have learned. I've been here now nearly six years, I've talked to hundreds of patients with just about every complication there is, and I can honestly say that no two people have had the same rehab outcomes, even among those following similar paths. Dr. Harzok has been here nearly seven years—he's seen just about everything, and then some. Please keep in mind that both of us are extremely cautious about recommending any one solution over another, as we have known, first hand, the problems that sometimes occur when one individual tries the "perfect" solution that another has recommended. There are benefits and risks to everything, including Alphagan and pilo.

As for feeling anger and resentment, both of those emotions are choices we make. After connecting with so very many people who are holding onto their anger and bitterness, I find that they are, overall, less successful in finding solutions. I'm happy that you are experiencing some relief, and I encourage you, as well as everyone else here, to continue sharing your rehab journey.

HI Barbara

I am glad you cleared this up - particulary for Helmit's sake but I have to comment on your assertion:- quote ' Well meaning Doctors simply trying to help you' I dont think it is prudent to suggest that all Doctors are well meaning and there to help in this day and age. Many Doctors live tremendously lucrative lives administering medicine and it will always be questionable as to whether they have the balance of profit and care right.

It is clearly obvious that there have been many kind and altruistic doctors who have admininstered advise on this site, but to blankly assume they are all the same gives a dangerous assurity to those of us, who, like myself, have already lost any hope of making any sizeable income after this surgery. As Helmit has, in my interpretaton suggested, it is equally possible that he has been financially 'shafted' as oppose to been given the best care all along. Whilst there is big money in medicine we all have to bear this in mind as a possiblity -particulary on your side of the pond!

I have always found your commentary balanced Barbara but I did find your comments here worrying!

Debbie

Oh, good heavens, Debbie, I'm the last one to say that ALL doctors are well-meaning. In fact, I've been the unfortunate recipient of some wretched medical "care" from uncaring doctors with no apparent conscience—Lasik was not my first botched surgery.

I don't like to make sweeping generalizations about anything—they lead to stereotypes and seem to play into the very worst of human nature. As in any other branch of medicine, or, for that matter, of any profession, there are those who are good, kind and who will try to do the right thing.

And then, there's my Lasik surgeon, who refused to even see me when I had a problem that resulted in stage IV DLK... and the OB/GYN surgeon who botched a routine hysterectomy that left me with years of disabling pain and depression and who made unconscionable remarks to go with it... and the anesthesiologist this summer, after thumb joint replacement surgery, whose ONLY concern was that it wasn't HIS fault that giving me one Darvocet in the recovery room caused my heart rate to fall to 4 and my breathing to stop, twice.... or even my former OD, who used to post here, who dumped me as a patient because he couldn't help me and his ego couldn't bear it... On balance, however, I've met many more good, caring, do-the-right-thing doctors than amoral, money-grubbing bad ones.

I'm not debating whether Helmit has had good care or poor care in his rehab efforts. The point is, just because he did better on pilo than Alphagan doesn't mean any doctor "shafted" him. It just means he did better on pilo than Alphagan. We, as humans, seem to have a need to make everything "mean" something, when sometimes, it just is what it is.

If it helps anyone's point plugs work for most people but they were the worst decision for me, they increased the concentration of I don't remember what in my eyes so they burned more than ever with the plugs in. Also Restasis seems to help so many people and I don't tolerate it... for me is the worst, for most people is the best, that doesn't mean it is really the worst.... only for me it is. The point is: Helmit I'll go on in my life with Alphagan you'll go with pilo... but please don't stop posting.... we love you in here

quote:

Helmit, I never said you shouldn't share your experiences. I do feel, however, that suggesting that you have been "shafted" because one drug works better for you than the other was not neccesarily an accurate depiction of circumstances.

quote:

I'm not debating whether Helmit has had good care or poor care in his rehab efforts. The point is, just because he did better on pilo than Alphagan doesn't mean any doctor "shafted" him. It just means he did better on pilo than Alphagan. We, as humans, seem to have a need to make everything "mean" something, when sometimes, it just is what it is.

one definition of "shaft"(from google):
cheat: defeat someone in an expectation through trickery or deceit


when doctors are aware that alphagan is not really working for me and that pilocarpine may and that my vision is horrible and doesn't even mention it as an option for years of my life, that is being S-H-A-F-T-E-D. SHAFT SHAFT SHAFT SHAFT SHAFT. CHEAT. NEGLECT. WHATEVER.

quote:

We, as humans, seem to have a need to make everything "mean" something, when sometimes, it just is what it is.

it means everything - i was 19 when i had the first surgery and am now 27. i AM gash. it is a huge part of who i am. part of my REAL education as a person.


i think it is fruitless to belabor this argument further.

Helmit, it's your prerogative to feel however you choose to feel.
This thread is now locked.