Wednesday, August 11, 2010

I'm Not a Doctor, Nor Do I Play One on TV...

Photo by [lauren nelson].

...so I'm dispensing my medical advice for free and you don't have to foot the bill for an addition to my home.

This summer I developed--overnight, it seemed--horribly dry eyes. My eyes felt scratchy. Similar to the feeling you get when you wash your face with sandpaper in the desert at 120 degrees. Only in my eyes.

I'd never suffered with dry, scratchy eyes before, so I was stumped. I bought a popular brand of eye drops purported to "get the red out," but a friend insisted I stop using them immediately (per her eye doctor's instructions) and use a brand that sounds like the word "sustain." I did exactly what Wendy demanded, because she can be pretty scary when she's in "Mother Mode." And the drops did help. But still, I wondered, why was I having this problem in the first place?

Making an appointment with the eye doctor seemed the thing to do. Certainly he could/should/would help me, right? Yeah, not so much. He basically told me (this is my paraphrase), "Gee, that's too bad about your scratchy-as-the-desert kind of eye problem. Keep using those drops, though, okay?" I estimate my bill will be about the cost of one square foot of his new addition.

The next week when I went in to pick up my new eyeglasses, I complained to Debbie--the best Eyeglass Frame Picker Outer and Adjuster ever--that I had no answers to my dilemma. Debbie perked right up. "Let me get Dr. D and see if she has any ideas." Back came Debbie with Dr. D who listened to my complaints.

"Hmm," she said. "How old are you?"

"Forty-five."

Dr. D raised her eyebrows at me.

"And three quarters."


She nodded. "Could very well be hormonal fluctuations. Do you take fish oil?"

"Sure do. About 2,000 milligrams three times a week."

"Up your dosage and take 2,000 milligrams morning and night, every day. Do that, and I bet you'll see a difference soon."

I promised to follow her advice, and she gave me a prescription for a heavy-duty nighttime eye drop to use as needed. And she didn't charge me. Not for a room addition or a cup of coffee.

I never had to fill that prescription. Two days later, my eyes felt normal again, like I had gone from desert and sandpaper to tropical island and coconut oil.

Here's that free advice I promised you: if you're a 45-and-three-quarters-year-old woman with uncommonly dry eyes, and you take fish oil periodically, up your dosage and see if that helps.

Just remember: I'm not a doctor. So ask yours first before you try this.

After you ask him if he's adding a room or pool to his house.


13 comments:

Anonymous said...

funny...I was just telling my hubby about your fish oil episode! has almost convinced me to start taking it...not for dry eyes, but because I'm a tad over 45-3/4....karen

Heather Trent Beers said...

Karen, you amaze me! You don't look a DAY over 45 and seven-eighths. :)

kimstokely.com said...

I've had really bad eyes for the past few months and just thought it was allergies! I'll have to give this a try! Thanks!

Sally said...

I'm a whole lot older than 45 and 7/8ths. but I'll put this in my memory bank under "dry eyes" and use it when I need to. Thanks.

Anonymous said...

Don't you just love paying for those additions? I think we have built a few add ons for some folks out there...especially that time they gave Brennan all his injections 2x because the nurse forgot he had already had them. Yikes...
JBailey

Anonymous said...

Did you know that Fish Oil, as is Ginger, and MSM found in some veggies, is a natural blood thinner? I'm no doctor either, but that must be why your eyes feel better. :) Thanks for the wonderful suggestion!...Donna

Heather Trent Beers said...

Kim, evidently you're not the only one struggling with this. For those of you who try the fish oil, let me know how it works for you!

Heather Trent Beers said...

JBailey, WHAT WERE THOSE PEOPLE THINKING?????????????????

Heather Trent Beers said...

Donna, that's good to know. Thanks for spreading your wisdom! ;o)

kc bob said...

I take mega-doses of high quality (i.e. expensive) fish oil and my eyes feel fine.. but I am no where near 45 and 3/4.

Heather Trent Beers said...

Bob, keep taking that fish oil. It's good stuff, and it doesn't care how old you are. :)

Isabel said...

I did it!!

Heather Trent Beers said...

I'm so proud of you, Isabel! (Good to see you on here. Hope to see you more often in the future.)