Got another, unexpected, break

Went in for treatment at usual on Tuesday, but the nurses immediately noticed my eyes and were concerned. The rims around both eyes are very red, one actually has the small pimple like things on it, and did I mention I’ve lost a lot of my eyelashes lately? A small side effect, but one that I had no idea was a possibility – it’s so far down on the list that I never even noticed it. Right now, one eye has lost 95% of my lower lashes and about 30% of the upper lashes. The other eye has lost about 80% of the lower lashes and 15% of the upper. Every time I rub my eyes, more fall out. The doc thinks I could loose 100% of both over the next few weeks. And my eyebrows seem to be affected too – they have definitely thinned over the past few months. The hair on my head though – that’s another story – as far as I can tell, I haven’t lost any of it. My pillow is free of hair in the morning as is the drain in the shower, but I’ll be keeping an eye on it (no pun intended…)

Anyway, the eyes look and feel painful, thus their decision not to treat me. They are afraid of infection. For now I am treating them with hot compresses, washing them gently with baby shampoo, and using lots and lots of eye drops to get moisture back. Tears are another issue – I’m having trouble producing them and my eyes are incredibly dry. Pat was chopping red onions the other evening and I couldn’t even go in the kitchen – the pain was so bad and I couldn’t create the tears needed to make the pain go away. I know there is a prescription drug for this condition – I’m going to wait a few more days and see how thing go before adding another drug to my regiment. Anyway – this just means that I got an unexpected break in my treatment schedule and a week when I can actually eat and drink whatever I want on a Wednesday.

Weather around Boston was lovely this past weekend and we took advantage of it as much as possible. Saw some friends on Friday night, spent a good portion of Saturday kayaking on the Charles River – much, much fun for anyone who hasn’t tried it. That evening, we went to see Elvis Costello and Emmylou Harris at the Bank of America Pavilion over on the waterfront. It was a great show and a perfect night for a concert. Sunday was more friends and some relaxing. Though we haven’t been able to take any big trips lately, we have keep our schedules full, are busy and I have managed to achieve enough of a tan to keep me happy. (Don’t even bother commenting on this….)

Well, since I’m banned from wearing my contacts, I must go out now and buy a pair of prescription sunglasses – I guess your eyelashes have some effect on filtering suns rays because wow is it bright and painful when I walk outside right now without sunglasses! Hat’s work somewhat, but I might as well do this in style.

Oh, and not to jinx myself, but the Sandostatin does still seem to be working – a grande iced mocha from Starbucks was not a great idea, especially followed by tacos, so I have some days where I use more Charmin than I would like, but for the most part I seem to be between 4-7 trips a day – woo hoo!! And I’ve got enough Sandostatin to get me through another week, so it’s 7 more days of twice daily shots for me. As long as it works, I can deal with the black and blues. I will however, avoid the above mentioned food/beverages for the near future though.