Kickas.org Forums Ankylosing Spondylitis General Discussion #1 AS Web Support Group Iritis?!? No, c'mon, really? Shocking!

Yes, my tongue was very firmly placed in the side of my cheek as I typed that subject line. First suspected on Thursday, got in for an emergency appointment at UM today (had to be today--more on that in a second) and had it confirmed, which meant a Tri-essence (not sure on the sp. of that drug) shot for the left eye, as usual. Thank goodness the shots are nearly painless, or these constant flare-ups would really be pi . . . er, upsetting me. As it is, I pretty much decided last Thursday when I first saw the signs that I am through being upset by this. It's obviously become a constant part of the disease cycle for me, and wasting emotional energy getting PO'd about it isn't going to do me any good in the short- or long-run. Doesn't mean I don't hate it, but I'm trying to just adapt a que sera, sera attitude and move on. (All right, dang it--those of you who know me well can just stop all that laughing right now! I'm serious, dang it! For now, anyhow. One of these days I have to catch a break that is long enough to get the cataract surgery done; I mean, it's inevitable, right?

At least it's much easier to take these bouts as a retiree, and to be honest, getting my 50-inch TV for Christmas has genuinely made the iritis AND the cataract easier to handle. Before the mega-screen, I would get SO frustrated because I couldn't read anything that appeared on-screen, whether I was trying to watch a movie with subtitles or simply watching a poker tourney (could never read their hole cards on the smaller screen). Now, I can easily read everything, including the often tiny on-screen instructions for my Xbox games. THAT used to be one of the must frustrating things for me due to my eye conditions; it got so bad, I had just about given up playing any games. Since I got the TV, I've used my Xbox more in the past month and a half than I did the previous two years combined. A nice bonus, for sure.

Thus, for any of you out there who are bothered by regular bouts of iritis, have developed cataracts as a result of taking the steroid drops, or have other vision problems, I cannot recommend enough that you explore getting a big-screen television if you can afford one. (I was very lucky--mine was almost entirely a gift, plus I found out at the last minute that one of my many cousins on my dad's side worked at ABC Warehouse, where he was able to get me a fantastic discount). And, if you are in the market, I found that for me, the plasma screen was MUCH easier on my eyes than the LCD. The plasma screen is a little "warmer" and it also handles fast motions a little bit better than LCD screens, which was important for me thanks to my love of sports. Anyhow, just a suggestion although I know it's a pricey one (you might be surprised at how much they've come down, however, as I ended up getting my 50-inch Panasonic for less than $600).

The reason I HAD to get that eye doc appointment today is because it looks like we are finally get hit by some honest-to-God nasty winter weather on Tuesday and Wednesday. I've mentioned in recent weeks that we've so far managed to miss every single bad storm this winter--the biggest single snowfall we had before this week was 4-5 inches. We are WAY behind our seasonal average, a fact I've considered particularly ironic given the ridiculous snowfalls that have blanketed the East Coast, esp. the DC and Philly areas. It just seemed that, until now, every storm that normally rises up out of Ohio enough to clip most of southeast lower Michigan simply stayed south of the border this year, which was just fine with me. I know over in western Michigan they've had plenty of the lake-effect snow they always get, and northern Michigan has been hit hard a few times, but I think I've only needed to have my front deck shoveled off 3 times.

I knew we wouldn't make it the whole winter without at least one humdinger though. Starting at 10 a.m. Tuesday until the same time Wednesday morning, we're on target for anywhere from 6 to 10 inches in my neck of the woods. And, falling firmly into the "could have done without that" category, our storm is supposed to keep hauling and plow head-on into the East Coast once it's done here. Yep, no rest for the wicked--I've heard that some of the areas that got hit with up to 2 feet of snow can expect another 10-20 inches from this monster. That, my friends, truly sucks, and for all you KA folks who are getting buried back east these days, rest assured that all our thoughts and prayers are with you as you slog through this. I just hope that nobody from KA has been stuck in their house without power for the past couple days, as I know tens of thousands are still without power.

If any of you reading this are part of our Eastern contingent, please leave us a note to let us know everything is ok. One of my Facebook friends from DC has been posting photos of the snow in her neighborhood, and it is truly amazing, especially since DC often manages to dodge these massive blizzards.

Brad

hi brad,

sorry to hear about the iritis.....AGAIN!

my sister's family living in MD, not too far from DC and yes, they have had about 2 feet of snow and expecting like you said another foot or more. ironic that they have much more than we do now, with us living in upstate NY. i remember when we lived in MD, there was one winter in the mid to late 90s when it just kept snowing and snowing, so long as we didn't lose electricity, i thought it was great, but that's because i didn't have to drive in it, lived very close to a train line so i could just take the train in to work. now, we get lake effect almost continually for weeks at a time, and have to drive in it, so not as much fun. too bad we don't still get around in horse drawn sleighs.

Brad - that's too bad. I'm sorry to hear your iritis is back. Don't give up on your cataract surgery - we have to believe it will be possible at some point. I'm pretty sure you're on one of the biologics so I keep being surprised that you continue to have this problem. Correct me if I'm wrong but I'm sure you recently talked about waiting for your remicade shot.

I'm also going to hope that you don't get the big snowfall they're predicting - that somehow they've got it wrong! We have had the mildest weather this winter so Vancouver seems to be facing a snowless winter olympics!! I think sections of the mountain are bare. What a joke - they're planning to helicopter snow down from higher up the mountain - if you can imagine such a thing. So much for a green olympics!!!

Hi Brad

sorry about the iritis...

Congratulations on the new big screen TV!

Not to brag, but here is the new theater we are about to install in our house:

Again, eh? That totally sucks.... sending your peepers positive healing vibes, and hope that weather isn't too bad.
I'll be keeping my fingers crossed for you that you get that break you need for the surgery.

Oh Brad, that truly sucks. I wish I could make it go away for you, but must say, I love the attitude you're developing about it. Sounds like acceptance to me - of course, 'acceptance' doesn't mean succumbing, but rather, what you are discovering. It is a fact of your life and there's no point in railing against it. Deal with it and move on as best you can. Well done, my friend!

As for snow, Toronto has not had nearly the usual amount of precipitation we usually get, rain or snow. It's freaky, frankly. Makes me wonder what's in store come Spring.

And to those who still naysay global warming, look to Vancouver. The City of Vancouver may generally be much warmer than pretty much anywhere else in Canada (at least it seems that way), but the mountains generally have snow by now. I feel for the Olympic organizers on this. Keeping my fingers crossed that there is a huge snowfall over the next day or so!!

Warm hugs,

Aw Brad, I'm sorry to hear that iritis has struck you - again. I was so thrilled that Remicade resolved my chronic case and was so hopeful that it would do the same for you.

So I have a theory on this that may seem dumb but I'm tossing it out anyway. Your hobbies of sports, poker and xbox gaming seem to have something in common and I wonder if it's an adrenaline response that could be triggering your repeating attacks??? I had an inkling that my fight-flight response was out of whack and somehow linked to my too frequent attacks... and a top iritis specialist here has spoken about how iritis and stress are definitely linked. And what is stress really, but an adrenaline rush... good or bad I don't think it matters. Anyhow, this is probably not something you are happy to consider but maybe worth a thought?

I hope the shot will works it's magic and hope you won't be hit too hard by this storm. We are suppose to be getting a little bit of it up here today as well, but hard to complain with the easy peasy winter that we've had so far -- I have only had to shovel snow once ALL winter!! It's totally weird to be a canuck and watch the news of one snowstorm after the next hitting our American neighbours to the south. I even have patches of green grass in my back yard! (Just had to type that in quickly before it's gets covered up in white again..lol)

Take it easy!
mig

hi brad,
from iritis/uveitis patient to another, so sorry to hear you are having a flare. hang in there!!! you have the right attitude.

i'm curious..how many bouts have you had? i'm in the midst of my 4th severe uveitis flare. so far 3 of the 4 have been treated with high doses of systemic steroids. i've never had a shot and wondering if that's the better way to go instead of multiple, multi-month courses of steroids.

very jealous of your TV!!! : )

Hey Brad;

So sorry to hear of your Iritis troubles. I, myself, have only (so far, fingers crossed) fallen victim once, but it was horrible. I feel for you, seriously. I do wonder if Mig isn't onto something though, as oddly, I had week of relief from my flare while away on vacation only to have it recur when I returned home...sounds stress related to me. (thanks, Mig, I didn't really put it all together until I read your post)
At any rate, I wish you relief soon and long lasting!
I, too, am envious of your TV (though you sound deseving ;), but am happy to say that even here 'North of Toronto', I've managed to miss the wrath of winter storms! Counting my blessings, indeed. Wish I could make it snow in Whistler though...
PT

Hi Brad,
Sorry to hear this again Iritis is the most horrible part of AS at least if your backs bad or your legs or neck hurt you can rub them or hold them with your eye you just have to bear it. I hope it improves very soon for you.

Kevin