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

My one very serious experience with iritis was preceded with a night of playing video games, I asked the doctors if there could have been a question, their answer was a definitive no, but I've always wondered...


I do think about that kind of thing a lot these days, a link between stress and pain, specifically how it could apply to me, and my chronic pelvic muscle pain. Of course, that area has a very close physical proximity to the SI joint and sacrum pain, which makes it a zillion times harder to know what could be a trigger and what could be a symptom, but nonetheless, that doesn't stop me from coming up with a zillion different theories.

So why do people like me seem to enjoy things that would be considered hi-stress, such as making the earth safe from aliens (on our video game controllers) and watching exciting action movies? I even like to do both, watch car chase movies, WHILE exercising on my elliptical trainer! I also wonder why I generally drink a giant Starbucks every day, when with my muscle tightness, wouldn't it make more sense to be drinking tea, spending afternoons arranging the pebbles in my Japanese Zen garden, while listening to gentle meditation music?

Dunno the answer to that, but I think it has something to do with the way I sometimes feel that I'm not ready to go to bed and relax until after I have first REALLY woken up and gotten all the senses triggered and functional, in a way that going to the supermarket to get some eggs just isn't going to do. And face it, the way I've been moving these past years, no one is going to be hiring me to be the next James Bond, so doubtful I am going to be having those kind of adventures for real. And the fact that these aren't REAL stress situations, they are still "safe" from some of the unintended side effects of shooting with a lazer gun ACTUAL space zombies, well, that is a plus, too

_________________________
Dow

PS: Hey, wasn't anyone impressed with the movie of our new very expensive mega-entertainment room?

Thanks, Kevin. As often as I get iritis, I get one very lucky break when I do get it--as bad as it gets, I almost NEVER have any pain with it. I get very blurry vision, black floaters, and strobing, but zero pain. The very first bout I had back when I was 18 hurt like heck, and one or two incidents since then have hurt, but the rest have been painless. From reading all the reports from others, I know how incredibly painful it is for most people, and I know how lucky I am that I dodge that particular pain.

Brad

Dow, LOVE the home theatre!!!!

Do you know who would love it even more??? Polly Pocket!
Thanks for the chuckle. I NEEDED a bit of laughter today!

*****

Brad, I've been reading a lot on mega-vitamin doses lately... esp. vitamin c. at Doctor Yourself

I really enjoy reading this website. Here are a couple eye related things:

Quote#1 "There is now ample evidence that lutein, a cousin of beta carotene, is essential for maintenance of the human visual system. Lutein requirements increase dramatically among blue-eyed individuals who have far less of this antioxidant pigment at the back of their eyes than brown-eyed individuals and are at a 2000% increased risk of developing loss of central vision (macular degeneration) in their lifetime. Lutein is not currently considered an essential nutrient. It is unlikely that the at-risk population will consume the 3-5 weekly servings of spinach or kale (equivalent to 6 milligrams of daily lutein), required to prevent ocular disease. [Journal Am Medical Assn 272: 1413-20, 1994] Lutein food supplements appear to be practical and economical."

Quote #2 "There is concern that maximal upper limits may not accommodate the nutritional needs of specific organs in the body. Nutritional authorities have given too much attention to achieving minimal and maximal blood levels of nutrients, which may not be an adequate measure of nutrients in specific tissues. For example, it has been stated that the blood circulation becomes saturated with vitamin C at about 240 milligrams. Even when saturation has been achieved in the blood plasma, the provision of 2000 milligrams of vitamin C further increases the levels of vitamin C in the aqueous fluid of the human eye by 35 percent. Higher levels of vitamin C are required in the aqueous fluid of the eye than in the blood circulation because the human eye is transparent and is prone to harm by products of oxidation (hydrogen peroxide) emanating from exposure to solar ultraviolet radiation. Much higher levels of vitamin C are required to prevent cataracts than to prevent scurvy. The daily amount of vitamin C required to prevent cataracts is in the range of 300-2000 milligrams (the equivalent of 6-30 oranges), which exceeds the best dietary consumption (about 200-250 milligrams from consumption of five servings of fruits and vegetables). The National Academy of Sciences (NAS) now considers 2000 milligrams of vitamin C as "toxic." [See my addendum regarding the issuance of new recommendations for antioxidants by the NAS below.] The human eye has greater need for vitamin C, lutein, vitamin E, glutathione and vitamin A, than most other tissues in the body."

Hope this info helps.

Thanks for your good example in dealing with AS. It does feel better to not stress about what we cannot control. Thx for the reminder.

-Donette

Sorry to hear about the flare Brad! Iritis is no fun at all - I'm in the midst of my most serious flare since 2005, with some suspected involvement in both eyes (that's a first!) - hoping that I won't need to go the injection route tomorrow when I see the specialist again. I saw him last week, but it's not really settling...

So, excellent timing on the 'que sera, sera' attitude, and definitely something to aim for! Hope the flare settles soon!

-Anke

Oops! Sorry Dow, by the time I'd written my post I forgot to mention it... you do find the silliest things!

My cursor is misbehaving so will keep this short but I can't answer your question anyway. Why do we like what we like? I dunno! I have to stay away from video games because they will rob me of every available moment, if I let myself play and I'm big on coffee too.

As for the chronic pelvic muscle pain, I suppose there are a few possibilities. Are you sure it is muscular? It's sometimes difficult to tell where pain is really stemming from. Inflammation of the large hip joints (where leg meets pelvis) is often 'referred' to the groin area. SI inflammation can be local, cause pain in the buttocks, refer to hip joints and further down via the sciatic nerve too. Inflammation of the symphysis pubis can be a razor sharp pain felt low in the pelvis and can drop you to the ground in a flash. When actual bone is inflamed it can tick off the surrounding muscles, just to be confusing. Where we *sense* pain is not always where the root of it is... so that's my long way of saying it's anybody's guess. Sometimes it's obvious and sometimes it just isn't, but 9 times outta 10, it's the blasted AS to blame.

Cheers!

Hey PT, now you have me curious... are you north of Simcoe? I've been wondering whether my New Years snowman is still hanging in there. I hope so!

thanks, Donette!

Polly Pocket would fit in perfect there! And save on popcorn too!

Brad, I am so sorry. I am also so happy for you about the TV. I can't tell my hubby that. He would jump on it really quick as much as he has TV fever. If he thought it would help me, he would be unloading it now. :o)

Have you taken oral meds to keep the iritis under control? I had iritis constantly until I started the Imuran and it just nipped it in the bud and I haven't had it in several years. I am off the Imuran and it will be interesting to see if it comes back when I finish tapering the Pred.

I had my first cataract surgery at least 15 years ago from so many steroids. The other one has to be done this year. I just hate to do it now because I just went in to the FL-41 lens with new script just a few months ago. I really hate to have to buy another lens. By the way the FL-41 lens have been such a blessing. I have not had to have Botox injections now for over a year. It is the first time ever I have gone longer than 3-4 months and anywhere from 20 - 40 injections to get them open.

Hope this passes quickly. Mine has been so bad in the past that they would say no tv, no reading, no outside, blinds pulled, etc. I am glad you can watch that new tv.

Hugs.
Possi

Hi Brad,
I'm sorry to hear about the iritis. I hope the new television continues to be nicer on your eyes. Thanks for the advice on the big screens. I have only seen two iritis flares so far so I don't have any words of wisdom to share.

The new snowfall is getting pretty deep over here now which is around 80 miles southwest of you. I took a picture of the snow storm to show to friends. Since my friends are also here, I'll show it here too. It was taken on 11:00AM, 2/11/10 (the first half of the storm). Thankfully we rarely ever see lake effect snow where I live.

Take care,
James

Hi Brad - sorry to hear about the iritis flare. Hope y're doin better. Congrats on new TV. Those huge screens are ace. My smaller one will have to do for me though!

Dow - couldn't see y're new entertainment room, pic won't open for me... Oh well.

Joyce - NO Botox injections for a year! Great news that. Hadn't realised that it was a year since you last posted about the Botox... Time sure does fly.

Take care you guys - lots of (((HUGS)))

No, not sure. I do know, however, that the internal muscles ARE tighter than most people's and getting them to relax through various techniques helps me feel better, at least in the short term. I had some hope that after weekly PT sessions for like six months or so, plus daily exercises that I do, I'd be making more overall progress, but it seems that I regress pretty quickly if I don't get the PT. So that makes me wonder what is happening between sessions.

but I don't think it's referred pain, certainly not sciatica, because I don't have any of the shooting pains down my leg. Weirdest thing is that exercise helps for a few hours, then symptoms come back. That just leads me to continually ponder exactly what did the exercise do? Bring blood to the area? Decrease tissue inflammation? Remove toxins? Klebsiella? I dunno. Whenever I bring these observations to the doctors, thinking I've made a significant observation, I get a nod or a "uh hum" and then no real ideas...

Does this mean no YouTube for you in France, now this IS serious!!

you could try a link rather than the video imbedded in the post:

Home theater

Dow... killer! (And hello my friend!) My kids actually built a shoe box theater for their iphones, but not as 'finished' as yours, it's beautiful! I can't decide if I should show them yours.... I will, of course, thanks for it!


cc

BRAD! I'm sorry Dude, I know how long you have wanted that surgery. It would have been better to have been told "you can have the surgery in three years" than to get ready over and over just to turn around and go home.... don't let yourself build up some artificially escalated anxiety when the time does come, you'll be fine.
Sorry you have to wait,

cc

Hi CC, (great to see you around these here parts again!)

Well, I didn't really make that shoebox theater

(that would require way too much skill on my part!)

but I DID copy the link and paste it, yes, without any adult supervision!!

Hey mig,

Well, another day is going to pass where I don't find the time to put up a reply to your post about the possibility that the adrenaline/stress caused by my particular hobbies might be exacerbating my iritis, so I wanted to be sure to put a short, "hold my place" post up at the very least. I totally agree with your theory (or a variation thereof) and have thought about this connection for a long time. As soon as I have time (just spent the time I was going to spend here sending an important PM to another member regarding iritis), I will pop back in here and offer up some of my thoughts on this exact topic. A very perceptive piece of detective work on your part, I think!

Also, there are a few other excellent posts in this thread that I still intend to answer, so hang in there folks, and thank you (as always) for all the great replies.

Brad

Just call me Sherlock! That's okay Brad, I'd be interested in your thoughts but don't stress worry if you don't find time to reply, I know how it is with wanting to respond to more than time allows.

Take care,
mig

Oh my golly gosh. Terrific Dow, and thanks for posting for me. Now, do I understand that YOU didn't make it? Sheesh.
Can 'get' YouTube here, of course, cause it's on/comes in via the 'ordonance', but I don't much watch what's on.

As kids we used to make match box movies. Cut and paster out comic strips and roll em round sticks, dowels, and wind. Presto. Comic book movies! Worked a treat and kept us amused for hours. The parents were made to watch 'our' movies!

But don't suppose kids would do stuff like that nowadays. Sigh. (Heigh, I got in another 'sigh' for the day <LOL>)

Brad - Hope those eyes of yours are doing better. Roll on that surgery for you - it's awesome man.

Some of us kids do!!

Dow - magic man. HOW do you... No, don't tell me, cause I won't understand! I'll jes look, an be ***amazed. Wot fun. Now, IF you could jes get the feet moving, WITH the legs (visions of feet everywhere...haha) then. BUT, feet gotta be in gait: that is lateral movement, left/left, right/right. NOT L/R, L/R - now, I wonder...????????

Thank you - though does give me rather a back ache man!

That's hilarious, Dow. I won't be able to look at Molly's avatar again without picturing her galloping across the screen.