how do you react?

Join Our Community

Collarchat.com

Home Login Search

how do you react?

View related threads: (in this forum | in all forums)

Logged in as: Guest

All Forums >> [Community Discussions] >> Health and Safety >> how do you react?

Page: [1] 2 next > >>

Login

Message

<< Older Topic Newer Topic >>

how do you react? - 4/11/2008 7:10:59 PM

Posts: 1779
Joined: 2/16/2007
Status: offline

i got an eye exam, got new glasses. got the new glasses 3 weeks ago today. after finally being OUT, i see the new glasses arent working for distance. so i got a re-check.

my eyes have changed enough in less than a month that the lenses had to be remade. the problem isnt the eyes themselves, its the messages going from the eyes to the brain. all neurological.

the doctor, knowing my history, took me by the hand and said "its more than likely MS. there isnt any other way you could lose this much in vision this fast."

i dont know how to react. Daddy is supportive, but from the distance he is. TheEngineer is wanting me to be there and divorced as fast as possible, so that he can get me onto his insurance and on my way to healing. which...if it is MS, i may eventually go into remission but not heal.

how do i react? right now its numbness.....

kitten

RE: how do you react? - 4/11/2008 7:40:52 PM

Posts: 9318
Joined: 11/3/2005
From: Kentucky
Status: offline

Just take it one day at a time.

It's too bad you've been to see a doctor about this, because insurance-wise this will come under the heading of a pre-existing condition, and there is no way for you to hide that from an insurance company.

Otoh, it's a good thing you know what is going on, at least a bit. I'd say get thee to your regular doctor asap.

Sorry to hear this, hun.

_____________________________

~Christina

A nice girl with a disturbing hobby

My femdom findom blog: http://www.MistressAvarice.com

(in reply to adoracat)

RE: how do you react? - 4/11/2008 8:12:16 PM

Posts: 10717
Joined: 10/28/2007
From: California
Status: offline

Oh no no no. A pre-existing condition is one that has been diagnosed. No one has diagnosed her at this time. He suggested it might be MS.

Okay, I'm going into fix-it mode here. Knowledge and education is what gives me comfort. If it works that way for you, then read on, otherwise, just save this for another time.

1. Have TheEngineer check with his Human Resources Department on the limitations on pre-existing conditions, if any, on their insurance plan. Many larger companies have no pre-e clause (for instance, if they have over 200 employees), or they have a reduced pre-e waiting period (such as 3 months instead of 6 months).

2. Do you have current group insurance? If so, make sure you keep it so that there is no lapse in coverage for more than 62 days. If there is no lapse for more than 62 days, then you get credit for your previous group coverage and there may be no waiting period at all. Even if you have to pay for COBRA coverage, it will be worth it to keep the time lapse under the limit.

3. Have you checked which state is more advantageous to get your divorce? Meaning the time frame. Check and see what time frame has to pass before you can be divorced in each state. And check the wording for each one. For instance, in California you have to live here for six months before you can get divorced, but you can file right away but the divorce won't be final until the 6 months has passed. In some states, you cannot file until the residency time has been completed. And check to see if your new state has a waiting period to get married again. If there is one (and not all states have them), you could always take a little trip to Las Vegas to get married.

4. You can receive treatment for MS without being diagnosed with it... how this is handled would be determined by your doctor. In order to diagnose MS, the following criteria must be met:

Find evidence of damage in at least two separate areas of the central nervous system (CNS), which includes the brain, spinal cord, and optic nerves AND
Find evidence that the damage occurred at different points in time—at least one month apart AND
Rule out all other possible diagnoses

5. Review the visual symptoms and treatment for those symptoms here. The page for all symptoms is here.

6. Some information from the National MS Society that I find comforting:

Most people with MS have a normal or near-normal life expectancy.
The majority of people with MS do NOT become severely disabled.
Some people have one episode of nerve damage that does not repeat itself and they are not considered to have MS.

And lastly, big hugs. Oh, one last thought. If I recall (and I could be wrong), you have diabetes, correct? If so, have you been keeping on top of your numbers? If your diabetes is slipping out of control, there is a possibility that is the cause.

I just read back over what I wrote and it seems so cold. I'm so sorry, that is not what I meant at all. When people come to me with this sort of problem, I go into overdrive on self-education; I subscribe to that whole "knowledge is power" thing.

Cali

_____________________________

AKA "The Undisputed Goddess of Sarcasm", "Big Bad Cali" and "Yum Bum". Advisor to the Subbie Mafia, founding member of the W.A.C. and the Judgmental Bitches Brigade, member of the Clan of the Scarlet O'Hair-a's and Team Troll

(in reply to xxblushesxx)

RE: how do you react? - 4/11/2008 8:22:06 PM

Posts: 1779
Joined: 2/16/2007
Status: offline

cali, you darling...that isnt cold. its hard facts, which are what i need right now.

i dont have *any* insurance at the moment. wolf and i are going with no fault, file-it-yourself divorce, which still means we both have to go through a 5 hour parenting class. oh joy. there is no wait period since we've lived here over a dozen years, and as far as i know, no wait to marry in texas.

we already know there is brain involvement due to an MRI in 1993....which the neurologist just shuffled me out of the office and told me not to worry about it. gotta love welfare medicine.

the diabetes is borderline at last call (over 4 years ago) and i am being careful about what i eat.

TheEngineer checked and its a 1 year wait on pre-existing conditions. so...not such a good thing. which is why i'm waiting to be seen by anyone on this.

thank you. *hugs back*

kitten

(in reply to CalifChick)

RE: how do you react? - 4/11/2008 8:23:15 PM

Posts: 1779
Joined: 2/16/2007
Status: offline

quote:

ORIGINAL: xxblushesxx

Just take it one day at a time.

It's too bad you've been to see a doctor about this, because insurance-wise this will come under the heading of a pre-existing condition, and there is no way for you to hide that from an insurance company.

Otoh, it's a good thing you know what is going on, at least a bit. I'd say get thee to your regular doctor asap.

Sorry to hear this, hun.

the eye doctor didnt say "yes it is" because at this point it takes an MRI to actually diagnose. so i'm ok as far as taht goes.

no regular doc as no insurance.

life goes on... thank you dear.

kitten

(in reply to xxblushesxx)

RE: how do you react? - 4/11/2008 8:29:32 PM

Posts: 8641
Joined: 6/22/2007
Status: offline

*hugs*

just a thought as this happened to me...a medication I was put on changed the amount of fluid in the lenses of my eyes...completely changing the refraction...and this happened very quickly.

*hugs!*

(in reply to adoracat)

RE: how do you react? - 4/11/2008 8:43:32 PM

Posts: 9318
Joined: 11/3/2005
From: Kentucky
Status: offline

Cali;

Very good info!
And I do agree that it could be due to diabetes. I am soo not a doctor, but, it would be the first place I'd look were I one.
I wish you the best, Adora.

~Christina

_____________________________

~Christina

A nice girl with a disturbing hobby

My femdom findom blog: http://www.MistressAvarice.com

(in reply to angelikaJ)

RE: how do you react? - 4/11/2008 8:54:22 PM

Posts: 1779
Joined: 2/16/2007
Status: offline

*hugs* thank you blushes.

kitten

(in reply to xxblushesxx)

RE: how do you react? - 4/12/2008 5:03:54 AM

Posts: 18681
Joined: 11/12/2005
Status: offline

Back the truck up here, since when to optometrists diagnose MS ?

I checked the OP's profile, 44.

I, as well as two friends, all in our forties have noticed that our vision changes from day to day. Don't let this yahoo get you screaming like chicken little. The only drug an optometrist can administer is a mildly sedative eye drop, which used to be used to dilate the pupil to shallow the depth of focus. This would allow them to prescribe more accurate lenses, supposedly.

If I were the OP I would familiarize myself with the symptoms of MS and be aware of them, but other than that I would treat this like a plumber telling me my TV needs a picture tube. Optometrists are not MDs by any stretch and they should not pretend to be.

I would consider an appointment with an opthamalogist, who is an MD and basically a surgeon specializing in eye surgery.

T

(in reply to adoracat)

RE: how do you react? - 4/12/2008 5:06:22 AM

Posts: 18681
Joined: 11/12/2005
Status: offline

Sorry, I missed one part. Does "my doctor" mean the optometrist or the regular doctor ?

If I got it wrong sorry.

T

(in reply to Termyn8or)

RE: how do you react? - 4/12/2008 5:12:56 AM

Posts: 42360
Joined: 9/7/2007
From: Quietville
Status: offline

quote:

ORIGINAL: Termyn8or

I, as well as two friends, all in our forties have noticed that our vision changes from day to day.

Termyn8or is right on the money with this....
when my vision began to change rapidly i went to an opthamalogist. I was told that the eyes can change on a weekly basis...generally when one is in their 40's (he noted i was 32 at the time but said his guess was i was aging rapidly. Well thanks a heap!).

_____________________________

PICKED UPON
TECHNO-DOLT
MEMBER OF THE SUBBIE MAFIA
GRACEFULLY CHALLENGED :::::splat:::::
BOOT WHORE
VAA/S FAN

GIVES GOOD HEART (Lushy)

CREATOR OF MAYHEM (practice)

(in reply to Termyn8or)

RE: how do you react? - 4/12/2008 5:15:10 AM

Posts: 13029
Joined: 2/24/2005
From: Pennsylvania
Status: offline

Optometrists are often the first to see signs of this progressive disease. Optic neuritis is one of the earliest and most common presenting symptoms for patients with multiple sclerosis. Therefore, optometrists play an important role in diagnosing multiple sclerosis.

here

< Message edited by KatyLied -- 4/12/2008 5:16:38 AM >

_____________________________

“If you want to live a happy life, tie it to a goal, not to people or things.”
- Albert Einstein

(in reply to Termyn8or)

RE: how do you react? - 4/12/2008 5:40:50 AM

Posts: 1779
Joined: 2/16/2007
Status: offline

katie got it right in one.

the eye doctor also knew about the MRI i had gotten about 15 years ago now...well in august it'll be 15 years ago. i had several brain lesions then, and i have other problems (wobbliness, lack of reflexes, etc) that are worrisome. this particular eye doctor already has several MS patients, plus had a close friend in college with MS.

so in this case yes, the sudden onset of the eye issue with nothing else in my life changing....other than a large change in the amount of stress in my life...leaned him in that direction.

kitten

(in reply to KatyLied)

RE: how do you react? - 4/12/2008 5:49:02 AM

Posts: 13029
Joined: 2/24/2005
From: Pennsylvania
Status: offline

I am sorry to hear that you are struggling with this. I hope that soon you will reach a resolution as far as decisions about health insurance, so you can get a firm diagnosis, or at the very least start some treatment. I have a friend who has ms and he gets injections for it.

_____________________________

“If you want to live a happy life, tie it to a goal, not to people or things.”
- Albert Einstein

(in reply to adoracat)

RE: how do you react? - 4/12/2008 6:13:48 AM

Posts: 18681
Joined: 11/12/2005
Status: offline

I might just have to stand corrected Katy. Not that I didn't know anything, but I didn't say it.

An optometrist does indeed see certain signs of other diseases. Even though iridology has been dismissed, the whole lore of the field did have some roots in fact. But even disregarding iridology completely, the eyes do tell.

See now I doubt myself. At first I was under the impression that the optometrist said MS, rereading the post now I am not so sure. I could have it all wrong.

Anyway, an optometrist will most likely be the one to detect glaucoma although they are not the one to treat it. In that case they can say definitively "you have glaucoma symptoms" and highly recommend you do something about it. And rightly so.

An optometrist can also detect problems with the retina. He can see pustules and/or hemorrages that will not be noticable to the sufferer until the problem is severe. The retina and your brain can play tricks on you, as our bodies somehow know how to still see with a partially occluded retina. You could lose probably 30% of it before you notice any significant vision deficiency.

While I may have spoken out of turn here, I am no stranger to vision problems. My vision is bad enough that if I close one eye it is very difficult even to read this screen (17" in 800X600). Looking at a white wall in a brightly lit room almost hurts. I have two pairs of glasses, and if my work did not preclude it, I would have bifocals. At 47.

But when an optometrist told a friend that he has high cholesterol, well, I just don't buy it. While it is good to catch a disease in it's earlier stages, and even better to treat the cause if possible, you just can't let them work you up into a state of hypochondria.

In the OP "knows my history", that is the point now. An optometrist who knows ? Or an MD who knows, who was consulted after the visit to the optometrist ?

I don't think I said anything wrong, but if I did indeed misunderstand the OP it may have been out of place. If so, whack my pee pee and I'll se ya later :-)

But make those peepers keepers. Even with my crappy eyesight I could not imagine living without it.

T

(in reply to KatyLied)

RE: how do you react? - 4/12/2008 7:52:30 AM

Posts: 1779
Joined: 2/16/2007
Status: offline

quote:

ORIGINAL: KatyLied

I am sorry to hear that you are struggling with this. I hope that soon you will reach a resolution as far as decisions about health insurance, so you can get a firm diagnosis, or at the very least start some treatment. I have a friend who has ms and he gets injections for it.

thank you katy.

by fall i should be able to have things in place for insurance, which is good.

kitten

(in reply to KatyLied)

RE: how do you react? - 4/12/2008 8:02:58 AM

Posts: 1779
Joined: 2/16/2007
Status: offline

Termyn8or....

according to my paperwork, "optometric physician". and he does work with MS patients, and we'd discussed my issues at the previous visit, within the month, so he remembered our conversation.

yes, it takes more than a look at the eyeballs to diagnose. he did do a lot of testing as far as where i have problems with "dark spots" on the vision, and how i see things a bit differently. and taking into account other symptoms that he asked me about (lack of reflex response, difficulty swallowing, inability to hold my balance, cognitive problems, eye pain among others) he said that from his experience he would say that it was MS involvement.

also that to get a definite diagnosis it would take a opthamologist/neurologist and an MRI done with contrast.

at the moment, its a bit of a catch-22. i dont have insurance, but need to be treated. if i go for county healthcare, then it becomes a pre-existing condition and i cannot get insurance for a year (or more depending on the diagnosis, many insurance companies will not take MS patients on at all as a pre-existing condition, so i have been told).

kitten

(in reply to adoracat)

RE: how do you react? - 4/12/2008 9:23:28 AM

Posts: 82
Joined: 3/18/2008
Status: offline

I was going to add something, but Cali pretty much covered it...
Hugs and best wishes!
-Corvidae

(in reply to adoracat)

RE: how do you react? - 4/12/2008 9:26:59 AM

Posts: 1779
Joined: 2/16/2007
Status: offline

quote:

ORIGINAL: Corvidae

I was going to add something, but Cali pretty much covered it...
Hugs and best wishes!
-Corvidae

thank you.

kitten

(in reply to Corvidae)

RE: how do you react? - 4/12/2008 10:07:51 AM

MontrealPhoenix

Posts: 1526
Joined: 2/27/2008
Status: offline

First of all, huuuuge hugs, kitten.

I would like to know, was it a neurologist who told you this? As someone who works in Healthcare, i can't tell you how many doctors with no experience diagnose patients without having the knowledge of the disease in question. The patient is referred to a specialist and it turns out the original doctor is completely wrong.

If it was a neurologist who diagnosed you, it can't hurt to get a second opinion. I wonder, did he do a bunch of tests or base it on the eye test? It might be worthwhile to have further testing just to be sure.

If this IS MS, there are phenomenal treatments which can keep you functional for a very long time to come. Then again, quite a few MS patients never progress to the point of not being able to function.

Again, huge hugs sweetie,

Phoenix

_____________________________

"Only in a collar can a woman be truly free"
~Tribesmen of Gor ..pg 75

"He who ties a woman owns her"
~Guardsman Of Gor pg 267

(in reply to adoracat)

Page: [1] 2 next > >>

All Forums >> [Community Discussions] >> Health and Safety >> how do you react?

Page: [1] 2 next > >>

Jump to:

New Messages	No New Messages
Hot Topic w/ New Messages	Hot Topic w/o New Messages
Locked w/ New Messages	Locked w/o New Messages

Post New Thread

Reply to Message

Post New Poll

Submit Vote

Delete My Own Post

Delete My Own Thread

Rate Posts

Collarchat.com © 2024

Terms of Service

0.164