The Uninformed, The Competent, and the Cautiously Optimistic...

I think I may have mentioned before my two-year, exasperating struggle with a little jerk called iritis. It's the inflammation of the eyes. It's painful and annoying. When it's out of control, it threatens my vision--left unchecked--it can cause permanent damage. The usual treatment of this problem is an anti-inflammatory steroid eye drop. It is only meant to be used for a few weeks, at which point you are supposed to wean yourself off the drops and your eyes will return to normal. The drops work, they calm the inflammation, but it comes at a price. It messes with the pressure in your eyes, which can lead to glaucoma if left uncontrolled. These drops can also cause cataracts after a few years--and there's nothing that can be done about this.

For two years, I've gone to ophthalmologists for treatment of this problem. All they could do was check my eye pressures and keep refilling my steroid drops. I hate taking those things. I know how dangerous they are for my eyes if taken long-term. But every time I try to stop taking them altogether, my eyes will flare up again. And that's not even the most exasperating part of this whole thing!

NO, the most exasperating thing about the whole situation has been the fact that these doctors had no idea how to help me. They had no ideas for long-term treatment options. Oh sure, they ran some blood tests to check for underlying causes, but when those all came back negative they basically just shrugged their shoulders and said: "Eh. Whadderya gonna do? That'll be $100, not including the costs of the blood tests, x-rays, and CT scan. Oh, and here are your anti-inflammatory steroid drops that you really shouldn't be taking, but--you know--we have no other options to offer you."

Finally, after yet another exasperating encounter with my ophthalmologist, I was talking to Ty about the whole situation. I talked to him about how worried I am about my eyes and the fact that I'm pretty much staring down the very real possibility of vision loss within the next few years--with or without treatment.

Within minutes of this conversation, Ty jumped online and did  some research. He found the one place, the one office in Utah where there is an actual iritis specialist. The next day, I had called my ophthalmologist and asked for a referral to this doctor. The doctor looked at the note my doctor sent him, and then sent me to his colleague, who is also a specialist in this ailment--saying he would be a better fit for my particular case. On Wednesday morning, I went and saw him for the first time.

From the moment this doctor stepped into the exam room, I could tell he was different. He looked me in the eyes when he talked to me. He listened to what I was saying, and took notes--taking my personal thoughts and experiences with iritis into account, rather than just nodding along while ignoring everything I said. THEN--now this was the craziest part for me--he started telling me about his PLANS for my treatment. He changed up my medications, adding a few and changing the doses on the steroid drops. Yes, I will still have to take them for a while, but maybe--just maybe--not forever. We're talking LONG-TERM treatment plans! Not just a little band-aid solution that would end up being worse for my eyes in the end.

OH! And then this guy started talking about possible causes for the inflammation, and dietary changes I can make to help reduce the problem. And he also told me that iritis usually just dies out at around the age of 42. I actually left that office with a spark of hope!

Aaahhh...It's amazing what happens when you visit a doctor that knows his stuff.

May you all enjoy your weekend. :)