Changes in outlook on life via health issues. (1 Viewer)

[Mike Frezon]

Don't dwell on what you're not sure of.

Find whatever it is that makes you happy...or gives your life meaning...and do it.

================

jcroy: the most important thing that can come of your posting about all this here...is the realization that you need to seek proper medical help.

The group of us here who are reading your posts and care about what you're going through...well, we can try to do what we can to give you help and support--and we WILL, for goodness' sake, do whatever we can to provide that...but we cannot provide any actual help in guiding you through your situation. You need to seek proper medical care and listen to what the experts in this area have to say about what you're going through.

Unfortunately, we are just a bunch of caring movie freaks who come together in this community to meet, discuss and share ideas. But sometimes those ideas are above our paygrade.

Please be sure to contact some specialists and make those appointments.

Wishing you great peace...and nothing but the best.

 

[Hemiram]

Thanks for mentioning this Hemiram.

My memory was never really that great to begin with. So I'm accustomed to being absentminded. But in more recent times, I've noticed my memory lapses and absentmindedness have been occurring with a much higher and higher frequency.

Over the past weekend, I watched through some blurays of movies which I really liked a lot when I was younger. (I called up the ex-wife and asked which films I use to like watching a lot, to check/confirm that my recall was accurate). I remember back in the day, I use to like watching these movies over and over again, such as:

- the original Total Recall
- Terminator 1 and 2
- First Blood
- Indiana Jones
- Star Wars
- etc ....

(I haven't seen these movies recently).

Though when I watched these movies over the weekend, there was no emotional reaction from me. No excitement nor even any hints that I even liked these movies in the past. It was as if I was watching them from the perspective of a film critic or reviewer, and not as a hardcore fan. At times I was wondering how I ever found these movies very exciting in the first place.

I don't know how to describe this more accurately, but it seems like the emotional context of my memories has been stripped away.

I'm an "Absent minded professor". I forget to take stuff with me to work, forget to buy what I actually went to the grocery store for, etc. My mom gave me endless grief about it, saying I did it on purpose. "How can you remember all the useless stuff you do and forget the simplest things?". I always have and still do it. A couple of days ago I went to the store to get paper towels and stamps, and got halfway home before I realized I forgot both of them! Nothing odd about that for me, I've done that kind of thing my entire life.

This lack of emotion seems very odd to me. The people I've been around with Alzheimer's and similar dementia have all become, at the beginning anyway, more emotional, usually angry, than normal, not "flat", like you seem to be. My one friend's mother couldn't remember who her husband was and actually tried to kill him twice! When the police came the second time, (she called them to report a "Man in my house!"), she was devastated to find out she had tried to stab the guy she had been married to for over 50 years and that she was 75 years old. Both of them are gone now, her from Alzheimer's, and him from an amazing number of issues that came on suddenly. He was sharp until almost the very end.

You seem as much depressed as anything else. Please talk to your doctor about it, and don't do like my dad did when he went and just say, "I feel ok!".

 

[DaveF]

I recently booked an appointment with a specialist that deals with alzheimer/dementia issues, but no date yet.

Good to hear you’re taking proactive steps. Work with specialists. And trust yourself: specialists are thinking locally, not systemically. You know the totality of your experience. Listen to them, learn from them, and find ways to manage and improve your well being. Sometimes we can fix what’s broken. Sometimes we are limited to managing and minimizing what’s hurting. But, understanding is so helpful in reducing anxiety and stress around health concerns.

 

[Adam Lenhardt]

I've had multiple major depressive episodes in my life. One of the key things (along with pervasive hopelessness and, alternately, insomnia or severe fatigue) that separates depression from "feeling blue" for me is a complete lack of enjoyment in things that normally trigger excitement and emotional investment. During those periods, I feel like a disinterested third-party observing my life from the transparent side of a two-way mirror.

What you're describing sounds fairly similar to that, which might point to depression like Bryan suggested.

You also mentioned that you've had multiple strokes, which can affect memory, mood, and perception in complex ways.

Hopefully the specialist can give you some concrete answers.

 

[Stan]

If one goes through my posting history on here, one will noticed I've been alluding to issues like extreme ocd compulsive collecting, burnout, apathy, etc ... when it comes to dvds/blurays. For many years, I believed this was just the ups and downs of being in a particular hobby which was slowing running its course.
e any personal photos of us from our college years. I went to visit this friend and looked at all the photos, where I didn't recognize anybody in the photos other than myself and this particular friend.

I think we all went through a little ocd, especially as an early adopter, I bought so much crap. Probably close to 2,000 discs, now thinned down to about 150 favorites. Last disc I bought was "Gravity", still in its shrinkwrap

I think some of the burnout and apathy comes as we get older, there are better things in life to do than watch a movie or TV series over and over. I've got most of the major pay channels, I can wait six months or a year, life goes on.

 

[Tony Bensley]

My latest annual checkup with my Ophthalmologist has me at a bit of a crossroads, in terms of my vision. To make a long story short(er), my eye pressures have gone up several points in the last two years, with today's result slightly above the normal 12 - 22 ml range.

The above aforementioned, coupled with my paternal grandfather having had glaucoma that caused him to go blind late in life, I was presented with two options; schedule a circulation test for my optic nerves to determine whether I'm still in the clear of any glaucoma, but would still require periodic monitoring, or else go in for eye pressure reducing laser surgery. Since the former would cost me money out of pocket, and that it'll likely be at least a year or two before I can even get an Ophthalmologist in London, I've opted for the day laser surgery, which is practically 0% risk, so I've been told. From what I could glean online, the expected length of this surgery's effectiveness in eye pressure reduction is 1 - 5 years (Or sometimes longer.), so hopefully, I'll have another Ophthalmologist before my eye pressures become an issue again.

CHEERS!

 

[jcroy]

My father went through something similar, and went the laser surgery route. The recovery was adequate without any major complications.

Hopefully there won't be any major complications in your case tony.

 

[Tony Bensley]

My father went through something similar, and went the laser surgery route. The recovery was adequate without any major complications.

Hopefully there won't be any major complications in your case tony.

Thanks! While I had suspected that my increasing eye pressures might soon become an issue, I'm very thankful this occurred before our relocation down south, which allows me to take some preemptive action now. This way, any concerns about it becoming a more serious issue while stuck on a waiting list for a new Ophthalmologist should be largely allayed.

My laser surgery is scheduled for Friday, July 13. Thankfully, I'm not the overly superstitious type!

CHEERS!

 

[Clinton McClure]

Hope all goes well, Tony.

 

[Hemiram]

Good luck.

I have slightly high eye pressures, but there is no need to do anything about it now, as many many people have "Preglaucoma", without any issues their entire life, and if it gets worse, then laser and meds should be able to control it. I just went to the eye doc yesterday morning, and of course, it was a totally bright sunny day out, making the drive home miserable. Those sunglass things they give you to put under your glasses are a joke.

 

[Tony Bensley]

Thanks! While I had suspected that my increasing eye pressures might soon become an issue, I'm very thankful this occurred before our relocation down south, which allows me to take some preemptive action now. This way, any concerns about it becoming a more serious issue while stuck on a waiting list for a new Ophthalmologist should be largely allayed.

My laser surgery is scheduled for Friday, July 13. Thankfully, I'm not the overly superstitious type!

CHEERS!

My first two annual (2018; 2019) post laser surgery eye pressure checkups in London went very well. Actually better than I expected!

Which made yesterday's bombshell news that I now need the Glaucoma eye drops all the more earth shattering, as I thought for sure I at least had another year or two. My ophthalmologist has me booked for follow up ocular imaging on the 23rd.

CHEERS!

 

[Johnny Angell]

@Tony Bensley So sorry Tony. Will the eye drops hold the glaucoma in check or reduce it? I wish you the very best.

 

[Tony Bensley]

@Tony Bensley So sorry Tony. Will the eye drops hold the glaucoma in check or reduce it? I wish you the very best.

Thank you so much Johnny, and I really appreciate your kind post. The eye drops should hold the glaucoma in check, although I don't expect to know more until after my followup tests, as to whether the two drops at bedtime will be sufficient in reducing my eye pressures to an acceptable level, or if a different, more frequent eye drop placement regimen will be needed.

CHEERS!

 

[John Dirk]

I will add my HTF friends in this thread and at large to my specific prayer list and I sincerely wish you all improved health and happiness. With that said, many people woke up this morning feeling physically great and confident they had nothing to be concerned with. Some of them were undoubtedly wrong. We never know what tomorrow will bring and the world we now live in is as perfect of an example of that we're likely to see.

 

[Josh Steinberg]

Thank you so much Johnny, and I really appreciate your kind post. The eye drops should hold the glaucoma in check, although I don't expect to know more until after my followup tests, as to whether the two drops at bedtime will be sufficient in reducing my eye pressures to an acceptable level, or if a different, more frequent eye drop placement regimen will be needed.

CHEERS!

Wishing you the best Tony!

 

[Tony Bensley]

Wishing you the best Tony!

Thanks, Josh! Much appreciated!! CHEERS!

 

[TravisR]

Good luck, Tony! I'm sure everyone here is rooting for the best for you!

 

[TonyD]

Well the good news is that Jcroy is still hanging around and posting somewhat regularly.

 

[jcroy]

Well the good news is that Jcroy is still hanging around and posting somewhat regularly.

Albeit not as often.

 

[David_B_K]

Thank you so much Johnny, and I really appreciate your kind post. The eye drops should hold the glaucoma in check, although I don't expect to know more until after my followup tests, as to whether the two drops at bedtime will be sufficient in reducing my eye pressures to an acceptable level, or if a different, more frequent eye drop placement regimen will be needed.

CHEERS!

Tony, I have had glaucoma in one eye for 8 or 9 (or 10; can't remember) years. Mine was not discovered by increased pressure, but by vision loss. I only have it in one eye, but that eye has lost about 35% of its vision. With my bad eye, it is like I am looking though a dirty screen door. I can see objects, but no detail or texture. My ophthalmologist says it probably arose from years of having Thyroid Eye Disease (TED). I had seven surgeries for the TED and radiation in my (now bad) eye in an attempt to arrest the disease. The radiation may have been a factor in developing glaucoma. Looking back, I wish I had not opted for the radiation and had just waited for the TED to burn itself out.

When glaucoma was diagnosed, my ophthalmologist put me on Lumigan drops. This worked for about a year, but my pressure started rising again, so I was switched to Combigan drops. Like the other, it worked for a year or so. Then he put me on a combination of both. I use Lumigan in both eyes once a day, and Combigan in the bad eye twice a day. I have been on this regimen for several years, and it has been successful thus far.

Three years ago, I had cataract surgery in my bad eye. This cataract had progressed because of the radiation from 10 years earlier. While he was doing the cataract lens replacement, the doc did a surgical procedure called a goniotomy. This was done to help with the pressure in that eye. Was that what your procedure was called? Even though he did that surgery I continued with the double eye drop regimen. I had hoped the cataract was partly responsible for the vision loss, but I saw almost no improvement from the new lens.

I go in every six months for tests. My last one was a couple of weeks ago. My pressures were 12 in the bad eye and 16 in the good one. MY visual field test looked identical to all the ones I have had over the years, so the progression of the glaucoma appears to be arrested, and it has not manifested itself in the good eye (the one drop of Lumigan in that eye is a prophylactic).

If you use your drops as directed, you should be in pretty good shape. If you have not had vision loss, it would appear you caught it in time. Stay on top of it, and report any change in vision immediately. Optic nerve damage can progress quite quickly once it starts.