Not so random 5 for April 2, 2023 – Lots of eye stuff

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Eyeballs! – I’m in the middle of another eye procedure. The doc inserted an amniotic tissue lens in my right eye to heal the inflammation. It stays in for three days and comes out tomorrow (Monday). The lens is not clear so everything is blurry and my other eye is working overtime. It’s not the first time I’ve had this done. It helps but the last time it only lasted six months and I’m right back here. Boogers.

Speaking of being half-blind – The beloved husband took me to pick up my mocha this morning. The man knows what keeps me from shooting people (aside from the fact I don’t have a gun!). He is definitely a keeper.

What you don’t want to happen – My local Starbucks has different regulars on the weekends from the workers that frequent during the week. I was hoping that I wouldn’t see anyone I knew since my eye was swollen shut. I look like a boxer who lost. Big time. Yesterday I ran into gorilla man (the regular that wore a gorilla mask all during the pandemic). Even though it was raining and darkish, I had my sunglasses on and tried to get out as fast as I could. He was as chatty as always never appearing to notice either the eyeball or the sunglasses in the dark.

Guinea pig! – Over the past year I’ve had several different treatments for my eyes. They all helped to some degree but none were the silver bullet. At my last visit, the doc suggested a new round of magic eye drops. I’m thinking I need a big break to live normally – no special painful drops or routines.

Oh and BTW – That new miracle drug costs $26,000 for a treatment. One dosage is a two month round of the drug and that’s all you need to take. They say.) They assured me that it would not cost that for me. Not anywhere near that. They are a specialized practice and get deals from the drug manufacturers in return for practical data. Not sure I’m game even if it’s free.

So how was your week?

55 thoughts on “Not so random 5 for April 2, 2023 – Lots of eye stuff”

  1. I’m so sorry you’re having such difficulties with your eyes, Kate. It sounds like the treatment is anxiety producing, and I hope you feel comfortable with whatever choices you make.

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    • The treatments are annoying. The Prokera is especially annoying as one eye is blurred but it does help. I’m on an “eye break” from treatments right now. We’ll see where this goes.

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  2. All the best on healing quickly and not looking like Rocky for too long.
    I cannot comment on Gorilla mask guy without using profanity, so I’ll keep it to myself.
    For whatever reason, eyedrops seem to cost a fortune. I paid over 200 for a bottle the size of my fingernail, and that was with insurance. Do your research!

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    • Hopefully the eye doc can get me on a program for a low cost. It’s a fairly new drug so the manufacturer is eager to get good data to encourage more docs to prescribe so they can charge the big $$. Vicious circle.

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  5. Best of luck with your eyes, Kate. We depend so much on our eyes. It’s natural to worry about them.

    A couple of weeks ago I had my second cataract surgery … on my good eye. My bad eye is not correctable (ambliopia), so I was a little worried. But it all turned out fine.

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    • That last statement I got from my healthcare provider showed the charges for a blood test. Each item was separate. It was over $20 to “pierce the vein.” Disposal fees, and other stuff too. The insurance didn’t pay half of what was listed. Insane! Since this med is so new, if I had to pay a lot, I’d pass for sure. It has a 72% success rate. I’d want to see more data first. My eye issue is not life threatening.

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  13. Whenever you talk eyes, I’m listening, but $26,000 for two months is really out there. My eye doctor has a dry eye clinic and suggested I try some treatments that were $2,500 each and insurance pays zero. I’m still using my hot packs, drops and hoping for the best. Hope your current treatments provides some relief.

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  14. Sorry to hear that you are having on going eye problems. My brother has lost sight in one eye due to glaucoma and macular degeneration. He is starting a new therapy on the other eye that is in a testing program and not yet approved. He decided to do it because it is at least a chance to save the sight in that eye.
    Hope your doctor visit fixes your problem.

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  18. Good luck, Kate.
    Hope your sight bounces back tomorrow.

    Sometimes it’s tough to know what to do when it comes to medical options. If only you could SEE the outcome before choosing.

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  19. Eyeball stuff scares me. Not losing my vision is my top priority in managing my blood sugar. Sure, I want to keep my toes where they are but I want to be able to see more.

    What I’m saying is, I can see being motivated to try the expensive trial (?) drug and I can equally understand the fear that it could be risky. I am great at stating the obvious, no? I wish you well in whatever you choose. And perhaps this round of the lens will last longer. As far as I’m concerned, any delay of scary decisions is a good thing..

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  20. Yikes! The price for one treatment of any type of medication should never be in the tens of thousands of dollars! For that price, it should come with a money-back guarantee, full refund, if it doesn’t completely solve the problem! The closest Starbucks to me (though I’ve never gone and don’t expect to) has a drive-thru and very few people go inside anymore.

    I’ll keep my fingers crossed that this latest procedure works and lasts longer than 6 months!

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  21. You poor thing, so sorry about the eye situation. On the plus side (if you can even categorize any of this as a plus), the Gorilla Man didn’t blink. I’m not surprised, given all you’ve shared about this guy. Some people just go through life focused on themselves, the rest of us just want a good cup of coffee without all the fluff. Hope this upcoming week is better. It’s inconceivable a $26K magic bullet. A successful trip to Vegas sounds more plausible.

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  22. Wow on the miracle drug price. There’s a new treatment for arthritis in cats, and a friend was in the testing group originally and says it works really well. But $1000 per shot, a shot every month. A bit pricey for me, I love my cat, but…

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    • Yeowza! I read an article that all new drugs are priced around $30K. I don’t know who can pay that. Most health insurances don’t cover the newest drugs and for sure Medicare doesn’t. It’s harder for animals because the owner bears the full cost.

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  23. Good luck on getting back to normal tomorrow after the lens comes out – amazing the things they DARE to do with our eyeballs these days. There was a time when if glasses didn’t fix whatever your problem was it was just too bad. At least now they can treat ALLLLLLL sorts of eye issues. Hope this works for you Kate. I’m now 2 weeks away from my first cataract surgery. EEK. When your eyes are involved everything sounds dangerous doesn’t it!

    Hugs, Pam

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  24. Thoughts and Words, Thoughts and Sympathy, Thoughts and Empathy.
    Eye drops three times a day and then can’t remember if I dropped them in or not. At least the drops have different colored caps.
    I’m really not bad off but really do need to stay off the computer more.

    I do hope all goes well for you. Your posts are always open and you share things many of us think but don’t dare write.

    As for those Miracle Drugs ….. You may have noticed I did not offer Thoughts and Prayers.

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