eye trouble

[jenny649]

Hey everyone. I haven't been on in quite awhile because I've been feeling better, but I've bene having issues lately that have been causing me to get very stressed out, so I decided to post here. I'll give you a little history on the situation first.

About a year and a half ago, I first notice a "flasher" in my right eye. It basically looks like a lightbulb is going off in my peripheral vision. I was suffering way more with HA then, so I was ridiculously scared and was acting like I was already blind.  I visited an opthamologist and had my eyes dialated, and he determined that there was nothing wrong with my retina, no retinal tears or detachments, nothing like that. Basically flashers are caused by the formation of eye floaters, the vitrious pulling on the retina or something like that? I have floaters in both my eyes and have since I was pretty young, around ten or eleven(I'm seventeen now). Anyway he said I should come back in a month so he could check it out again. I did and everything was still fine. He told me that it didn't seem like anything to worry about and not to worry about it if the flasher came back in the same area, but if I ever had them in a different area to come back and he would take a look.

Since then, my flashers have come and gone, nothing too serious, always in the same place. I have gotten my eyes dialated by my regular optomitrist once since then and he saw nothing wrong. But, last weekend when I was visiting my grandparents in New York I had an eye flasher in my left eye, which I've never seen one in before. It comes in the same place as it does in the right eye, but I was pretty concerned (aka freaking out considering my HA). However, I am ridiculously busy this week with AP test so I refrained from calling the doctor until today.

Keep in mind I am a high school senior, and I have a busy schedule. I called today to make an appointment for sometime in the next week. They said I should make it today because they "don't take these things lightly". This freaked me out. There's literally no way I could get to the doctors until Sunday, and they're not open then, so I made my appointment for Monday at 4:30pm. I am a nervous wreck. I have so much homework to do tonight, prom tommorow, and I'm going on a boat with my friends Saturday night. These things may sound superficial, but the opthamologist told me last time that 95% of the time, flashers aren't a cause for concern. It is important to investigate new ones and I know that which is why I made the appointment.

I'm just looking for some support here I suppose, because I feel like I did all the right things, and am mostly doing all I can. But the receptionist I talked to freaked me out so much that I am shaking right now, I'm so nervous, I can't focus on anything. Why did she have to say that?? Why did she have to imply that I'm going to go blind by waiting a couple more days? I know the symptoms of a retinal tear and retinal detachment really well because I went on a googling frenzy with them awhile back and I know I don't have the symptoms. And for me to admit that I don't have the symptoms for something...that shouldn't be taken lightly.

So basically, the receptionist made me nervous for no reason(hopefully) and now I'm just upset and don't know what to do. Support? Kind words? I don't know why I posted this exactly, I just needed to vent.

[Xalatimo]

the receptionist was looking out for you.  in the rare event that it was a retinal detachement time is of the essence, i mean, you can lose vision in that eye if it was, so she was just playing it safe and letting you know the risks involved.  however, it is extremeeeeeeeeeely rare that is that.  i had floaters and flashers before, and i went to the doc, and yes i got freaked out when they told me about retinal detachement, but they checked my eyes and said i had the healthiest set of eyes they have ever seen.  so after that i stopped worrying, and im pretty sure it has to do with stress and anxiety.  you know floaters can be caused by anxiety...HOWEVER, now this is just me...but usually for me i will wait things out, on other parts of my body, cuz im not really one to panic about everything, i TRY to think rationally first...but im just saying this for myself, vision is not one of the things i play around with, so if i ever have any serious change or symptom i really try to see a doctor as soon as possible, i mean for me vision is one of the most important things for me...you have a lot of things going on though..if you say you have scheduled an app for Monday, then youre probably safe.  also, i believe ir ead something about this a while back and i dont google anymore so im not gona double check, but i believe one of the main symptoms was seeing floaters, and having a grey field of vision, something like cobwebs, if you dont have that, then youre fine.

[jenny649]

You're right that vision is the most important thing, it definitely is to me, my worst fear is going blind, not even death. However, I really don't have the time until Monday and I don't think the receptionist should have said that to me knowing there was nothing I could do about it. And yeah I know the symptoms unfortunately. Retinal tears are a sudden onset of lots of floaters, and retinal detachment is like a curtain is closing in on your vision. So I don't have any of that so I'm pretty sure I will be ok for another three days. Actually that's what the rational side is telling me, but now I have to overanyalyze what the receptionist said and am freaking out a lot. So I don't know, now I'm just going to have to sit here googling symptoms all night not getting any of my homework done anyways. :/

[Xalatimo]

lets say you did have a retinal detachement in the making..and the receptionist didnt mention it cuz she didnt wana scare you..then you lose vision in that eye, wouldnt u be pissed that they didnt even warn you about it?  thats their job.  and yes you can do something about it.  if you are having symptoms of a detachement, you should be able to get an appointment with an opthomologist that same day, and you will be able to get into the ER they will put you priority so yes its not like if the receptionist told you you would just have to wait around for a week..she told you because on the safe side you can do something about it asap...not tryin to freak you  out, but thats what going on in the receptionist mind she is lookin out for you.  i would just monitor it.  if it stays the same continue your hw nd everything, if you notice anything change then u gota see eye doc

[jenny649]

Ok I know you're trying to look out for me, but listen, I've had the same thing in my other eye for a year and a half. Nothing ever happen, it's just vitrious degeneration, no retinal detachment or anything. I've had the flashers in this eye for...five days. No changes in vision, no symptoms of anything.

I know you're trying to help and I'm sure the receptionist was too, however you have to consider my situation and my history with floaters/flashers and everything before you say things like that.

[Xalatimo]

ok you seem so calm and rational about it so you didnt even need advice, did you?  congratulations, well i was jus tryin to help.  i wasnt tryin to scare you, i jus basically think that you are right, you have had this before and its probably nothing, i think if it gets worse then maybe you should see a doctor, thats it.  and as for the receptionist you kinda got upset that she scared you i was jus  telling you that she is looking out for you cuz really thats their job.  if you had trouble breathing over the phone, and you were talkin to a nurse she might ask you questions but if shes not really sure shes not just gona say nah its prolly anxiety, she will assume it COULD be heart related and tell you to go to the ER, know what i mean?  but yea, ur prolly fine ok

[KatB]

Sometimes certain people have big mouths and try to be Mr know it all's .
I bet you if Xalatimo was in a panic mode he wouldn't appreciate responses like his.

I am sure you are worried and yes it does SUCK that the receptionist scared you like that , since she is no medical Dr and has to be cautious of what comes out of her mouth. In my brother in laws dentist office   they would not for once make assumptions or comments like that. My sister in law who works there  keeps getting all these questions  about possible root canals etc but leaves it up to the Dr to answer.

Kat

[Xalatimo]

HUH?  im jus tryin to help, and i probably DO know more than you which is why i dont think im dying every 3 days so dont take it out on me...when im in a panic mode i dont go looking for help on a message board, and then get PISSED off at other people who are TRYING to help me...if thats you then maybe thats why u r mad at the world.  jeez u go n help ppl and they get mad at u

[Xalatimo]

oh wait im sorry you are right katb, it SUCKS that receptionists SCARE us like that..i bet they train all receptionists and nurses or anyone over the phone for hypochondriacs..thats how they get their training "just be sure you dont scare katb" come on try to be realistic, she was lookin out for her she was prolly on the phone freakin out talkin about her symptoms and she said basically that it could be THIS..what is the receptionist supposed to do, what if the doctor is not in right ,or hes busy, or if the customer really was having a medical emergency what is she going to do tell the customer to wait and call back another day?  if the receptionist acted in that manner, then i am sure that is what is standard of them.  by the way i have called an opthomologist office several times for these same symptoms, and the receptionist has told me every single time the same thing...so that is what they are trained to do, at least thats what i think, cuz dentist and doctor offices are different.  didnt mean to offend any1

[Missjay1977]

I agree with you Kat, on EVERY comment you have made to jenny649.  Jenny:  I think you will be fine hun, try to enjoy you're prom 

[KatB]

You are arrogant, you are helping and have a lot of good info  but you're tone is offensive. Maybe that is why  people get pissed when you try to help. No I am not one of those people, and I am not mad at the world, I just get mad with dudes like you that think we are all in the same shoes and handle things the same way.
Maybe you need to go on a Recovering HA sufferer board . Try being a bit more sensitive to each individuals problems instead of making them feel as if what they are doing is wrong.

[KatB]

Man are you ever rude , not going to play this back and forth crap with you anymore.  This is not about us.

[jenny649]

Xalatimo, if you think you're better than us because you don't "think you're dying every three seconds", why are you here? I think that if you are on a board for people with anxiety, you should be a little more sympathetic to those peoples feelings. Everyone else is right that it's your tone that is offensive, not necessarily your information, although you do have to be sensitive about what you post because just simply posting something can cause a lot of anxiety and grief for someone.

KatB and Missjay1977, thankyou for the replies, I appreciate it, you guys make me feel a lot better.

I did end up calling the receptionist back though. I was very panicky and decided I didn't want to wait until Monday. So I talked to her and she was much nicer. She told me she gets flashers too a few times a year (like me ) and that it's just safer to get them checked out early and that was all she meant. So anyways, I'm going tommorow at 2pm after my nail appointment and before my hair appointment. So I'm going to be busy but it will be worth it so I know everythings fine before prom(hopefully). And I feel a lot better about it, so I guess that's good.

[jenny649]

Just on a side note- nurse and receptionist are completely different things. One has medical training, one doesn't. It's not a receptionists job to "look out for you", it's his/her job to make appointments. I'm not saying that this receptionist wasn't looking out for me, because ironically she did turn out to be very nice and understanding, I'm just saying it really isn't their job to give out any sort of medical opinion, since they're not trained.

[KatB]

Jenny 649 I am so glad you are feeling better : ) :) :)

Let us know how the appointment goes on Monday , I am so curious to see what the Dr says.

ciao ciao

Kat BBBBBBBBBBBBEEEEEHHHHHHHH

[jenny649]

Thanks so much, I'll be sure to let you know. :)

[Xalatimo]

"katb and missjay thank you for your replies, you made me feel better..."

so you think the point of going on a message board is to just spray the board iwth all your symptoms, get temporary relief when someone tells you that you dont have anything serious, and then move on to the next problem, and repeat over and over... and then if someone says anything that scares you or dont agree with, you get confrontational cuz its nto what you want to hear..dont you think that could be part of the problem..

sorry but i am just trying to offer a long term solution sometimes so maybe i could seem a little blatant, but i mean it in a positve way..

at times i have been panicky and the most people that have helped me were the ones who were blunt and made me thinrealistically.  i could get all the reinforcement in the world but in the end if a MRI is not gona calm me down, not anything anyone else says will either, it might for 1 day or so, but the next day im stuck in the same cycle.  i dont see many ppl getting upset with me, besides katb...i come on here cuz i also suffer from anxiety at times, and also enjoy helping people..and i still dont get what i said wrong all i said was the receptionist was jus looking out for you

katb you just got mad from another post and you take it out on me, on a completely different post you coulda at least sent me a private msg and told me to stop acting like a know it all instead of messing this thread up.

a new poster just came aboard and you basically almost drove her off the website jus cuz you got insulted by her topic, and yet she was feeling very anxious, did you help her in any way besides telling her how upset you were?  so why do you come here then?  do you help anyone? at least im offering help katb, so before you go calling ppl bigmouths and take offense to everything, why not try to look at what im trying to do at least and see if you can get something out of it.  maybe i dont like to see people suffer and change from symptom to symptom

[seleck05]

hey jenny! I think that's a great idea that you go tomorrow. FOR YOUR PEACE OF MIND. I was going to suggest that actually but I didn't want to make you nervous. I don't think anything is wrong with you, but I just think prom is going to be so much better getting the doc out of the way beforehand! Doctors and receptionists, nurses have to always be so careful these days always playing it on the ultra safe side because god forbid something was wrong and they missed it they'd get sued. I once was at the ER, the doc. diagnosed me with anxiety and gave me xanax ( I started to feel better) then the nurse came out and tells me "well you need to follow up with the neurologist because we just treated you on an emergency basis, there is nothing telling us you don't have a slow developing neurological disorder! " Imagine hearing that! I FLIPPED OUT and stormed out of the hospital crying LOL I did follow up with my GP and a neuro (several times ) and she told me it's anxiety too =]

[jenny649]

Xalatimo- the point of this message board is to support people. And if you think going to the eye doctor is a permanent solution, you're wrong. The cycle is going to continue whether I go to the doctor and find out everything is fine, or if people on a message board tell me everything is fine. So please don't think you were offering me a more long term solution. At least others are able to make me feel temporarily better while still telling the truth, unlike you.
Seleck05- I can't imagine a nurse every saying that to me, I would flip out. That is a funny story though and I'm glad everything worked out for you. Thanks for the advice and encouragement. :)

[Xalatimo]

lol, so if i told you to go to the eye doctor it doesnt help you cuz its not a good solution, and if i told you to just ignore it and possibly go blind then thats not a good solution,  i dont even know what to say anymore...i tried summarizing it that if its anything OTHER than vision i wouldnt be concerned and go running to a doctor but since it was vision related you might wanna monitor the situation, i dont get what is so bad about that advice..some of you are so sensitive i dont even know what to say, man, good luck to your bfs

[KatB]

You are really on a rampage aren't you Xalatimo? Don't like it when people tell you that you have rudeness attached to you're posts? Look how rude you are being with me and all the 0103 you are saying, I am not going to play this back and forth 0103 with you, high school for me is over.

You seem to be enjoying this , relax a little. We all are here for support not fixing, you cannot fix anyone here..they have to be ready and fix themselves. This is a support group, yes we might repeat our fears over and over and over..I dont need a little boy like you trying to play DR.

Chill out ok? If you have anything else or rude comment to make about me PM me or make a LETS BE RUDE ABOUT KAT B post 

Kat

[Xalatimo]

so im the bad guy here..thats just funny that you think im being rude when im not, how can you tell what tone im in through text alone?  and lets not forget who started this little fiasco calling other people bigmouths...but what did you expect, right? you were still upset from a previous post and you know which post that is, so you go and start stuff with me, and then when you hear things you dont like, you complain, i graduated H.S. 10 yrs ago so i dont know what youre talking about maybe just next time dont go calling people big mouths, im done with this post

[KatB]

I am done too, and I am sorry Jenn to have done this to you're post. Maybe I should have told Xalatimo in private what I thought, I did not expect all this 0103 to happen.

Take care

[jenny649]

I'm saying that I clearly told everyone I did not have symptoms of retinal tears and retinal detachment, so why bother mentioning it when I obviously already know about it.

Also, yes people with HA are sensitive. If you don't want to deal with it, why are you on here?

Good luck with our boyfriends? Thanks I've had the same one for two years and he's great. So no worries with that.

And it's fine KatB, I understand, no hard feelings towards you.

[KatB]

I've been with mine for 10 years..hahahahahahha