Symptom Update...

I figured I'd do a symptom update and what I'm doing to combat them...

*Trouble reading road signs/fast food menus/printed material/Bible-Try to take someone with me if I need to see street names and eat at home. haha Got new, stronger reading glasses for close-up, reading and computer work. These work sometimes, depending on what my eyes are doing.

*Eye pain, with bright/fluorescent light-I wear my dark, polarized sunglasses with lining that keeps light from getting in. These are especially fun during hot flashes when they totally fog over. Unfortunately, I can't wear them when I'm in the field so this makes taking pictures very difficult.


*Burning/watering eyes-Most of the time, especially with florescent light or bright sunlight or snowy conditions. Worse when allergies are acting up.-Wear my sunglasses. Use eye drops.

*Imaginary moving objects/shadows-While driving-Nothing helps with that.

*Imaginary moving objects/shadows-In the house-Nothing helps with that.

*Watery eyes in AM-Taking MSM eye drops to help with drying them up, some.

*Hazy vision-MSM eye drops help some with this.

* blurry vision-Glasses for reading. Can't use them when I take pictures, though.

*Swollen corneas-Again, taking MSM eye drops to help with drying them up and swelling go down.

*Halos-around street lights and light bulbs-Nothing helps with that.

*Glare-night driving, computer screen, back lit objects & off metal objects-especially sun glaring off cars-I try not to drive at night, especially if it's raining.

*Dry Eyes-Dry, gritty and burning. Wetting drops help some with that.

*Feeling of foreign matter in my eye and occasional feelings of sharp pain (like a prick) that quickly subsides.-Nothing helps with that.

HUGE PRAISE and Symptom Update-October 2009

"I praise you because I am fearfully and wonderfully made; your works are wonderful, I know that full well." Psalm 139:14

When I prayed for healing, I didn't expect it to come this way, but God seldom works the way we think He should. That's why He's God. His ways are not our ways. Let me explain...

On October 27th 2009, I still had all of the symptoms of fuchs that are listed here in the black text and, barring healing, most likely had two corneal transplants or blindness to look forward to in my future. In the afternoon of Oct. 27th, I had my first spinal adjustment by Dr. Mix-Stork, using the NUCCA method. It was VERY GENTLE; in fact, I hardly noticed it other than I could feel a releasing of pressure sensation in my neck where she was applying the adjustment. The next two days I noticed changes to my eyes.

By the 30th, my eyes were totally clear upon awakening and I could tell my corneas weren't swollen and they weren't watery. Apparently, my spinal cord has been compressed or pinched for at least the past 6 years since my car accident, causing a plethura of physical maladies; my eye symtoms among them. Upon releasing that pressure, my fuchs symptoms have all seemed to have reversed themselves. Most of them are gone, the rest are due to my having an astigmatism, so my eyes are back to pre-car accident state at any rate.

I have not been to the eye Dr, yet, so I cannot say definitively that my fuchs is gone, but I can say that all the symptoms I was having are gone or decreased. I am praising God for this change as it is He who created our wonderous bodies to be able to heal themselves. Due to the car accident, my body needed a little help, but it's now untwisting itself with the help of regular adjustments keeping my spine in alignment, until it can keep it there on its own. I do give credit to Dr. Mix-Stork who is so caring and so skilled in what she does. Please call her for a consult if you're anywhere near her offices. (her husband Dr. Stork, is also practicing in the same office)

Please note that this method of chiropractic is nothing like the traditional kind that takes care of symptoms temporarily with painful adjustments. I know all about that kind, having gone to them since the age of 13! The changes to my eyes are just the beginning of my healing. So many more symptoms are being alieviated with no surgery or drugs, including constant and often debilitating pain in my neck, back and jaw. As an outdoor photographer ,this was quite frustrating and depressing; especially when I was unable to do and go where I needed to, for the shot I wanted or needed to get. I was also sick and/or fatigued all the time, and one day of photography would often wipe me out for days or even weeks. I already feel years younger and now look forward to a more active and productive life.

To those of you who've been faithfully praying for me, thank you so much! Please be sure to now praise and thank the Lord for this healing He's done and is doing in my life.

Please note that the black text shows symptoms as of July 2009, the red text shows symptom changes as of October 2009, after first spinal adjustment from Dr. Mix-Stork at Stork Spinal Care, using the NUCCA method!

*Trouble reading road signs/fast food menus/printed material/Bible-only slight due to astigmatism.

*Eye pain with bright/fluorescent light-Pre-Fuchs sensitivity

*Burning/watering eyes-Much decreased

*Imaginary moving objects/shadows-While driving-Not assessed yet

*Imaginary moving objects/shadows-In the house-decreased or gone

*Watery eyes in AM-slight watering of rt eye only upon first awakening.

*Hazy vision in AM and lasting until late afternoon-Gone

* blurry vision in AM and lasting until late-Gone, except for slight, due to astigmatism.

*Swollen corneas-Gone

*Halos-around street lights and light bulbs-Much decreased

*Glare-night driving, computer screen, back lit objects & off metal objects-especially sun glaring off cars-Much decreased

*Dry Eyes-Dry, gritty and burning in afternoon/evening-Much decreased.

*Feeling of foreign matter in my eye and occasional feelings of sharp pain(like a prick) that quickly subsides. -Gone

"Fickle Fuchs"

Fuchs is often referred to as fickle Fuchs because the symptoms can be so unpredictable and vary so much person to person. The disease typically begins progressing in a person's 60's or later, but there are teenagers who present with symptoms. It is genetic, but some people never have any symptoms at all, while other family member's progresses to the point where corneal transplants are necessary or blindness will ensue.

It is also fickle within each person. The fluctuation and changes in my eyes on a daily basis are amazing. Some mornings things look very foggy and others...not so much. Some mornings my eyes are VERY watery, and others...not so much. Some mornings my eyes are VERY sensitive to light and others...not so much. Some mornings I can read from my large print Bible, other mornings...not so much. Some mornings my sight clears up pretty well by noon or early afternoon, some days...not so much.

I really don't have days where I can go outdoors without my dark sunglasses anymore; at least not without my eyes watering and burning really bad and hurting and getting a migraine. This makes it hard to do photography sometimes. There are days where I must wear my sunglasses indoors, as well, especially if the lighting is flourescent. Some stores are really painful on my eyes.

Some days even with my eye drops they don't ever totally clear up, now. That's normal as the disease progresses. It takes longer and longer for them to clear as the corneal swelling goes down until enough cells die that they cannot dry up and the fog, and watering and poor eyesight continue and blindness is eminent unless a corneal transplant or divine healing happens. That's just the nature of this beast. I won't mention the painful breaking blisters that come along with that extra retention in the cornea because that will get me down unnecessarily. I may not have to get to that stage, and I'm not there now. So, I will not borrow trouble from tomorrow.

"Look at the birds of the air; they do not sow or reap or store away in barns, and yet your heavenly Father feeds them. Are you not much more valuable than they? Who of you by worrying can add a single hour to his life." Matthew 6:26-27

God instructs me not to worry. He loves me and will take care of me no matter what happens. I am very valuable to Him. (I know I just quoted these verses in the last post, but they are very special to me and God keeps bringing them to my mind and comforting my heart with them.)

Since there's only so much I can do about my eyes and symptoms, I will just keep taking advantage of my good days and rely on my audio Bible and such the other days. I will continue to trust the Lord and do His work as I wait on Him.

"Current Symptoms" May update

"Current Symptoms" Bold, italic words indicate changes from last post of current symptoms.

*Trouble reading road signs/fast food menus/printed material/Bible -Either can't focus to read or get extreme strain and or bad headache from reading. (started using audio Bible in March and learned to Ctrl scroll to make online print larger for reading) Very hard to read captioning on TV or reader board that scrolls across during Nascar races, get eye strain if I try.

*Eye pain with bright/fluorescent light-I'm now wearing sunglasses indoors at church due to florescent lighting and at home if drapes are open as well as outdoors.

*Burning/watering eyes-Especially in sun or bright light. Hard to do outdoor photography.

*Imaginary moving objects/shadows-While driving, especially at night I think I see things/people in or by the roadside that aren't there.

*Imaginary moving objects/shadows-In the house, Seems like things flash by quickly, like a mouse or spider is in the house and just went past and I turn my head to look and nothing's there.

*Watery eyes in AM-Started using Muro 128 eye drops in March, but switched to natural MSM eyedrops Late April/early May. I am using two drops in each eye to help dry them up, helps vision.

*Hazy vision in AM-some mornings looks like light layer of smoke is filling the house. MSM eye drops are helping with this.

*Halos-around street lights-big round fuzzy areas of halo around street lights/porch lights. light bulbs-Can't see filament, looks like marshmallows with streaks coming off.

*Glare-night driving-headlights cover both sides of road. computer screen-must turn down or wear sunglasses back lit objects-very little detail off metal objects-especially sun glaring off cars.
*Dry Eyes-Dry and burning in afternoon/evening-Using Gen Teal wetting eye drops, as needed.