Happy Sunday guys! I hope you are all having a lovely weekend. I cannot believe we are now halfway through August already!
Next weekend is not only the bank holiday weekend, but it’s my birthday! Please do not ask me my age, I’m not telling you! It’s funny how when you are a kid, you’re excited to be a year older. When you become an adult, each birthday becomes more and more depressing!
Next weekend, I think we will head up to Scotland to celebrate my birthday in Casper. The Scots don’t celebrate the late August bank holiday, so it’s always lovely and quiet.
Shooting Stars and Aurora
This week has been magical! Monday night, I watched shooting stars fly by, while the Aurora danced away above my house. It was one truly magical night!
No matter how many times I see the Aurora dance, it still always feels as magical as the first!
On Friday, I watched one of my good friends get married. It was such a beautiful day! What was interesting though, the videographer at the wedding had Lupus. It was lovely talking to another warrior. Hearing about their journey to diagnosis, how they manage it, etc.
My Eye Hospital Appointment
Last week, I had an eye appointment with my cornea consultant. It was just a check-up to see how my eyes were doing, to see if they were still severely dry. The last time I saw him, I had some punctal plugs fitted to block off my tear ducts, and I was using Cyclosporin eye drops, to keep the inflammation down.
Well, I found out I had lost one of my plugs! For me not to notice I had a missing punctal plug in my tear ducts, makes me wonder how much they are actually helping! But he did say to me, that they may only be helping by 10%, but 10% is better than 0%.
My consultant replaced my one missing plug. It’s only a quick procedure. They numb your eye with a local anesthetic, and then you don’t feel a thing. When the anesthetic wears off, your eye feels irrigated for a few days, until it gets used to the foreign object being inside your eye. After a couple of days or so, you don’t feel a thing and soon forget you even have plugs in your eyes!
The Cyclosporin Eye Drops
Regarding my Cyclosporin eye drops, I stopped taking them a while back. I just didn’t get on with them, no matter how much I tried. They made my eyes very sore and irritated. I tried using them every other day, to see if that was any better. I then tried using them just twice a week. In the end, I just stopped! My cornea consultant explained how these side effects are very common.
We discussed treatment moving forward. First, he wants to see how I get on with all my plugs being back in my tear ducts. Then on my next appointment, he will maybe try getting me to give Cyclosporin another go.
I will give it another go, but honestly, I don’t believe it’s going to be any better the second time around. But we will see! If you do have any tips, please share! It be great if I could tolerate them! Currently, I’m putting eye drops in constantly all day long, and my eyes are still dry. It’s a battle I’m not winning at the minute!
Our Next Big Trip
That’s it from me this weekend. We have ferries to book! We are planning on road-tripping around the Outer Hebrides in September. Honestly, I cannot wait! Casper is super excited too! He’s been sat waiting patiently for another big adventure, after leaving him behind on our previous two!
The Outer Hebrides is somewhere that’s been on my bucket list for soooo long! Not sure what weather we are going to get though! Every time I check the weather app, it’s either blowing gusts of 50 to 60 mph winds, which is not fun in Casper, or it’s pouring with rain, which is not fun when you want to go out exploring! But it is Scotland, so I kind of expect some wild weather on our trip! Just hope the wild weather doesn’t time nicely with our ferry crossings, especially when we are crossing the Minch!
For anyone who doesn’t know, the Minch is the body of water between mainland Scotland, and Isle of Lewis and Harris, notorious for extremely rough seas!
There will be no blog next week, as I’ll be away for my birthday. But hopefully catch up with you before I head to the Outer Hebrides.
Until next time,
Goodbye for now
Emma
xox
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Want to catch up on my previous blogs, head to: My Weekly Lupus Diary
