Friday- Thursday part three

The problem with this sort of blog is that the latest post is at the top and sometimes it would read better if the oldest was on the top. It would certainly help the narrative.

My eyes started playing up last week. One eye was slightly bloodshot and the eye hurt. I also had it in January and it delayed my treatment for two weeks.
The condition is called scleritis. According to the internet-
"Scleritis is caused by an immune response to something such as an infection, trauma or a virus which then ‘cross-reacts' with the eye. While we want our immune system to fight infection we do not like the ‘side-effect' of this process which can cause conditions such as Scleritis and Arthritis (joint inflammation). It is surprising how many Rheumatological and eye conditions go together."

So that may explain the arthritic attacks in my hands as well. Treatment involves eye drops four times a day. I hate eye drops. I cringe away when I'm trying to apply them. If someone else applies them I reflexively shut my eyes as soon as the drop hits the eye (or even before).

I didn't bring my eyedrops with me when I was admitted. I did have some artificial tears that the eye doctor recommended I use if my eyes get tired, so the nurses used those for the first few days.
It didn't stop my eyes from getting more sore and inflamed. It spread to my other eye.

Finally an appoinment was made for me to attend the eye clinic on Wednesday afternoon. I was sat in a wheelchair and a student nurse walked me through the corridors and down two lifts to the clinic. When I got there I realised I didn't have my glasses so she had to go all the way back to get them. She returned with my glasses and told me that she was needed on the ward and that I'd have to ask the clinic for a porter to take me back.

Now I'm big enough and ugly enough to look after myself, but I have to admit that I felt very vulnerable. The Eye Clinic is a crowded and claustrophobic place at the best of times, but when you're sitting in a wheelchair dressed only in pyjamas and a dressing gown it's worse.
Luckily the doctor who saw me back in January picked my file up and I was seen fairly quickly, that is, only an hour and a half later than the booked appointment time.
She looked into my eyes with her gadgets, pronounced that I had the same condition as before, wrote out a prescription and told me to come back in one week.

All I had to do then was wait for a porter. Luckily he was there within a few minutes and he took me back to the ward via the service tunnels deep beneath the hospital. It cut out one lift and I had a scenic ride as well.

Now all I have to do is get the bloody eyedrops into my eyes.....