Bad Mornings

[Bella127]

Hi Everyone,

Thanks for everyone else who welcomed me to the forum!

For as long as I can remember now, (probably around the same time I got POTS) I have been having a lot of problems with my eyes. My eyes get very bloodshot ( I look like a druggie .. even though I am .. just not *that* kind ), and they burn and ache a lot (all around my eye sockets feel almost 'sore'). A lot of times I can't even bear to put my contacts in because of how bad my eyes feel. I have also gone weeks without contacts, just my good ol' glasses, and even then they hurt and are bloodshot - so we know the contacts aren't the culprit.

This especially seems to happen in the morning right when I am waking up, and I almost feel like that is the reason I sleep so much or have a hard time getting up - because it just feels better when my eyes are closed. It makes me feel VERY tired and if I didn't have this anymore, I feel like I might do better with my mornings! Does anyone else have this problem?

Also when I wake up I feel pressure and congestion all around my eyes and on my sinuses. I am on Singulair and that does seem to help as far as the stuffiness. I also use a saline nose spray which clears me up, but the symptoms return. It almost always feels like I am waking up with a sinus infection every day! Do all us Potsy people have sinus problems?

I am going to my eye dr. and she thinks its a combo of maybe POTS and allergies (I am allergic to trees and dust -we have taken all the precautions at home that we can as far as hypo-allergenic pillows, minimizing dust, etc.) and prescribed eye drops for me to use 3x a day and also some gel drops to put in at night. The drops always help temporarily (maybe for 15 minutes or so) and soothe the burning, but then they wear off. Everything as far as my eyes themselves are perfectly healthy, no scratches on the cornea, no infection etc., the only thing she noticed is that they can be somewhat dry. She really doesn't know what could be causing the burning (they don't itch) and redness. She referred me to another doctor that is a specialist.

** One thing that I just started wondering (and this might be a longshot) .. since with POTS our blood vessels are not as constricted as they should be and that is why we have a lot of our symptoms, could the bloodshot eyes be caused by the blood vessels in my eyes being a little bit lax .. and therefore they appear bigger/thicker and my eyes look bloodshot? **

I asked my eye dr., and even though she is familiar with POTS, she wasn't sure if there was a connection. Maybe the specialist could give more answers?

If I put a cold washcloth on my eyes that seems to help for a little bit too .. but never long enough. I am in my glasses right now .. and my eyes look very tired and red. And we also know that it isn't any makeup products (something the men dr's like to suggest .. ) because I have also gone weeks without that ( I feel bad for everyone who witnessed that .. ) and my symptoms have stayed the same. It is also not only in the mornings, my eyes will usually continue to feel like this all day. I think it's just that when I wake up, its a 'shocker' b/c I've been asleep, with eyes closed (when they feel better), so they seem to feel worse upon waking only because my eyes are open?

If anyone has similar problems, please let me know! This is one of the symptoms that I haven't seem to come across with other POTS people (yet) .. but who knows !!

Thanks~

*ChRiSsY*

[dizzygirl]

Chrissy hi..

I too have some of the eye problems that you mentioned..

I get the blood shot eyes and around my eyelids turns pink.. and they get puffy.. and they actually look glassy.. one eye looks glassy and one eye looks well dull looking.. does that makes sense?? sounds crazy I know!! ( i have a "lazy" eye.. and the eye that looks dull".. when pots is acting up badly..my eye will be even more "lazy")

anyways.. getting to my point.. you mentioned using eyedrops....have you tried the eye drops patanol? my eye doc prescribed them to me.. because of allergies.. and I could not wear my contacts..

it does help some..

as far as sinuses.. I have had sinus problems all my life.. I dont know if its a potsy thing.. but I know where you are coming from there too..

and for makeup.. i can not wear eye make up of any kind..kinda of *****..

its funny you brought this topic up.. I can relate to alot of what you said!!

sorry I dont have alot of advoce though on what to do for it.. as i am still trying to figure that out for myself..

i find that during the day.. I usually stay out of the sunlight.. and keep my room dark.. my eyes are very light sensitive.. the cool wash cloth does help.. temporarily..

If I go out during the day.. even if it a cloudy day or the dead of winter.. i have to wear dark sunglasses.. because its too bright outside!!

a freind bought me this really cooleye mask from walmart..it is filled with this gel stuff.. and you pop in in the refridgerator .. and it is nice and cool on the eyes..

it works alittle better then the wash cloth sometimes because it is cooler and stays cold longer.. they only cost a few buck..

allright Chrissy.. goood luck to you!!

Linda

[Poohbear]

This may be a long shot and I don't know your age but have you had all your hormones checked? I don't know about the bloodshot eyes but dry eyes can be caused/worsened by an imbalance in hormones.

Since you already have allergy and sinus trouble it could be that hormones are just another factor???

[momofpreciousboy]

Well, I have corneal swelling and no one knows why. I take Lotemax a steriod eye drop for it and it works so good. I get a lot pain (like when I look around almost like muscles), pressure, several kinds of visual disturbances. No one knows the coorelation of it and POTS yet. I have a lot more docs to ask! JenniferTX

Oh, the congested feeling, I get that too. I feel like I have a cold in my head, I get the fluid feeling in my head and ear. Do not know about that one either. I do not like the way that feels. I keep looking at the symptoms and I just wonder sometimes if I might have that Chiari malformation. I cannot have a MRI and that is how they would check, and I am going to ask about that. If anyone knows how you can tell symptom wise the difference between the two, I would love to know.

[Rita]

Not much help on the eye care , but I have been through the whole sinuis issue with my son. He had allergies soooo bad he spent a week in the hospital every year until he was five, and went in and out of the doctors office and er weekly all year. One of his specialist recommended using a home made salt solution before he used his nasacort to insure the sinuis are good and opened to receive the steroids nasacort has in it. We finnally took him to a surgeon and she removed his adnoids to come to find out they were growing into his sinuises and keeping them infected. You may want to check into both of these options.

Good luck,

Rita s

[Bella127]

Thanks everyone!

I will take these suggestions to the dr. ..

dizzygirl- my eyes look glassy too and yes dull in a way .. I know exactly what you're talking about! and i do have one of those cool eye masks .. they do help when they are cold, only get annoying when you have something strapped on your head with velcro while you try to sleep thank you for the reply!

poohbear- with checking the hormones, I did have blood tests within the past couple years that didn't suggest anything wrong with my thyroid, etc. .. is it just a routin blood test to check hormones?

momofpreciousboy-

i also have a kind of "pressure" when i look around and move my eyes .. crazy symptoms ..

rita- i know that i do have a small cyst, I think on the right side of my sinuses. My pediatrician said it was the biggest one he ever saw! (I'll do anything to get a compliment .. ) But I went to an allergist who did not think it was causing symptoms or doing any significant damage. (He even looked up my nose with the little telescope thingy .. ouch) He also said I have a slightly deviated septum, but it isn't severe enough to do anything about.

Thanks everyone, and I will look into all of these meds. and see what the dr. says!

Hmm .. still wondering if the bloodshot eyes are caused by our 'lazy' blood vessels not being constricted ??

[Poohbear]

The hormones I was referring to are estrogen, progesterone & testosterone.

I had a saliva test to find out where my levels were. If you are interested you can check out this site: http://www.salivatest.com/

[Bella127]

poohbear-

thank you SO much. I will definitely look into this !!

*ChRiSsY*

[MightyMouse]

I often look and feel as you describe, but mine is definitely allergy related. I shower before bed to wash allergens out of my hair so I don't roll around in any allergens that end up on my pillow all night. I have my pillows in anti-allergen encasings, and I change my pillow case every few days. I rinse my sinuses before bed to get alergens out of my nose and sinuses. I take a ton of allergy meds. I also use my contact lense saline to rinse out my eyes as needed.

Lastly, I recently switched to use the newest of the Renu brand of lense wash--the one that has "moisture lock" in it. It makes my lenses so much more comfy to put in, I can't even tell you what a relief it's been over the past month. Like you, though, I still have mornings when I can't get my contacts in, or get them in and run around the bathroom like a nut crying and trying to get them out of my eyes.

Nina