The Gift That Keeps Giving

So, I just came home from my annual eye exam. Easy peasy. One would think. Strike that. Who am I kidding? Life never gives me easy peasy.

The eye exam with the tech was going on as usual. Eye puff, check. Reading a chart to the minuscule, check. Looking at dots, check. Getting weird yellow dye, check. The tech being close enough to smell my lunch, check. Then the tech wants the doc to take a look before doing the dilating drops, hmm.

Time to get slapped with another crappy after effect from breast cancer treatment… angle closure glaucoma (description at the end). Then came the questions from them and me. Yep, I’ve had alot of steroids. Yep, I’ve had chemo. Yep, I’ve had radiation. Nope, I don’t have high blood pressure. Yep, my diabetes is in check. At least something should be going for me, right?

And then came a graphic explanation that I didn’t fully follow along with yet another thing to make a decision about. To see or not to see, that is the question. In the words of my brother-in-law Ben, upon arriving home I immediately had to GTS!! Because I am now dealing with yet another side effect of this disease.

So, apparently, chemotherapy and the accompanying steroids have wrecked my eyes. I’ve known that I’ve had slow growing cataracts for about five years. It’s no big deal. Everyone starts getting them after 40. And they were so small, it would be years, decades even, before I had any issues. Well, that was so last year.

My cataracts have grown like, well like they were on steroids, because they were. And now I’m told that I could go blind at any minute – literally any minute between now and surgery. Are we having a good time yet kids?

The pressure in my eyes from the cataracts has caused almost all of the little holes that drain fluid to close, in not just one eye, but both. What is this fresh hell? And the remaining open few could close at any time blinding me and would become permanent without emergency surgery.

So the doc gives me a choice, because it’s always a choice. I can wait until I am suddenly blind along with what he described as the worst headache of my life and face emergency surgery with the possibility of permanent blindness. I can have laser surgery to poke a new hole for the fluid to drain in office. Or, I can go into the hospital for cataract & glaucoma surgery, a much bigger ordeal.

So, I’ve scheduled the laser surgery, because, well, the alternative is not great. So now I’m in the worry seat again – like I’ve ever left since this all began.

Yeah me. Still being the side effect over achiever. When is the bull!@#$ going to end!?!

I F!@#ing hate cancer.

#breastcancer #invasiveductalcarcinoma #chemosideeffects #angleclosureglaucoma #cataracts #fuckcancer #breastcancerwarrior

What is Angle Closure Glaucoma

With a little help from AI, this is what I know…

Angle closure glaucoma is a serious eye condition where fluid inside the eye can’t drain properly, causing a sudden spike in pressure that can damage the optic nerve and lead to permanent vision loss if not treated quickly.

🧠 What’s Happening in the Eye

• The eye produces a fluid called aqueous humor that normally drains through a mesh-like channel.
• In angle closure glaucoma, the iris (colored part of the eye) bulges forward and blocks this drainage angle.
• This blockage causes intraocular pressure (IOP) to rise rapidly.

🚨 Types and Symptoms

There are several forms, each with different urgency levels:

• Acute angle closure glaucoma: Sudden onset with symptoms like:
  • Severe eye pain
  • Blurred vision or halos around lights
  • Redness
  • Nausea or vomiting
  • Headache
  • This is a medical emergency.
• Chronic angle closure glaucoma: Develops slowly and may not show symptoms until damage is done.
• Intermittent angle closure: The drainage angle opens and closes sporadically.

⚠️ Risk Factors

• Age (more common after 40)
• Female sex
• Asian or Inuit descent
• Family history of glaucoma
• Use of certain medications (e.g., pupil-dilating drops, some antidepressants or antihistamines)

🛠️ Treatment Options

• Laser iridotomy: A small hole is made in the iris to allow fluid to drain.
• Medications: Eye drops or oral drugs to lower pressure.
• Surgery: In some cases, cataract removal or more invasive procedures may be needed.

🧭 Prognosis

With prompt treatment, vision can often be preserved. But without it, damage can be swift and irreversible.