I woke up several times during the night because my left eye was really bothering me. It would tear up a lot, and REALLY hurt, so I'd grab a tissue, and dab it, and then go back to sleep... when I got up this morning, I look like the devil child. One eye white, the other BRIGHT red. I don't mean a little bit pink, I mean my eye is glowing red. Help! It still REALLY hurts!
I have my glasses on, and I may or may not put contacts back in today (probably not, because that seems to be a terrible idea)... is this something I need to go get looked at, or will it go away on its own?
Please help me! Thank you!
Posted by pH (Member # 1350) on :
Is it gooey? If it's gooey, it's probably pinkeye. Either way, I'd get it looked at for sure. And if it's pinkeye, you'd be getting virus everywhere if you went to class.
-pH
Posted by Samprimary (Member # 8561) on :
Err, schedule an appointment. Try to get same-day. If it continues really hurting and you get significant vision loss, and you still can't get it looked at in a short while, go check yourself in just to get a doc to look at it. Uh, assuming it's financially prudent to do so. Otherwise I guess continue waiting for the appointment.
Posted by quidscribis (Member # 5124) on :
If your eye is infected, which it probably is, then contacts are a very very bad idea. When your infection is gone and you wear them again, you'll just reinfect the eye. That, and your eyes will probably hurt even worse now. Bad idea. Very very very bad idea.
Go to a doc. Get the medicine. If this is pinkeye, which it sure sounds like, you are highly contagious and can spread this thing like nobodies business. You'll need to start sterilization and segregation procedures where you live and not touch anybody or anything.
Posted by Raia (Member # 4700) on :
Ok... I don't know if it's "gooey"... I mean, I'm leaking like nobody's business, but it seems to be just water. I think. Maybe. I have no idea.
Maybe I'll go to music history, and ask the professor if he'll let me go to the wellness center instead.
Thanks guys.
Posted by pH (Member # 1350) on :
Gooeyness/crustiness/hurting can all come with pinkeye...or kind of a dry, scratchy feeling. I say don't go to class. Go to the school doctor. And whatever you do, don't touch either of your eyes.
-pH
Posted by Belle (Member # 2314) on :
That really sounds like pinkeye. Go to the doctor, don't go to class. Try very hard not to touch your eye, wash your hands often. I definitely don't recommend using contacts.
Posted by Raia (Member # 4700) on :
Ok... it's 9:14. I'm off to the wellness center. I'll call one of my friends in the class and ask her to tell the professor for me. Thanks everyone.
Posted by aspectre (Member # 2222) on :
Lose an eyeball? Or miss a class? Lose an eyeball? Or miss a class? Yep, tough choice... Give me a break. Ask your professor??? As if he'd say "no." As if even if he did, you should obey. As if he'd wanna risk sharing an eye infection with you, or risk the rest of his class: conjunctivitus can be HIGHLY contagious.
You should already be at the wellness center by the time it opens. Cuz if it ain't conjunctitus, it could be nothing but bruising from a bit of unnoticed dust or an unnoticed accident... ...or it could be something really NASTY. Like a popped blood vessel, or WORSE.
[ February 19, 2007, 09:44 AM: Message edited by: aspectre ]
Posted by ClaudiaTherese (Member # 923) on :
Eye pain of this sort makes me worry about a corneal abrasion or ulceration, which should be treated. I'm glad you are getting seen. Definitely no contacts for now.
[Warning for those who do not like explicit medical images which may gross you out: what follows are explicit medical images which may gross you out]
What you describe visually sounds more like subconjunctival hemorrhage than pinkeye (conjunctivitis), but the history does sound more like the latter. Good to get it looked at, regardless. Tell us how it works out.
[ February 19, 2007, 10:06 AM: Message edited by: ClaudiaTherese ]
Posted by pH (Member # 1350) on :
You know, it always annoys me a little bit when someone says something like this
quote:Lose an eyeball? Or miss a class? Lose an eyeball? Or miss a class? Yep, tough choice... Give me a break. Ask your professor???
in one of these medical question threads. It seems extremely rude.
-pH
Posted by quidscribis (Member # 5124) on :
Seriously, CT, grossness warnings on those pics? Please? That sunconjunctival (should it be subconjunctival?) one is IckEee. Posted by ClaudiaTherese (Member # 923) on :
I thought it was obvious from the context, but (obviously!) not. Done.
---
Edited to add: and fixed typo. Thanks!
[ February 19, 2007, 10:06 AM: Message edited by: ClaudiaTherese ]
Posted by ClaudiaTherese (Member # 923) on :
quote:Originally posted by aspectre: ...or it could be something really NASTY. Like a popped blood vessel, or WORSE.
Why would you consider a "popped blood vessel" to be "NASTY"? It isn't aesthetically appealling, but it is generally a harmless condition.
Posted by mackillian (Member # 586) on :
I've had a corneal ulcer and that sounds more like the symptoms I had then, rather than what I've experienced with pinkeye.
In other words, I agree with CT.
Also, I thought the photos would be more gross They've got some nasty, nasty ones at the eye doctor's.
Posted by ClaudiaTherese (Member # 923) on :
Oh, if you want gross, I can do gross. *tents fingers
Posted by quidscribis (Member # 5124) on :
Oh, no, I'll pass.
As much as I love shows like CSI, I still have to look away. Many times. I'm a wuss. I didn't used to be. I don't know what changed.
Posted by rivka (Member # 4859) on :
quote:Originally posted by pH: You know, it always annoys me a little bit when someone says something like this
quote:Lose an eyeball? Or miss a class? Lose an eyeball? Or miss a class? Yep, tough choice... Give me a break. Ask your professor???
in one of these medical question threads. It seems extremely rude.
It is, rather. But sometimes it seems to be necessary to put the choices in such stark terms.
Seriously, if someone needs to post a medico thread, 9 times out of 10 they should be going to see a doctor. In person. ASAP!
Posted by mackillian (Member # 586) on :
quote:Oh, if you want gross, I can do gross
Bring it ON.
I once scrubbed in (I was interning at the time for a school to work program) to observe an enucleation.
When you see something like that in person, you find out for sure whether or not you have the ability to clinically separate yourself.
I did.
My frend didn't. Posted by Lupus (Member # 6516) on :
Whats really fun is getting over pink eye, then putting your old contacts in and reinfecting yourself. I did that one once. Posted by Raia (Member # 4700) on :
I went to the wellness center this morning, and the doctor gave me eye drops, to take every four hours. I've been wearing my glasses (and getting made fun of constantly -- "pinky" seems to be a popular nickname), and going to classes. Hopefully this clears up soon! :/
Thanks for your advice, everyone. And I agree, pH... that was rude on his part. Thanks for sticking up for me.
To clarify, I'm NOT attention-seeking, I was trying to figure out if it was urgent enough to miss my most difficult class. If it will make some people feel better, I CAN delete the thread. But I really don't think certain snide comments were necessary.
Posted by pH (Member # 1350) on :
*hugs for Raia* I'm glad it's only pinkeye. I know, "only" pinkeye sounds really, really silly. Pinkeye is a pain. You're going to have to toss your contacts, I'd bet, and you can pretty much count on getting it in the healthy eye as well. Wash your pillows/sheets/bedding. If you absolutely need to keep your contacts, get a hydrogen peroxide based cleaning kit.
-pH
Posted by Fyfe (Member # 937) on :
Ugh, I hate pinkeye. Poor you. I've had it at least twice and it sucks not being able to see; plus I washed my hands constantly because I was afraid I had touched my eyes. You don't necessarily need to throw away your contact lenses. I have hard contact lenses (rigid gas permeables) and I just gave mine a couple of good washings and they were fine. But obviously check with an eye doctor since I don't really know what I'm talking about. Posted by Raia (Member # 4700) on :
*hugs for pH* Thanks.
My contacts were basically at the end of their run anyway, so that's ok. I can change them without any harm done. Thanks to everyone else as well!
Ow, this hurts... I'm going to go do homework in a dark bed...
Posted by Tante Shvester (Member # 8202) on :
CT, I didn't think those pictures were gross in the least. I see much grosser stuff every day.
Gimme some pictures of the really gross stuff, and I'll see if I can top you!
::throws down gauntlet::
Posted by ClaudiaTherese (Member # 923) on :
quote:Originally posted by Tante Shvester: CT, I didn't think those pictures were gross in the least. I see much grosser stuff every day.
Gimme some pictures of the really gross stuff, and I'll see if I can top you!
::throws down gauntlet::
My grossest eye picture:
Botfly maggot being removed from an eye. It's lurid, it's technicolor, it's a parasite whose headhook can remain in your tissue to rot and give you gangrene! [And this one is just shy of 2cm long.]
---
Edited to add: I have other more gross pictures, of course, but that's the best I can do for the eye. You?
And you get to choose the next body part!
[ February 20, 2007, 11:39 AM: Message edited by: ClaudiaTherese ]
Posted by Altáriël of Dorthonion (Member # 6473) on :
Does it look anything like this?
Posted by ketchupqueen (Member # 6877) on :
quote:Originally posted by ClaudiaTherese:
quote:Originally posted by Tante Shvester: CT, I didn't think those pictures were gross in the least. I see much grosser stuff every day.
Gimme some pictures of the really gross stuff, and I'll see if I can top you!
::throws down gauntlet::
My grossest eye picture:
Botfly maggot being removed from an eye. It's lurid, it's technicolor, it's a parasite whose headhook can remain in your tissue to rot and give you gangrene! [And this one is just shy of 2cm long.]
---
Edited to add: I have other more gross pictures, of course, but that's the best I can do for the eye. You?
And you get to choose the next body part!
That's awesome.
Of course, I used to snatch my dad's educational posters that had pictures of anthrax and people covered in smallpox and stuff like that and hang them on my wall, 'cause I thought they were cool.
(And yet, I can't see a silverfish running across my path without screaming, jumping, and almost throwing up. At least, not since I first got pregnant. Go figure.)
Posted by Tante Shvester (Member # 8202) on :
Dang, CT! You stole my gross eye picture. I know I've posted that on Hatrack before!
Here are some grosstumors. The first is a video! (Loads in Quicktime)
Posted by ClaudiaTherese (Member # 923) on :
There can be only one ...
... poster of the botfly eye. And today, it was me. *solemn bow
[It's very likely I did get it from you, though I didn't remember. I was thinking botfly because of one of Octavia Butler's essays in Bloodchild. Just read it, need to send it to Livvy and Noemon. Amazing.]
Hey, I've seen that before, in person! Just not in that quantity.
But when you work for a pharmaceutical company that makes pancreatic enzymes, and you watch lots of videos on CF and go to clinics to meet the kids and parents you have to accept sticky, frothy sputum as just coming with the territory.
Sometimes I miss that job...I did love meeting CF kids and their parents. What great people, usually.
Posted by cmc (Member # 9549) on :
Okay wait - can that person with the gross thing that came out of their eye still see out of that eye?
Posted by Tante Shvester (Member # 8202) on :
*bows before you Posted by Tante Shvester (Member # 8202) on :
Gee, for my next trick, I was going to make a word-picture. You know, a thousand words that add up to the most horribly disgusting image that you'd never want burned into your brain.
So, probably all for the best.
(It would have included a depiction of inappropriate hand hygiene prior to meal preparation).
Posted by Uprooted (Member # 8353) on :
I am so not looking at any of the links in the grossness contest. As a matter of fact, I'm not even going to go look up the word enucleation. There is a reason I have never had any inclination towards the medical profession. There's probably a reason I've never had children, too--I can just see me telling some child, "eww, gross, don't show me that yucky wound!"
Nope, no ability to clinically separate myself. Mack, did your friend's experience involve upchucking?
Oh, and Raia, glad to hear treatment is occurring!
Posted by ClaudiaTherese (Member # 923) on :
I'd forgotten that Liz is a fellow botfly fan.
Posted by Tante Shvester (Member # 8202) on :
Not to derail the derail, but to get things rerailed, how is the eye, Raia? I'm hoping much better by now. Although, if you were foolish enough to click on the gross-out links, you may be at high risk for poking your own eyes out.
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