The Eyes Have It

  As some of you know, a couple of months ago I was admitted to hospital with suspected papilledema, also known as optic disc swelling. In other words, I was having eye problems. Well, after weeks of being subjected to an MRI, tedious field vision tests with even more tedious doctors, eyedrops, and a lot of blinding lights being flashed unceremoniously in my poor eyes, I am relieved to share with you that today my test results all came back as normal. My doctor told me that although my optic nerves did in fact look like they had been swollen previously, and still remained slightly abnormal, this was actually just the way I was made, and therefore didn't require any kind of treatment.

  Today my doctor also raised an important point I feel I need to share. I spent the New Year in Ghana, and while I was there I was taking the drug Doxycycline, as an anti malarial drug. In my naivety I opted to buy these drugs online without a prescription, as the nurse doing the rest of my vaccinations had advised me it would be cheaper to do so. However I wasn't aware until today that in high enough doses, Doxycycline can trigger the symptoms and pain I started experiencing with my eyes after taking the tablets, and while there's no way of knowing if it definitely was the cause of my problems, the timeline of events would suggest it played a part. Of course I felt like an idiot when my doctor explained this to me today. It can be really appealing to purchase these kind of drugs online as it's often much cheaper, but I learnt today how dangerous it can be to purchase drugs online or without a prescription, you don't actually know what or how much you need to take without one.

  Finally, I know a lot of the people who read this blog are close friends who have been concerned for me during this time, and I would like to take this opportunity to tell you guys that I am so grateful for the way you have kept me in your thoughts and prayers throughout, without your support I definitely would have had a Britney Spears meltdown by now. So thank you for keeping me sane and with a full head of hair, and please know I have so much love for each and every one of you!

xx