A stressful day at work becomes even more challenging with symptom flares
A guest writer describes dealing with three symptom-related crises on a Monday
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I blinked my eyelids rapidly, hoping to generate some sort of moisture, but it didn’t work. The drier my eyes got, the harder it was to see clearly. And the blurrier my vision became, the more scrambled the letters on my laptop were.
Staring at a laptop all day can make anybody’s eyes dry. But it was particularly problematic for me because that’s a symptom of IgG4-related disease.
Of course, I have no choice but to stare at a computer since I’m a professional television writer. I used to spend nine hours a day watching video, typing words, and reading articles. I had no time for the burning, itching, and irritation caused by my dry eyes. It was distracting and slowing me down.
As usual, I was on deadline and needed to finish about a half-dozen stories before noon. I got most of them done, but there was one left. I had only a few minutes to spare before it needed to be ready so that it could be checked by my executive producer and the anchor reading it. Somehow, I managed to crank out coherent sentences. I hit the spell-check button and waited to see what needed to be corrected. When I was done, I had just enough time to run to my master bathroom to get my eye drops before the show began.
Even after years of putting lubricant in my eyes, I missed several times before I got enough drops in to feel some relief.
Once the drops were in, I rubbed my eyes several times and was able to get enough tear production for my vision to clear up. I finished the remainder of my stories, but only made it to noon before I needed to put more solution in.
By lunchtime, I was able to prepare a simple meal. I could tell my eyes weren’t the only body part suffering from inflammation. My mouth was as well, which meant my salivary glands weren’t producing enough fluids to make eating easy. So I put on a pot of grits and made them as smooth as possible. Then, I fried a few soft sausages.
One telltale sign I get when I’m suffering from dry mouth is tacky and irritating: my breath. The lack of saliva causes a stench to rise from it when I speak or even breathe deeply. No amount of liquid fixes the problem. The only solution is to use a special mouthwash. I gargle with it, which helps to restore some moisture.
It was only 2 p.m., and I had averted two major crises in one day. Just when I thought the rest of my day would be smooth, I could feel pins and needles in my neck, right above the incision from my thyroidectomy. Unfortunately for me, my condition makes me prone to swollen lymph nodes and throat nodules. My latest surgery in March was the sixth procedure on my neck to remove a nodule that was more than 2 1/2 inches big. The tingling from the scar was so unbearable I had to stop working again to apply the steroid scar cream to calm it down.
Thankfully, I made it to 6:15 p.m. without needing to take any other breaks due to my condition. Remarkably, I had done all of that and completed the same amount of work than my colleagues and no one noticed a thing. It was just Monday, and Tuesday was around the corner. I knew that it would probably be rinse and repeat for the rest of the week; that’s how long these tiny flares usually lasted. I was just grateful that I was prepared with all the things that helped me cope.
Then again, I should be ready for just about anything that comes up, as I’ve been living with IgG4-related disease for longer than I’ve lived without it, so this is my normal.
Note: IgG4-RD News is strictly a news and information website about the disease. It does not provide medical advice, diagnosis, or treatment. This content is not intended to be a substitute for professional medical advice, diagnosis, or treatment. Always seek the advice of your physician or other qualified health provider with any questions you may have regarding a medical condition. Never disregard professional medical advice or delay in seeking it because of something you have read on this website. The opinions expressed in this column are not those of IgG4-RD News or its parent company, Bionews, and are intended to spark discussion about issues pertaining to IgG4-RD.
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