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Myopic vision, CFS sytle

IntuneJune

Senior Member
Messages
562
Location
NorthEastern USA
Myopic vision.....NOT the diagnosis at the ophthalmologist's office..... but what happens as we struggle through our day.

When I cycle into the tougher times, (was dx'd over 30 years ago and have gone in and out of "good" and "bad" times) I find my "vision" deteriorates, I see less, seeing ONLY what is important to get me through the day. When this happens, it is subtle, a slow progression, so unfortunately I am not aware of this even happening.

For example, on my front door I have a wreath, it is artificial, the base is pine, with golden flowers.... and at Easter time, I felt "on target" "on board" and "up to date" with my timely wreath. It was very Springy.... I was comfortable with my door's profile..... The door through which my son and his family pass, friends, and yes delivery folks etc .....sported a Spring wreath. Things cannot be too bad, right?

Let's back up in time a little..... actually I cannot remember when I started to decline, probably summer or Fall of 09 and lasting through the summer 2010. Energy..no where to be found...brainfog big time, you all know. It was late summer this year when I realized the wreath on my front door........was my Christmas wreath.

It's one thing to KNOW you have a Christmas wreath on the door and NOT feel a need to change it.... but I thought the flowers were spring/summer blossoms.

Right now, I am feeling a wee bit better, my mind is working a wee bit better and I am now realizing... I missed a lt over the past year.

The door is simply one example of my myopic vision, the lack of vision carries me through the day....seeing only the bare necessities......that which I need to see to exist.

Hummmmm, may be this is NOT a bad thing????

June
 

illsince1977

A shadow of my former self
Messages
356
You were diagnosed over 30 years ago? I am amazed. I've been sick 33 years, but it was impossible to find a doctor to diagnose me until 2001. Maybe it was my myopia that prevented diagnosis. I go up and down too!

As for the myopia, you're just trying to survive!
 

IntuneJune

Senior Member
Messages
562
Location
NorthEastern USA
Diagnosed over 30 years ago

Yes, it was unusual....at that time, there actually were a few rheumatologists in our state and I waltzed into an office of one who just came back from an medical educational seminar. One of the sessions was on fibromyalgia.

The doctor was a little surprised, she said if I had come in earlier, she would not have been able to come to a diagnosis.

One odd thing, she no longer treats FMS/CFS patients because she states "there is nothing I can do for them." So if she diagnoses a new patient, she refers them some place else. I also have other autoimmune issues so she has kept me on.

June
 

IntuneJune

Senior Member
Messages
562
Location
NorthEastern USA
As for the myopia, you're just trying to survive!


Yes, I believe that is true, but when this happens, I am not aware at all that my visual world is shrinking. But when I begin to feel better, I realize what had happened. (And it's a little frightening.) These myopic cycles are not a day or two.... I am guessing this last one was a year approximately and they always occur during the "bad times."

Ha, ha, "bad times" it is all bad, should I have said "during the very very worst bad times." (I don't think that is good English.) Maybe I need a cup of coffee

June
 

xchocoholic

Senior Member
Messages
2,947
Location
Florida
I do this too ... Maybe it comes with age ? Some of the healthy older people I know can't handle the chaos of small children anymore. I'm 55 now and I don't remember feeling this way until the last year or so.

I have to tune out anything that doesn't need to be done right now / today in order to function. I just realized the other day that I keep feeling overwhelmed with everything that's been sitting collecting dust for a few days, weeks or months. Speaking of which I have mold on my back porch that I need to go hit with some bleach. It's making it's way around every corner now ... FWIW, I'm considering moving to a smaller place so I can relax more. ... X
 

alex3619

Senior Member
Messages
13,810
Location
Logan, Queensland, Australia
Hi Everyone

I too am a very long term patient. When I was younger I was notorious for not seeing things: I would walk past people I knew, step over obstacles without knowing they were there, and not notice the most basic things. When I am extra tired I can't recognize what I see: the image is there but not the understanding. This is different from myopia and tired eyes, both of which also make things hard to see, and which cause additional problems.

In part I think this is how we adapt. When I am trying to do things, to focus with a fogged brain, I can get somewhere if I focus so hard I don't see everything else. Recently this had me pouring boiling water over the floor because I didn't realize I hadn't reached the sink. I wasn't burned, but it made me start making comparisons with Alzheimer's.

This increased focus is conceptual as well. When I focus on a topic I can think about it - but can't switch to thinking about something else for seconds to minutes as my brain adapts to the new topic.

Bye
Alex
 

IntuneJune

Senior Member
Messages
562
Location
NorthEastern USA
Hi Everyone

This increased focus is conceptual as well. When I focus on a topic I can think about it - but can't switch to thinking about something else for seconds to minutes as my brain adapts to the new topic.

Bye
Alex

Yes!

And..... I could learn facts....pass exams.... but when studying a new subject, could not apply the knowlege learned before. Sometimes, I never considered it relevant when it was. Someone would point out to me, "but you learned this in such-a-such class." It seemed I was relearning everything.

And....I am now constantly learning because I forget so much....

Whew, no wonder we are tired!! :)

June
 

camas

Senior Member
Messages
702
Location
Oregon
I'm glad I'm not alone in this! It's also worse for me when I'm in a relapse, which I have been for the last 10 months. I see things, but somehow they just don't fully register.

We had an extremely wet spring and things grew like crazy. Every week, as I'd drag my garbage carts to the curb, I'd notice this odd looking weed and think, "Huh. Wonder what that is?" It was probably only six inches tall the first time I saw it. Each week it would be a little larger, and I'd have the same thought, but no sense of alarm.

It wasn't until the thing was a good 6 ft tall and staring me right in the face that it dawned on me to pull it. Fortunately the ground was still soaked and it came out fairly easily, but the darned thing took up a third of my yard debris cart. Good thing there was only one of them or I'd have had a forest. :eek:

I can't wait for this relapse to end as I would very much like to have my brain back.
 

illsince1977

A shadow of my former self
Messages
356
Sometimes I am surprised at how I have missed noticing something. It's just more sporadic and of briefer duration than yours.

My problem areas are more in my inability to stay focused on a task. I also have "senior moments" where I have no idea why I walked into a room. Healthy people my age have similar experiences, so I'm not convinced it's CFS related.

Learning new things like virology is exhausting for me.

My attention wanders so much that I often need to hear information multiple times before it sinks in. I always record my doctor appointments because I need to listen multiple times to remember things.

On the other hand I find puzzles requiring logic and pattern recognition like cryptograms, jumbles and sudoku a refuge for my tired brain! Go figure! I bet Alex gets that one! By the way, Alex, nice to see you posting. I haven't seen you post for a while and was getting a little worried about you.
 

alex3619

Senior Member
Messages
13,810
Location
Logan, Queensland, Australia
HI illsince1977,

Thanks for thinking of me. I have been in mild relapse since last week, but I am under a lot of real world stress at the moment (bureaucracy etc). The stress wont end until late next month, so I expect to be less active: but then this is my retreat from the world, so I will probably keep posting until my brain is too fried to read or type. ;-)

I get the senior moments: but I bet it doesn't happen to the average healthy person on a daily or hourly basis, just once in a while. With me, it can be many times a day - but on a better day not at all.

I like making my brain work in different ways, but if it involves word games or numbers then I usually hate it. Its important to keep the brain working or it will degenerate, but so far sudoku is not for me. I hate puzzles in general, but I love big picture kinds of things: like complex biochemical interactions. Call me strange ... It might have a lot to do with background or interest: I have been interested in biochem since 1977.

Bye
Alex



My problem areas are more in my inability to stay focused on a task. I also have "senior moments" where I have no idea why I walked into a room. Healthy people my age have similar experiences, so I'm not convinced it's CFS related.

On the other hand I find puzzles requiring logic and pattern recognition like cryptograms, jumbles and sudoku a refuge for my tired brain! Go figure! I bet Alex gets that one! By the way, Alex, nice to see you posting. I haven't seen you post for a while and was getting a little worried about you.
 

IntuneJune

Senior Member
Messages
562
Location
NorthEastern USA
That is funny

:ashamed:
It wasn't until the thing was a good 6 ft tall and staring me right in the face that it dawned on me to pull it.


Yes, things just don't REGISTER! Haha!

Oh, wait a minute, I did not think my Christmas wreath was too funny.....hummmmm, guess when it is happening to someone else :ashamed:

This forum is such a godsend.........thank you for sharing, I find being in "the boat" with others helps.

June
 

IntuneJune

Senior Member
Messages
562
Location
NorthEastern USA
My problem areas are more in my inability to stay focused on a task. I also have "senior moments" where I have no idea why I walked into a room.

Learning new things like virology is exhausting for me.

My attention wanders so much that I often need to hear information multiple times before it sinks iin.

Oh yes!

June
 

camas

Senior Member
Messages
702
Location
Oregon
Oh, wait a minute, I did not think my Christmas wreath was too funny.....hummmmm, guess when it is happening to someone else :ashamed:

This forum is such a godsend.........thank you for sharing, I find being in "the boat" with others helps.

June

Well, in truth, I had a chuckle over your wreath story because it reminded me so much of myself. :Retro smile: