Too many steroids?

[Andrew MacLean]

John,

How did you get on with the slit lamp? Hope things are better today.

Yours aye

Andrew

[John Smith]

Thanks to all the well-wishers, and to those who PMed me.

Apart from being a bit blind, I was feeling fine when I left home this morning to go to the hospital...

On the way, I fell off a kerb I didn't judge properly So I've grazed my hands and knee.

Then I was eventually seen, and had my pressure taken. It was 35. They then called my consultant to take a look at me. Her comment was that the graft "did not look at all well", and that she wasn't going to allow me to go home with a pressure that high

Before I knew it, I'd had a cannula inserted for something (dioxane?) to be given IV. I didn't take to it too well, and also had Maxolon IV and then fainted

The next hour or so was spent on a trolley after which my pressure was taken again - it had reduced to 25. I'm now on Iopidine drops as well as Xalatan to keep the pressure down and have to go back on Thursday.

[Lynn White]

Glad you went John, as high pressure is serious in itself.

I think you meant Diamox? Thats a drug that reduces the amount of fluid in the front chamber of your eye thus reducing the pressure within the eye.

You should be OK now with the extra meds - but is something you are going to have to be careful about in the future if you need to take systemic steroids
again. If you do need them again you must be sure to mention this episode!

Lynn

[Sweet]

John really sorry to hear this, moreso because i did kinda hint to you about the risks of taking oral steroids as well, not that this is a 'i told you so' thing at all. Just because we don't put them in our eye, doesn't mean that they don't have an effect, but sadly you have now found that one out.

Hoping that Thursday goes well, let us know what happens. Am hoping that the reason you took the steroids in the first place, i.e for a chest infection has got better now as well? I would also mention this to the consultant who gave you the prednisolone as that seems like a very bad choice of judgement to me when he knew that you were taking steroid eye drops as well. Nebulisers and abx would have been slower but wouldn't have given you the eye problems you had. Take care, Sweet X x X

[GarethB]

Sweet,

A lot of the problems are the GP knows what the streoid will do and the side effects and may well have tken all these into account.

Unfortunatly what can not be predicted is how the steroids behave when they are together. On paper everything looks like it will be fine, put them together and nolonger does 1 + 1 = 2, but 5 instead!!

We have kiled many a project because the steroids we investigated are complementary on paper, but put them together and they make something new. Often quite harmless and of no medicinal benefit and a few cases the steroids make something nast or just destroy each other.

Fixing the human body is atricky business.

However you are right John needs to make sure whenevr steroids are prescribed this incident has to be reported.

[Sweet]

Well maybe a pressure check and a referral to someone who can check this regularly would be a start! Along with some advice in case something should happen. It is more worrying to me that the consultant was told that the vision was blurry and so immediately stopped the oral steroids but gave no advice on seeing someone to follow up care. It is only on Johns thinking and talking to Lynn that he went to 'A & E'.

Sweet X x X

[GarethB]

You are quite right, but I think John would of gone to A&E anyway.

Between you and me, John is quite smart!!!

He he, now it's my turn to run for cover

[John Smith]

Gareth,

Don't worry - I won't poke you for saying I'm smart!

But it is true that I triple-checked with the consultant and double-checked with the pharmacist (that's five "are you sure..." questions) about the huge oral steroid intake and my eye problems.

When he heard about the eye effects though he stopped the steroids stone cold. That surprised me considering the effort he'd gone to ensure that I didn't even consider doing that

[Andrew MacLean]

John

You have not had your troubles to seek.

All the best my friend.

Andrew

[jayuk]

John

Sorry to hear that!

Do you know why this occured?..Is the graft and its respective layers not performing as well? For the fluid to enter it and not be pumped out?

Whats the plan now?

J