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kurtster

kurtster Avatar

Location: where fear is not a virtue
Gender: Male

Posted: Feb 15, 2009 - 6:54pm

katzendogs wrote:

Chantix (sp)

Experience using it appreciated please.

Damn, its my lucky day, 2 things I have experience with. Took Chantix from April til my kidneys failed back when. Can't take it anymore cause of the kidneys. Anyway, after about 2 or 3 months I felt I reached the point where I could take or leave cigs. Haven't quit yet, cause the wife still smokes and when I get out of the hospital after a week, I start again. But at least my brain doesn't really miss smoking while I'm in. After the transplant, I will be done and Patty is starting Chantix soon and somehow will be done when I get out.

The fun part, not, is the dreams. Most people on Chantix have them and they can be annoying at the least. They aren't nightmares or anything creepy as a rule, just tedious never ending dreams that last most of the night and sometimes keep going after your have a bladder break in the middle of the night. They are like you are trying to figure out Pi to the nth degree or some other stupid problem that has no meaningful answer Most people find the dreams end after the first couple of months and figure out how to continue.

Either pick a day like they say or wait, the time to quit will become apparent after a while.

PM me if you like, I have more Chantix stories.

katzendogs

katzendogs Avatar

Location: Pasadena ,Texas
Gender: Male

Posted: Feb 15, 2009 - 6:52pm

kurtster wrote:

Hi,

As our resident and I think only optician here, I can say that the info RT provided you is correct. The one thing I would add to help reduce eyestrain is to purchase a pair of glasses with lenses specifically designed for computers. A factoid that I learned many years before becoming an optician is : your eyes consume up to 70 % of your body's total energy everyday. The more you strain to see, the more you tap your energy reserve. Its a logical assumption when you consider that you eyes are involved in everywaking moment of your life. Your eyes are not being damaged by the strain, just you as a whole.

Computer lenses are a new approach to music or piano glasses that were done with lined bifocals in the past. Progressive lenses just won't work for reading at length or for extended computer work. That sweet spot where everything comes into focus is very small and the strain you put on your neck holding the position only compounds the agony. Computer lenses are lineless bifocals that allow you to see about 4 feet away on the top half and at about 18 inches in the bottom half. You just look naturally at your computer and keyboard without straining to find that sweet spot. They are truly a quality of life improvemnet for the wearer. Got an old frame that you no longer wear? Have lenses put in them, spare that expense at least. These lenses are also great for crafts and hobbies, reading, card playing and even dining out where you can both see across the table and your menu and food.

Lastly, ergonomically, glasses are designed to work best when looking down at about 15 degrees from horizontal. You eyes should be the same level as the top of your monitor. If you must look up to see your monitor, either raise your chair or lower the monitor or both. It is unnatural to look up at anything for any length of time, your neck will constantly remind you of that.

Hope this helps.

Edit: Don't forget to blink your eyes on a regular basis. Blinking is how your cornea is lubricated and fed. Computer users and heavy readers generally forget to blink frequently and just stare and dry out their eyes.

Aww hell. I was just going to get rid of the PC. Now I may have to keep it around.
Thanks for the advice Doc.

OlderThanDirt

OlderThanDirt Avatar

Location: In Transit
Gender: Male

Posted: Feb 15, 2009 - 6:40pm

kurtster wrote:

Good advice! I got computer glasses about 15 years ago because my neck was killing me and translating on down to my shoulders. The glasses are great. 'Course I can't see across the room in them. {#Lol}

kurtster

kurtster Avatar

Location: where fear is not a virtue
Gender: Male

Posted: Feb 15, 2009 - 6:33pm

triskele wrote:

thank you for this, romeo. i am already on drops for dry eyes, and i do spend 90% of my waking hours in front of a computer screen. i have a policy of getting up and walking away at least every hour, if not more frequently.

the right lower eye lid is effected, and it doesn't make my eye close. it's just horrendously annoying, because, when it's active, it can be nearly constant.

some of the other things, i didn't know. this was very helpful.

katzendogs

katzendogs Avatar

Location: Pasadena ,Texas
Gender: Male

Posted: Feb 14, 2009 - 2:42pm
Chantix (sp) Experience using it appreciated please.

triskele

triskele Avatar

Location: The Dragons' Roost

Posted: Feb 14, 2009 - 1:19pm

romeotuma wrote:

Triskele, it sounds to me like you may have what is called benign essential blepharospasm (BEB)... "benign" indicates the condition is not life threatening, and "essential" is a medical term meaning "of unknown cause"... blepharo means "eyelid" in Greek, and spasm means "uncontrolled muscle contraction"... in addition, it is called both a cranial and a focal dystonia— cranial refers to the head, and focal indicates confinement to one part... the word dystonia describes abnormal involuntary sustained muscle contractions and spasms...

Your problem could be caused by something as simple as dry eyes... it has been observed that the signs and symptoms of dry eye frequently precede and/or occur concomitantly with blepharospasm... it has been suggested that dry eye may trigger the onset of blepharospasm in susceptible persons...

There are a lot of other things you don't want your problems confused with—

Ptosis— drooping of the eyelids caused by weakness or paralysis of a levator muscle of the upper eyelid
Blepharitis— an inflammatory condition of the lids due to infection or allergies
Hemifacial spasm— a non-dystonic condition involving various muscles on one side of the face, often including the eyelid, and caused by irritation of the facial nerve... the muscle contractions are more rapid and transient than those of blepharospasm, and the condition is always confined to one side...
Nystagmus— the jerking or jumping of the eye itself... this is an entirely different condition and an optometrist or ophthalmologist should be able to make a proper diagnosis after a full examination...

eye twitches are muscle spasms and, like most muscle spasms, they generally have no long term side effects...

other causes could be—

fatigue or lack of sleep
over consumption of caffeine
physical or emotional stress
anxiety or phobias
drain bamage or other neurological disorders
eye stress associated with extended viewing of the computer screen
Estrogen replacement therapy for women going through menopause

blepharospasm is thought to be due to abnormal functioning of the basal ganglia which are situated at the base of the brain... the basal ganglia play a role in all coordinated movements, but nobody knows for sure what happens with the basal ganglia to cause the twitches...

it can be treated with some drugs, and there are surgery options, but the best way to treat it by far is a proactive approach to decrease the overall daily stress... some ways to reduce stress are— exercising more, sleeping more, working less, meditation, and eliminating all forms of dietary caffeine (coffee, chocolate, cola, certain over-the counter medications, etc.)...

here's a video about it that you might find interesting, just for info—

Diagnosis & Treatment with Botox of Patients with Benign Essential Blepharospasm & Related Disorders

It explains a lot about BEB, and offers a subcutaneous injection of Botox as a possible treatment...

It's up to you to decide if it is bad enough for you to see a optometrist/ophthalmologist, but if they last more than a week, or make your eyes close completely, you might want to consider it...

and relax, because it is not a dangerous medical situation... sorry to hear you are having to deal with it... good luck with it... remember my disclaimer— I am not a doctor; I am just a humble blue-collar foot-washer... I am not making a diagnosis— just offering data...

(former member)

(former member) Avatar

Location: hotel in Las Vegas
Gender: Male

Posted: Feb 14, 2009 - 12:38pm

There are a lot of other things you don't want your problems confused with—

eye twitches are muscle spasms and, like most muscle spasms, they generally have no long term side effects...

other causes could be—

here's a video about it that you might find interesting, just for info—

Diagnosis & Treatment with Botox of Patients with Benign Essential Blepharospasm & Related Disorders

It explains a lot about BEB, and offers a subcutaneous injection of Botox as a possible treatment...

It's up to you to decide if it is bad enough for you to see a optometrist/ophthalmologist, but if they last more than a week, or make your eyes close completely, you might want to consider it...

hippiechick

hippiechick Avatar

Location: topsy turvy land
Gender: Female

Posted: Feb 13, 2009 - 6:18pm
romeotuma wrote: Good stuff, folks— Medical Support Communities I bookmarked

(former member)

(former member) Avatar

Location: hotel in Las Vegas
Gender: Male

Posted: Feb 13, 2009 - 6:17pm
Good stuff, folks— Medical Support Communities

(former member)

(former member) Avatar

Location: hotel in Las Vegas
Gender: Male

Posted: Feb 8, 2009 - 3:43pm
Mixing Acetaminophen and Caffeine May Cause Liver Damage

hippiechick

hippiechick Avatar

Location: topsy turvy land
Gender: Female

Posted: Jan 31, 2009 - 8:44am
romeotuma wrote: My pipes are clear, honey, but I got real bad drain bamage... Well, at least some of the parts work!

hippiechick

hippiechick Avatar

Location: topsy turvy land
Gender: Female

Posted: Jan 31, 2009 - 8:39am
romeotuma wrote: I think those girls could easily cause an election... Not if your pipes are clogged When I order a burger, a single, I usually have to take the second half home. I couldn't imagine jamming one of those things in my mouth.

hippiechick

hippiechick Avatar

Location: topsy turvy land
Gender: Female

Posted: Jan 31, 2009 - 8:33am
romeotuma wrote: Except the waitresses, except in the right places... hubba hubba... They're enough to give any guy in there a heart attack! And the way most of them look and eat, they probably haven't had any in awhile.

hippiechick

hippiechick Avatar

Location: topsy turvy land
Gender: Female

Posted: Jan 31, 2009 - 8:26am
romeotuma wrote: Heart Attack Grill Ewwwwww!!! Did you notice, almost everyone in there was fat?

phineas

phineas Avatar

Posted: Jan 27, 2009 - 6:16pm
BillnDollarBaby wrote: Um, yeah, no. I'm married and you're creepy with that foot thing. Just sayin'. Worse, creepy and boring...

(former member)

(former member) Avatar

Posted: Jan 27, 2009 - 5:59pm
romeotuma wrote: Let me rub your feet real good... I will make you a winner... Um, yeah, no. I'm married and you're creepy with that foot thing. Just sayin'.

(former member)

(former member) Avatar

Posted: Jan 27, 2009 - 5:44pm

romeotuma wrote:

Here's a list of inexpensive, over-the-counter skin care products... and I'm talkin' over-the-counter, as in drug store, not as in Saks Fifth Avenue... these reasonably priced products work just as well as their designer counterparts...

For Face
Cleansers:
- Moisturel sensitive skin cleanser (the one I love for winter dryness)
- Purpose liquid or bar (I use the liquid in summer)
- Cetaphil bar or liquid (really burned my eyes)
- Basis liquid cleaner for sensitive skin
- Oil of Olay fragrance free cleanser
- Eucerin gentle hydrating cleanser

Moisturizers for Face-Daytime-SPF:
- Purpose dual treatment
- DML for face
- Eucerin 25
- Ombrelle 15
- Oil of Olay for sensitive skin
- Not on list, because it's newer than list, but I use and love Neutrogena Healthy Skin Face Lotion, with SPF 15

Nighttime
- Oil of Olay daily renewal
- Complex 15 for face
- Eucerin Q10
- Kinerase cream or lotion (twice a day)

For Body
Moisturizers
- SBR lipo cream (great for flakey patches)
- Moisterel lotion
- DML forte
- Eucerin Plus
- Aguaglycolic lotion ($15 might be high for a drug store product, but this stuff works as well as designer brands. Caution, as with all glycolic acid formulas, don't use this after shaving. I also use the face cream version)
- Cetaphil moisturizing lotion or cream (I also use this)

Body Soaps (bar)
- Lever 2000 unscented (used to use, now unfortunately I'm in love with a French soap at $8.50 a bar)
- Dove unscented
- Cetaphil bar
- Dial sensitive skin

Body Soaps (liquid)
- Oil of Olay daily renewal
- Dove

Sun Blocks
- Solbar AVO
- Pre-sun Ultra 30 lotion or gel
- Ombrelle 15, 30 (my choice)
- Vanicream SPF 15 or 35

RT, most of your categories list more products than I use total!!!!!! I'm a failure as a chic!!!!!!!!!!!!

AliGator

AliGator Avatar

Posted: Jan 27, 2009 - 5:42pm
phineas wrote: BMI is a crock if it doesn't account for body type. Thank you. Because, uh, according to my BMI, I'm obese. Yeah, I could stand to lose weight. But I don't have tiny bird bones either.

Red_Dragon

Red_Dragon Avatar

Location: Dumbf*ckistan

Posted: Jan 27, 2009 - 5:40pm
phineas wrote: BMI is a crock if it doesn't account for body type. We're all human, right?

phineas

phineas Avatar

Posted: Jan 27, 2009 - 5:26pm
musik_knut wrote: More Americans obese than merely overweight Latest statistics show numbers have flipped and now 34 percent are obese BMI is a crock if it doesn't account for body type.

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