Is it worth it?
I am about to get my 5th injection. Some of you perhaps having had dozens or more may be thinking (something . . . ) but here's the thing: My eyeball aches and I am starting to watch TV and look at my PC screen with just my "good" eye, which by the way, is very slowly losing acuity (and on top of that, things are getting a bit fuzzy). I don't think my eyeball likes getting jabbed, and maybe isn't happy getting a foreign substance shot into it every four weeks. I am a week away from my 5th shot and my gut tells me not to go. I've been receiving Lucentis so far and my new doc is going to start Avastin which I understand is fraught with potential problems of it's own. Has anyone here considered just going blind and dealing with it?
I have dry macular degeneration and can’t speak to your question specifically. I do struggle with other health decisions and can understand you get tired of dealing with a situation. I am facing a difficult surgery and have similar thoughts. However I know I will end up with worse problems down the road if I don’t have the surgery. Others with wet macular degeneration have had similar struggles and found it easier to cope after seeing a seeking therapy. https://maculardegeneration.net/living/overcoming-therapy-stigma
I hope you get responses from community members that have struggled with your dilemma. Warm wishes, Sharon Moore patient leaderHi Sharon, Good to hear your answer, I have been thinking the same, should I keep up with the shots !! My big problem is from the burning pain for days after the shot. I feel like things only revolve around all this. I am an older person and want to go through a lot of Items as soon as I can !! Do you think the shot can hold off loosing the eye from being worse ? Its the Wet one, my other eye has Dry. I am living alone, so it could get crazy if it doesnt get better.. Thank you for your help, Hugs Vicki...
the injections have proven effective at slowing the progression of wet macular degeneration. Have you shared with your doctor how much discomfort you have after the injection? This article might be helpful to you as the community members share how they cope https://maculardegeneration.net/living/post-injection-coping
Warm wishes, Sharon Moore patient leaderI have a similar problem. I have wet AMD. I got the injections for a year. The post injection pain was agonizing for 12 to 18 hours post injection. I stopped the injections. My specialists told me it was the pre injection Betadine that was the cause. It is used to prevent infection. I asked them to stop using the Betadine, they refused citing that if the eye became infected I would probably lose the eye. There is a 3% chance of infection. I was willing to take a chance. They were not. I did more research, found out there was an alternative to betadine. It is called
Chlorhexcidone Gluconate. Unfortunately my doctor's clinic does not use it. I live in Southern Calif. The nearest Retina Specialist that does use it it located a 4 hr drive for me, in Fresno CA. I keep up my visits with my current specialist and he tells me that the bleeding in both eyes has stopped, about a year ago but slight leakage is noted in my right eye. I take multiple supplements directed to my eyes daily and if and when the bleeding returns I will have to make a decision. I'm 75 taking care of a disabled spouse. It will be difficult for me to do so but if it starts to bleed again I'll have to figure how to manage a 3-4 hour road trip to get injections. Ask your doctor if they have the alternative to the Betadine.
Or if he knows someone who does. I've endured a lot of pain in my life but NOTHING has compared to this.
Good luck.
My eye use to hurt after the shot too. Mostly scratchy and uncomfortable. I would do my shot at the end of the day so I can go to bed sooner. All the drops that numb the eye make it not blink. So you have to think about blinking on your own until it wears off. But as time went on, it got better. I also use to get big blood shot spots in my eyes. I have had three diff doctors shoot me. The doc I have now is amazing and that has never happened with him. I would change doc if you can. As for the different drug, didn't matter to me. I've had three different ones, all the same. Now I go and get both eyes shot on the same day. I get achy eyebrows for a day or two. I just rub them and they are fine, Keep going!! @Brown Eyed Girl No drops were ever suggested. However, my mom had to use the single serving drops after hers. I guess it all depends on the doctor.
I would suggest that you should try other options. I had little to no success with most medications injections over a decade but recently found that Vabysmo is working for me. My AMD is stable now after switching. Avastin is probably the oldest drug currently being used for your condition. I question the wisdom of going backward. Vabysmo is the newest and has characteristics that none of the others do not have.
I'm currently using the new one. I never remember the names. However, none of them are helping me only keeping me from getting worse. So after my last shot, I will go in just for eye scan in two weeks to see if there is any progress. Then back another two weeks for scan and shots. My DR will compare the scans that are two weeks apart. If there was a change at the two week mark, he will send me to San Francisco to get laser treatment which will supplement the shots. If there was no change in two weeks, then instead of coming in every 4 weeks, he is going to start spreading them to 5, 6, 7 etc. I really want the laser treatment because I want hope that things can get better. Not getting worse is often all we can hope for. I do hope you see some good results. Here’s a link to an excellent short article on the laser treatments you might find interesting: https://maculardegeneration.net/laser-surgery. Best wishes going forward, Cora Lyn, patient leader.
