desperately seeking encouragement...

Must have been - I've never asked my mother yet, maybe on Easter I'll bring it up.

'About those eggs, Ma...'

Victor, you do realize that you may be causing a few people to have a sudden identity crisis with this new scientific revelation, don't you??? LOL Whew.....I'm so secure that I am still a Cancer! It gets harder to change when you get "older".

You can still get older - you go girl!

Check the bio-rhythms to be sure!

Donnie,
I was trying every brand under the sun to get an eye liner to stay on and not smug, it was difficult to remove the liner at bedtime. Anytime you "work" too hard on the delicate area around my eyes you can "stretch" that skin. The way my eyelashes are short and nearly against my skin made mascara impossible, therefore eye liner was especially important.

When washing/ dealing with the eye area you should only use your ring finger since it is the weakest and will apply less pressure. Good make-up removers can still be hard on sensitive skin.

The area under my eyes have benefitted by the tattooing in that they are not longer subject to harash make up removal.
Pat
PS... and ya Victor... they do eyebrows, why not hair??? LOL... will be expensive!

Amy, just saw your thread. Now don't let those winter doldrums get you down. Seriously, I hate winter too. Big hugs and summer sunshine for you. Let us know if you need more encouragement. We care..
Elaine

OK - I can't stand it any longer - didn't that hurt like.....oh I just can't imagine someone poking a needle into my eyelid. I'd be arrested for assault & battery - did they administer anesthesia? Please, don't tell me you were AWAKE for this......that makes my toes curl!

Thanks for that info, Pat....Here I thought my baggy eyes are from this head cold! Maybe it's more of a makeup remover issue!! Oh Dear!

Oh, Al - I do hope I can still get a bit older! Do you think we ever think of ourselves as old? I don't feel much different inside from when I was way younger!

I'll wipe that one out for Amy.


This message was edited Jan 4, 2008 8:15 PM

Are there any plastic surgeons on board who will correct my baggy eyes for some good seeds? I don't even wear eye liner and now I'm thinking these bags may not be going away any time soon. Gulp....Does anyone know....Are puffy eyes a Cancer trait?

it's more of a "feel" the point...

Yes, I was awake. YES it hurt like crazy. Yes, they used local topical anesthetic but it was not any help. I am one of those people that sometimes don't get numb at the dentist either. For the 2nd eye they did injections... the injections hurt worse than the tattooing.

For a long time I said that I'd never do it again it hurt so bad. HOWEVER, I did do it a 2nd time several years later and I expect I will again at some future date. I passed on injections. Many people do not find it as painful as I did, the topical anesthetic is adequate.

Katye, you're so right. "Feel the point". . . hmmm, that's exactly the problem!

Can't they invent some sort of plastic surgery that works with no needles and no knives? I'm scared!

Is this how our plants feel when we approach them with pruning shears and cunning little saws that don't fool them one bit?

well, since plastic surgery is commonly used to resolve the results of gravity, i suppose we need to be upside down.

No - the plants like it because they can grow more. Just like hair.
la la la la la la la.................

Aries here, Glad it's not too serious and can be cured. I used to wear contacts but found glasses much more convenient, - go figure. ☺

glasses need anti-fog devices & miniature windshield wipers.

Seriously, I won't complain about having to wear glasses. My arms got too short to read, and I really like being able to see. Only need them for reading/weeding. That's one sense I don't want to lose.

those of you with no vision problems, feel free to skip!

i like the way i look in glasses - if they are nice, polite, normal glasses. my prescription is -11.5 (used to be -13 and few manufacturers even made contacts strong enough, but as i get older, my eye is flattening.) there is no equivalent of 20/? for this, it seems to only go up to 20/400 (somewhere around a -6.5) and then they go to a different scale. my glasses are the thinnest, smallest i could get to minimize distortion, but that only goes so far. so things at the bottom and sides of my field of vision warp - like a security mirror - thus falling up stairs. the distortion also makes me appear to have little piggy eyes and a bent head.

i am glad to hear Emily and Patti's lasik success stories! i used to dream of getting lasik - maybe getting vision of 20/40 or so - i could wear pretty glasses (like Patti!). But apparently they won't do it for people like me, because my retinas are stretched to put me at high risk for a retinal tear, and that is not the part that lasik fixes, and can make it harder to diagnose a tear if it would happen.

When i need reading glasses, i will absolutely wear contacts and reading glasses, Pat! Not to be nosy, but what is your correction? And how did you find out about your glaucoma? My dad had it, and i always have worried, but recently i heard it is genetic on the mother's side only. and - ouch - i have a tattoo on my neck, but on your eyelid!?! You out-toughed me, hands down!

Neither my DH nor I wear any correction lenses - just the el cheapo magnifiers.

To put your mind at rest, DH's glaucoma was treated in a less than five minute procedure last fall. They did one eye and then two weeks later they did the other eye.

Amy, one of the worst days of my life also happened to be one of the best days of my life - I just didn't know it at the time.

In 1987 I found out that I was pregnant with DD2 - I was all set to do an honours degree at UBC. That clearly did not happen - instead my education was interrupted and all I could think about was what-could-have-been. I was already 32 years old.

I didn't get back to it for three more years. By then, I could complete my degree in my home town, I became president of the student society, I flew on a jet plane for the first time in my life (paid for by the college I was attending), I met the professor who would eventually supervise my master's thesis and my doctorate degree, I was able to be a resident at Green college, I eventually got a job in Ma, found DG, and now I am planning a garden in a terrace that I did not know existed in 1987,

What will be my biggest accomplishment? I think in the end (not counting my daughters), it will be the terrace. The PhD made it possible for me to get here - but what will really make a difference in the world (or at least this little piece of the planet) is creating beauty where there was once neglect. So what is probably the most significant thing is not even started until I am 52.

Kant never did anything of significance until he was 55. I think it is better that way - who wants to spend their entire life being lauded for something they accomplished 25 years ago?

Regarding Lasic - I too cannot have this done to my eyes - went for the free exam and was told I was a "little out of their range" I asked how far - apparently I scored "12" and they would only do eyes up to level "9"!

That's the great thing about getting older - I prefer to wear my contacts too, but the glasses do a better job of hiding the laugh lines around my eyes!

I absolutely refuse to believe I am a Taurus. I have been a Gemini all my life and I refuse to change!

My correction is in the 6.5 range, I don't remember for sure. I get the little piggy eye look but not as bad with the newer thinner glasses. I have severe stigmatism and near- sighted, and because of the degree of correction it affected my close vision as well. I can take OFF my glasses and read something within 6 inches of my face, I could not have done that with my contacts.

The Glaucoma was caught in routinue eye exams. There are two kinds of glaucoma, I have to use drops daily to keep the pressure under control.

I guess the same kind of motivation that got me to use contacts at 13 is what motivated me to endure the eye tattooing! I have NO desire to have "decorative" tattooing, I only did eye liner tattooing because it looked like my only viable way to continue wear ANY eye makeup!

The only thing good about wearing glasses when they are that thick, is it makes your feet seem so small. Of course, I fell down a few times before getting use to them after wearing contacts.

I hope they come up with a surgery soon that would work for you too. My first request was denied, but when I went to Mass Gen. Eye/Ear a few years later and they could now do my eyes. It had to do with my astigmatism. It took most of a day of testing to be sure. I was so happy that it could be done. But my eyes don't sound as bad as yours.

No Glaucoma in my family, but one of my bookstore managers had it diagonised in a routine eye exam in VT. He had a rough time as he has a heart condition and the Glaucoma Dr gave him a counter-indicative prescription, so I ended up rushing him to the ER a couple times before the regular Eye Dr told the specialist what was going on with the heart medication. The Heart Dr didn't catch it either. But he is fine now.

No eye makeup for me since I was in college. It always made my eyes goopy and red, plus I am too lazy to primp and it doesn't seem to help either. Long live the piggy eyed people. Patti of that clan

hahahaha
☺

Awwwwww but tattooing eliminated the goopy, smugged, red eye look!!! Crying does not mean an ugly river of mud! Yep, glad I did it. The pain was BAD but temporary and the benefits long lived! LOL

BTW, when my oldest son saw me the first day, at home with ice packs on my face, he asked what happened. When I told him he laughed and said, "You knew they were going to put needles in your eyelid and you didn't think it would hurt???" LOL.. I still laugh when I think of it! I had too great of faith in the power of the anesthetic!! (I knew better when I went years later and had it done the 2nd time!)

NO! you didn't! You must be a looker to go to all that pain. PPE

Have to weigh in about the glasses thing. I have worn glasses since I was very young and the appearance has never bothered me. It does get annoying in extreme heat when they slide down or in the cold when they briefly fog up. There is something that none of you has considered though, they also serve as eye protectors. When I was a pet groomer several years ago an unhappy cat swiped claws across them hard enough to leave grooves in the plastic lenses. I was so thankful I had them. I might have lost my vision otherwise. I have also had small tree limbs hit them in the garden if I am working out there and am also thankful in those cases that the glasses prevented me from getting scratched.

i am always astonished when strangers ask me, "Did your tattoo hurt?"
um, duh.

but most things that are worthwhile hurt in some way or other...

I don't know what PPE means and I am NO looker at all!!! EXTREMELY overweight and growing older (52) by the minute! Gray haired to boot! My eyes were the only thing I have ever really felt good about my appearance.

Patti Piggie Eye and you can be PPE2. I've got 10 years on you, but I am still a blond, a dirty blond in the winter, and not out of a bottle. I can't figure that one out, no grey, but my eyes need according to the eye Dr to have surgery to get my totally drooping lids lifted. I know they block some of my vision and look awful and collect junk, but I can't see doing it. PPE aka Patti

BTW, thank you for the encouragement Michaela. Harry Chapin is one of my heroes, and i used to tell myself - well, he didn't get himself together until he was about 30 - and look what he accomplished - and he only made it to 38.
But now i am 36, and still not together, and that story doesn't help as much as it used to. Thanks for the reminder that one never knows what tomorrow will hold - and that i'm not quite out of time yet...
☺

I did OK until I was 36 then my life started. You go girl. Patti

Exactly! Who says you have to have it all figured out before you're 55 (that gives me 3 more years!)

I am convinced that life for women really begins after 40. so hang in there, Amy! Life gets better!

I totally agree that life for women is much better after 40, then 50....I'll let you know about the 60s when I've had a bit more experience in this decade. ... When I went to law school I was ten years older than everyone else, but there were some advantages to that. The more you live, the more you seem to get it. I don't think that there is a "right time" to accomplish things. When you want it, you find a way to get it, and then it is the right time. You'll be fine, Amy. This I can tell.

Amy:

It wasn't until I was 55 that I finally 'discovered' my life's work. Up until then, I was trying to do other people's work.

Now, while I mourn the passing of time, I embrace the newness of each day!

Life isn't a destination, it's a process!! I know a lot of people never get to a fully satisfied point in their lives. We keep growing and changing all the time. I don't know what I want to be when i grow up and I don't even know if I will ever grow up!! Right now my grandson needs me and who knows what I'll be doing in 5 years or 10 years - just hope I'm alive to do something!! I've found that when one door closes if you look for the open door it's usually there. If depression is a problem it can close a lot of those open doors but there are ways to effectively treat the illness (medication is the only way I can tolerate my MIL, my DD#2, and even my DH - doctor suggested it when I was on a roller coaster ride with DD#2 and anorexia, a terminal parent and brother) It actually helps me deal with all of the problems they present without falling apart. Eleanor
p.s. - good topic for discussion and I hope some fo the ideas and support have helped you Amy.

You made some GREAT points Eleanor. Antidepressants are sometimes necessary but never count on meds alone to substitute for counseling. The best LONG term success for depression is meds with counseling.

While I am on the subject of counseling, don't assume you can't afford it. There are clinics available wtih sliding fees and some that are completely free. Look for colleges and universities that offer a masters in psychology or counseling, they likely have a supervised clinic or can advise you where to find affordable counseling.

(Folding soapbox and slinking back into corner) ~ Pat

Hi All,

Just been catching up on the posts. One upside to -11 prescriptions and age.

I am in the coke bottle glasses category but also laid out the bucks for the expensive thinner lens and it greatly improved my self esteem. The teasing when young holds an unnatural life long power over you sometimes. I have always been thankful despite all the psychological buzz that at least I could see. Many can't.

Plus, I discovered only a few years ago that is you find a really good optical shop (usualy NOT in the malls!) you can get changes in your prescription or glasses and if they are adjusted correctly, no swimming and dizziness occurs.

Now - to the age thing. I am only 48 but just found out I have cataracts. Bummer! The up side? When they fix the cataracts they can put in corrective lens and wah-la! You are fixed. Well, really, you might need some slight correction with glasses....I look forward to being able to see a clock from the bed and racoons in the night (another post :) ).

Interesting thing - it is possible that taking Accutane could have caused my cataracts at such an early age - the following is listed as a side affect:
?corneal opacities (see WARNINGS: Corneal Opacities), decreased night vision which may persist (see WARNINGS: Decreased Night Vision), cataracts, color vision disorder, conjunctivitis, dry eyes, eyelid inflammation, keratitis, optic neuritis, photophobia, visual disturbances "(http://www.rxlist.com/cgi/generic/isotret_ad.htm) (sorry - am new, haven't read how to make hyperlinks yet).

And to leave you all with a thought (source: Paradoxical Commandments, by Kent M. Keith, paraphrased by Mother Teresa). Sometimes when people seem less than nice and the world seems in chaos - this picks me up and reminds me of a higher goal and purpose:

• People are often unreasonable, illogical, and self-centered…Forgive them anyway.

• If you are kind, people may accuse you of selfish, ulterior motives…Be kind anyway.

• If you are honest and frank, people may cheat you…Be honest and frank anyway.

• The good you do today, people will often forget tomorrow…Do good anyway.

• People really need help but may attack you if you try to help...Help people anyway.

• You see, in the final analysis, it is between you and God…It was never between you and them anyway.

Cathy

Thank for sharing that Cathy, I really agree with that "thought".

Certainly looks like your cataracts could have been influnced by the use of Accutane. One of my sons was on that med, there are times when you have to weigh the risks. He had such horrible cystic acne on his chest and back he could not sleep comfortably (not to mention what his poor face looked like). The med cleared his face and body completely and years later, he still has beautiful skin, no scars.

I found an alarm clock with BIG red glowing numbers, that if close enough, I can see without my glasses. I read your post about the Raccoon. No way in h*** I would get up to check on the pets without my glasses! You are brave or crazy woman! LOL

I got grief from tons of people when I moved my new born into our bed after the first night, because I couldn't find him with out my contacts on safely. It was down right dangerous to move him from a crib to our bed to nurse in the night. That first night, I knocked an old heavy alarm clock into the crib when I bumped into the table to turn on the light next to the crib. It hit him, but he was OK. That did it. It worked out great. I loved the family bed. Patti