Thought I'd update this blog for a change.
I've probably mentioned some of this before, but I'll give a short synopsis of recent health-related goings on to get everyone caught up. My treatment drug (Vemrufenib) causes, as a side effect, an eye inflammation issue called uveitis that can only be treated with prednosolone eye drops. The prednosolone cause a couple side effects of it's own. It increases my eye pressure, necessitating another two prescription eye drops to keep it in check (combigan and xalatan). The prednosolone also causes cataracts. I've been developing the cataracts over the last several months or so and they've been getting pretty bad. I'm told that when someone naturally gets cataracts, they develop slowly over the course of several years before needing to be removed. In cases where they are being caused by medication (like prednosolone), the cataracts grow much, much faster.
Cataract surgery is quite common, and very easy, mostly taking a short 30 procedure. My situation is a little more complicated due to the uveitis, but they can still remove the cataracts and give me a new lens. It's going to be two small surgeries on each eye, today is the first of these.
The good news is that the new lens isn't going to be susceptible to cataracts at all. This is really quite an important detail, if I was just going to develop cataracts again, then have another eye surgery, then develop more cataracts, etc., how many of these cycles would my eyes sustain? Would the constant recurrence of cataracts (coupled with the resulting need for more eye surgery) cause me to cease taking Vemurafenib even though it's being effective as a cancer treatment drug? It would be a super shame if I had to choose between potential blindness, or switching treatment drugs, not knowing what would be waiting for me with another treatment modality.
Luckily this isn't going to be the case, because the new eye lenses don't get cataracts :)
In other news, it looks like my potential art show might happen a little sooner then I thought. My dad's high school chum (and owner of the coffee shop "Espresso Vivace") has, more or less, extended an invitation to hang my shit on the walls of his location on Broadway. Could be as soon as a month. I'll definitely make some sort of facebook enabled announcement once it get's a little more solidified.
I've probably mentioned some of this before, but I'll give a short synopsis of recent health-related goings on to get everyone caught up. My treatment drug (Vemrufenib) causes, as a side effect, an eye inflammation issue called uveitis that can only be treated with prednosolone eye drops. The prednosolone cause a couple side effects of it's own. It increases my eye pressure, necessitating another two prescription eye drops to keep it in check (combigan and xalatan). The prednosolone also causes cataracts. I've been developing the cataracts over the last several months or so and they've been getting pretty bad. I'm told that when someone naturally gets cataracts, they develop slowly over the course of several years before needing to be removed. In cases where they are being caused by medication (like prednosolone), the cataracts grow much, much faster.
Cataract surgery is quite common, and very easy, mostly taking a short 30 procedure. My situation is a little more complicated due to the uveitis, but they can still remove the cataracts and give me a new lens. It's going to be two small surgeries on each eye, today is the first of these.
The good news is that the new lens isn't going to be susceptible to cataracts at all. This is really quite an important detail, if I was just going to develop cataracts again, then have another eye surgery, then develop more cataracts, etc., how many of these cycles would my eyes sustain? Would the constant recurrence of cataracts (coupled with the resulting need for more eye surgery) cause me to cease taking Vemurafenib even though it's being effective as a cancer treatment drug? It would be a super shame if I had to choose between potential blindness, or switching treatment drugs, not knowing what would be waiting for me with another treatment modality.
Luckily this isn't going to be the case, because the new eye lenses don't get cataracts :)
In other news, it looks like my potential art show might happen a little sooner then I thought. My dad's high school chum (and owner of the coffee shop "Espresso Vivace") has, more or less, extended an invitation to hang my shit on the walls of his location on Broadway. Could be as soon as a month. I'll definitely make some sort of facebook enabled announcement once it get's a little more solidified.