Monday Musings: Eyes, Handbags, and Outfits
Our weekend was stormy, wet, and cold! I dragged myself to the gym on Saturday and found it easier to do because I was wearing one of my new workout outfits. Some may find it shallow that a new outfit helped motivate me to strap on my sneakers and drive to the gym, but it did, and I’m OK with that. We all need to do what helps us feel good about ourselves and take the best care of ourselves we can.
My ocular rosacea has been on my mind a lot lately because its latest flare-up is not improving with the eye doctor’s latest plan of attack. I’m using my heated eye pad nightly, washing my eyes with special lid wipes, using preservative-free eye drops, adding flax seed to my diet, etc., etc…but they still burn, I feel like I have gravel in them, and they’re very red. I know there are other protocols to try because I’ve been reading government research studies on other successful treatments. I’m going to check in with him today to ask about some of these other treatments and see what else we can do.
I’m one of those people who does a lot of reading and Googling on subjects rather that blindly (bad pun) taking the advice of a doctor. This probably saved my life many years ago when my melanoma went undiagnosed by several dermatologists. I’m sure it drives some of my doctors crazy, and I’m fine with that. Obviously, there’s a lot I will never know or understand about medical conditions, which I do leave to my doctors. Ocular rosacea isn’t one of them because the literature is huge on the subject.
Here are a few outfits I wore last week.
I wore this for a trip to the eye doctor, followed by a trip to Nordstrom. I’m glad I snapped up this Loft single-breasted trench coat last year because double-breasted options seem more prevalent. I prefer the simplicity of single-breasted styles for many reasons, not the least of which, they look as good open or closed. I found a few similar ones here and here. My turtleneck and pants appear black in this photo, but they’re charcoal which is one of my new favorite neutrals. The snake print booties are several years old by Dr. Scholls and are super comfy. I found similar ones here and here. My shoulder bag was a gift to myself at a duty-free shop on the way home from my trip to Japan with my daughter several years ago. It’s a splurge, but its camera bag shape holds a lot, yet it is very compact. There are lots of less expensive options here, here, and here.
I ran a ton of errands this day, and it was raining cats and dogs. The lighting is not good here, but I am wearing black jeans :). I’ve got a post coming up on some of my favorite brands of jeans, and this is one of them. Many upscale jeans are not meant to go in the dryer, but mine inevitably do, so they need to hold up, and these Mother jeans have. I’ve ruined two pairs of Paige jeans by unintentionally running them through the dryer. I’ve decided to save myself heartbreak by only buying jeans that will hold up to my laundry preferences. The sweater and booties are burgundy, and the shirt is black with ivory animal print. The sweater is sold out, but I found similar ones here and here. My Munro booties are super comfy and great in the rain, which is just what I need for this time of year.
Here I am sporting my new best friend…a wrist brace to try to stop my De Quervains Tenosynovitis in its tracks. Imobolizing my thumb and wrist for 4-6 weeks is our current protocol to, hopefully, calm down the inflammation and prevent the need for surgery. This day I was handbag shopping and met my shopping pal for coffee. I’m wearing a black Vince cashmere sweater that I got during the Black Friday sale. Yes, Vince cashmere is softer and worth the price. I also love and wear the heck out of my Quince $50 cashmere, and my Nordstrom brand cashmere. I am an equal-opportunity cashmere lover :). I’m wearing it with these comfy Spanx pull-on pants and my Birdies flats.
I have this Kate Spade bag in colored block neutrals of black, taupe, and cream, and I love how versatile it is. I’m not sure I want the same bag again just in a different color. I am looking for a smaller wallet, but I’m still unsure how useful a tiny bag would be for me, so my hunt continues.
I worked from home this day, then went to a crab feed in the evening. I wore an indigo-colored cotton sweater and slim pants from Talbots, along with my new woven Birdies. Our weather has been so wet and nasty that I haven’t been able to wear them outside, but they’re nicely broken in from wearing at home. They actually didn’t need much breaking in (10 minutes) because the woven leather has some give over my bunion, so they’re really comfy. I debated over the colors of these shoes and am glad I went with this two-tone blue which will go with so much this spring.
This has been a rather rambling post, but I do see a theme 🙂 The few extra pounds I’m sporting have me feeling more comfortable in pants with stretch, and I’m reaching for a column of color more often than not.
Do you have dry eyes? How do you treat yours?
To echo Carol,…. thanks for sharing your trials, health issues and fashion tips. We can sometimes feel like we’re the only one suffering with _____ (insert issue)
It helps to hear other therapies to try, tests to request and just hearing from kindred souls.
Thanks Jennifer
I’m so glad we can all share here.
Jennifer, check out this website:
Peepclub.co.Uk
Their eye wand uses a high frequency vibration and has a small red light/heat source that may help your Meibomian Gland, soften, releasing the oils the eye requires. This device is made to treat dry eye with an additional benefit of treating facial fine lines. I have one and use it for both purposes. Very easy to recharge with a usb provided cord.
WOW! It sounds great! Checking it out now. Thank you.
Just adding to the other suggestions for dry eyes. I’m on 2000 mg of Omega 3 daily. Also my eye wipes contain tea tree.
There’s a Facebook group for Dry Eyes. You might find some more suggestions there.
I’ve just upped my Omega 3 but maybe I need to go higher. I also ordered a different brand of the tea tree wipes. Thank you so much for sharing!
New medication when I have a dry eye flare up – Eysuvis. It’s a steroid eye drop. Used it for two weeks per instructions and it worked very well. I also am using Refresh Celluvisic Eye Lubricant Gel three times per day in addition to Restasis twice a day. I set reminders on my phone to make sure I remember. The new medication really took care of the flare up and regular eye drops has really improved my eyes for the winter. During the summer I will continue the regimen but use eye drops that aren’t gel. The Eysuvis is very new according to my physician. Only one pharmacy in a 100 mile radius carried it but I live in a rural area.
I will ask my Dr about it. Your program sounds extensive, but that’s what it takes! Thanks for sharing with us.
My favorite jeans are Wit & Wisdom sold at Nordstrom. They are stretchy and do very well in the dryer. I have 3 pairs and they are so comfortable and priced well. They are usually on sale during their sales and run about $45-$50.
Hi Jennifer, I have meilombia gland disorder too. The last year
I’ve had IPL treatments (intermittent pulsed light) which warms up the glands and gets the oils moving. I’ve also had the glands probed twice and that made a difference with IPL every 6 months. Still use the Bruder hot pack everyday, scrub my lids with Blephagel and use corticosteroid drops. All this helps.
Pat
I’ve been reading about the IPL. I’m going to ask my Dr. He’s emptied mine every 6 months for a while but it’s such a temporary fix.
I had De Quervain’s some years ago. The brace didn’t work for me. I hated wearing it, and also found it a nuisance, taking on and off to wash hands, and worried that it was germ-ridden. Anyway, I finally had the surgery and now I wonder why I was so determined to avoid it. The surgery was simple, and recovery was pretty quick. Fortunately, mine was my non-dominant hand, so I am sure that helped. And my hand surgeon was known in physician circles as being the foremost expert in this area. But, if my experience is typical, I can say don’t fear the surgery.
Serious dry eye here – my dr decided to do a lot of things at once in an effort to get some relief, with the understanding that we would then take things away one at a time to find out what really worked. So, we started with:
. Azithromycin – for one week
. Omega 3 fish oil – 2,000 mg daily for one month, then 1,000 mg daily
. Autologous serum tears – one drop each day BID
. Tyrvaya nasal spray BID (stimulates the trigeminal nerve to activate tear film)
. Cequa eye drops BID
. TranquilEyes Lid Scrub
. Warm compresses – 2/day for one month, then 2-3x/week
. Punctal plugs
. IPL laser treatment around eyes
This was a LOT in the beginning, with the hardest part being having to wait 15 minutes between eyedrops. But I did get better and we are now beginning to take things away to see what the actual winners are! This is just my journey, so hope there might be a tidbit or two that might help you!! 🙂
I too, Jennifer had dry eye and my eye doctor told me about washing my eyes white a drop of Baby shampoo mix with Little warm water morning and night with a q-tip along my upper lash and bottom lash area.
I tried it and it worked.
My doctor also told me to use gel drops when my eyes are irritated like G-Teal gel drops.
Also, I read to use Vaseline under and just below the brow instead of cream eye cream. Surprisingly, it has made a big difference. No more dry eye. Who! knew! 😊
Sorry, wrong name for gel drops. It is Gen-Teal gel drops.
Cashmere and even merino wool cause itching and a rash on my very fair skin. I have to wear synthetic tops that I can wash in the washing machine and dry in the dryer or hang to dry. I have found cotton tees in summer and even winter with long sleeves. I bought several loose long tops from Deuyo that wash well and are very soft. I wear leggings with them as my hour glass is turning into an apple! At 78 and with foot pain from peripheral neuropathy, I wear Merrill shoes all the time. I have plugs and use Systane Eye drops for dry eye. Love your look!
Oasis eye drops. Absolutely NO preservatives. Most soothing relief!
Every other type drops and lid wash etc irritates my eyes even more. No help at all.
Oasis comes regular and overnight which has a bit of. glycerin. Wonderful
for sleep hours. Don’t mix up the formulas! Reading or driving not happening after the night drops go in. Trust me on that one. Both are amazing help for soothing dry red eyes.
Buy them online only from company and pay shipping. Or, find a local optometrist that sells from office.
Since zero preservatives, cannot by law be sold OTC like other drops. Requires physician or some degree oversight but not a prescription.
Plain sterile saline moisture and each vial good for 24 hours. Vial can be resealed between applications. Easy. I’m never without it especially in winter months and it makes all the difference. No more dry eyes irritation!
I have switched to preservative-free drops because I use them so often! I have a feeling there’s a story about the nighttime eye drops 🙂
Jennifer you have a great attitude about your health issues, I love that you take charge by researching your symptoms. If a doc doesn’t like it, another one will appreciate having an educated patient. I had rosacea for years but seem to have grown out of it in my 50’s. My eye doc told me that it can also effect my eyes, which were always itchy but not red. I take fish oil and flax oil and an antihistamine (zirtek), also use Alaway antihistamine eye drops during the day and Systane lubricating drops at night. Seems like a lot but it is just part of my routine. I don’t have to use anything special to wash, my Bobbi Brown oil wash does just fine. They still can feel itchy and dry at times, then I just wash them and use more Alaway and systane. I love the kick-hem Mother pants, but typically wear petites. Would you mind sharing the size you bought so I can compare? Our Nordi’s closed several years ago so I’d be ordering on line. Congrats on getting to the gym in your new workout clothes!
I’m wearing a 29 in the Mother’s. This whole dry eye issue is certainly complicated. I do so much for them!!
Hi Jennifer,
? On your birdies ….the sizing true to size or did you size up on the flats? The slides true to size also. Enjoy your posts!
I usually wear a 9 or 9 1/2. In Birdies, I am a nine in both the slide and the slip ons.
When you post about different styles of jeans and how they fit, please post pictures of where they hit. Low rise, mid rise, high rise, what do they look like when worn? I have enough trouble figuring out skinny vs slim vs boyfriend vs girlfriend vs whatever. Thanks. P.S. I really enjoy your blog.
After a nasty inflammation (ms related) and months of steroid treatment, It’s finally settled down. It’s apparently a condition that can flare up again and many people never get over it. I’ve had cataract surgery on both eyes and early stage macular degeneration. Today I take PreserVision eye vitamins and use the systane drops several times a day. I am going to try the baby shampoo that several ladies mentioned. How smart is that idea!
Love it when there is a simple solution that works!
If a new outfit motivates you to go to the gym, then I’m with you.
And yes, I would probably be that lady you see that put a bit of makeup on too before heading out to exercise. That’s just the way I roll!
Hope the brace helps! Stay strong!
I have had great success dealing w my dry eyes w tear duct plugs. They are easily inserted in your lower tear ducts by an opthalmologist. You should not feel them at all by day two. In fact they can work out of the tear ducts and you might not notice that unless you eye seems dry again. Every eye appointment I be sure to to have the opthalmologist check that they are still in place.
I tried those too. They wouldn’t stay in and sadly, didn’t improve my symptoms very much. I’m glad they’re working for you.
Looks like dry red eyes are a common complaint. I too have used the medi-bead eye mask and baby shampoo. I still have symptoms probably because I am on the computer more than I should. I keep baby shampoo in my hand soap container to use every day. It does a good job taking off makeup too. When all else fails I found these great eye drops Lumify that take the red away. Check with your doctor but they work for me.
I love, love, love the cashmere sweater jeans or Ponte looks. Simple and classic I wear them almost every day during this cold and very wet here in California winter. I haven’t bought any yet but the Birdies look great and comfortable too. Have fun exercising in your cute outfits!
My dry eyes are not so bad since I gave up my contacts. I do have the oil gland problem, and can get styes on the bottom eyelid.
I had to stop using eye cleansing pads because they burned and irritated my eyes, as they were too rough . I now use OcuSoft foam, which is gentle. I found it on Amazon.
I usually go to the gym a couple of times a week , it keeps my weight down. I was in the neighborhood for now. I have not been since I got covid in December, I am hesitant to go again since covid is so contagious, and not a mild case at all. I was down for 3 weeks. I had all the shots and boosters. Covid took me by surprise. Be careful ladies.
Covid knocked me out for weeks! I can’t remember being so sick and I’d had all the shots too. I never want it again!
I’m doing much better with dry eyes using plasma eye drops. It requires a blood draw and compounding by the pharmacist. A bit pricey though, not covered by insurance.
I just read about that last night!!
Well I’m not sure about the dry eyes, but I’ve had both wrists done surgically for De Quervains Tenosynovitis. Previously tried braces and cortisone with no permanent solution. I would rather opt for non-surgical methods any day but in my case it was the best thing to do. Recovery was easy, and after a year the small scar is barely noticeable. Good luck to you!
Thank you. I hope I don’t have to but I may.
I had the same experience as Teresa – tried the brace and anti-inflammatories for months but no permanent relief so I finally opted for the surgery. It is a relatively common and easy surgery – local anesthesia, a quick snip of the tendon (took about five minutes), and a very quick recovery with no complications. Like Teresa, only a barely visible scar now and no pain whatsoever any more. I too would usually never opt for surgery (this was actually the first surgery I have had in decades, other than having my tonsils removed when I was very young and then wisdom teeth removed when in my 20s), but if you have been suffering with this pain for a long time you really should consider the surgery. Take care!
I didn’t realize it was such a small surgery. I know they’re all serious, but local anesthetic definitely appeals to me over a general.
Love the blue bags! In terms of washing and drying denim, I own both Paige and Mother jeans and dry all of them in the dryer, every time. Never had a problem and they last for years.
I love my Paige but I didn’t have as good of luck as you had with the dryer. Mine say lay flat on the care tag. Does yours?