Hi everyone, I have a couple of questions that members might help me with.
Bifocal glasses. My eyesight has been getting worse and I went to get an eye test last week and I was given bifocal glasses. I am finding it difficult to get used to them. I have trouble with balance anyway and these glasses seem to be making things worse. Does anyone else have bifocsl lenses and what are your experiiences.
Posture. I have been getting back pain when I stand for a while. I went to the gym this morning for my usual exercises and asked the instructor if I was doing anything to make my back hurt. He said no but he noticed thst my posture was out of line. Is this a fibro related problem or something else.
I seem to be getting quite a few health problems and I keep saying that it is fibro related. It cant always be the case, or is it.
Please give advise.
David
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Golfer15
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Hi Golfer- I tried bifocals and couldn.t adjust to them especially climbing or descending stairs, I lost my footing many time, I seemed to develop looking underneath the frames as the bifocal wasn.t helping so I abandoned that idea.. Your back pain- I get lots and I.m sure its posture and referred pain, I go to hydrotherapy with a stretching programme given to me by physio, it is a HOT pool, my rib cage ache a lot and that is lunging forward-a habit I am trying to stop, I use a warm water bottle sat at the pc and a specially made cushion for coccyx pain (currently under investigation) the water bottle is behind my lower back or sometimes I lean on it further up (helps stop the lunging) Its all hard to accommodate different pain but never ignore it always tell doc as we fibro sufferers tend to ignore pain that we associate with Fibro and it might not be! For correcting posture my physio advised me to stand back against the wall feet against the wall and stand up straight making rib cage and back of head touch the wall too, this help neck pain, rib pain, and lower back. Hope this all helps..
I used to find that a chiropractor helped me. I still go now and then but found that due to my pain levels I couldn't manage the chiropractor. It was such a relief tho.
The optician I used to go to for years before I moved away always said that my eyes changed between the winter and summer not big changes but there was always a change. It might be worth discussing with your optician.
I wear varifocals and have no issues with them. However, I do find you really have to use an optician that know what they are doing when it comes to varifocals, and I guess that must include bifocals. My eyes have deteriorated quite a bit over recent years but I guess that could also be partly down to age.
If yours are making your balance right then either your prescription is wrong or the lenses don't match the prescription, but either way something is wrong with them. I can only suggest you go back to your optician and explain the issue. A good optician will do everything they can to make them work for you. If not I would suggest finding a better optician, in my opinion.
Yes posture will affect your back pain quite a lot. Lack of exercise, the wrong sort of exercise, too much exercise, not doing enough, doing too much, lying down too much, sat too much, hunched over a computer too much. All things that can cause pain, especially if the muscles that should support you are weak. Sadly that can be a problem with living with any chronic illness when we are unable to do normal daily tasks.
And no, such things aren't always down to Fibro or ME. Whenever we develop new symptoms we need to be careful not to always put them down to whatever our ongoing issues are. Might be, might not be but always best to find out for sure.
Do you keep a list of your symptoms as they develop, do you have new ones you could go to the doctor about. Of course it might also depend on what attitude your GP takes as well. Do they tend to just fob things off as "oh it's just your xxxx"? If as you say you have quite a few then personally I would recommend you take that list to your GP. I know it can be quite depressing if we are forever at the surgery but if it turns out to be something that can be addressed and corrected then it could be worth it.
Hi David it seems eyesight problems often go with fibro. Had mine tested last week and in 3 years just a half point change which supposedly is good so the tiredness and blurred vision is fibro related. She said drinking enough fluids is essential and also drops can help.
I have a pair of reading glasses and then varifocals for say going to the shops. With bifocals it can take up to about a month to get used to them according to what I have heard and several people thought they were fantastic and others preferred varifocals but steps seem to be the bug bear with both of them so you always need to be extra careful.
As Hidden says hydrotherapy as the water takes the weight off joints can be beneficial with exercise. I was referred for 6 sessions by an NHS physio. Dr posture I believe the Alexander technique is excellent although I haven't tried it myself.x
When my husband started wearing varifocals he took a while to learn the places which helped him see the best. He did start off feeling slightly "sea sick" and it took a week or more to get used to it.
The more I learn about fibro the more I am amazed at the different symptoms and difficulties people face. I also have back ache and although I know most of it is arthritis related I do get back spasms which are excruciating and affect my posture as I try to find the most comfortable stance.
I don't know whether you could say for definite yours is fibro or another condition entirely, perhaps that is something you need to take advice about from a physio or GP.
Thank you for all your replies. I have been out this afternoon volunteering at a community cafe. My back aches now having stood for a while, I kept sitting down when I could. I will try the heat pad that caz-54 suggested.
I will persevere with the glasses as people have said it could a few weeks to get used to them.
I think I will make a GP appointment next week as some symptoms have changed and I like to see him every few months. He is very understanding and knows about fibro.
Take care everyone. This is such a helpful group.
David
It took quite a while to get used to mine and i spent more time looking over the top or underneath. As well as the problems with stairs and balance i found shopping a pain, i just couldnt focus on the prices.
now they no longer bother me but thanks to fibro i find that when i am tired i can see best without them than with them so i still look over the top.
I am so genuinely sorry to read that you are enduring back pain, there is little worse! I was wondering if you have actual physiotherapy on the NHS for your Fibro? As it may be useful to talk to a physio about posture exercises? They usually know if you have a 'gait' when you walk if your posture is off?
As for the glass I could never get use to them so I have two different pairs for reading and watching the TV. Good luck my friend.
Hallo Golfer. I have had bifocals for many years now. When my prescription needs changing the optician's assistants always measure me from eye to cheekbone to get the placement right. However, I do know that some people can't adjust to them. If it really becomes too much of a problem go back to the optician and explain the reason. They will most likely be able to find an alternative. Good luck, and I hope you get everything sorted.
With bifocals it's very important that they sit correctly on your face. I had to go back to the optician with my first pair and have them re-adjusted. Once that was done I felt fine, before that I felt decidedly off balance.
I use a chiropractor for my back problems, my pelvis has a tendency to twist slightly, and that throws everything else out. Usually I just go four times a year, unless I find something is causing pain in between my maintenance visits. I had a fall in the garden several weeks ago, and that made everything worse.
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