MRI --> Grave's Eye Disease

This morning I had my first ever (and hopefully my last) MRI. It was not very fun. Thankfully it went pretty quick...I was probably only in the tube 15-20 minutes. But the fact that I had to sit perfectly still or else the pictures would be blurry was tough for me because I am a fidgeter. And he kept talking about how I couldn’t move, and asking if I am okay and it’s like “Okay just get on with it!” because otherwise I kept thinking about not being able to move, which made me want to move even more, hahaha! I don’t know what the point of turning music on is because you can’t really even hear it. The sounds were very loud and irritating, but I just kept going over my weekly to-do-list in my head to keep my mind off what was going on. Kevin came in at the beginning to see the machine and learn about the magnetic field and what I had to do, and then waited for me in the lobby. He is such a trooper being by my side through all this!! I just love him :)  :)  In the end, I guess the MRI wasn’t that bad. Just glad its over and done with.

Turns out, it is good news and bad news...my optometrist just informed me that it is only 1 of the 6 muscles around my eye that is swollen, the "inferior rectus", and yes-caused by my Grave's antibodies. When its swollen, the muscle wont release, which is causing my eyelid to stay retracted back and I have double vision when I look up. He now wants to me to also do the "visual field test" to make sure the optic nerve is fine. Which he thinks it is (since only 1 muscle is swollen), but wants the test to be done in case it ever gets worse (6 months or 5 years from now), that way he has a baseline to compare it to. He then explained that the swelling should go down on its own over time, but might not until I am done being pregnant. And he doesnt want to prescribe me steriod inflamation drops to fix the swelling because I am pregnant...but that is something I can talk over with my OB Dr, and if she okays them, then I can go that route. For now he says to just take Tylenol for the pain, and I am also a bit near sided in that right eye (which was noted back in 2007, so seperte to this disease) so he is writing me a precription for glasses if I want to fix my vision - which I do, but that still wont fix the swollen, bulging, double vision until the antibodies subside, which might not be til May!!

I am actually beginning to feel a bit better about it all...finally knowing what it is. At least its not a tumor and I am not going to lose my vision, and its not afffecting the baby. I did call my OB nurse line, and I will probably try the steriod eye drops, as I guess the placenta filters the steriods. I am just tired of all this crap and want to move on... I have to remember, God never promised anyone perfect health, and so I guess I could have it a lot worse.

Dont judge my crazy fly-aways or bushy eyebrows :)  I know this is a very unattractive pic...but you can see where its swollen and how the eyelid is retracted, making me look like I'm widening one eye, but I am not. Its stuck like that :(  Sexy, I know, right!?