eye problem on tx?

guys i have a chalazion in the lower lid of my right eye.  it has been slowly developnig for the past 3 months or so.  

but ever since i staretd treatment, it has increased in size.  it's barely noticable from the outside, but its almost 1 cm if u turn over the eyelid and look at the inside.  there is also a slight loss of eyelashes over the area, which makes me worried.

i showed it to a doctor, he said it was probably a benign chalazion.  i hope thats all it is.  

anybody else had chalazions on tx?

also, is it okay to put in steriod eye ointment? does it react with the interferon?

[Kalio1]

I use an eye drop that has a litle steroid in it and I was told it's fine, it's a tiny amount.
I get chalazions all the time, I know they are uncomforable and they do hurt a bit but they go away on their own, usually. They are scary when you see them! Sometimes I get 3 or 4 at a time. Lukily you can't see them unless I look inside my eyelid and pull it down. (The doc says don't do that, just leave it alone) Doc tells me don't worry, they go away on their own and don't fiddle with it. I follow his advice, they go away. Mine take a few weeks to subside. How is everything else going?
Hang in there, niceguy.

[Eisbein]

I had approx 250 chealazions (or call them styes) during my 2 years on tx. Mine were strictly on the lid, not inside.
I used to put a dab of steroid eye ointment on them, and next morning they had usually popped. Than I put some eye antibiotic ointment on the entire lid, and waited for the next one to appear. Sometimes I would get 2 or 3 at the same time.
I got so fed up, occasionally I put antibiotic ointment for month on end on all the lids. That helped somewhat, but not 100%.
Those suckers were painful as hell.
I am now 9 month off tx, and I still get them, but not as often. I would say I had about 50.

If you think I am kidding you with these high numbers, just ask Jim. He knows, because I used to complain to him about this problem.

Changing face towels and pillow cases every day is very important.
Also keep your eyes, and eye lids lubricated, as tx will dry out all your mucus membranes.
Dryness favors bacterial growth, and keep them eyes clean, but use a mild soap without perfumes.

Oh, I had none before tx, or maybe one every few years.

Ina

[Kalio1]

A stye is not the same thing as a chalazion.

"A chalazion, also known as a meibomian gland lipogranuloma, is a cyst in the eyelid that is caused by inflammation of the meibomian gland, usually on the upper eyelid. Chalazions differ from hordeolums in that they are usually painless apart from the tenderness caused when they swell up. A chalazion may eventually disappear on its own after a few months, though more often than not, some treatment is necessary."


"A stye (also spelled sty) or hordeolum is an inflammation of the sebaceous glands at the base of the eyelashes. They are harmless but can be very painful, and can become increasingly infected if it's both untreated and exposed to the outside air in general. They are generally caused by a Staphylococcus bacteria infection. They are particularly common in infants.
The stye may form on either the inside or the outside of the eyelid."

[Kalio1]

The ones I had were all on the inside of my eyelid. I guess it is more common to have them on the upper lid, butt mine were always on the lower lid.
They can be bothersome and the swelling causes some pain but try not to touch it, you don't want to get bacteria in it, it will go away eventually. Keep applying the ointment or drops as directed, that does help. They slowly go away. Having one for several months is not unusual. I was lucky mine went away in 3 or 4 weeks most of the time.
I had a few that hung on for months but they did eventually go away.
Hope other than the eye issue you are doing ok and tx isn't causing too many problems. You are up to shot 4 this week?

[niceguy2007]

oh but the doc said that i dont have eyelash loss so thats a relief.

should i get it excised or biopsied?

i also got increased dandruff since a month or so before treatment.  (the chalazion is now 3 months old, slowly getting bigger)

[niceguy2007]

its been slowly forming for 3 months and is not going away.  im very worried about it... i went to another hospital and the doctor said that he hardly saw a chalazion on the INSIDE of the eye...most are on the outside. but this statement kind of revealed the guy's inexperience i guess...

he also said that the conjunctival surface has strange papules on it that are inconsistent with chalazion.  tommorrow i'll see a more senior doc.

i have noticed that this has been exacerbated on interferon...do u guys think interferon has this effect?

[niceguy2007]

kalio,

otherwise the treatment isnt too bad.  but today i got a bad bitter taste in the mouth as i got up in the morning.  last night was shot 4.

bitter tastes are usually associated with hepatic dysfunction.

i've ingested 6 drops of ethanol per day for the last 3 days, using homeopathy for my chalazion. (since the medicine is alcohol preserved)

i think the alcohol drop evaporates rapidly when it hits my tongue, since i try to keep it there for some time.

therefore, it probably doesnt reach the stomach? or should i discontinue this homeopathy?

[FlGuy]

Good to hear that you are up to week 4 and things are going well. I can't imagine that 6 drops of ethanol is going to have an adverse affect. But, just becuase you leave it on your tongue doesn't mean it magically disappears. It will still be absorbed in your systems just like any other substance.  The alcohol (6 drops) will be processed by your body.

[FlGuy]

For many people on tx the sense of taste is altererd.  I don't think you can assume that it has anything to do with hepatic function, especially if you have minimal liver involvement in the first place.  May be those drops of pure grain alcohol that you leave on your tongue has something to do with it too.