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Feelings of skin being sunburned? Itchy eyes w/PMR?

Posted , 7 users are following.

theresarok
theresarok

Frequently towards evening I have sensation of sunburn on my lower legs and ankles and tight skin.  Also have trouble with dry itchy eyes along lash edges. Has any of you experienced these as symptoms with PMR?

1 like, 10 replies

10 Replies

  • EileenH
    EileenH theresarok

    Posted

    In the earlier days of PMR I found my lower legs and feet would feel as if they had been blown up like a balloon under certain conditions - heat and if I'd been travelling being the most obvious. I used to lie on the bed with my legs up the wall and cold was a delight.

    The itchy eyes is quite common I think and I have it a lot of the time. It was bad last week and I consciously used the liposome spray stuff I bought for dry eyes - it really helps! Trouble is, I keep forgetting! Dry eyes is very common with many autoimmune disorders. Get some artificial tears of some sort and see if that helps. 

    Blepharitis (the posh name for what you describe) can also be helped by careful cleaning of the edges of the eyelids with a bit of baby shampoo and cool water, wiping from inside to outside with cottonwool.

    • escot
      escot EileenH

      Posted

      Hi Eileen,

      I was advised by both my optican and my GP to use Tear-Lac,preservative and phosphate free,. You can get this product on the NHS.

      I too suffer from dry eyes and have to clean the edges of my lashes  with baby shampoo.

       

    • Light
      Light EileenH

      Posted

      For blepharatis, I was told at Moorfields in London to heat the eye area with a warm pack and then, using a Q-tip, gently massage the eye lid downwards from eyebrow to eye to move the sebaceous oil out.  And only then to wipe it away by cleaning the eyelid rims at the base of the eyelashes with Q-tip and diluted baby shampoo. It seems the oil gets clogged and needs help to be eliminated.

      I did it every day for ten days and it worked wonders for me!

      That was long ago. I now suffer for severe dry eyes (kertitis) and have to use all kinds of drops.  What is that "liposome spray stuff " you mention?

      Does it have a brand name? On bad days I can well use an eye spray

    • EileenH
      EileenH Light

      Posted

      My optician (a highly qualified bloke) recommended Clarymist - expensive but brilliant. I looked for it in the UK last year and couldn't find it in Sainsburys or Tesco which was where I used to get it. There is actually a paper comparing 3:

      Effect of three different liposomal eye sprays on ocular comfort and tear film.Pult H1, Gill F, Riede-Pult BH.

      They decided that overall OptrexActiMist worked and improved matters whilst Tearmist (Tesco) and DryEyesMist (Boots) made some things worse. I've no doubt there is a price difference! You can use them with contact lenses and you don't have to chuck them out after a few weeks as the spray nozzle never touches your eye - unlike the tubes of drops and gels. I'm sure there are others. They are nice and cooling too I find.

       

    • Light
      Light EileenH

      Posted

      Thanks so much! I'm going to see if I can lay my hands on one of those.
  • cat_lady_66
    cat_lady_66 theresarok

    Posted

    I also have dry eyes and this is a condition of autoimmune disease and PMR  and I have Psoriatic Arthritis, I buy artificial tears or a dry eye spray, this relay helps.   I also feel, with PMR you do get :hot legs and feet: never sure how to treat this .......if you get any tips please pass them on.  Good Luck
  • DebbieHurts
    DebbieHurts theresarok

    Posted

    I get these side effects, too. Also a feeling of pain around my ribs that radiates from my shoulders.  I hate it.
  • Judygirl
    Judygirl theresarok

    Posted

    Artificial tears help greatly.  The tightness of the skin is miserable and if I

    bang my legs against anything the skin seems to pop open and it's very

    hard to heal these wounds.  Legs up the wall helps.   Down to 6 mgs. of

    prednisone and still going steady at l mg. per month, even though the doctor

    says I can go dowm 2-3 mgs. a month I shall stay on my present course which

    is working for me.  Good luck to everyone.

  • Light
    Light theresarok

    Posted

    Not with PMR but I have with peripheral neuropathy. My 'sunburn' was on my back shoulders and back of neck. I felt I had tight bands around my lower legs.
  • EileenH
    EileenH theresarok

    Posted

    Sort of a general comment: if you have tight, dry skin then Diprobase or Doublebase cream/gel is very helpful and can be prescribed by your GP. It is used in eczema and you shower and apply it to keep the moisture in the skin. Some versions are also to be used instead of shower gel - using soaps of any sort leads to drying of the skin. If they form a foam they strip fat from the skin and it dries out. I only shower and haven't used soap for years - maybe I'm lucky but I don't have skin that disintegrates when you look at it.
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