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Notes -
I went blind again. Before anyone panics, it was for less than an hour, and I'm fine now.
I was previously diagnosed with a condition known as central serous chorio-retinopathy, where fluid leaks out of the vessels below the retina and makes it bulge out. It is usually due to corticosteroid consumption, which I've never done, but also due to prolonged and severe stress. Guess what I'm experiencing?
This isn't the first time. In keeping with a now-obvious pattern, it happened to me before a high-stakes exam. Once before the PLAB 1, again before the MSRA. And now, the MRCPsych Paper A looms ahead of me.
My stimulants might contribute (they're stimulating the sympathetic nervous system too), even if I take very reasonable doses. Unfortunately, my ADHD is not an affectation, I can't study without my meds, let alone pass exams. Especially exams that require months on end of grinding and memorization, when is rather be doing anything else.
So yeah, same choice as usual: lie flat, or keep fighting. I'm inclined to do the latter unless the attacks become so severe that I'm at great risk of permanent visual damage. I did see a doctor once, and it was decided that a waitful watching system was appropriate, instead of jumping to options like intravitreal injections or lasers. It's been a year and a half since then, and this attack was mild, so I suppose it wasn't the worst advice.
Anyone else have a few dangling Damocletian swords above them? Aimed at their eyeballs? Alternatively, what's the best way for me to manage my stress, when giving up or foregoing my meds isn't an option I'm willing to consider?
(I'm going to order myself some green tea. It helped in the past.)
I've found that prioritizing sleep above all other things helps to keep my stress in check. In school, I would sleep immediately after class to ensure I got enough and I'd fit homework and studying in the hours that remained between waking and having to be in class.
I wish I could do that dude. The stimulants already muck up sleep cycle, and I've never been the kind to be able to cat nap.
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