Blepharitis can bite me

It's 7:19.  I have an interview at 11:00 this morning.  That's in 3 hours and 41 minutes... roughly.  An interview, y'all, for a job... And I wake up with puffy eyelids.  WHAT?!

I started going to a specialist about all my "recurrent pink eye" nonsense, and he told me that, technically, it is "recurrent conjunctivitis."  However... mine is caused by a common disease called blepharitis.  I mean, sure... Let's add something else to the mixture.  Chiari. Check.  Depression.  Anxiety.  Check. And check.  Now let me give her blepharitis. Check.  Awesome.

There are different kinds of blepharitis, but I don't know which kind I have.  I'm sure the doctor told me... And I'm sure I forgot.  What I do know is that the oil glands in my eyelids secrete oil like they're supposed to, but the oil has a lot more bacteria in it than it's supposed to.  The extra bacteria decides it's going to hang around next to my eye and start a party... Like, "Hey, we're not supposed to be here, but let's hang out and wait for the rest of the crew."  And then when there are a lot of party-goers, they really kick it up a notch, and I'm miserable for a couple of days with swollen eyelids, crusty nastiness, blurry vision, and itchy-beyond-all-words eyes.  It looks like pink eye, without a doubt... You can look in a dictionary for the definition of pink eye and find my picture.  In all my swollen, red misery.  And where does Harley want to sleep these nights?  Yeah.  My face.  "Gee, Mom... Your eyes don't look so hot.  Here.  Let me take my furry self and lay on top of you."

I'm on an oral antibiotic to help prevent the growth of bacteria, and I have to do a warm compress on my eyes every morning.  That is such a bad idea, guys.  It is sooooo relaxing.  Remember my last post?  I laid down to do this the other morning, set my alarm for 10 minutes, and woke up 5 hours later.  I also have these super thick eye drops that have a similar medicine to the antibiotic to prevent the growth of bacteria, but I only apply it to my eyelash line.   And on top of that, I have to take a fish oil supplement.  Which I take anyway because it's good for me, especially because I don't eat seafood.  At all.  Of any kind.  I don't care how it's cooked, or how "delicious" you think it is... If it came out of the water, it's not going in my mouth.  But that is a completely different post.

According to some blepharitis articles online, I should also wash my eyelids with a diluted solution of baby shampoo and water.  My mom did this for me when I was living with them in Alaska last year... Relaxing!  Moms are so great.  I wish mine was here, so she could partake in all this preventive crap that I have to do.  She's a great alarm clock, and she wouldn't let a 10-minute compress turn into a 5-hour nap.  Actually, because I just said that, and she and Dad both read this, I bet she would let it turn into a 5-hour nap.  Just because I said she wouldn't.  And she likes to prove me wrong.