Hi Christy and... WELCOME TO KA!
I'm so sorry to hear you are having such a bad bout of iritis. Hopefully, you can get this under better control and
quickly.
I've had iritis attacks for about a decade now, most lasting between 3-8 months. 3 wks may
sound short - but it is obviously VERY concerning that they are failing to gain a positive reaction with these treatments. There's not enough info in your post for me to understand exactly what they did for you the 1st wk. You mentioned they started you on Pred F and (most importantly) the Isopto Homatropine (dialator drops). These are the 1st line of defense and are
usually sufficient. BUT, you don't mention the Maxidex nightime steroidal ointment?
Hopefully, you were using this too? I'd also be interested to know what frequency you were told to start the Pred F? During my worst attacks I've taken Pred F every 15 mins for the first few days,... and when diminishing to every 1/2 hr, I've been told to 'pulse' the drops (1 drop - wait 1 minute - take an additional drop) then apply pressure to the corner of eye just above tear duct to ensure it doesn't drain right back out. Also shake the heck out of the bottle since it's in a suspension, and will
fail to help if settled at the bottom of the bottle. Hopefully, your doc was checking you every 2-3 days in the first 2 wks to ensure you were showing signs of improvement? I'm telling you this to provide a measure for comparison. All docs are (unfortunately) not equal in education and experience.
But now you've had steroid injections which
should have been effectively providing day and nightime coverage. It amazes me to hear that this is not reducing the inflammation!! 3 wks in such an acute state is scary.
Btw, Sulfasalazine takes 3 months to ramp up, so they can't be banking on this for immediate improvement. If you are (only) seeing an Opthalmologist, then I'd consider asking for a referral to an 'Iritis Specialist' today! They know more about iritis and it's ongoing implications than anyone else. Get a 2nd opinion. I know it's hard to go sit in a million waiting rooms when you feel like this,.. but it might be very valuable Christy.
The only other suggestion I can make is to get as much sleep as possible. When your system is under stress, it's harder to reverse. Extra sleep always helps my iritis settle down and helps prevent recurrring attacks. I have chronic low level 'smouldering' iritis now, and have avoided anything major since Feb, but I've never been as non-responsive as what you're experiencing. I've not personally tried John (Dragonslayer's) diet approach, but if I were in your shoes, I'd give it serious consideration. Many docs won't recommend it (tho say it's not harmful), but many people in KA attest it's beneficial for iritis.
Big (((hugs))) to you Christy, and please let us know how you are doing when you can!Take good care,
mig
