The health and fitness thread about random things

[BrianI]

Wrists slapped by the dentist today.

It seems I've been too thorough in brushing my teeth in a side-to-side motion, and I'm starting to erode the gumline and underlying enamel.

And it seems I grind my teeth at night, so a dental impression taken, so that I can be fitted with for a bite guard at my next appointment.  I'm expecting it will feel like Richard Kiel's stainless steel "Jaws" dentures :-/ 

[Mrs Pingu]

I switched to an electric toothbrush and don't have the bleeding gums that I did when brushing manually. Worth it for that alone.
I also have a bite guard,  though I requested mine as I clench my teeth. It doesn't stop me clenching my teeth but it must make it less hard as it made a big difference to the pain I'd previously been experiencing in my facial muscles.

I'm going to have to go and get fitted for a new one, mine is getting a bit dog-eared.

[T42]

Your mouth to dog's ear.

[SteveC]

I've had some of those pupil-dilating eye-drops this afternoon. Fortunately only in one eye, but it's still rather weird.

[T42]

When I straighten my left forefinger and move it like that it moves on out of its own accord and jams. Have to shove it back with the thumb.  Anno effing domini strikes again.  Must be that there millennium hand.

[Wowbagger]

And shrimp.

[BrianI]

I'm going for a Contact Lens Assessment / Trial this afternoon! 

[BrianI]

Now wearing the trial contact lenses.  Feels weird!   

[BrianI]

And it took me 20 minutes to get the blooming things out again!  Looks like I'll be a Speccy McSpecface as I can't see myself getting on with contacts at all....

[mcshroom]

And it took me 20 minutes to get the blooming things out again!  Looks like I'll be a Speccy McSpecface as I can't see myself getting on with contacts at all....

You did better than I did first time round.

It gets a lot easier with practice. I found the 'prod finger on lens, look at nose, pull contact out' method better than the pinching off one.

[fimm]

And it took me 20 minutes to get the blooming things out again!  Looks like I'll be a Speccy McSpecface as I can't see myself getting on with contacts at all....

Give it time (she says, who has been wearing them since she was 13). They do take more than a few minutes to get used to (be thankful you aren't getting the kind I got N years ago where you wore them for an hour on the 1st day, two hours the second, 3 hours the third, etc). Getting them in and out gets much much easier with practice.

[mrcharly-YHT]

And it took me 20 minutes to get the blooming things out again!  Looks like I'll be a Speccy McSpecface as I can't see myself getting on with contacts at all....

You did better than I did first time round.

It gets a lot easier with practice. I found the 'prod finger on lens, look at nose, pull contact out' method better than the pinching off one.

Yes - and slide them to the side of your eye before trying to pinch.

I've tried contacts and given up a couple of times (I get dry eyes which is why I don't use them). If your eyes do dry a bit, dribble some saline in before trying to remove them.

[BrianI]

Lol, managed to tear one of the trial "monthly disposable" contact lenses while trying to get the flipping thing in...

So I'll be contacting specsavers to cancel the trial... Too much hassle spending 30 mins in the morning trying to put contacts in... At least with specs you just put them on and thats it! I must admit I wasn't that impressed with the care i got. Sales assistant seemed to be more interested in her fingernails than actually advising on best way to put contacts in....

[hulver]

First ride of the year for me on Monday. 30km and absolutely knackered at the end of it. Barely made it up the hill to home, and my arse is like mince now.

Just wait for my back end to harden up, and I'll go do it all again.

[simonp]

Contact lenses - get on with them fine. I started on dailies in 2013 after getting a motorbike licence as they make a big difference to peripheral vision and comfort - and they don't steam up when it's cold.

Switched to monthlies in August 2015, because of PBP. They can be slept in, which is very useful on a long brevet. Otherwise, I don't often do this, as it increases infection risk. So I've slept overnight in them about 3-4 times in 2 years.

Putting them in: I don't have to hold top eyelid, just one finger on cheek, lens on another finger. Place it over eye, make sure it's holding on, blinking a few times pushes any trapped air out, job done. Taking them out, just pinch gently.

Have torn about two lenses in two years since going to monthly. Also throw lenses away if I get water in my eye from rowing.

[ian]

I've been wearing contacts since I was sixteen, and back then it was the gas permeable lens that were basically like sticking a shard of glass under your eyelids and blinking. I confessed to several crimes I'd not even got around to committing during my first trial. There's a knack to getting them in and out, just takes a bit of practice. I can do it in milliseconds. I don't like the dailies, too flimsy, so I use monthlies. They're more robust and easier to handle. The couple of seconds it takes me to pop them out and clean them in an evening isn't really a challenge. For putting them in, I put a spot of solution on the upturned lens atop my finger, surface tension helps them settle on the eye. I have very dry eyes, it's less of a problem these days with newer lenses, I can mostly wear all day without an issue. I pop them out with two fingers, one either side of the lens, slide together and out it pops.

[BrianI]

Ended up managing to tear one of the lenses trying to get it in this morning. So it seems contact lenses are not for me! Suffice to say i got in touch with specsavers and cancelled the trial

[Ruthie]

Ended up managing to tear one of the lenses trying to get it in this morning. So it seems contact lenses are not for me! Suffice to say i got in touch with specsavers and cancelled the trial

I've done that loads of times 

[Veloman]

Ended up managing to tear one of the lenses trying to get it in this morning. So it seems contact lenses are not for me! Suffice to say i got in touch with specsavers and cancelled the trial

Can you use disposable?

Much thinner, much nicer and no faffing with cleaning.  I find my an absolute revelation.

[ian]

Balance the lens on your finger tip, give it a squirt of solution (tip away any excess, there should be enough to see but not enough to make the lens fall off your finger tip). Use other hand to separate eyelids wide enough to apply lens to eyeball. Surface tension does the rest. I think I've torn a lens only two or three times in the decades I've been wearing them.

[BrianI]

Veloman, I was given a measly pair of "monthly" disposables for my trial period from Specsavers (should have gone elsewhere, I fear).

To be honest, I was never particularly happy with the almost 5 minute eye test I got from them a couple of months ago (no, they didn't even check my eye pressure, despite my father, and grandfather both having glaucoma  )

So I think I may try and arrange myself another eyetest, at a local independent opticians, then discuss contacts with them. It seems Specsavers were more keen for me to take out a direct debit for contacts rather than take the time to train me to put them in properly...  Sorry, but showing a specsavers youtube video on the rather disinterested sales assistants tablet isn't what I'd call good teaching of placing and taking out contacts, neither was rushing the customer out the door...

Alarm bells should have rung when I overheard a customer complaining that the two months supply of contact lenses she had recently been given were of the wrong prescription.....   

If I do get another trial (from a decent opticians), I think disposables would be more what I'm looking for (pardon the pun). Day to day use I'd were my specs, then for fitness classes / yoga / cycling / going on a date I'd just put in a pair of disposables...

[ian]

Lens should be fitted and demonstrated by the optometrist, never ever the salesperson. That's shocking and unprofessional.

[Kim]

Balance the lens on your finger tip, give it a squirt of solution (tip away any excess, there should be enough to see but not enough to make the lens fall off your finger tip).

This sounds like the sort of fiddly procedure that people have to put their glasses on for...

[Veloman]

Brian
I would recommend going to a decent opticians or even more than one to get confirmation of what you need regarding strength: I have separate tests for specs and contacts.  I was lucky and had a really good service from Boots, but I may have been just lucky.

I started off with washables and realised my mountaineering in far off places with less than perfect hygiene options was never going to work so my foray into disposables and never looked back.  Order direct from internet with fast service and use them as required for sport or other times when specs are not as favourable.  So this morning popped them in before cycling, did ride during which it rained so just peered over tops of rain speckled cycling specs, popped them out and had shower after which specs back on. Nice and easy!  Fortunately my requirements are so near that I don't need different left/right which makes life easier. I will also keep them in during an audax but will also pop new ones in during longer events. I need corrective glasses for reading with contacts and just carry a cheap pair with me (Poundshop) and have some safety glasses with reading pane for use on the bike to read Garmin etc.


I never thought I would cope with them as I'm strangely not keen on messing with my eyes, but it was amazing how soon you get used to them. I would suggest perseverance as the difference doing sport (and other things) without the specs is amazing.  Finally, contacts do steam up or suffer from the misting of specs when you hot!

[chrisbainbridge]

If you cannot get on with contacts and dislike glasses then you could consider Laser surgery.  Scary but fantastic if you are suitable. 

I went to Mooorfields as they are proper ophthalmic surgeons and the top guy there invented most of the laser kit.