A word of warning to people using bagged concrete

[jmowreader]

Go. Right now. And buy a pair of chemical-spill goggles to wear when you handle concrete.

I've been working with a LOT of concrete mixes over the last couple weeks, and I've been living in a sandstorm because of it. On Wednesday, I woke up seeing gray in my left eye. Imagine taking the frosted cover off your lamp and trying to see through it. That kind of gray.

Worker's comp (why bother my insurance company for a work-related incident?) sent me to an ophthalmologist, who diagnosed it as bacterial corneal ulcer brought on by sand in my eye. I used three little bottles of Cipro eyedrops over the space of two days--one drop every fifteen fucking minutes, even through the night--to get rid of it.

Do not let this happen to you!

[WhollyHeretic]

1. Concrete is nasty stuff to work with.

I hope you're doing better now. That sounds like a terrible couple of days.

[sweetheart]

2. portland cement's not so good to breathe either

We see what it does when it gets wet, clearly it gets wet when inhaled too.

Have you been using any eye protection. Even a pair of glasses provide
significant protection to the cornea... is the dust been blowing in your face?

Are you operating an air hammer or other dust-creating enterprise, using diamond
saws on stone or anything like that? I've gotten more dust-infections in eye
from stone cutting and chasing out mortar, is your infection clearly from
the portland cement?

[hippywife]

3. Sorry to hear that, jm.

I hope it clears up for you really soon and with no lasting effect.

Now I'm feeling better that we bought a full face mask in addition to the dust mask when we cut our Hardiplank siding.