S3 13 days post op

Hello!!
No, I didn't fall off the planet. I'm still here. :) I just kind of relaxed--away from the computer--for most of the weekend.

I had my post op with Dr. T today. He seemed happy with my progress. I asked him about the deep bruise on the right lower and he said that sometimes when injecting the Novocaine, they hit a blood vessel causing bruising. He said that when they hit a vessel during surgery, they can clamp it or put pressure on it but when its the needle that hits it, there isn't much they can do. We joked about it for a minute and he assured me that he didn't jab me in my sleep! I also asked him about the twitch. He gave it some fancy medical term that had about 30 letters in it and says it can be caused by stress or caffeine or one other thing that I dont remember at the moment but that it usually resolves itself. He didn't even notice the dot and didn't connect it to the twitch so I guess I was wrong on that. I have been under considerable stress lately and I do drink gallons (just kidding) of coffee so he could be right. We'll see if it resolves.

We talked about the graft sliding loose and the moat. He gave me a funny look and laughed about me calling it a moat, but it did look like one until a day or so ago. He didn't seem surprised that it had opened and said it looked fine.
He thinks that last piece of xanthie above that area may be able to be removed right in his office. Hmmm. I'm not so sure about that! I'm kind of a chicken and I dont know how I'd feel being wide awake. It does seem a bit extreme to put me to sleep for just that piece though. We're going to evaluate it and the right lower in 10 weeks when I go back. He also noted that my left lower was "puffy". Little does he know that I squeezed that crap out of that dot just a few short days ago. I think that's why its puffy but I didn't tell him. Besides I could be wrong--yet again! He seemed to think it was possibly some fatty tissue that could be removed. He did say that it would be totally cosmetic for that and I'm sure my insurance isn't going to be interested in paying to fix that. We'll see how that progresses and if it is in fact the dot or not.

So that was my visit. Nice and neat. As for the eyes, well, the moat is closing in and is healing up. I've been letting it dry out a little every day and that seems to help it along faster than the raw spots last year. The dot area still feels like something is in it and its not really healing so yeah, I think there's something in it, but it will just have to work its own way out. Everything else looks just fine.
I may not be on here too much now until my next appointment. This surgery was so much simpler than the other two. Naturally, if something changes I'll be back before then. 10 weeks is a long time so I may come on just to say hi sooner~
Here are today's photos. Notice the moat is drying up!! yea! One thing I notice though is that the flash catches what's left of the xanthies and in real life, you dont see them quite as much. I'm still a lousy photographer!!!
Can you believe in 2 days it will be the 1 year anniversary of the first surgery???
Take care!

S3 10 days post op

Hello~
Sorry I didn't update yesterday. Not much changed yesterday anyway!
The bruise under the right eye is healing but still there. The left lower is a little tender if I rub it but is otherwise fine. The right upper is as if nothing happened there. It was only a tiny dot anyway!!!
The left upper, where the flap and moat are continues to heal. I got it wet for the first time yesterday and it appears to have done it some good. It actually looks like its sliding into place now. The moat is still there but after it got wet, the new "scab" looks a lot better. It's going to take it's time, just like the raw spots but it is healing.
On the photos, you may be wondering about the red dot under my left eye. Remember with the last surgery how those 2 bumps came up? Well, this bump had been there since that time but never looked close enough to the surface to do anything with it. Over the past few days it has come up a little closer to the surface so, since I'm totally incapable of leaving well enough alone, I decided to fool around with it. It's definitely just like the other two but is still too deep to get out. It even has a little blue tinge to it. Strange that any remnant stitch would still be there but I cant imagine its anything else. One thing I have to say, after playing with it, my eye doesn't twitch nearly as much as it had been twitching. Connection of some sort?? Possibly. As I said, it appeared to be coming to the surface more over the past few days and that's when the twitching started getting worse. Hopefully over the next day or so I can get what ever is in there out. If not, I see Dr. T on Tuesday...maybe he can get it out.
On another note, I spent some time looking at my eyes and previous photos. There are still 2 areas that I think need work.
1) Right lower lid: Dr. L removed the entire lesion in S1. Within 4 months it was back in its entirety. Dr. T removed the lower 3'rd of the lesion in S2 and after 6 months, it has not returned. In S3, he only took a slither off from the top 3rd. I'd like to see more of the body of the lesion removed using what ever technique he's using that keeps them gone.
2)Left upper lid: Now that the swelling has gone down and the flap is falling into place, I can see what he did and what still needs to be done. There is a piece of xanthie above the flap that is part of the reborn xanthie on that lid. Dr. T took about half or maybe 2/3'rd off but there is still a piece that I would like to see removed.
It looks like he may have used a laser on the right upper, right lower and left lower. I'll have to ask him. I had originally thought there were actual incisions on 2 of them but I'm starting to doubt that. It just isnt the same as previous incisions and looking closely at it, it looks like laser to me. Add that to the list of questions for Tuesday!

Here are tonight's photos. Sorry I didn't take the time to get the clear shots I normally get. It's kind of late and I'm tired but since I didn't update yesterday, I didn't want to update without photos. Besides, this blog is not just for you guys, it's for me too! I think somewhere down the road I'd be upset with myself for skipping 2 days of photos at only 10 days post op!
Have a great Memorial Day weekend!!

S3 8 days post op

Hello~
I was thinking last night how boring the recovery for this surgery has been. Well, maybe not exactly boring but more un-eventful than the others. Dont get me wrong-- I'm not complaining!!!
Todays report is good. Upper right, lower right and lower left all look and feel fine. If it wasn't for that bruise under my right eye and the red on my eyeball, you wouldn't even know something had been done! The left upper is still doing it's thing. The moat looks to be closing in just a little bit and the flap doesnt look as weird. It may all be falling into place but it definitely has a ways to go. The moat is still a moat! I was looking closely at it today and it reminds me of the raw spots I got with the other 2 surgeries. Obviously this is larger but it looks and feels sort of the same. Raw, itchy and mad! One thing I dont think I've mentioned is this new twitch in my left eye. It's coming from the lower outer edge. No scalpel has touched that area so I have no idea why it's happening. I'd really REALLY love to rub that eye... nice and hard!!!
Something else I didn't mention this time that was issue last time is washing my hair. My recovery was so much easier this time and the surgery so much less extensive that I washed my hair IN the shower on day 4! Ha!!! I didn't even tell you guys! I figured, it's really just the left upper that shouldn't get wet and it was easy to cover AND shampoo at the same time! Actually... my hair could use a color touch up but I'm not that crazy. That will have to wait until the moat heals. I remember the raw spots and what happened when they got wet. It was icky. I'd rather wait it out.

So that's todays update. The photos are taken with ointment on so they have that glossy look. It makes the moat look worse doesn't it??. Tomorrow I'll do them dry.
See ya!

S3 1 week post op

One week since the surgery... I cant say it went slow or fast this time. It kind of went by normal!
Not too much to report today as there isn't too much of a change since yesterday. The bruising on the right lower definitely looks better and so does the bruising on the left upper. The right upper, right lower and left lower are all healing, and closed. That was probably faster than any of the other surgeries!!! The left upper still looks a bit angry. Its struggling to heal but looking at it closely, I can see why. I have to keep in mind that it IS only a week and it was the deepest and largest of the incisions this time. The flap doesn't seem to be quite as swollen but it definitely still hurts underneath. The moat part is kind of raw but I continue to use the ointment on it and keep it clear. Remembering not to rub that eye has been a challenge....
So, here are today's photos. They look kind of the same as yesterday dont they?? ;)

S3 6 days post op

Good Morning~
After stressing my eyes yesterday, you'd think I would have gone to bed and slept for 10 hours right..? Hardly. If I got 4 I'm lucky. I woke up SO early today and just couldn't go back to sleep. Oh well...
The eyes are continuing to heal. The right upper and left lower look fine. Unless you look closely, you cant even tell something was done to them. The right lower still has that bruise that looks like a black eye. What ever external stitches he had on that incision fell out yesterday afternoon. If it didn't have such a deep bruise, that lid would look fairly normal too. The upper left on the other hand definitely still looks weird. The last of those stitches fell off this morning and after wiping around it with an alcohol pad, I can finally see what he did. Its like he cut a U shape of skin or a flap and moved it to cover the hole left by taking out some xanthie. I'm not convinced the flap piece was big enough though and around the lower margin, there appears to be like a moat. Yeah, I know... weird. I'm hoping it will all heal together and flatten out---one day! There is still bruising on that lid but only slight swelling. I still think I'm healing faster than before but it could be that it just wasn't as extensive.
My post op appointment was scheduled for Thursday but I have a conflict so I called yesterday to reschedule. The soonest they had available was next Tuesday. I asked the girl to bounce it off of Dr. T and if he wanted to see me sooner I'd find a way to get to his other office. I told her I was doing fine, that this wasn't my first time and that there were no external stitches to be removed. She said if I dont hear from her then Dr. T is okay with Tuesday. So far I haven't heard from her.
There really isn't much else to report today. This surgery seems almost boring compared to the other 2. ~sigh~
Here are today's photos. I'm not sure what to think. Because of the bruising, the right lower remnant xanthie looks huge. Its definitely not thick and gross like they were originally but clearly, there is still xanthie there. There is also a decent size piece still on the left upper. I guess we'll have to see what Dr. T says on Tuesday about that.
See ya tomorrow~

S3 5 days post op

Just a quick update. As I have found out before, I always try to do too much my first day back at work. 7.5 hours later, my upper left lid has a little bit of fresh blood and both eyes hurt and are a little swollen. I should know better by now...

No photos... maybe later. I'm kind of bummed. :/

S3 96 hours post op

Hello~
Would you believe there is really no significant change since yesterday? Well.. it's true!
The bruising on the left upper and right lower may be slightly better. It's sort of hard to tell because its dark and rainy today. No good sunlight to inspect the eyes with! The left upper still hurts and still looks weird but its not a painful type of pain. More of an irritating raw feeling. I haven't had the huge swelling that I've had with the previous surgeries but there is some, again on the left upper and right lower. It's better than it was a few days ago but it never really got too bad. Overall, I'd have to say this surgery was the easiest of the three. However, how the left upper turns out still remains to be seen. Looking at it, I cant imagine he's done with it. There seems to be just too much xanthie left. It's still a bit early to tell though.
I've been sleeping a lot these past few days and I cant say I'm looking forward to going back to work tomorrow. Then again, in this economy, I am thankful that I have a job to go back to...
Here are today's photos. Maybe there will be more of a change to report tomorrow!
See ya~

S3 72 hours post op

Okay, so it's round about 72 hours LOL.
I'm feeling fairly good today, and for the most part my eyes are too.
The right upper does not have any stitch in it. Just a little "hole" where Dr. T took out that dot that was there. The left lower looks fine. It's closed and healing nicely. The right lower, where that huge bruise is looks fine also with just a little swelling. What's weird on that side is my eyeball. As I told you yesterday, it appeared to be bruised in a few places. Its still red and funny looking. I cant wait to ask Dr. T what the heck happened with that eye...
The left upper is still bruised and a little swollen. I dont know what to make of the incision area because it still looks strange. Another stitch dropped out of it this morning too. As I mentioned a few days ago, those 2 stitches weren't holding anything together anyway so I guess it doesn't matter that they fell out. There is still considerable dried blood around it so until that clears, I wont be able to tell what it's doing. It still hurts some, and from what I can see, there is definitely xanthie still on there. My post op visit is Thursday. I'm going to ask him about this one too. I had thought he was going to take more of it off. Maybe he couldn't though... I dont know.
So that's today's update. Even though I took the past 3 days off, my work people still managed to find me. Today it's quiet and I've been able to relax. Yea!
See ya tomorrow!

S3 48 hours post op

Good Morning!
Today I actually feel more like myself! Yea!
As for the eyes.. well... they're coming along. After I posted last night I checked the left upper lid even closer. There wasn't much I could do with it other than check that the skin flap was in the right place and it was. This morning, it looked like it stayed in place but a stitch definitely dropped out. In fact, it kind of got stuck between my two lids. It was weird but I was finally able to nudge it out. I didn't put a lot of ointment on today because I think that flap needs to dry up a bit so that it will stick. Or at least that's what I'm hoping! I promise not to fool around with it today!!! LOL There is still considerable bruising across that lid but the swelling doesn't seem to be too bad.
The left lower looks fine. That's where he took that piece left over from the first surgery. There is one small stitch in that incision but it seems okay.
The right upper looks fine also. I cant decide if there is a stitch up there but its not swollen or bruised too bad.
The right lower is weird. There's a deep bruise right under the eyelash line and that has been there since the surgery. My eyeball is also bruised in some places. I have no idea how that happened. Maybe I was coughing and something slipped..?? The incision itself looks fine, definitely swollen. I cant really tell what he did on that lid. Remember, that's the one he had originally said he wasn't going to do. Looking at it as I type this, I think he may have thinned out the remaining xanthie a little bit. That piece definitely looks thinner in width up at the top. I'll have to compare with other photos once that deep bruise starts to fade.
So, in a nutshell, its the upper left and the lower right that we'll be watching the most.
Here are today's photos. I included a close up of the left upper so we can keep track of that flap and make sure it stays in place!
See you tomorrow, unless of course something changes!!!

S3 36 hours post op

Well.. I'm back, much sooner than I expected. After I posted my last post I went to put ointment on and noticed the left upper lid didnt look right. I'm thinking that when I accidently rubbed the eye earlier, I may have dislodged something. It almost looks like the skin graft came aloose. It still hurts too. I kind of nudged it back into place but I'm not sure it will hold. It appears there were 2 stitches holding it and while the stitches are still there, they arent connecting skin A to skin B. Great... Dr. T is going on vacation really soon and I dont know what I'll do if something happens and he's not here. I'm going to check it again in the morning and if it still looks the same, I'll have to go see him. He'll probably want to reconnect A to B. That should be fun. Here's a quick photo of it. It looks like I mushed it back into place, but I have no idea if it will stay.
I'll let you know what happens tomorrow.

S3 first post op +24 hours

I finally feel a little better. Sorry I didnt get on here yesterday but I was just so out of it.
So, lets start at the beginning.
The hospital had called here a few times on Tuesday gathering information about me. Much more extensive than the surgi-center. One of the calls was even a sort of medical history check. As it turns out, it did save some time before the surgery.
We got to the hospital at 9:45am. I signed in on the 5th floor (believe it or not, thats the main floor...) and filled out a short form. A lady came out and took me to a cubicle where they photocopied my ID and my insurance and entered me into their computer. She printed a few things and 2 sheets full of labels. From there, I was sent to the 6th floor to wait. Apparently they have more than one surgery area for outpatient procedures--one on the 4th floor and the one I was at, the 6th floor. Frank and I sat down and the first thing I noticed was a huge TV screen with patient information on it. Nothing really personal, just name, doctor and OR number. Next to that were a bunch of boxes that indicated where in the process you were, ie: pre-op, OR, Recovery etc. I thought it was kind of cool. I told Frank he could watch my progress but he just rolled his eyes.
Around 10:30, they called me in to the pre-op area. I was instructed to undress to my undies and to put on a gown and some booties. I also had to take off all my jewelry. Typical hospital routine. After I did that, they did a urine pregnancy test which of course was negative. A nurse stayed with me in the little room filling out something on her computer and another nurse came and started an IV. Naturally, she saw what she thought was a great vein and despite my protests, she inserted the IV in it. I now have a HUGE bruise there... Anyway, they got that running, checked my BP and temperature and then wrapped me up in warm blankets. I cant say I was cold but they did feel good. The gadget they used to check my temp was pretty cool. They touched it to my forehead then moved it quickly across my skin to my neck. Very Star-Trek'ish! After that, he first nurse went and got Frank so he could sit with me while I waited. Then the anesthesiologist came in to talk to me. Pretty standard stuff, but way more in depth than at the surgi center. A few minutes later, Dr. T came and talked to us. He had originally said he wasnt going to do anything with the right lower but somewhere between my last visit with him and yesterday, he changed his mind. Um... okay. I just told him to do what ever he thought was best without wrecking my eyelid function. He poked around at my eyes a little as if he was confirming some plan he had made. I guess my eyes agreed with his plan because he really didnt say much else.
A few minutes later, they rolled me into the OR. Dr. T was pushing the stretcher with the nurses too! They got me positioned, and an old Stevie Nicks song was playing. The anesthesiologist said I looked nervous so he gave me something to relax me. It did nothing and he noticed that so he zapped me with some more. I felt that one! There was some talking going on but thats when it gets hazy. I think that was around when they gave me the white stuff to put me to sleep. What seemed like about 2 minutes later though, I could hear myself asking them to put me back to sleep. I think I repeated it about 3 times before the anesthesiologist said they couldnt because I was coughing. Let me back track there for a minute. Over last weekend, my daughter was here. I took her to the doctor because her tonsils were really big and she had been sick for a few days. I think I caught something from her because for the past few days I had a slight sore throat and a little coughing. I didnt have a fever or anything so I didnt mention it to the docs. My theory on that was that I didnt want my surgery canceled and since I felt okay and wasnt feverish I kept it to myself. Yeah, I know... So, back to me coughing. Naturally, they dont want to have me coughing while they are working on my eyes so they gave me something to stop the cough but also couldnt put me back under. Interestingly, I havent coughed since... what ever they gave me killed it. In reality, I was asleep for more than the 2 minutes I thought. It was more like 20-30 minutes. The doc says its more like a coma and not sleep because you dont dream. Now that was new... I never heard that before but I didnt dream, so he was probably right. During the last half of my surgery, I ended up in coversation with the docs about their specialties and medicare. Go figure. I cant say I remember details other than asking Dr. T why he chose occular plastics and a few other sketchy things. I'm pretty sure he answered me but I have no idea what he said LOL.
After he was done, they rolled me into the first recovery room. I was wide awake so I didnt have to stay there long. The anesthesiologist (sorry, I just cannot remember his name...) left orders for nausea medication and morphine if I needed it. Seriously? Morphine would have been way overkill for this kind of surgery but I guess that's what he's used to doing. I didnt have any nausea but I did feel the pain coming on as the novicaine wore off. They asked me on a scale of 1-10 where it was and I said about a 2 working its way to a 3. Definitely not morphine worthy! They tried to find him to get me a percocet but he was gone. Eventually they moved me into the second recovery area where I was able to sit in this incredibly comfortable recliner. Note to me... must find out if they sell them to the general public. Frank was able to come see me there and since at this point, it was around 2pm, he was quite antsy. After about another 30 minutes, I was allowed to leave. Of course, since its a hospital, they have to wait for someone to roll you out in a wheel chair. Gotta love it. I finally got out of the hospital and as usual, the first stop was Dunkin Donuts! haha!
I have to say, at first I felt okay but by the time I got home, all the drugs they had given me to relax me kicked in. I felt really sluggish and just didnt want to move out of the bed. Thats why I never did get on here to update. I snapped a few photos and decided I should just go lay down. I applied some ointment, then situated myself with ice packs and took a percocet and went to sleep. Here are the first photos:



My daughters called around 8pm to check on me and I went on back to sleep until around 3am. Thats when I finally got up and looked in the mirror. The incisions are definitely smaller than any of the other ones but they still hurt and of course, the bruising and swelling had started. I got some fresh ice packs, put some more ointment on and went back to bed. This morning, I got up, checked on the incisions and did the ointment, snapped a few more photos and went back to bed. My daughters came over this evening with cupcakes and flowers. What a nice surprise! I think it perked me up a little too. They said I didnt look too bad and that made me feel good!I had cleaned up some of the gunk earlier in the day and I'm glad I did!
So, here I am. Almost 36 hours post op. Right now, the left upper lid hurts. Thats the one where he did the most work. The others arent really painful at the moment, but I am aware of them. Earlier, I absent mindedly rubbed my eye. UGH!!! that hurt! I didnt take any photos tonight because the camera battery is dead. I'm charging it but I think by the time it gets charged, I'll be asleep again. The photos below are from this morning. Maybe I'll just take photos once a day. We'll see how that goes and as you all know, if something out of the ordinary happens, I'll photograph it all!
I'll be back tomorrow to update again. I want to take a good look at what he did and then try to explain it to you guys!

S3 brief post up update

Hi guys...
Sorry I didnt write last night. I just didnt feel up to it. I did take some photos when I got home and I'll post them along with the story a little later. Having this done in the hospital was definitely different!

In a nutshell... I'm okay. Bruised and swollen but okay! I promise I'll be back later today.

S3, the day before~

Hello~
Tomorrow is the day... surgery #3. Am I ready..? hmmm... not sure!

I finally got a copy of the authorization from my insurance. They did put it through as just excision of b9 lesions so there was no review. It automatically approved.
The hospital called this morning to pre-register me. I gave them all my info, which in a way seems pointless to me because I'm going to have to give it all again tomorrow. Whatever. I also got a call from Ellen. They moved the surgery up a few hours because the patient scheduled before me canceled. So, I have to be at the hospital by 10 for surgery at 11:30.
Can you tell I'm in a weird mood?? Yeah, I guess I'm a bit tired too.
I have been working really hard on catching up my work for the past few days. I dont feel quite as prepared as I have for the past 2 surgeries though. At this point, there isnt much else I can do. I'm sure it will all be there when I get back!!!

On a slightly different note, Samantha graduated university yesterday. I'm so proud of her!!! Go Samantha!!! :)

That's pretty much it. Here are 2 photos from today. I tried something a little different with the camera to see if I could improve the quality. Not sure if they are any better or not though!
See ya after the surgery!!!

3rd beginning, brief update #3a

I ended up going for my pre-op physical last night. My daughter needed to go to the doctor so I went with her. Two birds...one stone! I'm all clear! I dont think they faxed the paper over to the eye doctor so I faxed it myself along with the consent form from home. I'll call them today or tomorrow to make sure they got it. While I was talking to Ellen yesterday, I mentioned that the one prescription was spelled wrong and she is sending me another one. I'll tear up this original and then get the new one and the ointment filled over the weekend. No biggie. Now if I could just catch up on all my work I'll be set!
See ya Tuesday or Wednesday!

3rd beginning, brief update #3

Hello!
Ellen, the surgical coordinator called this morning. They received approval from my insurance! I don't have it yet, but if they got it, I guess that's all that matters. She also let me know that a slot at the hospital opened up for the 19th, the original date they had offered me. I took it. I'm scheduled for 1pm that day and have to be there at 11:30am. Since it's approved now, I'll go ahead and get the pre-op done. She says it's just the history form. I do not need an EKG or blood work, only a pregnancy test, which will be given at the hospital. Having had my tubes removed (not just tied!) back in 1994, I'm pretty certain I'm not pregnant but if they want to check, fine.
So that's it for now. I'll be back the day before or the day of the surgery for pre-op photos which will include uppers and lowers this time. Eeek. I'm starting to get nervous already. No particular reason... no holidays, vacation will be 9 weeks away... why be nervous..?? :)
See ya next week~

3rd beginning, brief update #2

I received the paperwork from Ellen (the surgical coordinator) in the mail today. They listed the procedure as excision of benign lesions. If that's how they put it through to my insurance, it will get approved. I'm pretty sure Dr. T described it a little differently though. Then again, I could be wrong. She also included the pre-op form which is the same as the one the other girl gave me last week and some instructions, again same as before. She gave me 2 prescriptions, one for erythromycin ointment and the other for percocet. She spelled percocet wrong and CVS will probably have to call her but that shouldn't be a problem. Percocet is definitely stronger than Darvocet which is fine since Darvocet did nothing for the pain anyway. So, I'll be nice and loopy for a day or so! :)
Nothing else to report. I dont expect to hear from my insurance until at least the weekend. I still have my fingers crossed!
I'll be back as soon as that happens!

3rd beginning, brief update

Today I got a call from the surgical coordinator, Ellen. She's the same one as the last surgery but I saw the other one yesterday. They changed my date to May 21st but still at the hospital. Bad thing is that it's scheduled for 3:30pm! Sheesh! She told me that they added the 2 slots for that Friday because Dr. T is just that booked up due to his vacation and if I don't do it then, the next available date is June 30th. I've already decided that a date that late in June is not going to work with MY vacation! She is sending me all the info, another pre-op form and prescriptions. I mentioned to her that the Darvocet they gave me last time did nothing for the pain so she says they'll send a script for something else. That should be interesting... Anyway, the information has been sent to my insurance for approval. As before, she feels this wont be a problem. I hope not! I get nervous over this part but I have my fingers crossed.
I'll be back when I hear from my insurance~

18 weeks, the third beginning

Hello~
Sorry I didn't update last night. Too many work issues while I was out for the afternoon!
I had my appointment with Dr. T. He's happy with the results of the previous surgery so we talked about the next one. Yeah...! He's going to fix a few little "dots" on my right upper lid which should be easy. Then, he's going to fix the left upper with a skin graft from the other side of the lid. After that, he's going to get that little piece on the lower left up by the tear duct. He feels I have enough skin to do that now. He's not going to do anything with the right lower at this time because there is no extra skin over there. That was the one that he only removed the lower third of the reborn xanthie. The upper 2/3's is still there and noticeable to me but fooling around with it could cause my eye not to close because the lesion is still large. Okay. We'll leave that one alone for now.
My surgery is tentatively scheduled for May 19th at a hospital near here. He's pretty much booked at the surgery center until the end of June. I opted for the earlier date because I go away in July and I think 3 weeks was cutting it very close last time. I dont want it that close again. I did ask them to watch for cancellations at the surgery center for dates prior to June 14th. We'll see how that goes.
Anyway, we still have to get authorization from my insurance. The surgery lady told me they had another patient having xanthies removed but her insurance wouldn't cover it. I mentioned what my PCP had told me about mine being covered because they are caused by the metabolic disorder (genetically high cholesterol) and she agreed that could by why my insurance has paid. This other woman does not have cholesterol.
On another note, my daughter Samantha went with me for the appointment. I reminded her how much I missed her for the last surgery and told her I hoped that she could be here for this one. She says she will. (Yea!!!!)
I'll be back as soon as I hear from my insurance. As before, I will not be getting the pre-op stuff done until they approve it. If the surgery center opens up, I wont have to get pre-op done, as the one from December is still good through June. If I do have it at the hospital, I'll have to get it done. blah~
Here is a photo for today. Much better than a year ago!
Talk to you soon!

S2 16 weeks post op

I finally got around to making my 11 week follow up appointment. Its scheduled for 12days from now putting me at 18 weeks post op.... just a little late. ;)
I probably wont update between now and then but I may come on the day before to post a photo. I will definitely be on the day of the appointment to update on what we're going to do next. See ya around the 27th!

S2 15 weeks +4 days

I promised I'd be back and here I am!
I spent the last hour taking photos and comparing to previous photos. Interesting... I have to say my eyes definitely look much better than they did back in May of last year. After 2 surgeries they should, right?? LOL, yeah, they do. Are the xanthies totally gone? No. And I have to say I didn't expect them to be. If you remember, Dr. T said we'd be removing what was left in pieces but he wanted to try and stop the process first. It appears that they are not getting any worse, which is good and there is less xanthie than there was in December.
So, let me backtrack a little. Since my last update, everything has been fine, for the most part, which is why I didn't update. Not much had changed. Then, about 3 weeks ago 2 little bumps showed up. One on each incision. The one on the left eye was larger and looked like a pimple. The one on the right incision looked yellow. My first thought was that it was xanthie but it didn't look quite like xanthie. A few days passed and I continued to watch these new bumps. I think you know what's coming next. I simply cannot just leave things alone! The left bump was getting bigger so I decided to pinch it a bit to see what would happen. Believe it or not, it popped, just like a pimple. I know, gross right? Yeah, I agree. What came out of it also had little tiny bits of stitch! Now that part did surprise me but then my senses took over and I realized that maybe some tiny pieces of stitch hadn't dissolved and my body had surrounded it with white blood cells to escort it out through the scar. I'm guessing my skin was a bit too thick, thus this pimple looking thing. Once I pinched everything out of it, it healed and there is no indication that anything was ever there. Then I turned to the right one. It looked different but in my mind, I thought it could be the same thing. It took 2 days to get that one out but I did, and after examining it under my gem microscope, it was definitely the same with tiny tiny bits of stitch material. 2 days after that, both were gone and everything is back to normal! Both incisions are totally smooth now, no bumps on or underneath. I'm thinking that all the internal stitches are finally gone.
That brings me up to today. I will be calling Dr. T's office tomorrow for my next appointment. I already have planned what I want done next. Xanthie has returned on the left upper lid as I have mentioned before. I want that fixed. The right upper is fine, maybe a little discolored but no real reincarnation of xanthie. On the lowers, I'm almost willing to leave the left lower alone for now. There is still that piece at the top near the corner of my eye that I would like to remove eventually but it's kind of okay for the moment. I think it may be better to let more skin grow on that one before cutting it again. As for the right lower, Dr. T. didn't remove a lot. He took off the lower third, which was good but most of the rest is still there. I have to say at this point it doesn't appear to be getting any bigger but since he didn't remove too much, there may be enough skin to get some more off. I'll present all of this to him and see what he says. Remember, the big issue is to not take off so much skin that the eyelids lose function. You cannot pull skin up to fill in the gaps because gravity takes over and pulls it right back down.
By the way, I don't know if you remember my quest to lose weight from back in December. Well, as of today, I have lost 18 pounds since Thanksgiving. My daughter Samantha and I have been working together to drop some pounds and get into better shape. I think it's working. We both need to commit to it a little more as we have both fallen off in the past few weeks but I hope to get back into it soon.
Anyway, that's my update for now. I will post again for my appointment which I hope will be within the next week. Here is a photo taken today. Not bad. Compare it to previous photos and let me know what you guys think!
See ya soon~

S2 15 weeks +3 days

Hi everyone!!!
I'm still here! I got the postcard reminder to make my appointment with Dr. T a few days ago so I guess it's time to get in gear again. I plan on calling them this week and hope to have an appointment within another week.
I do have an update for you guys but I dont have the photos. My camera battery is totally dead. It's late at night (11:20pm)and since it will take an hour or so for it to charge, I'll just wait till tomorrow. Sorry!
Everything is good and I promise to be back in the morning with an update and photos!
I'd also like to say thanks to the people that have been reading and following my story for the past 11 months. I appreciate the comments and I wish all of my fellow xanthie buddies the best of luck!

S2 7 weeks +1 day

Hello!
I bet you guys thought I fell off the planet huh? Not much had changed since my last post so I decided to wait a bit longer before updating again.
My scars are continuing to heal and the stitches under the skin are slowly disappearing. There are still some there though. When I look in the mirror, I can still see everything but other people are telling me that they aren't noticing anything. I think some of them are just trying to be nice! As noted before, the right xanthie is still pretty much there and pieces of the left one are too but not as much as the right. I cant tell yet if they are getting any thicker. I may not notice that for another month or so like last time. It also looks like there is less fat under the right eye. The left has a "puffiness" to it. The left one also appears to be tighter than the right, like there was less skin for Dr. T to work with. Either way, the lines that were more prominent a few weeks ago are fading too and that's good!
The final cost totals are in:
Date/Doc---------------------------Charge--------Ins paid
11.19 Initial visit Dr. T ----------250.00 -----114.89
11.19 Photos Dr. T -----------------80.00 ------16.68
12.15 Pre-op/EKG Dr. C --------162.00 -------74.21
12.23 Surgery Dr. T ------------5000.00 -----540.02
12.23 Surgery Center ----------5000.00 -----286.67*
12.23 Anesthesia Dr. G --------1000.00 -----651.00
--------------------------------------------------------------
Totals ----------------------------11,492.00 ----1683.47
Total out of my pocket ------------------------- 250.00
Total prescriptions ----------------------------- ~50.00

* My out patient surgery deductible was applied to the surgicenter charge so the total they were paid was 536.67.
This surgery was less expensive, but I only had the lowers done this time. The anesthesiologist was in network for this one so my insurance didnt have to pay as much either.
I go back to Dr. T around the end of March for a follow up and also to plan the next revision. I still want the left upper revised and maybe the right lower fixed. We'll see what he says about all that. He did mention the last time I saw him that those revisions would be more difficult along with the fact that I just dont have a lot of skin left. I hate these xanthie things. I just want them gone.

Here is today's photo. It's improving, just slowly. I'll update again before my next appointment with Dr. T and then of course afterwards too!
See ya~

S2 5 weeks -3 days post op

3 days short of 5 weeks post op, feels like it has been much longer!!
So... the newly spit stitches I told you about last week; did you think I could just leave them be? Of course not. 2 days later I decided to see if I could pull them out and guess what? They came out! The one on the right came out in pieces, like when you pull yarn apart into separate threads. It took some time and patience but I got it all out--piece by little piece. The one on the left was different. As I started to pull that one out, it was obvious that it hadn't dissolved as much as the other one. It was no longer knotted and the material was still intact. While I was pulling on it, it got stuck, like it didnt want to come out. I almost started to regret having touched them at all. I stopped for a minute to evaluate it and decided that I was not going to leave this string hanging out on my face so I started tugging again. I didn't want to pull too hard on it but I did have to really pull and once it started sliding out again, I didn't stop until it was all the way out. I have to admit, it hurt but the stitch was out. It was going to have to come out one way or another anyway. Afterwards, I put a blob of the antibiotic ointment on the newly created holes and hoped for the best. That was 3 days ago. Today they feel fine and the holes are closed. The areas where these 2 stitches were is now smooth as opposed to the rest of the scars which are still lumpy from the remaining stitches. I have no idea how long it will take for them to absorb and judging by the 2 that I pulled out, that time could vary from stitch to stitch!
Something I dont think I've mentioned yet. While on vacation I noticed that my left eye doesn't close tight like the right one. It closes, but I had to "squeeze" that eye to keep the ocean water out of it. I normally swim in a pool with open eyes but salt water burns after a while so I usually close them in the ocean. I think I had noticed right after this surgery also, that the left eye wasn't closing all the way but I thought it corrected itself. I guess it didn't correct all the way!
That's it for now. Here are today's photos. They look about the same as S1-5 weeks except for the slight dark areas that I know are stitches.
See ya in another week.

S2 4 weeks -1 day post op

I'm back! It rained a lot but we still had a good time. I think my scars did well in what little sun we had. No sunburn at all--anywhere! I still used the sunblock stick on the scars to be sure.
The biggest update for today is that I'm spitting more stitches. At least 2 that I can see and I think 2 more that haven't broken through the skin yet but are trying. I have no idea what to do about these. I have a slightly odd sensation where the stitches are peeking through but I wouldn't call it pain. There is no redness at all so I'm sure they aren't infected or anything but you can see them. In person, they just look like little black or blue spots. The camera picks it up better and in the close up shots you can see they are actually stitches. Lovely right..? I'm thinking that I'll wait until next week and if they are still there, I'll make another appointment with Dr. T to have these newest pieces removed.
I still have the darkish areas around the scars and I'm thinking it's more stitches underneath. I have no other explanation for it since this didn't happen with the last surgery. I don't know how long these bluish/purple stitches take to dissolve but they're very clearly still there! I'm also starting to wonder if all of them are going to try to rise out of my skin. Weird and a little annoying too!
Everything else is good.
Lots of sun in the full eye shot, close-ups are all flash. It was really hard to get these today. I guess I'm a little out of practice! Anyway, I'll update again in a few days~

S2 3 weeks post op

Wow~3 weeks since the surgery, and also the day before I leave on vacation. Looking at my eyes in the mirror, I don't think I'm where I wanted to be at this point. I have to keep reminding myself that it has only been 3 weeks and that healing takes time. I know this! I still wanted them to be more healed by now. Looking back at the previous surgery, I was about the same at the 3 week mark, so it's not like I'm not healing, it's just not as fast as I want it!
Anyway, the raw spot is finally noticeably smaller. It itches a lot but I just put ointment on it and it helps. The lower end of the right incision has finally closed. I'm glad for that. Both incisions still look dark, darker than last time, but I attribute that to it being a slightly different procedure and the internal stitches. When I look in the mirror, I clearly see the lines and under my eyes just looks dark in general. I'm sure it will all fade to normal one of these days. One thing I did notice today was that all the swelling is gone. I still feel some lumpiness here and there but no swelling.
I have my 50spf sunblock stick all ready so that these areas don't burn. I'm hoping a tan will hide some of the darkness and that I wont look freshly operated on within the next day or so!
Here are today's photos. See the improvement? Yeah like I've said a few times before, the photos look way better than how they look in person!
See ya next week!

S2 19 days post op

Sorry I didn't update yesterday. Too many things going on and I just didn't get the time. By the way, the party was great! Everyone had a great time and my mom was happy! Yea!

Okay, now for the eyes.
I still look like I'm very tired. The bruises are mostly gone but the dark areas in and around the incisions remain. The raw spot on the left is still there. Very slowly, it's getting smaller. The bottom of the right incision is still a little behind the rest as far as healing but considering the issues with it, I guess it's okay. I didn't put any ointment on them last night because I wanted them to dry out. Well, really I mostly wanted the raw spot to dry out and it did. It itches like crazy today too! I'll go put some ointment on them in a little bit. When I touch either incision, it's kind of tender underneath and I can feel lumps. Just tiny little lumps probably from the internal stitches that haven't absorbed yet. I'm sure they'll go away in time along with the tenderness. Everyone at the party yesterday said they looked good and photos taken came out good. I'm hoping that means that photos taken on vacation will be good too! On close up shots, I could see my incisions but photos taken further away looked normal. Another thing I noticed is that in July, photos of me showed my eyes really close together, almost like the skin was pulling them both towards my nose. In the photos yesterday, it looks like my eyes are back where they should be. Maybe removing the tissue underneath allowed the skin to slacken a little? Either way, I like the result. After 45+ years of seeing my eyes a certain distance apart, it was unnerving to see them pulled together in the middle! As I'm typing this, I realize that I'm likely the only one on the planet that even noticed it. LOL~
Here are today's photos. As I said above, the incisions are a bit dry. After I wash my face again, I'll put the ointment on and they'll be back to normal... normal for post op that is!
See ya~

S2 17 days post op

Another quick update today.
The newest stitch that was hanging out a few days ago is now gone. I promise I didn't do it intentionally either! I washed my face last night and when I was done, the stitch was gone!! I'm fine with that because it was annoying anyway! The right incision should go ahead and close up the rest of the way now. The left side still has the raw spot. It's dry and itching now. I also still look like I haven't slept in a week but I'm sure that will fade eventually--hopefully within the next 4 days!

I have lots of work to do today to get caught up before vacation so I must get to that. Tomorrow is my mom's 80th party. I actually have to dress up for the place we are taking her. Frank has to wear a suit too. I haven't seen him in a suit in years. He's a personal trainer so all he ever wears is sweat suits! Should be fun~

Here is today's regular photo. The closeups came out really blurry, probably because I'm in a hurry. I'll post some of those tomorrow so you can see where the stitch is gone.
See ya~

S2 16 days post op

Hello~
My mood is a little bit better today, yea!
My eyes are about the same. The stitch that was hanging out yesterday has retracted back in a little bit. I don't know if that's a good thing or not. I guess there isn't much I can do about it anyway. There's still some remnant bruising around both incisions but now it just looks like I'm tired. The raw spot on the left continues to get smaller but still exists, for now.
I noticed something a little different over the past couple of days. I feel these sensations in the areas of the incisions. It's not pain, and it only lasts for a few seconds. I feel it in different spots, and I'm assuming it has something to do with the dissolvable stitches. The best way I can describe it is to call them little pings so that's what they'll be. I'm trying to remember the last surgery, if I felt this kind of thing and I don't think it was quite the same. I remember feeling something that I described as the tissues knitting together but the feeling isn't the same. I have no idea what it is really!
Here are today's photos. They look better in the photos than in person...