Today I received the paperwork for the surgery in the mail. It's scheduled for the 23rd of December. Hmmm. Not exactly the day I wanted but I guess it's okay. They dont have approval from my insurance yet but the surgical coordinator still thinks that wont be a problem. I wish I was as confident as she is!
The pre-op instructions are different this time. No long list of "dont's" and just slightly different in general. He also gave me 2 prescriptions. The ointment is something different this time, Erythromycin ointment. I'm hoping its cheaper! I still have one refill of the Tobradex and about a half a tube left from June. The other one is for pain pills. That's new. It's Darvocet which isnt that strong but it will probably take that little edge of uncomfortable off. Cool. I'll go with that!
So, if the insurance approves everything, it looks like I'll have a train wrecked face for christmas. Fun. Gosh I hope everything turns out right. Vacation exactly 3 weeks post op. No room at all for error~
No photos today. They look the same. I'll update as soon as the insurance approves... or denies.
Tuesday, November 24, 2009
Thursday, November 19, 2009
24 weeks (+1day) the second beginning
Today I met Dr. T and it appears that I'm headed back for more surgery.
Dr. T explained that Dr. L only removed the skin and none of the tissue/fat underneath and that's why my lovely xanthies are coming back. They were never fully removed!! He took some photos, felt the skin, then used a tweezer type thing to pinch the skin where the xanthies are (mimicking removal of that skin maybe?) and then we talked. He feels he can work with my eyes to fix them but says we may need to do it piece by piece; meaning that we cant just go in and pull it all out at once because my eyes wouldn't fit properly afterwards. I told him that I'm okay doing it little by little as long as the end result is that they will be gone and for longer than 5 months. It appears I have enough skin to go ahead and start this process and we have 3 potential dates, Dec 9th, Dec 18th or Dec. 23rd. The 23rd is a definite but since I have that Caribbean vacation planned (yes, again...) I'm not so sure I want to do it on the 23rd, however, he feels 3 weeks will be enough healing time. I'll go back and check the 3 week post op mark and see how I was before I agree to that though. I have to keep in mind that we are only doing the lowers this time and they did heal faster than the uppers with much less swelling etc. They were bruised and I looked a little beat up but he may be right. 3 weeks...hmmm, a tan would certainly hide any left over bruising ;). I just went back and looked at the 3 week update. Visible scars but not bad. This could work... I'm hoping for the 18th though because 4 weeks gives the eyes 5 more days and more is better for healing. My daughter is not available on the 9th and I'm not sure I want to do this without her. She may not realize it but I'm really glad she was with me before and would really like to have her with me again.
Anyway, I also spoke with the surgical coordinator. This is a different one from last time. She seemed to feel that my insurance will cover it again but Dr. T. said they may lump this into the non covered blepharoplasty category because we're removing the fat below the skin this time along with the new xanthies. We'll see. She gave me the pre-op paperwork and told me to go ahead and get it done. This time they want bloodwork along with the EKG because if they do it on the 9th, the surgi center for that date requires it. They have two that they use. I'd kind of rather go back to the same place as before--on the 18th! Hopefully my insurance sees that this is a work in progress and approves it but if I have to pay for it, I guess I'll just have to tighten up the budget and go for it. I want my face fixed.
I'll update again as soon as I get a date.
Meanwhile, take a look at todays photos. Its dark outside so this is all flash, no sunlight. You can really see the xanthies now.
Dr. T explained that Dr. L only removed the skin and none of the tissue/fat underneath and that's why my lovely xanthies are coming back. They were never fully removed!! He took some photos, felt the skin, then used a tweezer type thing to pinch the skin where the xanthies are (mimicking removal of that skin maybe?) and then we talked. He feels he can work with my eyes to fix them but says we may need to do it piece by piece; meaning that we cant just go in and pull it all out at once because my eyes wouldn't fit properly afterwards. I told him that I'm okay doing it little by little as long as the end result is that they will be gone and for longer than 5 months. It appears I have enough skin to go ahead and start this process and we have 3 potential dates, Dec 9th, Dec 18th or Dec. 23rd. The 23rd is a definite but since I have that Caribbean vacation planned (yes, again...) I'm not so sure I want to do it on the 23rd, however, he feels 3 weeks will be enough healing time. I'll go back and check the 3 week post op mark and see how I was before I agree to that though. I have to keep in mind that we are only doing the lowers this time and they did heal faster than the uppers with much less swelling etc. They were bruised and I looked a little beat up but he may be right. 3 weeks...hmmm, a tan would certainly hide any left over bruising ;). I just went back and looked at the 3 week update. Visible scars but not bad. This could work... I'm hoping for the 18th though because 4 weeks gives the eyes 5 more days and more is better for healing. My daughter is not available on the 9th and I'm not sure I want to do this without her. She may not realize it but I'm really glad she was with me before and would really like to have her with me again.
Anyway, I also spoke with the surgical coordinator. This is a different one from last time. She seemed to feel that my insurance will cover it again but Dr. T. said they may lump this into the non covered blepharoplasty category because we're removing the fat below the skin this time along with the new xanthies. We'll see. She gave me the pre-op paperwork and told me to go ahead and get it done. This time they want bloodwork along with the EKG because if they do it on the 9th, the surgi center for that date requires it. They have two that they use. I'd kind of rather go back to the same place as before--on the 18th! Hopefully my insurance sees that this is a work in progress and approves it but if I have to pay for it, I guess I'll just have to tighten up the budget and go for it. I want my face fixed.
I'll update again as soon as I get a date.
Meanwhile, take a look at todays photos. Its dark outside so this is all flash, no sunlight. You can really see the xanthies now.
Tuesday, November 10, 2009
23 weeks (-1 day) post op
I hadn't planned on taking so long to do the next update but nothing had really changed until recently. I noticed a few weeks ago that I could see my xanthies again! What..?? For the first few days, I thought it was my imagination playing tricks on me but no, my lower lids have them again. I cant say it was totally unexpected as I was warned they could return. They are faint, and I only see them when I look closely at my eyes. What's weird is that they are the same exact shape and size as before! It's almost like there was more xanthie that wasnt removed deep in the tissues and is now coming to the surface. Interestingly, there is a nice neat incision line right down the middle of these new lesions. There also appears to be a slight return of xanthie on my left upper lid. That one kind of blends into the scar so I'm not worried about it yet. These lower lids though... ugh!
If you remember, I had said previously that I would probably go for a revision of the areas Dr. L couldn't remove but I certainly didnt expect it to be so soon. You may also remember that Dr. L left the practice and after several searches online, I cant find him in a new location anywhere near here. Bummer. I liked him. So, today I made an appointment to see the new occular plastic guy in the group, Dr. T. The appointment is for a week from Thursday, 9 days from now. I'm going to ask to have the lower lids revised or fixed but not the uppers. I'd be really surprised if my insurance covers it a second time but we'll see. If he agrees to fix them, I may end up paying out of pocket. If that happens, I would probably push the surgery out until late winter or early spring. Once again, I have vacation in the Caribbean planned for January so if we do this now it will have to be done by the first or second week of December. That would give me the same 5 weeks of healing time and that worked fine. I think I'm getting a little ahead of myself now. I'll just have to see what he says next week. It's entirely possible he'll not want to touch them...
Here are today's photos. Compare them to August's photos (from the last update) and you can see a slight difference. It appears they were coming back then but I hadnt noticed it yet.
I'll be back next Thursday for another update. Wish me luck!!
If you remember, I had said previously that I would probably go for a revision of the areas Dr. L couldn't remove but I certainly didnt expect it to be so soon. You may also remember that Dr. L left the practice and after several searches online, I cant find him in a new location anywhere near here. Bummer. I liked him. So, today I made an appointment to see the new occular plastic guy in the group, Dr. T. The appointment is for a week from Thursday, 9 days from now. I'm going to ask to have the lower lids revised or fixed but not the uppers. I'd be really surprised if my insurance covers it a second time but we'll see. If he agrees to fix them, I may end up paying out of pocket. If that happens, I would probably push the surgery out until late winter or early spring. Once again, I have vacation in the Caribbean planned for January so if we do this now it will have to be done by the first or second week of December. That would give me the same 5 weeks of healing time and that worked fine. I think I'm getting a little ahead of myself now. I'll just have to see what he says next week. It's entirely possible he'll not want to touch them...
Here are today's photos. Compare them to August's photos (from the last update) and you can see a slight difference. It appears they were coming back then but I hadnt noticed it yet.
I'll be back next Thursday for another update. Wish me luck!!
Tuesday, August 25, 2009
12 weeks (-1 day) post op
Hello!
Tomorrow will be 12 week post surgery. Has it really been that long? Wow.
I would definitely say that at this point, my eyes are healed. All of that tightness and soreness, the lumps etc---all gone. For the most part, my eyes feel normal now. Don't get me wrong, they aren't baby smooth but they are far better than they were 2 months ago. One of the best things is that I don't always have to "cover" my eyes with makeup every time I leave the house. I can still see scars but I'll take the scars over the xanthies any day!
As you already know, there were a few pieces left that Dr. L couldn't remove because there wasn't enough skin. I'm thinking in a years time, I'll have enough skin to do a revision to get rid of those last few spots. They are small, and not nearly as noticeable but I know they are still there so if I can get my insurance to pay again, I'll have that fixed.
Speaking of insurance, let me tell you, I'm actually embarrassed at how little they paid Dr. L. Here is a breakdown of it all:
Date/Doc-------------------------------Charge----Ins paid
05.05 Initial visit Dr. L.-------------140.00-----60.00
05.05 photos Dr. L--------------------80.00-----16.68
05.23 pre op/EKG Dr. C-------------162.00-----74.21
06.01 pre op Dr. L--------------------130.00-----44.10
06.03 Anesthesia Dr. O-------------1300.00---1300.00 *
06.03 Surgery Dr. L-----------------7200.00----454.09
06.03 Pathology-----------------------105.00---capitated **
06.03 Surgery Center----------------6600.00----461.88 ***
---------------------------------------------------------------------
Totals:-----------------------------15,717.00------2410.96
Total out of my pocket---------------------------- 250.00
Total prescriptions--------------------------------266.00+
* The anesthesia doc was originally paid 947.70 from my insurance. She refused that and sent it back to be reprocessed to pay in full. They actually paid her the full amount...
** The lab is capitated which means that my insurance pays them a certain flat rate amount of money every month regardless of how many claims they have.
*** My deductible of 250.00 was applied to this charge. Total that the surgery center was paid 711.88.
+ I do not have a prescription plan, and tobradex ointment does not have a generic version available yet.
I have to wonder, if my insurance didn't approve this surgery, would I have had to pay 15,717.00??? As I said, I feel bad that Dr. L got paid so little for the work he did. He definitely deserved more. He participates with my insurance so he had to accept what they paid. Dr. O, the anesthesiologist does not participate with them therefore, she didn't have to accept it. She's making a fortune... I cant totally complain about that though since I did wake up afterwards!!!
Here are today's photos. Notice the significant improvement! I may update again in another month or so. I still owe you guys one photo with make up. Will do that too one day too~
Take care...
Edit to add:
I noticed after I posted this update that at least 2 people had found my blog and commented.
I am glad that this is finally showing up in searches and that someone may be helped by the information I have written. After so much of my own searching and finding nothing, I totally understand the frustration!
To anyone reading this, if you have questions about the procedure I had that I didnt answer through the blog, feel free to leave comments. I will check from time to time and answer anything I'm able to.
Thanks for reading!
Tomorrow will be 12 week post surgery. Has it really been that long? Wow.
I would definitely say that at this point, my eyes are healed. All of that tightness and soreness, the lumps etc---all gone. For the most part, my eyes feel normal now. Don't get me wrong, they aren't baby smooth but they are far better than they were 2 months ago. One of the best things is that I don't always have to "cover" my eyes with makeup every time I leave the house. I can still see scars but I'll take the scars over the xanthies any day!
As you already know, there were a few pieces left that Dr. L couldn't remove because there wasn't enough skin. I'm thinking in a years time, I'll have enough skin to do a revision to get rid of those last few spots. They are small, and not nearly as noticeable but I know they are still there so if I can get my insurance to pay again, I'll have that fixed.
Speaking of insurance, let me tell you, I'm actually embarrassed at how little they paid Dr. L. Here is a breakdown of it all:
Date/Doc-------------------------------Charge----Ins paid
05.05 Initial visit Dr. L.-------------140.00-----60.00
05.05 photos Dr. L--------------------80.00-----16.68
05.23 pre op/EKG Dr. C-------------162.00-----74.21
06.01 pre op Dr. L--------------------130.00-----44.10
06.03 Anesthesia Dr. O-------------1300.00---1300.00 *
06.03 Surgery Dr. L-----------------7200.00----454.09
06.03 Pathology-----------------------105.00---capitated **
06.03 Surgery Center----------------6600.00----461.88 ***
---------------------------------------------------------------------
Totals:-----------------------------15,717.00------2410.96
Total out of my pocket---------------------------- 250.00
Total prescriptions--------------------------------266.00+
* The anesthesia doc was originally paid 947.70 from my insurance. She refused that and sent it back to be reprocessed to pay in full. They actually paid her the full amount...
** The lab is capitated which means that my insurance pays them a certain flat rate amount of money every month regardless of how many claims they have.
*** My deductible of 250.00 was applied to this charge. Total that the surgery center was paid 711.88.
+ I do not have a prescription plan, and tobradex ointment does not have a generic version available yet.
I have to wonder, if my insurance didn't approve this surgery, would I have had to pay 15,717.00??? As I said, I feel bad that Dr. L got paid so little for the work he did. He definitely deserved more. He participates with my insurance so he had to accept what they paid. Dr. O, the anesthesiologist does not participate with them therefore, she didn't have to accept it. She's making a fortune... I cant totally complain about that though since I did wake up afterwards!!!
Here are today's photos. Notice the significant improvement! I may update again in another month or so. I still owe you guys one photo with make up. Will do that too one day too~
Take care...
Edit to add:
I noticed after I posted this update that at least 2 people had found my blog and commented.
I am glad that this is finally showing up in searches and that someone may be helped by the information I have written. After so much of my own searching and finding nothing, I totally understand the frustration!
To anyone reading this, if you have questions about the procedure I had that I didnt answer through the blog, feel free to leave comments. I will check from time to time and answer anything I'm able to.
Thanks for reading!
Wednesday, July 15, 2009
6 weeks post op
I have to say the last week went by really quickly!
My scars did very well in the tropical sun. I got very tanned but I put sunblock with 50 spf (Banana Boat Sport stick) under my eyes and on my upper lids. Surprisingly, my face is the only part of me that didn't burn! Every other piece of exposed skin burned--including my scalp! Anyway, the slight issues I was having are continuing to get better. The tightness is minimal at best and I almost dont feel it at all. The soreness is still there a little bit on the left upper lid but the other lids are better.
Putting makeup on was an interesting experience. As I may have written before, my eyelids on top are now shaped slightly different. I no longer have that "ridge" on the uppers to guide me in applying eyeliner but I still managed to get it on and makeup looks pretty good! Will get a shot of that next week.
In the mean time, here are my newly tanned eyes. Tans hide a lot!
My scars did very well in the tropical sun. I got very tanned but I put sunblock with 50 spf (Banana Boat Sport stick) under my eyes and on my upper lids. Surprisingly, my face is the only part of me that didn't burn! Every other piece of exposed skin burned--including my scalp! Anyway, the slight issues I was having are continuing to get better. The tightness is minimal at best and I almost dont feel it at all. The soreness is still there a little bit on the left upper lid but the other lids are better.
Putting makeup on was an interesting experience. As I may have written before, my eyelids on top are now shaped slightly different. I no longer have that "ridge" on the uppers to guide me in applying eyeliner but I still managed to get it on and makeup looks pretty good! Will get a shot of that next week.
In the mean time, here are my newly tanned eyes. Tans hide a lot!
Wednesday, July 8, 2009
5 weeks post op
Today marks 5 weeks! It's also the day before I leave on my tropical vacation. Yea! Since last week, there has been some improvement with the corners and also with the soreness. They still aren't totally 100% healed and I can tell but they are better than they were this time last week. The scars continue to fade slowly but they are fading. I think once I get a little sun they wont be as noticeable. I'll post photos when I get back so we can compare.
In the mean time, here are today's photos. I have to go pack for trip. See ya next week!
In the mean time, here are today's photos. I have to go pack for trip. See ya next week!
Thursday, July 2, 2009
4 weeks and 1 day post op
Can you believe its been 4 weeks? A whole month since the surgery. Wow.
I cant really say much has changed. I do believe the corners are loosening up a tiny bit. They still feel tight at times but not like it was. I still have the soreness in some spots, I notice that mostly when I rub my eyes. The right upper and the left lower don't feel that sore but the left upper and right lower still do. The lumpiness seems to have improved a bit too.
Last Friday, I tried makeup for the first time. That was interesting. My eyelids don't look like they've been reshaped but guess what... they have been. Before the surgery, I would make a fairly thick black line on top in an effort to hide xanthie. I also used darker eyeshadow colors over the xanthies to try to mask them. No need to do that any more. ;) It took some minor adjustments but I finally got the liner on so that it looked normal. The eyeshadow was a different story. The scars on top are indented, therefore they clearly showed with shadow color on them. I didn't know what else to do with that so I just left it. I may need to change eyeshadow colors. What I have used (for the past 25 years) may no longer work right. I'll experiment with new colors over the next few day and figure out what works better. It may be something as simple as using non frosted instead of my trusted frosted colors. Hmmm. We'll see. No photos of that yet. Still a bit too messy!
Here are the 4 week photos. Well, 4 weeks and 1 day~
Maybe one day I'll post a full face shot!!!
See ya in a few days~
I cant really say much has changed. I do believe the corners are loosening up a tiny bit. They still feel tight at times but not like it was. I still have the soreness in some spots, I notice that mostly when I rub my eyes. The right upper and the left lower don't feel that sore but the left upper and right lower still do. The lumpiness seems to have improved a bit too.
Last Friday, I tried makeup for the first time. That was interesting. My eyelids don't look like they've been reshaped but guess what... they have been. Before the surgery, I would make a fairly thick black line on top in an effort to hide xanthie. I also used darker eyeshadow colors over the xanthies to try to mask them. No need to do that any more. ;) It took some minor adjustments but I finally got the liner on so that it looked normal. The eyeshadow was a different story. The scars on top are indented, therefore they clearly showed with shadow color on them. I didn't know what else to do with that so I just left it. I may need to change eyeshadow colors. What I have used (for the past 25 years) may no longer work right. I'll experiment with new colors over the next few day and figure out what works better. It may be something as simple as using non frosted instead of my trusted frosted colors. Hmmm. We'll see. No photos of that yet. Still a bit too messy!
Here are the 4 week photos. Well, 4 weeks and 1 day~
Maybe one day I'll post a full face shot!!!
See ya in a few days~
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