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...