Day 5 post surgery (Fri 9th Dec 05)

Day 5 - Y-V Endo Brow Lift, bilateral upper eyelid reconstruction, upper left eyelash ptosis repair and upper right eyelid ptosis repair

Day 5 (Fri 9th Dec 05) From last nite the staples in my head started to hurt a bit more than usual even with taking my pain medication and today even with taking pain medication, the pain is still there which is frustrating as usually the pain goes away. Yesterday and today I spent a total of several hours trying to untangle a knot in my hair and lost a lot of hair in the process which was worrying (yikes).

I never thought I'd get the knot out though after several hours of persisting thankfully I did, but at the cost of losing a lot of hair in spite of being really careful. Perhaps cos of the combing, it caused the staples to hurt (?). Taking the steriod eye drops has a strange sensation as I use the drops in my eyes and soon I can taste the drops in my throat.... hmmm! Ikky taste.

My next appointment with Jane Olver is on Weds 14th Dec to have my staples removed. Sleeping has been ok. I've been sleeping elevated on bed wedges. I'm not sure when I'll start looking normal again as I look like a total stranger which a high forehead; and I hope I haven't lost too much hair (yikes). I didn't get a medical note from the hospital and they left a message to say to get the note from my general practitioner. I'll probably ask for 3 weeks as I don't think I'll be ready to go back to work next week ie 19th Dec. Besides it's Christmas week and there'll be no one in the office and I won't be missed. With the way my eyes are currently, with my vision being blurry, I don't think I'll be any good driving or able to look at the screen 8 hours a day.

The nurse did say I wasn't to drive for at least 2 weeks due to poor vision. Yesterday and today my lower eye area started to bruise (yellow) and also my upper eyelids started to get black and blue and also today and late last nite my upper eyelids started to smart and even with pain killers, it still hurts. There's not a lot I can do about it. Jane's after care notes mention to start using warm compress on Day 4 which was yesterday though I'm still using ice compress. I wish the pain in my head ie staples and pain in my right upper eyelid (which is like a knife cut) would dissolve with the pain meds. It's bearable but uncomfortable.

One thing I forgot to mention is that when I touch my forehead, there is a squishy squelcy sound like fluid moving inside and it feels weird and I try not to touch my forehead as I have thoughts of things oozing inside ... ergh! :)

A link to browlift photos : http://www.locateadoc.com/gallery.cfm/Action/Gallery/GalleryID/1389

Thread on the Make Me Heal forum: http://www.makemeheal.com/messageboards/viewtopic.php?t=122

Day 4 post surgery (Thurs 8 Dec 05)

Day 4 - Y-V endo brow lift, bilateral upper eyelid reconstruction, left upper eyelash ptosis repair and right upper eyelid ptosis repair

Day 4 (Thurs 8th Dec 05) - Set the alarm call for 8am and the day of medication started, making my meals and taking medication and trying to get some rest in between though time passed really fast. My left eye has become really red (will post pictures soon) and looks like a blood clot. I started using a mixture of salt solution and sterile eye gauze to wash the blood from my eyes as soon as I got home on Day 3.

One of the most uncomfortable things the past few days has been the blurry vision as my vision has been so blurry on and off due to the drops and it's been difficult to read anything or watch tv or write emails.

Day 3 of surgery (7th Dec 05)

Day 3 - Y-V endo brow lift, bilateral upper eyelid reconstruction, left eyelash ptosis repair and upper eyelid ptosis repair

Day 3 (Weds 7th Dec 05), usual wake up breakfast call with medication and blood pressure; and then mid morning a nurse came in to wash my hair which she said felt like "wood" as it was so hard and filled with blood (I'll post pictures soon). It was very difficult for her to even comb it and she said I needed to use lots of conditioner at home and needed to wash it again. But she did a good job as she didn't hurt at all when combing my hair. (p/s it took me about 7 hours to detangle my hair in stages when I finally washed it at home and I lost a lot of hair during that time - I hope I haven't lost too much (yikes)).

I was given a lot of medication to go home with, steriod tablets, steriod eye drops, antibiotics, anti sickness tablets, tablets to coat my stomach, natural tears, more tablets and the Philippino nurse kindly wrote everything out neatly for me to understand as my vision was very poor and I could hardly see to read the labels and what it was I needed to take. As it was I had to use a magnifying glass at home with light at the end of it to check each time I took any medication to see what it was I was taking, just to check I was taking the right medication at the right time. It has been hard work as I needed to take medication from either 6am to midnight and every 2 hours (if not every hour) and different medications at each time.

The taxi ride home was ok and smooth and I wasn't car sick as I had my ReliefBand http://www.reliefband.com/whatisit.html with me which helped lots during the journey and I also used it on Day 2 and Day 1 of my hospital stay. It was great to arrive home to home comforts though it was the start of me having to look after myself, cook my own meals, take care of medication times and feed the kitties and set the alarm clock to take medications etc which was time consuming along with not allowing me time to rest.

One link I found which was useful re after care for endo brow lift is : http://www.drducic.com/patient/endo_brow.html.

Day 2 of surgery (6 Dec 05)

Day 2 of Y-V endo brow lift, bilateral upper eyelid reconstruction, upper left eyelash ptosis repair and upper right ptosis repair

The next morning Tues 6th Dec, I was due to be discharged but I felt really ill and nauseaus and on drinking a cup of hot chocolate, I promptly vomited it all in the toilet and knew that there was no way I would survive an hour's long taxi ride home through Central London in my condition, which felt like I was having a really really bad hangover and about to vomit at any movement. I had almost thrown up a few times earlier just on water but nothing came out until I had drunk the hot chocolate.

The nurse wanted to check with Jane whether it was ok for me to stay and I guess that was normal procedure though it did irate me a little as she'd recommended a 2 day stay was usual for endo brow patients as they usually suffer bad headaches though strangely in my case it was my eyes that bothered me and nothing on my head.

I discussed this with the anaesthesist ie that I didn't even feel any staples on my head and couldn't understand why I felt my eyes hurting when they weren't supposed to hurt and my head was. He was pleased that my head didn't hurt and also that my throat wasn't sore (which it usually is for a day after due to the tube they put in my throat) - I commended him on a job well done as that eased my pain and discomfort.

The anaesthesist came back to see me on Day 2 and said I looked much less swollen than I did on Day 1 - which was validated by one of the nurses. I couldn't tell as my vision was blurred and I couldn't see myself. I did take pictures though they only show so much and all I could tell from my pictures is my eyes being smaller on day 1 and much bigger and wider on day 2. Day 2 at the hospital was spent sleeping a lot as I couldn't see, with the nurses coming in as usual and taking my blood pressure, waking me for meals, steriod drops, antibiotics, medications, and lots of trips to the bathroom. I needed the sleep as Day 1 had been a nightmare.

I began to feel better nausea wise and I was grateful for that as they'd started to give me some anti sickness tablets which helped; otherwise I may have asked to stay another day which I couldn't afford as it was costing me £500 a day! Ouch!

Day 1 of Surgery (Mon 5 Dec 05)

Day 1 of Endo Brow lift, bilateral upper eyelid reconstruction, upper left eyelash ptosis repair and upper right eye ptosis repair

I had a Y-V endo brow lift, bilateral upper eyelid reconstruction, upper left eyelash ptosis repair and upper right eyelid ptosis repair with Jane Olver at the Wellington Hospital todaym Mon 5th Dec 05. The surgery lasted about 2 hours.

I haven't been able to see properly to nor felt up to posting much till now; and will post sporadically with lots of rest in between posts before I publish this.

I didn't sleep the day before surgery as I was worried that if I did, I may miss hearing the alarm clock and miss the surgery :) so I stayed up all night making last minute final preparations etc and packing.

It felt weird being at a different hospital to that which I was used to, which was the Blackheath Hospital and the journey was fairly long, ie had to take a taxi to North Greenwich tube station, and then pull suitcase through the crowded hustle and bustle of Monday morning commuters heading to work at 7am in the morning. It was freezing when I got out at the other end at St Johns Wood tube station and was about a 5 min walk from the station.

Reception seemed less friendly and homely than it does at Blackheath Hospital which has a homey atmosphere which is what I loved about it. Though I was seen to within minutes and taken to my room by the porter. My male nurse arrived within a few more minutes to introduce himself and talk me through my medical questionnaire. I think I was able to change into my medical gown before Jane and her fellow (who was accompanying her at the surgery) came in to go through more questions and to reclarify what I was having done.

Jane said she had a couple of short procedures to do before she saw to me, as she wanted to spend time on my procedure and I had to wait till about 1030 hrs before the anaesthesist came in to discuss my case history and my reactions to anaesthesia. He was nice (smiles). I dozed off every now and then while I waited for my turn and then someone came in with a robe and for the first time I walked to the theatre (at Blackheath Hospital I am usually wheeled in).

I was feeling really cold, and had goosebumps though the anaesthesist and another man there made me feel at home. The anaesthesist said I had geriatric veins and blood pressure (grins) as my veins were too small and my blood pressure too low :) and he missed the first time to get a vein and had to try again but it wasn't too bad. Usually there is a cold sensation as the anaesthethic goes into my veins though I didn't feel that too much this time - at the last surgery I felt my heard beating faster and faster and heard my voice trailing into the distant as I spoke about how my heart was beating fast though this time, it all happened smoothly as the anaesthethist injected the anaesthethic, I slowly drifted off and my eyes closed.

I was fairly alert on waking (so I heard the anaesthethist mention) as I wanted to get out of bed and empty my bladder. He said that I'd lost a lot of blood in my head and they'd had to use a drip hence why my bladder was full. I felt alert and tried to get out of the table to go empty my bladder (that was funny). One of the nurses said I had to wait at the recovery area for 20 mins and I kept asking if the time was up yet as I really really needed to empty my bladder! They eventually wheeled me back to my room and I gratefully used the toilet!

I remember feeling like my eyelashes were inverted and sticking into my eyeballs or that lots of little injections were in my eyeballs and there being lots of pain especially as I couldn't shut my eyes or blink. I was tearing a lot. I remember asking for something for the pain but the nurse on duty said they couldn't give me anything yet as it was too soon. I remember being in a daze and giving myself reiki and half falling asleep sitting up as I did so, trying to ease the pain.

The anaesthesist came in at one point and was very kind and concerned. I remember him saying something about the anaesthesia wearing off fast hence the pain and it was either pain or nausea and I asked if he could give me something for the pain as if I could give it a score of 10, I'd say the pain was 10 out of 10. Perhaps that was a big mistake as for hours after that I suffered from a lot of nausea and they gave me injection after injection in my arm and butt for the pain and/or nausea (I can't remember now).

I couldn't eat anything that afternoon nor anything for dinner as I felt nauseaus and slept a lot on and off while they came in to wash my eyes, and pump me full of medication, steriods, antibiotics, eyedrops, injections amongst taking my blood pressure etc.

Throughout my stay at the Wellington Hospital, all I heard from the nurses and hospital staff including fellows etc was how wonderful a surgeon Jane Olver was. That gave me a lot of reassurance (smiles) and it was nice to hear that she had a great supporting crowd behind her.

Thread on the Make Me Heal Forum: http://www.makemeheal.com/messageboards/viewtopic.php?t=122

Second consult with Jane Olver & follow up letter

I'm feeling frustrated as though I saw Jane Olver last Weds 16th Nov 05, the letters she had promised me are today, Mon 21st Nov, still not forthcoming and her assistant advised that no letter has as yet been typed, that she was only an appts secretary and Jane's usual secretary only works on Thursday and Jane was out from Weds, which means they will not touch base with each other this week; and my surgery is scheduled for 10 days from now.

I persisted in receiving at least some sort of confirmation of what surgeries are going to be performed on me as I hadn't a clue. Jane had rambled (for use of a word) off a list of procedures at my consult last week and I didn't understand half of them, which I told her.

After a fair amount of discussion, Jane's secretary finally towards the later part of the afternoon, faxed me a copy of a letter Jane's usual assistant had typed last week, which wasn't really relevant as we had updated it since (letter of which is still in the dictating machine).

Jane's admin secretary did however say that she'd spoken to Jane today who confirmed that the surgeries she was recommending me are a trans blepharoplasty incision type Y to V endoscopic brow lift with endotine with bilateral upper eyelid reconstruction and ptosis repair. This would be carried out under general anaesthesia with one night's stay in hospital.

Now I have no clue what endotines are, and was looking through some old posts at the Make Me Heal Brow Forum and voila ... one link is:
http://www.coaptsystems.com/docs/patientbrochure.pdf
and shares information about endotines. I'm not too sure at this stage, upon reading it, whether I want something foreign in my forehead that will dissolve in time. Jane knows my thoughts on foreign objects in myself eg Restylane or Botox and I'm surprised she's even considered offering me endotines. The link above describes that some people find it so discomforting that they have surgery to remove the endotines before they are fully dissolved.

I'm continuing to do some further research to find out more information; otherwise it'll be a full endo brow lift with bilateral upper eyelid reconstruction and ptosis repair at a cost of some £6,201 which is more money than I can afford right now and way over budget for me. I'm very confused and scared right now.

Endoscopic Forehead / Brow Lift Journey (from Dec 2005)

My original surgery which consisted of upper/lower bleph & right eye ptosis repair on 9th December 2004 and revision surgery on 7th July 2005 is at http://indianaeyesheal.blogspot.com. You may wish to read that first to understand my healing journey more in depth. I am 41 years of age.

I decided to create a separate journal for my reconstruction journey to repair the inconsistencies performed by my original surgeon. Jane Olver, FRSC, FRCOphth, Consultant Ophthalmic, Plastic and Orbital Surgeon at http://www.oculoplastics.co.uk is performing my reconstruction journey which will consist of 3 separate surgeries over the next few months.

My first surgery will be a Y-V brow lift, bilateral upper eyelid reconstruction, left upper eyelash ptosis repair and right upper eyelid ptosis repair. This will be in 2 weeks time on 5th December 2005, almost a year since my original bleph journey.

A photo album summary of my original bleph can be found on my eyeblog above and/or at http://www.makemeheal.com/pictures/viewAlbum.php?albumid=45

I've been doing some research and found the following site with a fair amount of before and after endoscopic forehead/brow lift photos:
http://www.locateadoc.com/gallery.cfm/Action/List/ProcedureID/73

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Weds 17th Nov 2005
I went for a second consultation with Jane Olver today. She was running late, with 3 patients in front of me.

When I entered her consulting room at Harley Street, Jane apologised as she hadn't as yet had time to read my notes. She seemed unsure as to what I was there for (as she hadn't read my notes) and from her questioning, it seemed she was expecting me to tell her the procedures I wanted done. I had my letter from her with me and was reading from it as a lot of the procedures she had recommended were new to me, ie endoscopic forehead/brow lift etc. I advised her that I was totally in her capable hands as to what was needed for my healing journey and wasn't there to tell her the procedures I needed as I was confused by them all from her letter to me.

Jane seemingly sparked up on this, came over to sit next to me, and took measurements of my eyes, and photos and went on to discuss a little about the procedures I needed ie endoscopic forehead/brow lift etc. It was a little too much for me still to take in.

We made an attempt to discuss prices and which BUPA were prepared to pay; however there was a stumbling block in that there was a delay in Jane's dictating the notes to her secretary, as when I had called last week and Jane promised to dictate a note to BUPA that night, she hadn't, as there were no blank tapes around and she was not back in the office for a few more days after that. We roughly went over the price that her secretary had given me, which was £4,585.00 which included surgeon fees, hospital fees and general anaesthethic. Jane said it will probably be a bit more, perhaps another £500 on top of this, and that she'd need to get back to me to confirm it in writing once the dictating tape was typed out by the end of this week.

There was also confusion as to what BUPA were prepared to pay. I had discussed this with Jane over the phone last week, though she hadn't remembered who I was when I rang, which I guess is part and parcel of being a top surgeon, and she had taken notes. She took more notes for herself today and promised to get it in writing to send to BUPA so they can clarify what they are paying and what my excess was. For surgeon fees alone, it'd cost £1,750 for lower eyelid reconstruction and £1,200 for the Coleman fat transfer.

BUPA had commented to me that with lower eyelid and colemen fat transfer, they were prepared to pay £1,273.55 and without Coleman Fat transfer, they were prepared to pay £1,046.25. I didn't share these figures with Jane as the BUPA consultant I spoke with thought that BUPA were confused about the prices and asked me to arrange for Jane to clarify.

If BUPA aren't confused about the price, yikes, my excess will be £1,726.45 (with Coleman Fat Transfer), and this is just for the surgeon's fees, which would total £2,950 (with BUPA paying £1,273.55). BUPA will pay for all other hospital costs ie general anaesthethic etc. I will ask them to reclarify this as otherwise it'd be way beyond my means and I would need to reconsider which surgeries were important to me.

Eyeblog: http://indianaehesyeal.blogspot.com
Browblog : http://indianabrowhealing.blogspot.com
Brow pixs: http://www.makemeheal.com/pictures/viewAlbum.php?albumid=193
Make Me Heal Brow Thread: http://www.makemeheal.com/messageboards/viewtopic.php?t=122