Eyelid Surgery: Stories

My heavy upper eyelids are hereditary, and I always knew I'd have surgery someday. At age 50 they were beginning to sag so much that my eyelashes were getting caught in the creases. So, in early December 2008 I had an upper blepharoplasty.

I had only local anesthesia (combined with a shot of Demerol and a Valium). The most pain I experienced was the Demerol shot! The rest was a breeze. It was over with quickly, and I was on my way home.

The Demerol - or maybe the Valium - upset my stomach and I threw up a couple of times. Not a big deal, but it's hard to throw up without bending your head forward - which you aren't supposed to do right after surgery!

I never had to take a pain pill because there simply was no pain. Swelling and bruising, yes, but no real pain. I bruised very badly all the way around my eyes, and it took almost a month for it all to go away. Healing was slow, and I experienced a suture cyst several months in, which was recently injected with some cortizone. That seems to be taking care of it.

I still have some bumps under the skin, but I've been massaging and using a silicone gel. It gets better day by the day. I'm happy that I don't have that "deer in the headlights" look - I look very natural. So much so that I sometimes think the doc could've been more aggressive with my correction. But for the time being, I'm satisfied.