Upper/Lower Eye Surgery; Minilift - Nashville, TN

The surgeon fee was $8,700 which I think was reasonable for full eyes and a mini lift that included muscle tightening at neck and cheeks (no shortcuts). Hospital was about $3,500 and anesthesia was $2,200.

To my unexpected surprise the pain has been very very BAD where the stitches are: above the ear inside the hairline; behind the ear from top to bottom; and at the base of the neck inside hairline--I have short hair. The pain has been so bad, I was still having to take meds by mid-afternoon as of Day 11, yesterday. Neck and cheeks are still swelling badly. Rim of eyes are still very swollen. Bad recovery so far and I am not sure why.

I like my doctor, but was he the right doctor? He has over 30 years experience, although facelifts are not the only surgery he does and probably not his specialty. He explained things well, although I did not know I would have staples in my head or this level of pain and swelling, especially near the end of Week Two. This is the most uncomfortable surgery recovery I have ever experienced, and with the most pain, by far.

At day 12, my neck feels like somebody has their hands around it and it is so swollen and feels packed. My cheeks are so tight and swollen near my ears that my face is MUCH wider than normal. I do not look like myself. I wonder if the skin will sag again once all this swelling goes down.

My eyes, especially one, are still very swollen at the rims, and do not look normal. They are very tender. I know the swelling will go down, but I am concerned about my neck and the hematoma/ropes which come and go, oddly. I am surprised that my eyes are not "settling" to a normal look at Day 12. It is giving me headaches, the extreme swelling and tightness.

I am stilling wearing this head sock day and night, and even wearing a pad under my chin for extra support for my swollen neck. It is so confining. I have read many reviews and most people seem to look and feel much much better by Day 12 and earlier. I don't look awful, but stretched and wide, and the discomfort is just bad. My eyes are uncomfortable. I almost could not wear the head sock many times due to the pain of the stitches and ear pain.

I have vomited about four times this week from the meds (none the first week, thankfully), and not violently. I tried to hold my neck tight and I didn't open my mouth wide. I also kept my eyes closed, but one of my lower eyelids bled under the skin when I vomited yesterday. It was very tender to the touch. Today it is just a bruised look.

There was no discussion of any possible problems that might arise after surgery, which I regret. This has not been a good recovery. The pain has been consistently bad. I have major numbness and pain (an odd combination) in the lower region of my face and beside my ears. I feel I should not have to take meds by mid-afternoon at this stage, which might be from the head sock irritating my painful stitches.

I had to get stronger meds the day after surgery. I was in awful pain. I could barely stand them touching me to take out the drains. Inappropriately, my doctor did not want to give me stronger meds, until I insisted. Vicodin was not working.

My stitches have been so so so very tight and irritated. They feel too tight and have from early on. They still hurt today, Day 12, but not as badly now that the removable stitches were taken out yesterday (Day 11). The staples were killer, two of which had "shifted and turned around", oh the pain... they were also removed yesterday. Pain bad.

Again, when I went in the day after surgery to have the drains behind my ears removed the pain was agonizing. I screamed when the nurse removed the stitches. The drains finally had to be yanked out violently, and I believe there will be scarring as those areas behind my ears are swollen up like small beans and one is still painful. It was traumatizing.

I cannot say I would do this surgery again or go to the same doctor, who has a great reputation. Maybe it is just me and my own recovery. But I am only 52, I looked pretty good when I went in other than some early sagging at the jowls, definite significant skin over my eyes, and my neck muscles were starting to show.

My doctor did tighten the cheek and neck muscles, which I knew was a must, so it was not just a "skin pull" mini-lift. I was not a good candidate for a full face lift. My forehead looks great and my neck is actually in good shape overall. I did not have significant sagging, but enough to warrant a mini lift.

The recovery feels like I have had 3 facelifts; I still look so tight and swollen in front of my ears and my neck and lower jowl. I have that "facelift look", a bit like an alien, stretched too tight with weird eyes. Things will settle, but are my stitches too tight or small to cause this pain and swelling? Not sure.

I will come back and give an update once some of the swelling goes down. My doctor is wanting me to come back again tomorrow (Day 13) which can't be a good sign as I was just there yesterday, but at least he is on top of things. I only saw him once Week 1, and that was the day after surgery when they terrorized me removing those horrid tubes. I did see his nurse again Week 1 for her to remove the eye stitches, but that hurt a lot, too, and I cried. I am normally not a sissy with pain.

Finally, I am not including photos for privacy. I also do not want to mention my doctor's name as I am dependent on him right now. My complaint isn't so much how I look, although I am still strangely swollen. The swelling will subside. I do know we all heal at different rates. My complaint is the pain and how I feel, so restricted in my own face and neck. This is wearing me out, although them removing the staples and the removable stitches did give some relief in terms of pain. I do fear there will be scarring where the drains behind my ears were yanked out so aggressively. The lumps have not subsided even though one no longer hurts.