I've had hollow under eyes for several years. Also lately my upper lids have sagged down pretty bad too. I tried tightening things up with a Co2 laser, which was great while it was swollen but everything dropped down again once swelling was gone. My surgery is one month from tomorrow. Reading the reviews and experiences of others on this site has been so helpful to me, so I'm going to document my surgery experience on here. Starting the countdown today!!! Here are some pics of my eyes without makeup and also with makeup. Looking at these makes me even more sure that I want this done and I pray that I will have good and wonderful results!!!
Scheduled for Upper and Lower Blepharoplasty on June 27,2016 - Huntsville, AL
-
tabithanash
- Not Sure
- Huntsville, AL
Pre-Op and Pay in Full Scheduled for Upper and Lower Blepharoplasty in Huntsville on June 6
I go Monday June 6 for my pre-op appt and to pay in full!! I'm nervous and scared but also hopeful that I will have good results. I trust Dr. Durst and saw his book of facial and eye work and it's really good and natural looking. I actually hope that he is aggressive enough cuz I don't want to have to do this again anytime soon!! I took these in the car this morning and I'm so sure about having this done and I'm ready!!! These pics are with full makeup, although I don't try too hard these days cuz I know my eyes look droopy and old :(
I hope and pray for great results :)
I hope and pray for great results :)
I found a pic of me in my 20s
I took this to my consult with Dr. Durst and this is why he said he doesn't recommend a Browlift. I've always had a low brow.
Making myself practically sick wondering if I have picked the right Surgeon!!!
I know I want my eyes fixed, but I'm scared to pieces wondering if I picked the right surgeon!! I keep scrutinizing his before and afters and keep picking them apart, especially the lower lids. Here are more pics of the crepe skin under lowers and extra skin of upper lids. I SO wish I could find someone from Huntsville who have used Dr. Durst!!! Does anyone out there know anyone in Huntsville, Alabama who has had surgery with him??
Woke up at 3:00 am and couldn't go back to sleep... Thanks hubby for the snoring :(
So I went to the couch with my tablet and my puppy. I've read people mention Dr. Meronk and a guide or site that he has, even though he is retired now, so I found and purchased it. Read for over 2 hours, then fell asleep again. I'm so relieved because everything he says is pretty much what Dr. Durst said during my consult. I'm feeling way better about this now. I highly recommend getting this guide if you're considering blepharoplasty anytime in the near future!!!
And I will be setting myself up in the guest room for recovery!!! And when I'm all healed, a certain hubby is going in for a sleep study!!! His snoring is getting worse and worse!! :(
And I will be setting myself up in the guest room for recovery!!! And when I'm all healed, a certain hubby is going in for a sleep study!!! His snoring is getting worse and worse!! :(
1 Week From Today...
I'm scheduled for Monday June 27, one week from today. Actually I should be getting out of surgery about this time of day. I'm supposed to be there at 7:00 am and they said it would take about 4 hours.
I'm really nervous now!!! Getting a knot in my stomach every time I think about it, which is every minute of the day the closer we get to June 27.
You know how when you schedule a hair cut, and on the day of the appointment your hair looks amazing so you second guess even going for the cut?? Yeah, that's where I am right now. I took a selfie just laying in bed yesterday morning and thought, "my eyes don't look that bad!! What am I doing here?" Just wondering if this how everyone else feels as your date gets closer??
I'm really nervous now!!! Getting a knot in my stomach every time I think about it, which is every minute of the day the closer we get to June 27.
You know how when you schedule a hair cut, and on the day of the appointment your hair looks amazing so you second guess even going for the cut?? Yeah, that's where I am right now. I took a selfie just laying in bed yesterday morning and thought, "my eyes don't look that bad!! What am I doing here?" Just wondering if this how everyone else feels as your date gets closer??
For those of you about to have your eyes done!!
This video blog was awesome and it calmed my fears a lot!!
https://www.realself.com/forum/ali-wentworths-video-diaries-blepharoplasty
Has Anyone Ever Heard of a Surgeon Sewing Your Eyelids Shut After Blepharoplasty??
They did not mention this during the one hour consultation, not during the phone calls I made with follow up questions, not when I scheduled my surgery and paid a $250 scheduling fee. It was not till I went in for my pre-op appt ( at which they immediately took my payment as soon as I walked in the door), then in the pre-op instructions, they tell me "oh by the way, your eyelids will be sewn shut for the first day, night, and part of the next day." And it will be wrapped tight with gauze and bandages. I am extremely claustrophobic and don't know if I can do this without having a panic attack and ripping the gauze and bandages and possibly hurting myself and my eyes!!! Why would they not mention this extremely important detail up front??? I'm literally throwing up sick because my surgery is scheduled for Monday, June 27, the day after tomorrow. I called Care Credit to dispute and they notified doctor office and they told me even if they don't get the payment from care credit, they will pursue my with a collection agency for the 50% of the total charges which is the cancellation penalty. So I would be out $4,000 for nothing!! Need to make a decision today or tomorrow. Any advise!??? I can't even ride elevators due to claustrophobia.
I made it through!!!
Surgery was almost 5 hours, but I had pretty extensive lipo on tummy and flakes too. They did stitch my eyelids together and bandaged them up really well with what felt like duct tape!!! This morning I got the bandages off andcmyceyes unstitched and I can see really well!! Get the rest of stutches out Friday. Feeling pretty good right now and headed back to Nashville!!! Will update more later :)
Does Itching Mean Healing??
These stitches are itching like crazy!! Does that mean I'm healing?? I've been doing the peroxide on q-tip cleaning, using the antibiotic ointment and cool compress every few hours. My right eye is really swollen and itches more than left eye. It finall occurred to me to take some Benadryl and am currently waiting for that to kick in. Eyes feel very tight also. Does this swelling look typical for day 2?
At least I'm able to move today!! Yesterday after being in the car for 2 hours coming home I think I got stiff or something because when I laid down, I could not get back up without my husband helping me!! My everything hurt!!! Legs were SO sore like I had climbed 100 flights of stairs, arms and shoulders were sore, even my jaws were so sore it was hard to chew??? With all the drama I had last minute with my surgery there's no telling what they did to me ;). Nah, they were actually really good to me. And the little guy who put me to sleep was so sweet and cute!! I told him about my extreme fear of needles and that I was dreading the IV, and he put a little numbing shot in my hand so I never even felt the IV go in!!
I go back Friday and get stitches out and hopefully drain will be removed. How in the world can I take a shower?? I'm not supposed to get this drain wet, but I will have to shower before Friday!! Any suggestions??
At least I'm able to move today!! Yesterday after being in the car for 2 hours coming home I think I got stiff or something because when I laid down, I could not get back up without my husband helping me!! My everything hurt!!! Legs were SO sore like I had climbed 100 flights of stairs, arms and shoulders were sore, even my jaws were so sore it was hard to chew??? With all the drama I had last minute with my surgery there's no telling what they did to me ;). Nah, they were actually really good to me. And the little guy who put me to sleep was so sweet and cute!! I told him about my extreme fear of needles and that I was dreading the IV, and he put a little numbing shot in my hand so I never even felt the IV go in!!
I go back Friday and get stitches out and hopefully drain will be removed. How in the world can I take a shower?? I'm not supposed to get this drain wet, but I will have to shower before Friday!! Any suggestions??
I Woke Up Like This - Day 3
I feel way less soreness all over today!! Still drinking lots of lemon water, wearing compression stockings, putting the antibiotic ointment on eyes, moving around, and taking Benadryl hopefully to ward off the itching I had yesterday. That was BAD!! Stitches come out tomorrow!!
I took these pics with the flash on. Today is day 3.
I took these pics with the flash on. Today is day 3.
So Boom, Swelling Virtually Gone!! For Good Though???
My eyes have been swollen so bad underneath, but I did start the Arnica pellets, Arnica gel, and Bromeline right after surgery. Everything was blown up like red balloons until I took a shower today. A few hours later my husband got home and said wow your swelling is almost gone!!! Yayyyy!!! Now if the bruising will go that quick. And please oh please I hope I'm not still hollow underneath my eyes. Doc said he would do his best and I believe in his work, so I just need to be more patient. Anyway here are pics of the incredible shrinking red balloons :)
Turning A Corner...??
So I went to get my stitches out yesterday. They only took out the "running stitches" and not the big ones. I have to go back Tuesdat to get the rest out.
As it turns out, the reason I had so much itching is they think I'm allergic to the antibiotic ointment I had been using on my eyes :(. I haven't used any since yesterday morning befor my appt and I think I'm finally starting to heal??
As it turns out, the reason I had so much itching is they think I'm allergic to the antibiotic ointment I had been using on my eyes :(. I haven't used any since yesterday morning befor my appt and I think I'm finally starting to heal??
Eyes Closed
Forgot to put a pic of eyes closed. Well almost closed, my right eye doesn't close all the way yet. Doc has me patching my eyes at night with these oval shaped bandages and taping it tight. I did that last night and it did seem to help.
A Comparison Before and Now
So this is what I have on day 6 post-op. I think upper lids are looking great and will continue to get better. Lowers, it's still hard to tell because of the remaining swelling and bruising, but I'm hopeful they will be great too!! :) I just hope they are not hollow underneath when this all settles down, and I hope enough excess skin was removed. What I do have right now that doc explained but I just started to see it, is this strand of muscle pulled across under my lower lashes and tacked to outer orbital bone. It looks like a rubber band stretched underneath my lower lashes. Doc said this is "over corrected" right now, but it will relax back down into a normal position soon. I'm optimistic and think my eyes are gonna look great, both upper and lower :)
Side views
Pics from the side to show outer lid margins :). I'm ready for the bruising to be gone!! And eyes closed to show how well incision is healing!!
Stitches Out!!! All of them :)
I got the rest of my stitches out today and was given the go ahead to return to work tomorrow!! I can wear concealer (doc recommended green concealer to cover bruises) and a bit of foundation, but no eye makeup yet. I go back to see the doc in 2 weeks for him to check healing, then I think it will be a month before I go back again :). I'm excited to see if people at work notice :). And I have to keep wearing the girdle/compression garmet, which I'm fine with but it's quite bulky so dressing will be a challenge :)
It has been 8 days ago since my surgery and just 7 days ago that I got the bandages off!!! I think my eyes look good and have healed incredibly fast ! Eyes were way easier than the tummy lipo!! That still hurts!! But my stomach is FLAT now!! With no lumps or dips!!! So excited!!!
It has been 8 days ago since my surgery and just 7 days ago that I got the bandages off!!! I think my eyes look good and have healed incredibly fast ! Eyes were way easier than the tummy lipo!! That still hurts!! But my stomach is FLAT now!! With no lumps or dips!!! So excited!!!
Back To Work and Makeup
So today is day 9 after surgery and I got all my stitches out yesterday. Today I attempted to put on makeup and go to work. Doc said no eye makeup yet though, so I only have concealer (green covers bruises), foundation and a little blush. Today is the first day I've driven a car and I didnt realize till I was on the road that I'm not quite 100, so no more lane changes for me!!! I was also kind of shaky by the time I got up, showered, did hair and makeup and then drove into downtown. It would have been great to have 3 more vacation days to spare so I could've taken the rest of this week off, but I'm going to the beach on fall break so I need to save as many days as possible. So I'm here at work, not on meds :). I forgot my eye drops though which is a bummer but I'll make it till 5:00 :)
For those who've inquired as to whether I told my co-workers the answer is yes, I told them. They know I'm always getting something done, and they know that sometimes it works out good, sometimes not so good :). I figure why try to hide it when something is obviously different about my face :) Here is how I turned out today :)
For those who've inquired as to whether I told my co-workers the answer is yes, I told them. They know I'm always getting something done, and they know that sometimes it works out good, sometimes not so good :). I figure why try to hide it when something is obviously different about my face :) Here is how I turned out today :)
Made it Today in Disguise :)
Even though I forgot my eye drops, I made it through the day at work!! I had ordered some "fake" glasses to hide behind while still in the recovery phase, and they served me well today!! And tomorrow I will not forget my eye drops!!
I must say that I am pretty tired after my first full day back at work. It'll be an early night for me tonight :)
I must say that I am pretty tired after my first full day back at work. It'll be an early night for me tonight :)
10 Days Today!!
I still have a little bit of bruising and some swelling under my eyes, especially in the mornings, but so far I am thrilled!!! This is today, 10 days post-op.
A Before and After :)
I still can't believe what a good job Dr. Durst did!! This is exactly what I had hoped my results would look like!!
Too Good to Be True
I knew not to get too excited too soon but it was hard not to by the way things were looking. But, just like in the past with other procedures (Co2), one the swelling goes down, that horrible lump of filler is popping back out, as well as the bags under my eyes. I give up!!
Don't Throw in the Towel Yet!!
The swelling did go down quite a lot today. On the way home at stop lights I tried to capture that lump of filler in a pic. I think I go it. It's under right eye and is more of a circular puffy spot. I go back on July 18 so will just have to ride the roller coaster till then!!
Baggage
So I woke up today with these big bags under my eyes. I know part of it is from crying about my dog. I wonder if it's always gonna do this when I cry?? Thank goodness for my fake glasses!! I'm anxious to hear what doc has to say when I go back on July 18 for follow up.
Progress Update / 27 Days Post Op
So my precious chihuahua passed away on July 18, 2016. He just got sick and went downhill really fast, within the past 3 weeks or so. And July 18 happened to be my follow up appt with Dr. Durst. I had cried off and on the entire week before, when my regular vet couldn't fix my baby and just kept doing subcutaneous fluids and antibiotics with no solid answer. I cried a lot. And on Monday July 18 my appt wasn't till 3:00 so we took Pepper to a specialist bright and early that morning. They took him back for testing and we waited and waited. At 12:30 I had to leave Nashville to get to Huntsville on time for my appt. I was almost there when I got the call that Pepper had a tumor on his spleen and he needed a blood transfusion before they could even attend surgery to remove the tumor. And she said 90% of the time, especially in older dogs like him, it would be cancerous and if he survived the surgery, he'd need chemo after, and he might make it one more year at the most due to his age. A decision had to be made and it broke my heart to lose him, but we let him go and I thought I would cry my eyes right out of my head!!
So I went into my appt with huge bags under my eyes and everything all swollen and he first said the swelling might be Malar or Festoons but then the nurse told him about my dog (I couldn't tell him without losing my shit and crying again during my appt) and he said oh, I'm sorry, but in that case it's probably just swelling. I've them he said, massage the scars, drink lots of fluids, and get moving to flush everything out. Tummy lipo looked good to him and I'm also pleased with it. That's a separate review. But anyway, today is the first day I've made it without crying uncontrollably, so I wanted to take a few pics and see how much damage I've done. I have to say I'm pleasantly surprised!! I have zero makeup on in these pics. I go back in 5 weeks for after pics.
So I went into my appt with huge bags under my eyes and everything all swollen and he first said the swelling might be Malar or Festoons but then the nurse told him about my dog (I couldn't tell him without losing my shit and crying again during my appt) and he said oh, I'm sorry, but in that case it's probably just swelling. I've them he said, massage the scars, drink lots of fluids, and get moving to flush everything out. Tummy lipo looked good to him and I'm also pleased with it. That's a separate review. But anyway, today is the first day I've made it without crying uncontrollably, so I wanted to take a few pics and see how much damage I've done. I have to say I'm pleasantly surprised!! I have zero makeup on in these pics. I go back in 5 weeks for after pics.
Some before and afters...
Just looking back at pics from a month or so before the surgery and one month after. Saturday I thought my eyes were looking great, but then Monday I had swelling.... Trying not to get discouraged with lowers.
Lower Update :)
Today I'm smiling... Who knows about tomorrow?? This lower lid thing is like a very very long car trip... Some days I feel like I'm headed to the beach, some days I feel like I'm headed to the dump!!
It's the Filler!!!
So anyone who has read any of my reviews knows I got some filler under my eyes in 2012. At the time I thought it was Juvederm but turns out it was Restylane. Every procedure I've had to try and tighten my lower kids has been foiled by these balls of swelling that refuse to go away. I went back to the doctor (a very highly regarded oculoplastic surgeon here in Nashville) and he did 3 dissolving shots. Must have been minute doses...and his technique must have been poor. I did see a very small improvement, but he did not. Said it was my anatomy.
Fast forward to my upper/lower Blepharoplasty. As the swelling went down everything was looking good, then it got down to ONLY the balls/bags where filler has always been, and those areas remained swollen!!! This has been going on for 4 years of my life!!! Fretting over these bags under my eyes that I was convinced were and are filler. And last Friday my theory was confirmed.
I have been trying to find someone to dissolve this filler, whatever the cost. One phone call changed my life!!! I found myself in the hands of an experienced RN at another PS office, and in half an hour my bags/balls of filler were almost gone!!! She wanted to start slow, which was fine by me!! I was just glad to finally find someone who believed me that it was filler still under my eyes after 4 years!!! What she did in half an hour is nothing short of a miracle for me!!! These 2 pics were taken the same day. And I am SO grateful to this wonderful nurse!!! And I'm SO very disappointed in the original injector and those after him who said it could not be filler!!
Fast forward to my upper/lower Blepharoplasty. As the swelling went down everything was looking good, then it got down to ONLY the balls/bags where filler has always been, and those areas remained swollen!!! This has been going on for 4 years of my life!!! Fretting over these bags under my eyes that I was convinced were and are filler. And last Friday my theory was confirmed.
I have been trying to find someone to dissolve this filler, whatever the cost. One phone call changed my life!!! I found myself in the hands of an experienced RN at another PS office, and in half an hour my bags/balls of filler were almost gone!!! She wanted to start slow, which was fine by me!! I was just glad to finally find someone who believed me that it was filler still under my eyes after 4 years!!! What she did in half an hour is nothing short of a miracle for me!!! These 2 pics were taken the same day. And I am SO grateful to this wonderful nurse!!! And I'm SO very disappointed in the original injector and those after him who said it could not be filler!!
