POSTED UNDER Eyelid Surgery REVIEWS
Orbital Decompression Surgery - San Francisco, CA
ORIGINAL POST
I have battled with Graves Disease for the past 2...
WORTH IT
I have battled with Graves Disease for the past 2 years. It has completely destroyed my self confidence. I would not wish this disease on my worse enemy. I've noticed over the last 2 years that there really isn't a lot of testimony or bloggers on the internet detailing their experience with Graves. So I've decided to use this forum to due just that. To make a very long story short, my eyes have bulged out of my head which has caused me to experience extreme dry eye, corneal damage, and vision changes.
I am scheduled for Orbital Decompression Surgery with Dr. Robert Kersten at UCSF Medical Center. He will be creating more space for my eyes by decompressing the lateral wall and floor of my orbital socket. Additionally, he plans to perform fat removal.
I'm not sure if it was a good or bad decision to have both eyes operated on separately, but the right eye surgery is September 13th and the left will be October 2nd. I plan to update this site with pictures of my progress. I have posted pictures of my eyes prior to Graves and currently. Please share your experiences and ask me as many questions as your heart desires.
Last but certainly not least, please keep me in your prayers as I move forward with my procedure.
I am scheduled for Orbital Decompression Surgery with Dr. Robert Kersten at UCSF Medical Center. He will be creating more space for my eyes by decompressing the lateral wall and floor of my orbital socket. Additionally, he plans to perform fat removal.
I'm not sure if it was a good or bad decision to have both eyes operated on separately, but the right eye surgery is September 13th and the left will be October 2nd. I plan to update this site with pictures of my progress. I have posted pictures of my eyes prior to Graves and currently. Please share your experiences and ask me as many questions as your heart desires.
Last but certainly not least, please keep me in your prayers as I move forward with my procedure.
Cali_Mar's provider
UPDATED FROM Cali_Mar
1 day post
Day 1 Post Right Eye OD Surgery
Thank you all for your kind words of encouragement. I was a nervous wreck yesterday to say the least. Today I probably look opposite of what I feel...Great!! I'm in minimal pain and only taking Tylenol. My right eye is very swollen and stitched closed. I don't have the numbness that a lot of bloggers have complained of. I'm glad I didn't wake up feeling hit by a bus. This picture is a hot mess so hold your cookies :-)
Replies (8)
September 15, 2013
i was thinking about you yesterday please keep us updated praying for you Cali_Mar
September 15, 2013
Yay! You did it! Of course we all looked gorgeous right after....... NOT!! I scared my family for a couple of those days when I was really purple and swollen! Yikes! haha! But, you know what, you will be so surprised how fast the healing process is, and it gets better and better each day! You won't regret it! Thanks for posting!
September 24, 2013
Thank you for your support! It means so much to know I'm not going through this alone. Did you have an orbital decompression also?
September 24, 2013
No, I didn't have NEAR the complex surgery that you're having! I had an Upper and Lower Bleph- but, wow, I got pretty seriously messed up with the purple, black, yellow bruising and swelling like crazy... you can see my photos of it on my page! I have a thyroid condition, but it is HYPOthyroid, not hyper, and so that kinda scared me a little bit...but, so far, so good! Like I said...it seems like the healing happens pretty quickly considering the trauma that your eyes have been through!
September 16, 2013
May you have an amazing testimony after you "win" this battle. To God Be the GLORY!
September 24, 2013
Lord knows my testimony is going to be off the chain. Y'all don't even know the half!! Thanks for your support!
UPDATED FROM Cali_Mar
11 days post
Post op Day 11
I can see!!! Thank goodness there is no double vision (just my usual ghosting). Thank goodness I have had NO complications. All of my fears regarding this surgery have been put to rest. Now I'm dealing with being patient and letting the healing process occur :-p 11 day post op and I have minimal swelling and the bruising is getting better each day. I've finished my course of antibiotics and prednisone and require no pain meds. I do have a little soreness and numbness in the front right quarter on my head, but I guess thats normal when you just had part of your skull/orbit removed :-) No numbness anyplace else. Thank God!!!
I feel comfortable going into my next surgery for my left eye. I'm very anxious to not look like a gOoglly eyed emoticon anymore!!
I feel comfortable going into my next surgery for my left eye. I'm very anxious to not look like a gOoglly eyed emoticon anymore!!
Replies (26)
I'm so sorry to hear that this disease is destroying your self-confidence. Thank you so much for starting a review about your journey. You are right, it will be incredibly valuable to the Graves community to hear your story. Best of luck with both surgeries (thinking about you today during your first surgery)! I look forward to following your review.