Could Not Be Happier with my Results!

For years, I have been self-conscience about my drooping eyelids, but when I turned 59, it became a vision problem as well. I found myself having to lift up my eyelid on evenings when I was extremely tired, just to be able to see correctly.
I did some online research and found the Arizona eye Institute. I chose them because they had some very thorough reviews on their website and I was impressed with how many people took the time to write in with positive comments.
I met with Dr. Justo, who, after a thorough examination, said that he felt I was a good candidate for upper eyelid surgery.
The process of having the eye testing done and pictures taken and paperwork submitted seemed lengthy and tedious, but I knew I couldn't move forward without having my insurance pay for the procedure. Tina was so patient and thorough with all the testing, and after waiting a few months, my insurance agreed to pick up the cost. Yay!!
I had two more appointments leading up to my surgery - to go over more paperwork, and an appointment with Dr, Justo for a final examination.
My surgery was scheduled for 2:45pm and I was taken back into the prep room right around that time. Christina offered me valium, which I accepted, because despite my best efforts to stay calm, I had become a little anxious. She hooked me up to a heart monitor and pulled the curtain for privacy and I had a short wait for Dr. Justo to arrive.
When he came in, he was his usual friendly self and explained he was going to draw some lines on my eyelids. By that time, the valium had kicked in so I said fine - he drew his lines - and said they would be back in about 3 minutes to take me into the procedure room.
I was surprised how many people were in the room to be honest. The anesthesiologist, the doc, and I think 3 or 4 other assistants (nurses, doctors, etc.). Because this was an outpatient procedure, I really didn't know what to expect but I was pleasantly surprised. The girls tucked me into a warm blanket and turned on some fun music and the doctor came in. I received some injections for numbing around both eyes which was virtually painless. After that, I felt them put some protective lenses in my eyes which they had explained to me earlier, were for protection against the laser.
Dr. Justo told me they were going to start and I felt someone grab my hand to hold it, and we were off. I didn't really know what to expect because even though I read plenty of reviews saying there was no pain, I expected there to be SOME kind of pain.....but nope. I felt the pressure of his hands on my face as he did the surgery, and I felt the pressure of the lenses as they went in and out of my eyes, but other than that.....nothing. I couldn't believe it.
I'm not sure how long I was in the surgical room, but I am pretty sure it was around 20 minutes based on the time I was led out and into my vehicle afterward.
I've included a picture I took just minutes after my surgery as my husband was in starbucks getting me a venti latte (no caffeine that day had my head pounding!). As you can see - at that point there was not much swelling or bruising so I was still hopeful that I was going to be one of the lucky ones that didn't have a lot of that. Boy was I wrong!!!!
Day 1 - Despite the warnings and all the research, I wasn't prepared for the swelling. The bruising didn't freak me out so much, but my swelling was pretty intense. Ice wasn't really helping I still had no pain which was great. A number of people called me from Dr. Justo's office to check on me. Later in the evening I received a call from Roxanne. She asked how I was doing and I told her I was pretty swollen. She reassured me that everything I was experiencing was normal. Then she said that she hated to tell me, but tomorrow the swelling was likely to be worse. Did she just say it was going to get worse? I told her I couldn't even imagine that. I already felt like my stitches were going to pop. She laughed and said the good news is....after that it gets better. I braced myself for tomorrow and went to bed.
Day 2 - I woke up to find that yes...Roxanne was correct. The swelling was worse and now the area around my eyes and down my cheeks were all fire engine red. It really helped to be prepared so thank God Roxanne told me that - otherwise I would have started to worry. That day, there was not a single moment that I did not have ice on one of my eyes. Instead of keeping ice on both at the same time like I had been doing, I rotated 15 minutes on each eye. All day long. At the end of the day, my face was still about the same but I was hopeful.
Day 3 - ok - finally - I can open my eyes again. The swelling was down somewhat, I could just feel the progress. Still fire engine red and still swollen, but definitely better. Now on to another issue....the itching!!!!
Day 4 - So much better!! Bruising has started to turn yellow but the swelling is way down and I'm starting to feel normal. The itching has subsided somewhat and I'm feeling pretty good about the progress.
Day 5 - A little puffiness when I woke up but I iced my face for about 15 minutes and all is good. My eyes are starting to look like themselves and I feel like by tomorrow or the next day, I can actually go out in public. So far, I'm am so happy with the results. Still a bruise on my cheek (where I felt the pressure of the doctor's hand during the surgery), and some bruising on my eyelids, but what a difference!! I actually had some friends over for dinner and did not have to wear sunglasses the entire time. Still not ready to go out in public without them, but my appearance wasn't enough to ruin anyone's appetite so yay!! I have to tell you, I'm so happy with the way my eyes look so far...even with a little swelling. The before and after pictures are just unbelievable.
Day 6 - woke up with just a tiny bit of swelling in my upper eyelids and a tiny bruise still on my cheek. My stitches are all healing nicely and already hidden into the creases in my eyes. There's not much else I can say other than every day my eyes look better and I couldn't be more satisfied. Its crazy that just 3 days ago I was worried about getting my stitches out on day 8. Now I'm confident and ready for them to go!! An extra bonus is that my vision is better. I no longer have to lift up my eyelid to see. Did I mention that I'm happy with my progress so far?
Day 7 - I'm pretty confident that all of my bruising is gone except for a tiny bit still lingering on my eyelids around my eyelash line. I feel the need to say there is one thing I'm noticing that I hope goes away once my stitches are out and that is a nagging either numb or tugging/tight feeling on the right eyelid. I look at my sutures and the left eye is directly in line with the crease of my eye. Perfect. My eye feels full and I have no problem blinking or opening my eye wide, etc. The right eye suture, however is in the crease where it starts toward my tear duct/nose, but about 1/2 way across the stitched area goes up on top of my crease. I'm thinking that once the sutures come out, this will relax somewhat and it wont have that snug feeling. And it may still be a little swollen because when I look up to the ceiling, It feels like that eyelid is puffy. Hard to explain - but again - I'm thinking this will correct itself once the stitches are removed and the swelling is completely down. On the upside - both eyes are a million times better than they were. My girlfriend asked me if I would do it again and without hesitation I said absolutely.