These 58 year old eyes have something to tell you..
Its been a week and a day since my surgery.
I have waited until after my upper blepharoplasty surgery to blog about my experience.
I thought long and hard about whether or not to blog before my surgery and to go through the whole process with you all...
I decided against it.
There were two reasons I decided not to...what if I went under anesthesia and never came out….
Joan Rivers went for a routine procedure under anesthesia and you know that outcome….
I thought about how I might be judged having an elective surgery and dying on the table,,,yeah, dramatic ..but that was one of the thoughts I had..
I have NEVER had a surgery…..This was to be my first and I was worried about going under with propofol and not coming out...yeah...Michael Jackson and his propofol death.
So death under anesthesia was on my mind.
I did have to be cleared by a Cardiologist and have an EKG before the surgery.
My other reason was, It has taken me over three years to finally make the decision to have this surgery.
I didn't want any negativity against plastic surgery to affect me before having this done.
I see many posts about people saying to age gracefully, keep the
wrinkles etc. Yeah, I am all for that...I think woman can age gracefully and beautifully without surgeries.
I also feel if a woman wants to have plastic surgery to make her feel or look younger it's her life and her body. I can't make judgments on what someone should or shouldn't do.
That being said....
My eye lids were aging,the excess skin hung over my eyelashes and the side of my eye...my eyelids felt heavy and people would often say I looked tired.
My father had blepharoplasty surgery because he lost peripheral vision.
He almost had an accident because he couldn't see out the sides of his eyes… the excess skin was in the way.
Dad told me the surgery was easy and he had no pain. I did see photos and he was very black and blue afterwards. Insurance paid for his surgery..he didn't go to a plastic surgeon...an eye DR. did the work and he looks fine and his peripheral vision is good now.
My mother also has a similar issue with her eyes. She was told insurance would cover her surgery as well, she has opted not to have the surgery after seeing my dads eyes black and blue for many days after his surgery.
My eyes are more like my dads. I knew it would be a matter of time when I would loose some peripheral vision, as it was I felt as though I was seeing better when I raised my eyebrows to open my eyes more...
I found myself raising my eye brows a lot.
I have never had surgery so I was nervous, I consulted with one plastic surgeon for a several years who was intending to do the surgery….
each time I would see her for a consult and chicken out before setting up an actual appointment for the surgery.
When I finally made my decision to do it, she decided she was not the best surgeon for me. She felt I needed a bit more work to get better results for what she said were my drooping eyebrows..which were causing more excess tissue.
She referred me to another plastic surgeon.
The second surgeon felt I needed a temporal brow lift as well as the excess skin removed.
I decided to go through with it, even though I was frightened about not coming out of the anesthesia.
But…
I am happy to say..I survived.
hee hee…and I can still see, and see better! I can most definitely see above better.
The surgery was easy and recovery was virtually painless. I only took two pain pills the first two nights.
pre op photo Dr measured and drew lines as his guide.
Surgery took about and hour and a half.
3rd day…
Fifth day…
6th day
Before surgery…
7th day before suture removal..
So…I did it and I am very happy I did!
This was a very easy surgery. If you have any questions and are thinking about having this surgery done just give me a holler.
One week later..
After suture removal and with eye shadow!
Surgeon was Dr. Joel Feldman~Mount Auburn Hospital, Cambridge, MA
Hey Dawn, you are one brave women to post your surgery. I am like you, if you want plastic surgery if it helps you see or feel better, go for it. If you want to age gracefully, than that is great also. You look beautiful now, but I always thought you looked beautiful before too.
ReplyDeleteYou look great, before and after! I am still amazed I can see out of my own eyes, they're so tiny and close-set. But I can. I do know a man who had your surgery well after the point he needed it. He used to drive down the street with one hand on the wheel and one hand holding his eyelid up. Word!
ReplyDeleteYou look beautiful! Thanks for sharing your story, you made the right decision. Our vision is so important!
ReplyDeleteGood for you, Dawn! As women, we should be supportive, not judge each other. You look marvelous!
ReplyDeleteAmazing process! You look wonderful, I like the after shots much better.. I can see why you wanted the surgery..
ReplyDeleteHey Dawn, I thought I posted earlier, but it must not have gone through. I am like you, I believe if someone wants to have elective surgery if it helps them see or feel better- Go for it. And if you want to grow old gracefully, more power to you. I would not worry about what others think, because ultimately, it is your happiness , not others. I am glad you didn't worry about what other people think and did what is best for you. I do have to say, " You are a breve women to post you post surgery pictures", I guess I am just too vain- which I know is a bad thing, because I am worrying about what other people think of how I look. Congrats on not being so vain and sharing your journey. You look beautiful, but I always thought you were beautiful either way!
ReplyDeleteYou are a fearless blogger. Results look great-good for you!
ReplyDeleteKathie Brown was gossiping with me and told me that you had this done and I was like, "What? She's beautiful without the surgery! Don't do it Joan!" But I totally get it. I had something recently done on my head because it drove me nuts....and it hurt when they removed them. So now if I choose to shave off all my hair, I can without people staring at me strangely. But I still like my hair....for now. Anyhow, I hope you have healed. And that Kathie....let me tell you!:) Just kidding, she's not a gossip. We love you and hope you have a wonderful new year. And get your butts back down here for another visit this year. All my best. Chris
ReplyDeleteHey Dawn, I thought you looked pretty good before hand.{:))
ReplyDeleteThanks everyone for your great comments about my eyes.
ReplyDeleteSorry it has taken me forever and a day to reply. But I was under arrest and tied up and couldn't break free..excuses excuses...thing is I forgot about comments as most people seem to be commenting via Facebook these days.
Anyway..my eyes have adjusted and not as wide..but much better