Day 17 post surgery : Sun 24 July 05 :
Bump can be seen slightly in pix on outer corner of eye as can the pulling away from eye

Been too busy and tired to take pics and also disappointed in what I see in the mirror so have been staying away and just continuing to massage the bump under eye.

The bruising seems to have gone but the swelling is still fairly intense (it doesn't show up well in the pictures no matter how much I magnify them) - must be due to the lighting perhaps and/or the camera ....

Comments on this posted at the Make Me Heal Eye Forum at https://www.makemeheal.com/forum/viewThread.jsp?forum=2&thread=37987

Day 17 post surgery : Sun 24 July left eye close up - bump on outer corner can be seen slightly and outer lower eyelid also is pulling down

Day 17 post surgery : Sun 24 July 05

Day 11 post surgery - Mon 18th July -
close up top view of left eye

Note my comments below showing pix before revision surgery on 7th July and today, Mon 18th July, 11 days post surgery. I am feeling depressed at looking at my eyes as the lower eyelid seems to be pulling down again.

I'd be really grateful to hear from anyone who's had Canthopexy done on the Make Me Heal Eye forum .... and know that the eyelid will pull up again ... I am having a difficult time with this today :(

Apologies this picture is blurry - I can't seem to get a good enough focus anymore no matter how much light I put on my eyes and how many shots I take ...

Day 11 - Mon 18th July 2005
close up of left eye

What can't be seen in this pic is the swelling under the lower left eyelid on the outer corner which I'm continuing to massage per ps's instructions. I don't understand why the outer corner is still pulling away from the eye .... is this norm with canthopexy?

My next appt with the ps is on the 18th August ... 5 weeks away .... oh the torture of waiting again .... (sniffles).

Day 11 post surgery - Mon 18th July 2005

Front view 1 hr before surgery Thurs 7th July (larger pix)








Front view of both eyes Mon 18th July (smaller pix) - Day 11 post surgery

I'm feeling depressed today cos now that the bruising has subsided, the lower left eye is seeming pulling down again (sniffles) and it looks worst than it did shortly after surgery where it looked like it was going to be good this time.

Note on today's pix (Mon 11th July), the left eye outer corner is red again and seemingly pulling down more. Yes there is still lots of swelling which can't be seen in the picture and when you look at the pix above (top view of eye), you will note the outer left eyelid is still pulling away from the left eyelid.

I can't find much anywhere that has Canthopexy before and after pictures that relate to mine .... I'd be grateful if anyone has any links etc .... thx.

Day 7 post surgery : Thurs 14th July 05
Left eye top view

Picture is a bit blurry- I couldn't get a good shot top view for two days now .... so bleh this will have to do. Note the pulling away still from outer eyelid ... sniffles. This area is very swollen though you can't see it much in the picture.

Day 7 post surgery : Thurs 14th July 05
Left eye close up

Day 7 post surgery : Thurs 14th July 05

Bruising has gone down though swelling on outer corner is still there; albeit less.

Day 6 post surgery : Weds 13 July 05 :
Both eyes. The wet stuff on eyes is lacrilube.

Pics of left eye close up and top view coming up later as I couldn't take clear shots this morning.

My left eye feels still tight, bruised, swollen and vision is blurry on and off. I've been massaging the swollen outer area where the canthopexy was and blob removed and that *smarts*. Icing helps.

The ps did say that when the left eye is fully healed, it still will most likely not be as *big* as the right eye which had the ptosis repair and looks wider opened than the left eye, which is a real bumm cos it will then mean that both eyes are unsymmetrical again whereas this time it'll be the left eye that looks smaller than the right other rather than the other way round which was the case before my original bleph and ptosis repair.

I'm just keeping my fingers crossed and hoping that everything will work out in the end; though know from experience that it'll be weeks if not months before everything truly fully settles down.

You guys reading in probably see both eyes as symmetrical though those veterans out there who're also *upset* with your progress will know that each mm makes a big difference in symmetry. My ps even sent me pictures of my after surgery ie shortly after and months after and pointed out the indifference in both eyes. Those pictures are too large (A4 size) to scan and post here .... though I could try and take a photo of them .... I'll try that later ... maybe

Day 5 post surgery : Tuesday 12 July 05 :
Top view showing outer left eyelid pulling away from eyes - hopefully this is from the canthopexy and is only temporary (which is what the ps said). I despair when I see it like this :(

Day 5 post surgery : Tuesday 12 July 05 :
Left eye close up. Outer left lower eyelid still very swollen and pulling away from eye which you can see top outer corner (sniffles)

Day 5 post surgery : 12 July 05 :
Both eyes. I'm personally still *freaked* out by the pulling away from the eyes showing the schelera on the outer corner of left eye and when I look at the pix it reminds me of what I've suffered the past several months and I feel terrible - so I try hard to not look at the pixs too much as they're a reminder - it's less noticeable and highlighted for me in real life. Bleh - but documenting with pics is a good way of seeing the improvements along the way ..

Day 4 post surgery : Mon 11th July 2005
Stitches removed today:
Front view left eye close up with stitches removed

Briefly - had my stitches removed today. I decided to drive to the hospital instead of getting a taxi as it's only about 2 miles away. I took it slow and easy as I am still feeling very light headed and any sudden movements and I feel whoozy. The ps didn't think I should be driving as I said I was still feeling woozy and told me to take it easy and slow.

The ps removed my stitches and examined me and said he was pleased with the results and that I was to massage the lower eyelid area daily to help disperse the blood and keep things moving etc and to take it easy and gently and to rub from inside towards the outside. I was a bit concerned about breaking the internal stitches and he said I wouldn't as I'll be taking it easy and it would take a lot to break the internal stitches.

I was concerned about the eyelid pulling away from the eye (schelera) and asked the ps about this. He said it was fairly normal due to the swelling - and the area where he did the canthopexy is really swollen which you can see in some of the pictures. He advised to massage the area to reduce the swelling and disperse everything and to keep icing. From experience I know that he is unable to realistically guarantee anything and that it's just a wait and see process.

He was reluctant to give a date as to when I'll see improvements as I'm such a slow healer and nothing went to plan last time as my healing schedule then was all out of synch (bleh!). I agreed with him and was happy to just take things as they came this time as I know now that things do eventually improve and that no one can predict anything and that every individual is different etc.

He asked to see me again in six weeks time and that was it really. I asked him if he was pleased with the results and he said he could see what's going to happen with my eyes (ie more so than I can as I'm not sure what to expect) and that at this stage he is happy, and that we'll talk again in six weeks time.

My next appt is on the 18th August 2005.

Taking a bath, per original blepharoplasty and ptosis repair, is an event in itself and I get whoozy getting out of the bath and per before, have to *crawl* out of the bath and stay low on the bathroom floor until I feel *normal* again, which is basically don't stand up too fast. Not sure what is going on - whether it's the blood pressure or what. Kinda feels like being too confident after giving blood, and standing up too fast, and then fainting (grins) - as I've seen some big guys do!

Just like today, after my appt was over, I drove to the supermarket to get a little grocery shopping, and felt like I could go back to work and do normal things; though once I reached home, oh dear, I started feeling light headed again and oh so tired and knew I'd taken things a little too far. I think I was lucky in being able to drive .... I wouldn't advise it personally so soon.

My vision was kinda ok though slightly blurry and I had to keep blinking - it's just that I felt light headed and whoozy on and off (like I was high) and I'm not sure my reflexes would be fast enough if anything happened, which is why I took things really slow. If a car sped up behind me, or tail gated me, my reactions were really slow in that I couldn't really react or get out of the way etc ... so no more driving for me as I'm done for a few more days; and thinking I could go back to work today is just wishful thinking!

I'm feeling really tired and need to get the kitties' raw dinner prepared which takes a while and won't have time to post on the Make Me Heal Eye forum ... so guys I'll post there tomorrow and write more then .... nite! ^i^

A reminder for myself re links:
There's a link on the Dr Meronk's site http://www.drmeronk.com/blephnews/canthopexy.html which has step by step surgery pictures and http://www.drmeronk.com/insidersguide/19.html this one discusses Canthopexy in more detail.

Day 4 post surgery : Mon 11th July 2005 :
Pix with stitches removed today.
The area with arrow is very swollen and is like a hard lump - it doesn't show up well in the picture but it like a round swollen ball. PS recommended to massage the area to break up the tissue and disperse blood ... he was reluctant to give a time limit as to when I'll see an improvement as I'm a slow healer (bleh!)

Day 4 post surgery : Mon 11th July 2005 : with stitches removed
(wasn't painful and took seconds). PS recommended to massage lower eye area where there is quite a bit of swelling and the eyelid has pulled away from eye due to swelling

Day 4 post surgery : Mon 11th July 2005,
With stitches still on - note the lower left eyelid distance from eye

Day 4 post surgery Mon 11th July 2005

Pix : Day 3 post surgery Sun 10th July -
View from top of eye - showing gap between lower eyelid and white of eye - probably due to swelling that the lower eyelid is far away from the eye and from the canthopexy - there is much swelling in real life which doesn't show up well in the photo

Pix : Day 3 post surgery : Sun 10 July 2005
Left eye close up

Pix : Day 3 post surgery : Sun 10th July 05

Woke up with blurry eyes per usual which took a few hours to subside. There is increased bruising but no pain - just bluriness. My left eye is also itchy - oh boy! I've been icing on and off and that provides some comfort; also because while I ice my left eye, it's easier to watch tv with my good eye though that too gets blurry from the lacrilube that I use etc and just generally gets blurry as I have Holmes Adie Syndrome in that eye (where the pupil doesn't dilate very well and especially in light to dark conditions) - it's not curable though not life threatening.

There is a gap where the canthopexy too place between my left lower eyelid and the eyeball which looks weird and freaky though it all looks, in real life, very swollen, so I can only assume that the skin is far away from the eyeball cos of all the swelling and that when the swelling reduces, the skin will close back onto the eyeball which was the whole point of the Canthopexy.

Pix : Day 2 post surgery : Sat 9 July 05

Left eye close up

Day 2 post surgery : Sat 9th July 2005

Last nite was a rough nite - my left eye started getting more and more red as the nite went on; even though I used ice packs and was slowly shutting. I was getting impatient doing nothing but sitting on the recliner and attempting to watch tv with my one good eye. It has made a big difference though in having one good eye as opposed to before having both eyes feel *blind* from the bleph.

Thankfully sleep was constant and uninterrupted and unlike my original upper/lower bleph surgery and ptosis repair, my eyes did not go dry during the night - could be because I used artificial tears and also lacrilube, though I also did not have the hot watery eyes I also had after my original bleph, of which I am thankful. Lacrilube helped a lot; and that's the stuff you can still see on my left eye in the pix above.

Eyesight is very blurry this morning and it's been a couple of hours since I woke and eye is still blurry - so is the right eye though that could be from the stuff the plastic surgeon put in both my eyes. Strangely I had gunk in my right eye that the ps said I'd have in my left eye.

Revision eye surgery on left eye : 7th July 2005

Quick one for now - in the pixs below, my left eye still has the remains of the eye gell that the plastic surgeon put in my eyes during surgery and today on the second day, there still remains some. Will post more later.

copy and paste from my earlier post at http://www.makemeheal.com eye forum:

I just got back from the hospital a few mins ago (I was ok to return home by myself). I am safe and well thanks. I had a few concerned text messages on my cell from my family (ie step sis and sis in singapore) and work who didn't know which hospital I'd gone into as I didn't want any flowers etc. My hospital was about 8-9 miles away from Central London and I had to check in by 7am so am safe, thx. It was a shocking day and my surgery was around 10.50am and I had then received vague news from the nurses about the bombing and again when I woke to find out that some had died and I was still groggy and in shock and it all seemed surreal. My heart and thoughts to those who have been affected.

A quick few lines from me - I'll update my eye blog later with the pictures - they'll be fairly easy to download as I just took pics of my eyes and won't need to crop and paste etc fingers crossed. I was in surgery for over an hour - it took a while for the general anaesthesia to kick in - not sure why - and everyone was waiting for me it seemed to fall asleep (perhaps I was fighing it (grins)); and then I felt my heart rate racing - whoah - it kept climing from 60 to 80 to 100 and I was about to say this aloud and my voice sounded so far in the distance and then I was out. Next thing i knew I was awake and I asked "Is it over already? Wow that was quick!". I found that quite amusing as it literally felt like I'd shut my eyes for a second and it was over.

My left eye felt like it had been cut when I woke up and it really hurt. But they wouldn't give me any painkillers cos I was still coming round from the general. I went in and out of sleep I think (all groggy now) and around 3.30pm they woke me up to give me some light sandwiches and I watched the news or tried to anyone with my blurry vision.Around 5pm the surgeon came in and said I could go home but could stay if I wanted to but I decided to stay as if I went home, it'd mean walking up and down stairs, feeding kitties, bending over etc. I was fine thankfully after the general anaesthesia as I had the same anaesthesist.

My eye is swollen and bruised though not as bad as the original upper/lower bleph and ptosis repair surgery. It'll be easier to explain when I post the pictures later today/tonite. My eye is swollen just like it was before though as it's only one eye it feels very different to the first surgery. It was difficult to watch tv as the surgeon had put medication in my right eye as well making the vision blurry. I had my eye drops with me at the hospital and this time was in the know and was able to use eye drops ie artificial tears and lacrilube when they got dry which was a big help. No excess bleeding this time like I did before (refer my original surgery pics which are a horror) http://indianaeyesheal.blogspot.com

Contd/

The plastic surgeon recommended I use ice packs which I did earlier by putting frozen peas into small plastic zip bags but they feel sore on my eyes. I prefer using the gauze cloth over my eyes like I did when I had my first bleph but they didn't give me any gauze to take home and mom bought darn eye patches instead ! Bleh. My left eye is bruising fast and I didn't take any arnica today cos I've been drinking water constantly .... arrgh ... I'm also fighting sleep .... not sure why ...

Pix : Day 1 post surgery, Friday 8th July 2005 :
After ps removed strip on corner of left eye close up (a bit blurry - sorrie!)

Pix : Day 1 post surgery, Friday 8th July :
Close up of left eye, before ps removed stip of bandage towards corner of eye

Pix : Day 1 post surgery - Friday 8th July 2005 :
One piece of bandage removed from corner of left eye

Pix : Day of surgery, Thursday 7th July 2005
Revision surgery : Canthopexy, removal of bump on lower left eyelid and increase of upper left eyelid crease
Left eye close up

Pix : Day of surgery Thurs 7th July 2005 :
Revision surgery on left eye - Canthopexy, removal of *blob* on lower left eyelid and increase of upper left eyelid crease to match right upper eyelid

Pix : Day of surgery : Thurs 7th July 2005
Pix taken just before revision surgery

In this pix you can see the *blob* on the lower left eyelid (towards the outer corner), the schlera (white of eye) on lower left eyelid is showing too much which requires canthopexy and the upper eyelid crease on left upper eyelid is very different to that on the right upper eyelid (this is more noticeable in real life and less so in the picture)

Pre-admission check up : 29th June 05

Had my pre-admission check up this Weds and had the all clear to go into surgery next Thurs 7th July.

I need to be in for 7am and surgery starts at 8am. I was first on the list when I went for my original bleph and ptosis repair in December 2004; and it'd be great if I could be first on the list again.

I feel uncomfortable with the questions from fellow workers who keep asking about my eyes and what I am having done this time. They think I'm having eye surgery ie for my eyesight though some (women) do suspect that it's for cosmetic eye surgery cos I look different; especially after having Isolagen done as well and IPL (Intense Pulse Light) to help my hyperpigmentation.

I'm keeping myself fairly busy and trying not to think about it too much; until the last moment. I did some shopping today in preparation for the days after surgery.

I felt annoyed at my mother yesterday when I took her out for a meal and a movie and the atmosphere is tense between us so I may well not ask her to pick me up after my surgery (I'm staying in the night before) and will check myself out and take a taxi home myself and just do things by myself ie like feed the kitties etc when I get home etc. My mother just annoys me anyway cos she's just not very up to date and panics really easily.

I forgot to mention that I'm having a canthopexy and not a canthoplasty. There's a link on the Dr Meronk's site http://www.drmeronk.com/blephnews/canthopexy.html which has step by step surgery pictures and http://www.drmeronk.com/insidersguide/19.html this one discusses Canthopexy in more detail.