[Jimineze]

#1060285

Hi,

I had RAI 14 years ago. My eyes have not changed except for I have a lot of pain and there is plenty fat and swelling.

I saw a surgeon yesterday in Houston. He gave me drops for the pain and told me to come back to discuss the surgery. He did mention however, doing the procedure with my lids. I’m seeing the lid surgery would not be all that invasive but would it help with the pain? The doc did not go into all of this with me, just told me to come back.

He must have been having a bad day or something, because he is supposed to be one of the best.

Any comments would be appreciated.

Thank you,
J

[Kimberly]

#1181766

Hello and welcome! Hopefully, others who have had the eyelid surgery will be able to chime in with their experiences.

I haven’t had this surgery (and I’m a fellow patient, not a doc), but I think it would depend on the cause of the pain (tight muscles, excess fluid, etc.). Definitely a great question for your doctor – and if you didn’t get a good feeling from your current doc, a second opinion might be helpful. This is a nice site for finding eye surgeons in your area:

http://www.asoprs.org/custom/directory/?pageid=3657&showTitle=1

(Note on links: if you click directly on the following link, you will need to use your browser’s “back” button to return to the boards after viewing, or you will have to log back in to the forum. As an alternative, you can right-click the link and open it in a new tab or new window).

Take care!

[gatorgirly]

#1181767

Hi J,

I had orbital decompression (OD) on both eyes in September 2012, and lowering of my upper lids in July 2013. Are you considering surgery to lower your upper eyelids? if so, that procedure is actually NOT a blepharoplasty but quite the opposite. A blepharoplasty is the raising of droopy eyelids. What I had done what simply referred to as “bilateral repair of upper eyelid retraction.”

Are your eyes still bulging? There is a pretty firm order that any good surgeon will follow, which is 1. OD 2. strabismus (if necessary to correct pre-existing double vision or double vision that occurs as a result of the orbital decompression) 3. eyelids. IF you are a candidate for OD, you never want to have your eyelids done before the OD because the OD will change how your eyelids fall.

What kind of surgeon did you see? The type of person who does ODs is usually an neuro-ophthalmologist or a oculofacial plastic surgeon or even an ENT, depending on the severity and surgical method used.

What kind of drops did you get?

I agree with Kimberly – I would suggest a second opinion if he was so quick to dismiss your concerns. I found my specialists using the ASOPRS directory so definitely check it out.

[Jimineze]

#1181768

Hi Gator,

First off thank you Kimberly.

Gator,
They are a little bulgy but have not changed in years. (knock on wood) It’s the pain. Right above my eyes are like little balls that’s what I call them, but they are swollen and he told me that’s fat behind there. He gave a name for it though. He told me getting rid of that could be done in his office.
So I was wondering if getting rid of that would help, however, you have explained that now.

Yeah, I’m a little disheartened because he is supposed to be the best in Houston. I don’t know if I can name names so I won’t. He’s a plastic surgeon and has done over 3500 of these to date. He did tell me the first thing would be an MRI. He is with the ASOPRS. :rolleyes:

How are you doing post op?

thank you so much for replying.

J:)

[Jimineze]

#1181769

He gave me Nevanac.

J:)

[npatterson]

#1181770

If he is with ASOPRS, he is a plastic RECONSTRUCTIVE surgeon, and that is what you need. You may still need a second opinion, and/or you can share with him that you felt a little uncomfortable the day you saw him…that he seemed a little distracted?

Gatorgirl is exactly correct in telling you that there is a definite order in which surgeries are done. Also, yes, you will need (and want) an MRI. Keep us posted. Take care,

Nancy

[gatorgirly]

#1181771

I don’t think an orbital decompression can be done in an office, unless there’s a surgical suite in the office. It’s not an exam room procedure. Ask him to explain to you, and give you a copy in writing, of the procedure he is describing. My particular OD included the removal of both fat and bone (medial and floor), and I’m not familiar with any other procedure to remove the fat from BEHIND your eyes. Removing the fat from AROUND your eyes is a totally different story and I believe, is considered cosmetic and done by general plastic surgeons.

An MRI will give him a better view of what is going on behind your eyes and what surgical approach would be best. I’ve had two orbital MRIs but had an allergy to the dye they used on the first one, so the second one was done without contrast dye.

I am doing well. My eyes have given me no issues post-op except I notice that when I get (and I frequently do) sinus infections, I feel the pressure in my eyes more than I did before. I feel the pressure everywhere in my head, but of course I freak out when I start feeling “eye pain” after everything I’ve been through. Fortunately, it passes when the sinus infection heals.

Good luck!

[Jimineze]

#1181772

Thank you everyone for your informative answers.

I will keep you posted.

J:)

[snelsen]

#1181773

Of course, agree with gatorgirly. NOT an office procedure. I had a general anesthesia. There may be a misunderstanding, or you should run from him.

The order that others have mentioned is absolutely the way it should happen.

And…being a member of ASOPRS does not mean much to me. I know all the docs on it in my area. And I was a patient of one of them, my bad fortune. Some day, I will find out what it means to belong, other than being a reconstructive surgeon, and paying some dues. From that point on, it is a crap shoot, like with any profession.

I am “just” another patient here, but with a “rich”and extensive history with TEd.
Shirley

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