When to Weight?

[LADavid]

Here's today's question.  I am still early in recovery -- just two+ months.  There has been no improvement in my facial palsy.  I've been seeing an opthomoligist to address the eye issues.  During the last appointment he brought up the subject of a weight or tuck.  For those of you who have been down this road, when is it time to move ahead with eye surgery?  I don't want to jump the gun because I'm not that far along -- but if it's something that could help, I'm all for it.  I have an appointment with him this coming week and I wanted to give the go-ahead to get the insurance process in motion and to schedule surgery.  If I need to wait longer -- I will.  But it seems there has to be something better than pulling the bottom of my eye up with a piece of tape.
Thanks for your help.
David

[Kaybo]

David~
Others would have a lot more to say about this & know more about getting done sooner rather than later -- I waited SEVEN YEARS!!  Crazy!  Not because I wanted to, but b/c I had such bad trouble, and then my eye sewn shut and then we moved...new doc.  They are easy to remove once they are in...just another procedure, but I would really consider differently since your occupation kind of depends on your face!! 
K

[nancyann]

Hi there David:  I waited 1 month after surgery & wish I hadn't waited that long.  Granted, my facial paraylsis is total, Brackman scale 6.
It's really an easy procedure; before the surgery my eyelids were wide open - looked like a skeleton; the weight gives a more 'natural'
appearance, besides the fact that it helps to protect the cornea.  I also had the lower lid pulled up (& 2 more times since then).

If at any time you regain movement, they can remove the weight.   I prefer the platinum chain becasue it's a heavier metal then  gold &
is flatter & less noticeable (the gold is hardly noticeable as it is - I've had both).

I'm hoping to have a piece of palate placed in my lower eyelid to help keep the lid in place - my paralysis is so severe that every few months or
so I notice the lower lid starting to droop again....

Always good thoughts,  Nancy

ps:  K:  I can't imagine what you went thru - having the paralysis at such a young age... no 'AN forum', heck, no computers in every household!   You, my dear, amaze me!

[CROOKEDSMILE]

THIS IS A QUESTION FOR NANCYANN,
DO YOU LIKE THE GOLD OR PLATINUM WEIGHT BETTER? IS THE PLATINUM ALOT LESS NOTICEABLE? I NEED A REVISION. THEY PUT IN A 1.4GM PLATINUM IN MY EYE AND I ALREADY HAD SOME ABILITY TO CLOSE MY EYE JUST NOT BLINK. I WILL HAVE IT REDONE BUT THE DOCTORS IN ARKANSAS DON'T DO PLATINUM AND I WOULD HAVE TO TRAVEL TO TEXAS AGAIN TO HAVE THIS DONE. IF GOLD IS JUST AS GOOD THEN I CAN STAY HERE AND HAVE IT DONE.
CROOKEDSMILE

[Kaybo]

Nancy~
You are too sweet -- I guess it would have been nice to have someone to talk to that was going thru the same things, but there wasn't so I just had to make the most of it.  Like I am sure you are doing, I just got up every morning and made the best of the new day I was given!!
Have a good one!
K

[4cm in Pacific Northwest]

LA David,

Post surgery for 5 months I taped under the eye and for 6 months I had a stick on eye weight on the upper lid.

I have now gone 2 days with no weight and my eye appears have returned to normal – no stitches, implants or tucks. Just 6 months of patience and lots of sticky tape.

Maybe talk to your ophthalmologist about this option …
http://www.medcompare.com/details/34993/Blinkeze-External-Lid-Weights.html

 ... and remember that the “Eâ€? in ENT does not stand for “eyeâ€?. Skip the ENT and neurotologist and just  go straight to the an ophthalmologist on matters of the eye.

Cheers,

4

[LADavid]

The when to weight wait is over.  I had an appointment with my opthomologist today -- I gave him the go ahead on get an insurance pre-authorization and when that comes through, I'll have the surgery for a tuck and a weight.  It didn't take much convincing.  He taped a weight to my upper lid and told me to close -- it worked like a charm -- even with one of the lightest weights.
Thanks for all the input.  Wish I would have done this sooner -- like when I was still in the hospital.
David

[Kaybo]

David~
I think that you will LOVE it!!  Are they going to do gold?  The best thing is that, aside from being easy, it is COMPLETELY reversible if needed (which I hope!!).  Have you already gotten an appointment or are you waiting on insurance?
K

[LADavid]

Hi K
I'm waiting for the insurance authorization.  I went through this pre-AN surgery with SAG insurance.  They dragged their feet even though BCBS approved it -- we waited till the last minute for SAG to give the go-ahead and even now they are fussing over some of the charges.  I don't get it.  But I won't take any chances with them.  The opthomologist did say that he would have recommended this much sooner had the surgeons not predicted that I would be fully recovered in less than two months.  He just assumed they knew something that he didn't.  I can't wait now -- closing my eye was such a great feeling!!!!!
David