Unexpected News

Today, was my appointment with Dr. Patel to make our plan for the skin graft surgery tomorrow.  Despite the "blizzardy" drive to Lexington, our visit went much better than expected.  Don't get me wrong, I was excited about surgery and getting one more step closer to final recovery, but I wasn't expecting the plan Dr. Patel came up with. 

After snapping a few new pictures of my healing, Dr. Patel quickly told me to stop doing his job for him (with a smile of course).  He said that my wound had healed from the inside out like it should have and it did it so much better than he predicted it would.  After poking and prodding for a few minutes, he stopped and said.... I don't want to do the skin graft tomorrow.  Well, when you're me, and you've had this planned and then planned to go back to work and blah...blah....blah........ it throws you for a loop!  He reminded me that he's a surgeon and loves to do surgery, so this was all great news that he was cancelling!  He said that from his perspective, the height of my eyelid looked perfect for Dr. Timoney to reconstruct my eyelid.  He also said that a skin graft may not be necessary at all.  He mentioned being able to smooth out that part of my face without having to do a graft.  So, after Kermie and I drilled him with a zillion questions, the final consensus was for him to send Dr. Timoney my picture and see him at my eye appointment next Wednesday.  We are going to let Dr. Timoney decide if he agrees about having my lid line in the right place as it is.  Based on what he says next Wednesday, one of the following scenarios will happen.

Scenario 1:  Timoney agrees with Dr. Patel.  (He may want Patel to operate first, or he may want to operate first himself.  I guess we will find out??)
   Spring Break:  Dr. Patel will do what scar revision procedures he needs to do.
   Summer:  Dr. Timoney will reconstruct my lower eyelid.

**Injections/laser treaments will take place at some point later this year.

Scenario 2:  Timoney doesn't agree and needs lid line to be shifted up.
   Spring Break:  Dr. Patel will do a skin graft.
   Summer:  Dr. Timoney will reconstruct my lower eyelid. 

**Injections/laser treatments will take place at some point later this year.

While I love SNOW DAYS and really like that they are working for me right now in terms of not being home without pay, if we have too many more, they may start working against me this summer!  

So, a little bummed that this whole process has to drag out into summer, but excited for many more reasons!  I am healing well on my own!  I get to start putting my silicone cream on the "graft" area now!  I get to put makeup over the "graft" area now!  I still get to go back to work the beginning of February since both doctors seem to be okay with waiting until Spring Break for the first operation!  I get to go to my "mental health" appointment that I was going to have to cancel because of the surgery that I've had scheduled since December (I cannot wait to talk to an outsider about the accident and all the crazy emotions that came along with it)!  I don't have to be put under again and can continue my "good" streak of mental stability!  I know it's crazy, but last week was seriously my first "normal" week since December 2.  I felt more like Brooke than I had since early that December morning. 

I took a picture today to show you more in detail about all of the things I refer to in my posts.  One thing that you can't see very well from this picture is a small bruise on my cheek which Dr. Patel thinks is either a suture or piece of wood... more than likely wood.  He wants to go ahead and take that out sometime soon in the clinic if we do wait until Spring Break for his procedure. 

 

I hope everyone is enjoying the snow!  It sure is beautiful! :)