A new outlook...my experience with Thyroid Eye Disease and recent corrective surgery.

Before surgery-Lower lids puffy and droopy.

Years after being diagnosed with Grave's Disease and resulting Thyroid Eye Disease, I finally had surgery to help correct the eye problems that have developed. For those who aren't familiar, Graves is an autoimmune disease which causes hyperthyroidism. About 10 years ago I started taking a Jazzercise class to help tone my muscles and after 6 months I found I was losing weight...way more than ever intended. I went to my doctor who did some bloodwork and found my thyroid levels to be "off" so he sent me to an Endocrinologist for futher tests. Long story short, I was diagnosed with Grave's disease, given radioactive iodine treatment (one pill at the cost of about $1300), and then rode a long roller-coaster of trying to reregulate my thyroid. See the R.I. pill basically eats away at the excess thyroid often leaving too little and therefore requiring thyroid replacement (in the form of medication) for the rest of my life. Throughout the years of trying to reregulate my thyroid after the R.I. treatment I've experienced everything from weight gain, weight loss, thinning hair, dry skin, depression, anxiety and panic attacks to insomnia, feeling too cold/hot, dry eyes, and much more. The thyroid affects nearly every function in the body. One of my symptoms included the development of "Thyroid Eye Disease" which causes fluid to build up behind the eye, pushing it forward and resulting in a "bug eye" appearance. While this wasn't as severe in me as some cases, it has caused me a lot of discomfort, embarrasement and self-conciousness for many years. I finally asked my eye specialist if anything could be done and he said YES! So here begins my current journey...this Tuesday I underwent "Bi-Lateral Canthoplasty" with an Alloderm implant (don't know the tech. term for this portion of the surgery) to reconstruct my lower eyelids. The short version is: my eyes don't close all the way at night which causes severe dryness, itching, bloodshot look and this will hopefull "fix" or at least improve the situation! The surgery was supposed to last a couple of hours, I ended up in surgery for almost 4 hours though. I had what looked like small styrofoam blocks stiched under my eyes which were then strapped (with sutures) and taped to my forehead to hold the lower lids up immediately after surgery. Had those removed yesterday so I look a little less freakish now, but am still very swollen, sore and look like I got into a street fight! The recovery on this type of surgery is much longer than typical cosmetic eye surgeries so I am out of work for at least 2 weeks (note: I do landscaping which carries a very high risk of my eyes getting dirt or other material in them, someone with a desk job could probably go back to work sooner). I definately don't want to risk any sort of infection!! Here are pics of my results so far (before surgery, immediately following surgery, and 3 days after surgery)...stay tuned for more surgery update pics, hopefully the end result will look amazing!!!