# Eye surgery - how painful is the recovery?



## dfloy4 (Feb 24, 2013)

I have eye surgery coming up. They are going to break the bone in one eye & I am worried about the recovery. That sounds like it will be very painful. I would love to talk to someone who has had this surgery. I'm afraid that I'm might chicken out. 
Donna

Haven't had any responses. Is there anyone out there who has had this surgery?


----------



## hyperinnyc (Apr 18, 2012)

Hi, I have not had the surgery but I do have TED and am having blepharoplasty surgery sometime this year. I was told my eyes are 'not bad enough' to do the orbital decompression. How far out are your eyes in millimeters? Double vision and blind spots? Where are you having the surgery done?

I have seen some after surgery videos online and those folks seem fine - some posted the next day! These days everything seems to be 'minimal'. Good luck and I would love to see pics after!


----------



## dfloy4 (Feb 24, 2013)

My eyes aren't real bad, and I only have some double vision. It's going to be done at the VA hospital in Seattle. I've been thinking about it & have decided the recovery won't be too bad. Some swelling & brusining for sure, but I can deal with that. I guess I'll be ok...) Thanks for your replys. Taking pictures afterwards is a good idea. I'm actually having two surgeries. My left eye is protruding more than the other & the right eyelid is sagging. So one is the compression surgery & the other is plastic surgery. Maybe I'll take pictures of both recoveries. Thanks again for the support.


----------



## jenny v (May 6, 2012)

I would definitely take before and after pictures of both eyes. Sometimes it's hard for us to see a major difference in ourselves when we look in the mirror at our own faces daily. The pictures might help you really see how much of a difference the surgery really made.

Good luck!


----------



## HotGrandma (Sep 21, 2012)

Can you give us some info, like how long have you had TED? What have you tried so far with your eyes? What is the plan (surgery, meds, RAI) with regards to your thyroid? What are your labs with ranges? Just curious.


----------



## dfloy4 (Feb 24, 2013)

I was diagnosed in 2002 with Graves disease & Graves Eye Disease. First I lost 20#. Tried meds for 2 years, then had the radiation. Then I gained 50# in 6 weeks. The Graves is under control with levothyroxine & is monitored & adjusted every 6 mos. My labs are on the low end of the scale. The eyes give me the most problems. They haven't moved in probably about 7 years. I don't think I'm all that serious, like some I've seen & my friends have all gotten used to the way I look. (but not me) My vision has deteriorated. I have to get new glasses every year & will soon have to legally wear them when I drive. I'm slowly losing my periferal vision. Then there's the usual swelling, watering, runny nose & pain in my left eye. And of course they're always bloodshot & are still sensitive to light. I had to sort of nag at my doctor to get my eyes evaluated for surgery. The VA way of doing things. After talking to the surgeons I've been really mad at my doctor. He should have done this years ago & some of the nerve damage would have been prevented. Not counting the way I look. I think the before & after photos are a good idea. When I look in a mirror I think I don't look too awful. But when I see a picture of myself, I'm shocked. And embarassed. I don't know how people can look at me. I'm sure you all know what I'm saying. I can't wait to get this done. Well look at me rambling on & on. It's not very often there has been anyone to talk about this with & even less often about the hypothyroidism. Even tho a lot of people are hypo, it's such a subtle disease that people don't understand. So you are all just wonderful. Thanks for listening. I would be happy to listen to you...anytime.


----------



## HotGrandma (Sep 21, 2012)

When is the surgery? I have read that decompression surgery can cause double vision. That's why decompression is the first surgery then lazy eye than eye lid lengthening. Have they evaluated and discuessed further surgeries.

The decompression does not stop the red tearing watery eyes but yes the nerve impact from the disease it does stop. I'll be here for you as you walk through this journey. Best Wishes


----------



## Andros (Aug 26, 2009)

dfloy4 said:


> I have eye surgery coming up. They are going to break the bone in one eye & I am worried about the recovery. That sounds like it will be very painful. I would love to talk to someone who has had this surgery. I'm afraid that I'm might chicken out.
> Donna
> 
> Haven't had any responses. Is there anyone out there who has had this surgery?


Do not back down. They will make sure you have plenty of pain med when you are released from the hopital. Ice packs will be your best friend.

I had orbital decompression to both eyes and bone from the orbital floor was scraped down, fatty tissue removed, ethmoid sinus' removed.

Won't lie; it was a horrific surgery but I survived and you will also

I presume you have had your thyroid ablated? And you know that the antibodies attacking the orbits have backed off?


----------



## joplin1975 (Jul 21, 2011)

I don't have any eye issues, but I found this thread (a couple of years old) to be fascinating: http://thyroidboards.com/showthread.php?t=4215&highlight=orbital+decompression


----------



## dfloy4 (Feb 24, 2013)

Thanks to everyone who's responded. I did look at some posts on orbital & also on bony compression & both scared the crap out of me. If they tell me they're not going to put me to sleep then I'm not having the surgery. But I will go through with it & I will survive. I have also heard about the double vision possibility & I already have some going on. (It's really wierd to see double) My doctor always told me that the surgery could make my eyes worse. I hope he's not right. I have two main problems. One of my eyes protrudes more than the other, I guess because they moved in different directions. Neither of them close when I sleep & I often scratch the one eye. It swells up so much sometimes that it takes up to 24 hours to go down. And I can't stand the sunlight. Then I have a pretty bad vertigo problem. When I had undiagnosed Graves & the eye disease, I was throwing up all the time from the vertigo. Driving made me ill & was practically impossible. I would get very ill from using a computer. And I was getting nauseous from the heat from the Graves. Of course it was summer. I still get ill sometimes when I'm driving, but not as often. And my eyes swell up when I'm using a computer. Like right now...) The good news was that I was going thru menapause at that time & didn't know it. I was a mess. After I had the radiation & was hypo, & it was winter, the cold got to me so bad I stopped getting out of bed. I slowed down so much I would just lay in bed & huddle under the covers. Until I started my hormone replacement meds. My eyes stopped moving shortly after that. That's why I think I don't have it as bad as some people. And also the reasons why I'm so nervous about this surgery. I read some stories on this one website from people with horror stories of what they've gone thru from surgeries that didn't work. I wonder what the odds are of good & bad results. I just want my eyesight to stop getting worse & to not have my eyes swelling up. And to stop worrying about damaging my optic nerve. Ever wonder why it had to happen to us? I should stop sounding so negative. I will on the next post....)


----------



## Andros (Aug 26, 2009)

dfloy4 said:


> Thanks to everyone who's responded. I did look at some posts on orbital & also on bony compression & both scared the crap out of me. If they tell me they're not going to put me to sleep then I'm not having the surgery. But I will go through with it & I will survive. I have also heard about the double vision possibility & I already have some going on. (It's really wierd to see double) My doctor always told me that the surgery could make my eyes worse. I hope he's not right. I have two main problems. One of my eyes protrudes more than the other, I guess because they moved in different directions. Neither of them close when I sleep & I often scratch the one eye. It swells up so much sometimes that it takes up to 24 hours to go down. And I can't stand the sunlight. Then I have a pretty bad vertigo problem. When I had undiagnosed Graves & the eye disease, I was throwing up all the time from the vertigo. Driving made me ill & was practically impossible. I would get very ill from using a computer. And I was getting nauseous from the heat from the Graves. Of course it was summer. I still get ill sometimes when I'm driving, but not as often. And my eyes swell up when I'm using a computer. Like right now...) The good news was that I was going thru menapause at that time & didn't know it. I was a mess. After I had the radiation & was hypo, & it was winter, the cold got to me so bad I stopped getting out of bed. I slowed down so much I would just lay in bed & huddle under the covers. Until I started my hormone replacement meds. My eyes stopped moving shortly after that. That's why I think I don't have it as bad as some people. And also the reasons why I'm so nervous about this surgery. I read some stories on this one website from people with horror stories of what they've gone thru from surgeries that didn't work. I wonder what the odds are of good & bad results. I just want my eyesight to stop getting worse & to not have my eyes swelling up. And to stop worrying about damaging my optic nerve. Ever wonder why it had to happen to us? I should stop sounding so negative. I will on the next post....)


That is why you have to be sure the antibodies have stopped attacking the orbit. Prior to my orbital decompressions, I had 2000 RADs to both eyes for 3 days a week for 6 weeks concurrent w/prednisone.

THEN I had to wait 18 months for the surgery in order for the surgeon to get a correct and true picture of what had to be done. If too much tissue and bone is removed, the globes will sink down into the orbital floor. This is NOT a good thing. Haste makes waste here.

And there is no way they will do an orbital decompression w/o general anesthesia.

Genetics, my dear..............it's all about genetics.


----------

