jamie82 wrote:
Thanks for updating
I can safely tell you that most doctors react that way, even the best ones. Its a reflex they have to protect their practices.
yea i totally understand but i'm still waiting on a reply about the asymmetry with epi. let's see what he says.
jamie82 wrote:
Glad you saw him. Did he identify other problems apart from the blocked ducts?.
yeah the problem with lagophthalmos. he's deduced that dr nara removed too much skin. he also did a measurement between my brow and crease. 8mm he says. he commented that even trainee doctors know to leave at least 1 cm. when i told him what dr nara's reply was. he prescribed danzen tabs to help reduce inflammation and swelling. he said we'll give him the benefit of the doubt. i can't get another consult with dr chuah because he's going overseas this friday and will only be back after i leave for oz.
he referred me to another oculoplastic surgeron dr fong whom i consulted today and in her opinion it should resolve itself.
http://www.eyesurgeons.com.sg/
dr fong was more optimistic during my consult. didn't sorta make me feel like it was the end of the world for me. she's told me it should resolve itself eventually. she showed me photos of her patients with eyelid muscle deficiencies and how ther after photos with eyes closed looked very shocking but resolved after 4 months. she told me that its too early at this stage for any revision (need to wait 6 months!). consulted about the asymmetry with my epi and she agreed that the right eye was undercorrected. she prefers not to do epi unless it obstructs vision. she's a plastic surgeon and her surgeries are for reconstructive rather than cosmetic purposes. i asked her if she would perform epi on me to correct the asymmetry. she told me to come back in 6 months and she will access my situation and if need be she might refer me to her contact in korea but also went on to state most surgeons in singapore would decline my request and those who do it are inexperienced. i guess only korea and taiwan have embraced this procedure and are producing factory stamped standards for results.
i believe that dr fong is a reconstructive surgeon who's seen way worse than my situation and she has more experience with eye disorders and has more patience with recovery but dr chuah on the otherhand might focus more on aesthetics and of course in those books all my problems are unacceptable esp with lagophthalmos. dr chuah is very unforgiving with mistakes comes across as a perfectionist which is good i suppose. his prices are similar to mr woffles wu!
dr fong's consult today confirmed that my infection is getting better after the flushing it seems. eyes are still watery but she told me it should go away eventually.
jamie82 wrote:
We do reserve a degree of reverence for doctors in this part of the world which I think isn't entirely good. Our laws really over protect doctors here. Having said that, Doctors are human as well so what's done is done get angry with them also no use.
Maybe you can take more leave etc to get more healing done?
to be honest i'm not mad. as dr chuah mentioned i'm a very forgiving patient, i suppose i am to a certain extent in my mind i'll always tell myself all things will get better. with eyelid surgery though obvious asymmetry is something i cannot live with.
no more annual leave. bloody demanding job and i have to fly back to start work in 2 weeks. i hope those danzen tablets help with deswelling.
jamie82 wrote:
Also, I think it would be good to get more homework done on this before you meet up with Dr. Chuah again (that is what questions to ask etc). This time you'd have to be very very specific and try as hard as it sounds to shake away the fear that you have to broach research on this topic. Any doctor, however good they are still have that "salesman" part of them which may not always be in the best interests of patients, I think the burden is on us these days to educate ourselves on the possible outcomes - then whatever the doc says eventually you can corroborate with what you've read and make the final decision.
the beauty about my problem is i'm 10 days post op and plastic surgeons don't like to cut you open until you've fully recovered. with dr chuah he seemed like a salesman. he told me consult is usually $150 but he gave me a discount for $100 and at first he told me flushing my eye is $70 but he upped it to $100? hmmm... Dr Fong told me she wouldn't have flushed anything since I'm still healing and plenty of times issues would have resolved itself without medical attention. at this point my eyes are still watery but the yellow crusty gummy eye complex is gone. the mucus is now white and healthy... sorry for the grossness.
jamie82 wrote:
I really hope you get better w/o needing revision, I'm not good at saying stuff to console sometimes but I'd like to give you a big big hug.
i hope i do not need revision for the other major problem of not being able to shut my eyes completely. i feel like a complete idiot for having the surgery done but no use crying over spilt milk. i am praying that the final results would justify all these complaints as worth it. although i highly doubt it since dr fong and dr chuah have both confirmed my epi was undercorrected on the right eye causing asymmetry.
lastly jamie82 your support for an absolute stranger is very much appreciated. i don't think most people understand the extent or seriousness of complications with cosmetic procedures until it actually happens to them. with this experience i've learnt a whole lot. makes you stop think and wonder if it's all worth it. i don't really know how to deal with this except to take it a step at a time and talking about it really helps. thank you.