I think my eyes are more swollen today, but less red (top picture). I just got up and the eyes are always most swollen when you first get up in the morning. I was able to sleep in my own bed with one pillow last night, which was much more comfortable than sitting up--I actually slept! I am annoyed by the little bandages that are holding the stitches in place. They are breaking down and getting itchy and sticky. I also have not been able to have a really good face-wash for four days. I look forward to having a good cleaning.
Yesterday's comparison picture below.
Today I would like to talk about the surgery and the staff and all of my impressions of them. The surgery was done by Dr. Brent Kennedy at the Institute of Facial and Cosmetic Surgery in Salt Lake City, Utah. He was excellent--very meticulous and extremely skilled. There are "good surgeons" and there are "gifted" surgeons. Dr. Kennedy is a "gifted" surgeon.
Besides being an excellent physician, Dr. Kennedy has spoken to many audiences of doctors, nationwide, explaining the best procedures for doing what was done to my eyes. He is a seasoned physician who has done hundreds and hundreds of procedures, which was very comforting to me.
My first impressions of Dr. Brent D. Kennedy were: His hair is graying. He is humble, yet confident. He put me at ease. He has a good bedside manner.Skill and bedside manner are two of the most important factors that you should be considering.
The anesthesiologist was Dr. Ryan Diepenbrock He is quite a bit younger, and has practiced in other cities as well as here in Salt Lake City. Besides anesthesiology, he also is a licensed dentist. That is an unusual, but very nice combination. I liked him very much. My own son-in-law is an anesthesiologist, so I am somewhat familar with the challenges of keeping people out of pain and helping them forget any unpleasant procedures. Dr. Ryan Diepenbrock called me the day before the surgery and chatted about everything from the type of medications I was currently taking to how he would proceed. He was very personal and I felt like I was in good hands when I walked in for the surgery.
The day after the surgery, I called the office and Dr. Diepenbrock happened to be there as well. He took the time to explain some tips for applying the hot and cold packs and told me to take a little break from them for a couple of hours.
I loved the nurse who helped with the proceedure. She was very patient and helpful and made me feel at ease. She took her time and told me that she was saving up for Dr. Kennedy to do the same proceedure on her. That built my confidence because of her confidence in him.
When I started searching for doctors, I looked at many websites and reviewed several types of procedures. The website for Dr. Kennedy is http://ifcsutah.com/html/contact.html and their phone number is 801-261-3637.
I liked Dr. Kennedy's website. It made me feel like the procedure that was going to be done was normal. I did not sense that my interest in the change was a result of having some type of disturbing complex about my physical or sexual appearance. Some of the other websites definitely suggested that, and interestingly, the websearch made me put off the surgery because I didn't want to seem disturbed.
The office of Dr. Kennedy is decorated much like their website. It is done in a vintage style. Whether or not you like the decor, might affect your decision about surgery, so you should be prepared to put aside any negativity based on the decor. I only mention this because the decor of an office should not affect the how skill of the staff, but interestingly, when someone is going to be messing with your face, you want to know that they have an artistic sense--so the decor of the office does come into play a bit. Be sure to based your decision on valid reasons not the mood that is created by the decor of the office.
I checked the all of the surgeons in my city thoroughly before I chose Dr. Kennedy. I also spoke with two people who had been his patients for the same procedure. (My daughter, who is a general surgeon herself, suggested that I talk to other patients who had used Dr. Kennedy and ask them about their experience so that I was not just taking Dr. Kennedy's perspective.) If you end up choosing Dr. Kennedy, you will join the ranks of myself and others who are very pleased with his skill and artistry.
The things I would do differently as of today would be:
1. Don't get too busy on the third day in. I did too much yesterday and today my eyes
are more swollen.
2. The best thing I did for myself on day 2 and 3 was take a walk. My husband and I
walked a mile in Liberty Park in Salt Lake (that is equivalent to one time around the
park.) After sitting and hot-packing and cold packing, it was a welcome change. We
waited until after dark so that I didn't have children staring at me, but I also brought my
pair of sunglasses to cover my own self-consiousness.
3. I am a little more "antsy" today as I begin my day. I am tired of sitting around and
anxious to do something productive. Last night I had my first headache, which was
very minor. One tylenol took care of it. I think it was from not icing the eyes during the
day. But today I will probably still go with my daughter to get her little girl's first grade
school supplies. Sunglasses are the best for allowing me to continue to do what I
want to do!
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