I have a small growth on my lower eyelid that's been there for some time, and my ophthalmologist (who is also a good friend and fellow dancer/dance partner) has been keeping an eye on it (pun intended! ) and at my yearly appointment last week told me it was time to get something done about it. Ugh. I'm going to see an Ophthalmic Plastic and Reconstructive Surgeon in a little while, to evaluate the situation, do a biopsy if needed, talk about getting the growth removed and whatever reconstruction might be needed to my lower lid. It's a sebaceous something or other, benign, but it will continue to grow and deform my lower lid, and as it's also growing up, it will at some point impede my vision. It's also just ugly, and is not helped by the fact that my glasses prescription magnifies my eyes, so it looks even worse. I wanted Rowland, my friend/eye doctor to remove it. He's a skilled surgeon and said he'd have no problem getting rid of it, but he's not as skilled at the cosmetic aspect. So he wanted me to go to someone he personally trusted to get the removal AND the reconstruction done competently. Cross your fingers, say a little prayer, bow to the west...whatever your particular proclivity is, please. I'm nervous, and anything having to do with my eyes make me really jittery.
Bowing frantically in all directions to cover all the bases. My youngest daughter had one of those come up on the left side of her nose right between the corner of her eye and where the nose starts. First appeared as a dark spot when she was about a month old and by the time she was 3 it had stopped growing. It got pretty good size but over the years to has shrunk to almost nothing.
Ronni, of course we will all be hoping, praying, bowing to the different directions for you! Keep us appraised as to your surgery, recovery, and the "new look" you have. You're gorgeous, even with a little bump!
Sebaceous cysts like yours can be a real problem sometimes Ronni. However, I have known folks with large ones on both their upper and lower eyelids that have been removed successfully. I'm glad your friend decided to send you to someone who can reconstruct the area for you after yours has been removed. Do let us know when you're going for your operation so that we can send all our healing vibes your way.
Fingers crossed for your surgery. Of course anything around the eye can make one jittery. I have a feeling that the procedure will not take very long and you will be given something to calm you and some local anesthesia. Having a plastic surgeon do the work ought to give you the confidence that the result will be as good as it can be. Try not to worry, as it appears that the correction will be done externally. Hang in there miss, it is going to be alright.
Good luck with your procedure Ronni, As your friend has watched the growth and indicated it was time to remove it you are in good hands. We look forward to a good report of its removal. Jerry
Will pray for you Ronni. I have had sebaceous cysts removed from behind my ears. I have had 3 eye surgeries, 2 cataracts, one removal of scar tissue from one of the cataract surgeries. I had a little bit of a problem with the one surgery, but it was quickly fixed. They will likely put anesthetic drops in your eye, and perhaps a local injection near the cyst. They will cover up your other eye so you cannot watch what they are doing, and it ought to be a short procedure. You might feel some light/moderate tugging, but it should not be terribly painful. Another thing they might do, is use an amnesia drug such as Versed, and you will be awake before you know it. I had that twice, and I like that best of all. It depends on your medical history and allergies if you have any. I hope it all goes well, and that annoying thing on your eye lid is soon history. Get well wishes from me too.
Wishing you the best of luck Ronni. I have something similar close to my eye region also and it has got a bit bigger over the years. I think I'll get it removed next year for cosmetic purposes. From my understanding your operation will be a quick and relatively painless one
Thank you all. Well, I'm both relieved and still somewhat nervous. After a thorough examination, the Doc said he was a little suspicious of the growth, and that even though it looked sebaceous at first glance, once he viewed it under his various instruments he wasn't so sure. I asked him what that meant and he said it could be cancerous. Yikes! He was quick to reassure me that even if it was malignant, it wouldn't be a problem, it happens around the eye area very frequently, but that because it was so easy to get rid of you just didn't hear much about it. OK, well that made me feel a bit better. He numbed the area up with drops and shots, and then sliced the bump off, right at the lid line, and packaged it up so it could be sent to the lab for a biopsy. It was a little disconcerting to see him coming at my eye with needles that up close looked the size of something you'd use on a horse! And then again with the scalpel. The worst was after he'd removed it, when he cauterized the area and I could smell that smell and see the smoke. Night owl, most of this was spot on! He didn't cover up my other eye though, or give me any drug. He told me he preferred as little medication as he could get away with other than complete numbing of the area (one reason I appreciated the referral to this particular Doc, because I'm that same way) so he said he'd only get more aggressive with the medication if my nervousness interfered with the procedure. And it didn't, he complimented me on how still and blink less I was. (Maybe he says that to all the patients!) Here I am waiting for the initial anesthesia to take effect. The nurse put the pad over my eye because she says folks often tear for a while as the shots take effect. And here I am all done! Ouch! That looks a little more dramatic than it actually was....my cell phone camera distorted the colors somewhat. It was uncomfortable last night, but by this morning I can't feel anything unless I blink or close my eye, and then it just feels sort of scratchy. I'll get the results next week sometime. She said there will be a delay because it's the weekend of course, and then depending on how busy the lab is, early to mid next week hopefully. Fingers crossed that it's benign after all!
