| Thyroid Eye Disease (TED) |
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| Where do I even begin? There are so many facets of this disease I so eloquently refer to as "TED". I suppose my Mom noticed it first. As we were going from doctor to doctor regarding my rhinoplasty complication, she was asking why my eyes were changing. I was so caught up in everything else, I ignored it thinking it had to do with my nose. Maybe it does. My eyes started out red, irritated and dry. Eventually my eyelids became swollen and then my eyes bulged forward. My eyelids retracted up and gave me the classic TED surprised look. I was already in the active phase when I went to an eye doctor who said it was Thyroid Eye Disease and that I would have to let it run it's course. At this point, radiation, steroids or medications wouldn't help. My proptosis was 29mm in one eye and 27mm in the other. My active phase lasted three years. During this time, I found the best surgeon, Dr. Louise Mawn at Vanderbilt Eye Institute. She has done all my surgeries and I could not have asked for a more caring, competent, honest physician. I have heard that people develop TED not to long after being diagnosed with a thyroid disorder, and my opinion is that I believe doctors need to rethink that not everything proves fact just because it is in a book. They should take cues from their patients. I developed a hyper-thyroid in my teens, had RAI (Radio Active Iodine-and allergic to Iodine) in my early 20's and developed TED in my late 20's. This disease is frustrating, embarrassing, dysfiguring, painful...I could go on forever. It affects me physically, emotionally, mentally. There are good days and bad. Days I don't want anyone to look at me, where I don't even want to look at myself. Days I want my kids to see me just once the way I used to look. Days I want a cure. Days I realize I have lost friends because they judged me. Days I just want someone to truly understand it all. It took me a long time to realize I was chosen to have this disease because I am a strong person. My best assest was my eyes and in a strange way, they still are. I learned to look through what once was beauty to see a journey that developed an immense sense of strength and learned to develop a resilience that can't be taught. I had to escape my comfort zone of hiding, where I lived alone in pain, torture and horror; so I could live again.The last thing people with TED want to do is have their picture taken. In order to get someone to put themselves in my place--they have to 'see'...Look beyond a funny face with big eyeballs to see a person who is human. I designed this website for you to see me in all my glory... |
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| First Orbital Decompression December 14, 2001 |
| Eyelid Retraction Correction with Levator Recession March 29, 2002 Post Reconstruction of Levator and Muellers Muscle October 24, 2002 Levator Adjustment October 20, 2003 |
| Second Orbital Decompression June 27, 2008 |
| Here is a list of surgeries that I have had. I describe them a bit and have posted pictures. Click on which link you want to know more about. |
| Left Eyelid Correction October 10, 2008 |
| These 3 surgeries are linked on to the same page |