Eye Surgery: Two Weeks to a Younger-Looking Me!

Four days before the surgery: I have to go see a medical photographer who will take shots of my eyes and face (for those photos you often see on doctors' websites). I have to take off all my makeup and when I see the images several days later, it's not pretty. You can see the before shot here.

Three days pre-surgery: I see my primary care physician for a physical and blood workup so they can spot any potential health issues that could pose problems during the procedure. I get a clean bill of health (except for a high cholesterol reading!) and am cleared for surgery. I create a living will online—just in case.... (I've been meaning to do that anyway and now seems like a good time.)

The day before surgery: I'm very nervous. I meet with Dr. Lorenc, who explains how the surgery will go. I tell him again that I don't want to come out of this looking different...just better. He assures me that he's not going to give me that surprised look that so many women have after eye surgery. Dr. Lorenc is very direct yet reassuring, which I find comforting. He doesn't sugarcoat anything or over-promise. He seems to take a conservative approach, which I like. I feel better after talking with him and Lorraine Russo, who's the executive director of the practice. Tonight I get a call from anesthesiologist Tim Vanderslice, M.D., who works with Dr. Lorenc. He wants to see if I have any questions and to make sure I take the anti-nausea medication I was given (to counteract potential side effects of the anesthesia). It's the anesthesia that worries me the most. My procedure only requires a very light sedative, often referred to as "Twilight" or conscious sedation. It's not as deep as general anesthesia and has fewer risks as a result (no anesthesia is 100 percent risk free, though). You wake up from it immediately after the procedure and it clears your system quickly. I've had it for an endoscopy, which only lasted a few minutes. This procedure will take an hour.