I go in this afternoon for surgery to reconstruct my lower eyelid. Dr. Polonski will use a graft of skin and cartilage from the back of my ear to make a lid that looks relatively normal (though it will lack eyelashes) and that will (fingers crossed) be able to function. Most exciting, when it heals I should be able to go without an eye patch. Exposing my eye may not look so pretty for a while, but it will give my eyelids more practice blinking, and that should strengthen both the muscle and the nerve (if nerves can be said to have strength) and get me a big step closer to having full vision again.

I will be under general anaesthesia for this. I was supposed to get a local, but that changed yesterday when I went in for an unscheduled visit with Dr. Polonski. I called him because my face has been swollen. At one point all the swelling had gone down, but in the past few weeks it has returned. Dr. Polonski says the lymphatic vessels are not draining the fluid properly, and he is going to try to help that during this surgery. He may also remove the tiny tube in my nose that has been allowing for drainage from my tear duct. I seem to be able to tear normally, so I think the tube is no longer necessary. These additional procedures will be painful, he says; hence, the need for general. I hope I wake up more easily this time.

Think of me blinking! Thank you all again for sharing with me your positive thoughts, prayers, energy.