Yet Another Successful Surgery

Been a busy spring/summer, and I'm afraid I've slipped behind a little. Nikki just had surgery #27 on July 1st, and it was another success. During a seven hour procedure, Ohio State's Dr. Miller did a lot of facial work on Nikki.

First, fat was liposuctioned from her tummy & injected around both eyes, and along her right cheek. Some of this fat is usually absorbed by the body, so this might have to be repeated multiple times in the future. The results are great, though, really filling in Nikki's facial contours & giving her face a smoother, more natural symmetry.

Then, Dr. Miller did extensive work on her nose. The nose was originally smashed almost flat in her accident in 2004, and has remained a little lopsided ever since. Several years back, another plastic surgeon took a small piece of bone from Nikki's skull & used it to build up the bridge, Over the years since, this work degraded in some fashion, and the nose was losing shape again. Dr. Miller determined that the implanted bone fragment was loose & no longer anchored properly. His goal was to determine if the bone fragment could be saved & re-anchored, or if another bone fragment would be needed- probably from her arm. He found that the fragment was fine, but the soft anchors used had detached. He repositioned the fragment & used a small metal screw to attach it to he bottom of Nikki's forehead. Next, he used a 400 micron metal sheet to build up the bridge, attaching it to the bone fragment & forehead. The nose ain't going anywhere now!

Once he was in surgery, Dr. Miller wasn't happy with how Nikki's right eye could not close properly, due to the eyelid damage from the accident. We had discussed working on this in a future procedure, but he decided he'd like to move forward with the repair now. After contacting me from the OR for approval, he proceeded to do an eyelid transplant. He harvested a small horizontal strip from her left eyelid, and attached this to the right eyelid... very fine, detailed work that took a long time.

When done, Nikki looked like she had gone ten rounds with a heavyweight boxer. Her right eyelid has been sewn shut, to protect the transplant, and both eyes have a lot of bruising, along with her right cheek. She also has a protective shield over her nose, as well as five small holes in her tummy where the fat was suctioned. Remarkably, she had little pain postop, and definitely looked worse than she felt. Nikki goes to the doctor this week, where the right eyelid will be freed up. She'll probably be off work for three weeks or so. After that, it'll be time to start planning the next procedure. Stay tuned for more!

The Last Surgery is Good!

Nikki has been back to Dr. Miller a couple of times since her surgery. He's very pleased with how everything looks. The eyebrow has actively growing hairs, with more looking like they'll be coming in soon. The area underneath the eye that was filled in looks very good, too. Dr. Miller is starting to look at other areas for Nikki's next surgery. Her right eyelid was mentioned before, and he also wants to clean up her neckline, presenting a cleaner appearance above the collar. Of course, Nikki is very excited to pursue this. She goes back in two months, when she expects to start serious discussions about her next surgery. I'll keep you informed!

Surgery #26 is a success!

Nikki's surgery went as planned on March 11th. The only snag was being called in early due to a cancellation, but then having to wait until the originally scheduled time anyway. It made for a long day, being at the hospital from 9am to 8pm. The results of the surgery were worth it, though.

As planned, the Dr. Michael Miller used liposuction to remove fatty tissue from Nikki's abdomen, and then delicately inserted it around her right eye. This eye socket has been sunken since her accident, over ten years ago. It looks like two small incisions were made to insert the tissue into the socket... hard to tell, because they're so thin & small. Next, the surgeon removed a small strip of follicle-laden skin from the back of Nikki's head. Then, using a magnifying apparatus, he proceeded to remove individual follicles from the strip of skin, and implanted them one by one into her forehead, shaping an eyebrow. This was the longest part of the entire procedure, requiring a steady hand and keen eye. Altogether, she was in surgery 4-1/2 hours.

Nikki came through this surgery very easily, with little pain and no nausea. Her face looks great... filling in the eye socket made a huge difference in her facial structure. The eyebrow will take some time to develop. Right now, she has black marker still outlining the the shape of the eyebrow. Plus, as the follicles "take root", their current hairs will actually fall out, before starting to grow again. Dr. Miller says that some will definitely fail, but most should take. Nikki should be returning to work in a few days.

Dr. Miller also identified the next area that he wants to work on- Nikki's right eyelid. This lid was mostly destroyed in the accident, doing it's job and protecting the eye. Some limited reconstruction was done during her initial treatments, but more is needed. The doctor says that her eyelid is too small, not covering the eye properly. To rectify this, he wants to take tissue from her left eyelid & use it to build up the right eyelid. Delicate work, but not too difficult. This will better protect the eye, and also improve appearance. Nikki's all for it.

That's it for now. Stay tuned for updates.,

New Surgery Scheduled

Nikki's wasting no time in moving forward with her next surgery. On March 11th, Nikki will return to The Ohio State Wexner Medical Center for another plastics procedure. This time, she'll be undergoing a procedure to fill in around her right eye. The accident burned away a lot of skin and underlying tissue in this area, making the eye socket look sunken and drawn. The surgeon will use liposuction to withdraw fatty tissue from elsewhere on Nikki's body & inject it all around the the right eye. The goal is to make the right eye as equal to the left as possible. At the same time, Nikki will get a new right eyebrow- the accident burned off that brow, along with most of her forehead. The doctor doesn't know yet what procedure he will use- a scalp transplant, or plugs. The transplant is simpler to do, as long as the conditions are right for it. Nikki is very excited for this one!

Future procedure will almost certainly involve more work around her neck. The surgeons have made great strides in improving looks and functionality here, but there's still more to be done. Stay tuned for updates!

It's 2015, and Nikki's Back!

Happy New Year! It's been two years since my last update to Nikki's adventures. Nikki is still doing well, even though she's had many ups and downs over the past two years. Physically, she's been doing very well. She's only had one additional surgery in this time. In August of 2014, she had some work done on her right cheek & eye, leading to a much-improved look in that area; this was surgery #25. She is meeting with the Ohio State Medical Center plastic surgeon again next week to begin planning her next cosmetic update.

Nikki's main problems over the last couple of years have been emotional / mental. The trauma of the accident in 2004 caused more serious psychological issues than first expected. The Post Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD) was much more pronounced than first thought, and has led to a host of debilitating and embarrassing problems. After several false hopes that Nikki was improving on her own, she finally stood up in late 2013, acknowledged her problems, and began to get the appropriate treatments. There is no "quick fix" or "miracle cure" for her issues, and she may well be getting some form of treatment for the rest of her life. Her situation is analogous to the war veterans that have trouble returning to "real" life.

Over the past year, my family moved from the east side of Columbus to the northwest side, where we lived when Nikki & her sister were in school. Nikki moved in with us for a while as she finished up the more intensive parts of her treatments. Now, Nikki is rooming with a former classmate & lives only a block or so from us. She has left the high-stress environment of the high-end restaurants & now works in a lower-key neighborhood dining place. She is back in the area where she lived in elementary & high school, and where many of her oldest friends still live. She is happier & healthier, and continues to strengthen her mental & physical health. She is once again the Nikki that her family & friends remember.

I'll continue to update Nikki's progress as she continues to deal with that horrible car accident from July 2004. Thank you for continuing to follow her adventures, and stay tuned- the ride's not over yet!