today i went to see a cosmetic surgeon regarding potential facial surgery. it was a really, really enlightening appointment for several reasons.
he seemed to be a bit surprised when i told him that i had moebius syndrome, because moebius normally affects both sides of the face completely (my right side is partly affected by moebius). it just reminds me of not only how rare moebius is, but how rare my own case is.
the most clear surgical option for me is having my lip thinned out a bit. at the moment it just hangs there. i can't move the left corner of my mouth so my lips are sumply stretched when i smile and talk (like a chewing action). the gold weight is fine.
the doctor also shed some light on the future. because the only functioning muscle in the left side of my face is the transplanted muscle, i will have accelarated ageing in my face on the left side. my eyebrows and eyelids will droop down because i don't have muscle to hold them up. the muscle in my cheek will similarly slacken. so i may have to have more surgery or facelifts in the future, which is something i wasn't aware of.
and that was basically it. i can have surgery this year if i want to. i'm a bit confused by the whole situation, and don't know what i should do. i've been thinking about it a lot. i just need to consider my options and my motives and come to an informed decision that will hopefully keep me happy.
