It took a few hours for the doctors to separate Michael's skin from his skull - welded to his head from previous ops.
Once inside they scraped away the unusual amount of air-filled bone (sinuses), creating significant space behind Michael's forehead that would initially fill with blood and fluid until the pressurised brain relaxed and filled the gap.
The sudden space gain ruled out the option of mid-face advancement, where the forehead and mid-face would have needed to be pulled forward together, as the gap left insufficient support for this work, and it also posed a higher risk of infection.
The top left photo links to a short video of Michael playing his harmonica to comfort to himself throughout his stay in hospital.
Michael's forehead was smooth as sheet metal straight after his op. It's lumpy again now so we hope it doesn't develop into a pressure problem again. (Pic to left shows post-op infection in forehead, not current lumpiness).
