Long Trip to HAPPY...but I am here and doing great!

Your smile is so pretty, I hope you do it often:)

You look great! I just had a face lift in December and it took weeks for me to look human! But Dr. Winslow did a beautiful job. I am so glad to be rid of my fat neck and saggy jowels!!!

You look beautiful! Thank you for posting your journey back to self. I have the same swelling in the same region on my neck, some days worse than others but I have always had that due to allergies. It just wasn't as noticeable with all the excess skin and fat that use to be there. One thing that has helped my neck swelling is to take Sudafed, Claritin and two Tylenol(the Tylenol is for sinus pressure pain). Sudafed drains not only my sinuses but my neck glands while Claritin dries up the excess excretions and protects me from reactions. I am on a regimen of organic vitamins and juicing organic. I also purchased a whole house water purifier and make sure if I do drink bottled water it is from a natural spring source with no BPA in the plastic. I've been doing deep breathing exercises and meditation, clearing of all that is negative. I wish you the best in your journey and just know that no procedure will ever be exactly perfect. I recently celebrated my 59th birthday and life is good. ((Hugs)) Silverlining

So it is January 19 and I am still feeling lots of side effects from my neck lift. My ears are at the point where they feel like they were frozen and they are at mid thaw, more in the lobe area...wierd feeling. My scars are a pain in the arse around the ears...I have long hair and seem to comb or brush them a couple of times a week which gets them sore and they swell. My primary gave me a topical antibiotic for secondary infection, and I had to use that a couple of times on my scars when they blew up! It's not that I don't like the results, I am very happy that the fat and extra skin is gone. My neck didn't match the rest of me, I felt so old. I love the "cuteness" of my face...not ridiculous, mature, but cute. I don't like the underneath...there are still wrinkles, and my glands are so visible that I look a bit disturbing. Plus they hurt. I am still working with another doctor about autoimmunes and they said I didn't have Sjogrens after a year of thinking I did. That would have explained the lymph nodes and glands. I wake up swollen a lot. I don't eat a lot of salt, I make antioxidant shakes in my Vitamix...I add everything from cranberries, kale , spinach, apples, protein powder, I grind flax seed in my grinder , carrots...and this is every day since the second week after surgery. All I want to do is feel healthy! I don't even work out that much because of the swelling. It's been since Oct 3....about 14 weeks and this hasn't been an easy heal for me. I do not like the lumps, one doc said that they aren't the salivary glands and one said yes. If they are large lymphs I wonder if they can make tiny incisions and suck them out. I had a lymph node removed from under my arm once. It swelled up and it scared me. It turned out to have swelled from tattoo ink! He showed me the gland (or lymph) and it had black ink in it. Biopsy agreed with doc....nevertheless I told tattoo friends that this can happen and to be careful. I am done with tattoos! Ok, so overall I'm happy with my surgery. I have to give it more time, but I need help understanding the swelling that hurts. I made a neck warmer out of material with white rice and I heat it for 40 seconds in the microwave and heat my glands, or lymphs, or whatever the freak they are.......soft , squishy spots that have what others call crapey skin that measures an inch or so...in fact, on the right side they are like two soft almonds that are waterlogged with a line that separates the two. I just thought of this, what if those LUmps are displaced fat from the lipo in the middle? The middle of my neck is hollow and that looks wierd too. I wanted smooth...my profile on the right looks so obvious that there is something in that little neck! You know, in a way, the bottom of my jaw looks like it did before only the loose rolls are gone. There remains the wrinkles, the middle is hollow and the soft lumps are very apparent to me. This has been a good post for me, because I now think I know what may be going on. All I have to figure out is the pain from swelling. I bet, if my PS realizes that it's fat and not glands, he can go in through the same teeny incision and suck the three lumps, two on the right side, and one on the left side, right out. What to do about the crapey skin? That I'm not sure. I wish it was right the first time...I bruised horribly and was a bleeder. Maybe since I've gained 10 pounds and am eating really well, no meat other than venizon which has low fat, not hormones and no antibiotics (We eat what my husband hunts. ), it won't be as difficult to heal if I need a tweak. I would never say revision because that co notates something wrong and I don't think that is the case. I have a good surgeon...he will know what to do. Peace out to my friends in the land of wanting to keep ourselves attractive! Right on!

You should really be thoroughly checked for signs of ongoing infection (white blood cell count etc) Your symptoms are worrying. Can you go back to see your surgeon?

You look great! I see you live in Toronto, may I ask why you went to a surgeon in Buffalo? (I also live in Toronto)

You had wonderful results.

Looking Great!!!

I actually felt better today..I'll see the doc on Nov 4th....so I will concentrate on work, icing at night and watching these bruises go away. My husband returned from hunting so I can't whine too much anyway! I was so glad it was hunting pm season, cause he's been at our camp and I could heal in peace and quiet!

I was laughing my head off at the negative side of your procedure! I could see this happening to me.