I’m One week post op from arm lift & thigh lift. Looking back, I’d definitely recommend doing these surgeries separately if you can. I am on a time crunch from work so I chose to do them the same time.... which of course makes for a more difficult heal, but what I needed for my limited schedule. The first five days my thighs were the more painful areas, especially the incisions in the groin area. Thankfully they let me take the catheter home otherwise I would have definitely peed myself multiple times. I had a hard enough time getting into a sitting position, let alone standing... and even on day three, it was incredibly hard to sit on the toilet. You can’t even get your legs far enough apart to not pee all over yourself or your compression garment, I learned this the hard way. I recommend buying a female urinal or the ‘go girl’ so you can stand peeing. I wish someone would have told me to get one before hand. I’ll be recommending my surgeon add it to his aftercare instructions. This is my sixth surgery, after breast lift / augmentation, vertical/horizontal tummy tuck, and revision.... and this is by far the most painful one. The pain seems to jump from one place to another. Moving on my own isn’t even possible.... and there’s no bending my elbows past a 45° angle, so I can’t even feed myself. Even given the swelling and how bad incisions always look right after surgery... I’m pleased so far. While doing my surgery, my surgeon ending up finding out that my left silicone implant had ruptured (only two yrs out from augmentation) which was a huge surprise. He had to clean out the whole breast pocket and replace the implant. He also removed some extra skin under my breasts and along my side. Typically your brachioplasty incision ends in your armpit, however mine both go continuous from my elbow through my armpit (removing sweat glands) around my breast-removing excess side skin and under my breasts up to my aureoles. I literally have about 9’ of incisions. At one week I seem to be over the hump. I can get up by myself, get on/off the toilet by myself.... just still need help getting the compression pants. I will update as I heal :)
Updated on 18 Apr 2019:
Photos update
Updated on 9 May 2019:
So I’m 4weeks out and although the two openings on my inner thighs have closed and healed nicely, I have had a few complications. My right breast incision opened up about two weeks ago..... which is pretty common, and I was set up with wound care. No big deal. Last Monday I was put on Antibiotics since the tissue around my breast opening and as well as my lower thigh incision appeared to have signs of infection. The ends of my incisions on my knees are painful, red, and angry. My breast opening was healing, but also growing. One opening had turned into two and I was scheduled to have it sutured back up this coming Monday. However, last night when I changed my dressings, I noticed an opening on my left breast and this one was much different.... I could see my implant. I was devastated, as I know an exposed implant can turn into bad news real quick. I sent photos to my PS and went into his office this morning, where he sutured the exposed implant and my right breast’s two openings. I’m happy I didn’t have to go back in for surgery, but now I’m super anxious because I don’t want the sutures to re-open. I’m 4weeks and 2days post op and my PS was pretty adamant on waiting til 5weeks. He says the skin is strong enough to hold the new sutures and it has a low chance of re-opening..... but we all over think it, don’t we? Hoping to heal up soon..... this is fairly annoying.
Updated on 9 May 2019:
Scan came off of the T junction, and exposed implant. PS sutured back up today. Will post sutured photos later...
Updated on 31 May 2019:
May 9th (4weeks post op) I ended up with an exposed implant on my left breast and had a continuing medium size superficial opening on my right breast, which needed to be sutured closed. The exposed opening was fairly small at about 1/3”. It’s been 3.5 weeks since then and I still have the sutures in, which are incredibly annoying, uncomfortable and obnoxious, but the tissue has been healing nicely, just slowly. Everything was on the up and up, looking great..... but then while visiting Texas, I woke up on Memorial Day for our early morning flight to notice the whole lower section of my left breast to be red, hot, and swollen. I know what that means..... infection. Right when I thought everything was going good too.
No pain, just redness, hot and swollen and noticeably harder than my right side. Now my left breast is the side that was found to have a ruptured mentor silicone implant, removed, cleaned and replaced with a new implant on April 9th. Then small opening with implant exposure on May 9..... so the fact I ended up with an infection is somewhat expected.
I contacted my surgeon and he called me in an antibiotic prescription had me come into the office the next morning, by then of course now pain is accompanying the other symptoms.... plus now the left breast is noticeably larger than the right. When I go to see him, the redness has subsided after 4 doses of oral antibiotic, but the pain is getting more annoying, even affecting my left arm. He has me take an extra dose of my antibiotic and says to check in in four hours. When I checked in and told him no changes, except the redness had returned, he scheduled me to come in next morning to have a drain put in. When he inserts the drain, we’re both happy to see a clear liquid, no gross yellow/green pus, and he informs me that this is the best bet to try and save the implant and hopefully not have to go in and replace it and clean out the whole pocket.
I’ve had the drain for three days now, and I’m over it.... but I know it’s necessary. Hopefully it can be removed on Monday, along with the remaining sutures.
I’m just tired of the issues.... I know it will heal, but it’s getting old.
Will update soon!
Updated on 31 May 2019:
May 9th (4weeks post op) I ended up with an exposed implant on my left breast and had a continuing medium size superficial opening on my right breast, which needed to be sutured closed. The exposed opening was fairly small at about 1/3”. It’s been 3.5 weeks since then and I still have the sutures in, which are incredibly annoying, uncomfortable and obnoxious, but the tissue has been healing nicely, just slowly. Everything was on the up and up, looking great..... but then while visiting Texas, I woke up on Memorial Day for our early morning flight to notice the whole lower section of my left breast to be red, hot, and swollen. I know what that means..... infection. Right when I thought everything was going good too.
No pain, just redness, hot and swollen and noticeably harder than my right side. Now my left breast is the side that was found to have a ruptured mentor silicone implant, removed, cleaned and replaced with a new implant on April 9th. Then small opening with implant exposure on May 9..... so the fact I ended up with an infection is somewhat expected.
I contacted my surgeon and he called me in an antibiotic prescription had me come into the office the next morning, by then of course now pain is accompanying the other symptoms.... plus now the left breast is noticeably larger than the right. When I go to see him, the redness has subsided after 4 doses of oral antibiotic, but the pain is getting more annoying, even affecting my left arm. He has me take an extra dose of my antibiotic and says to check in in four hours. When I checked in and told him no changes, except the redness had returned, he scheduled me to come in next morning to have a drain put in. When he inserts the drain, we’re both happy to see a clear liquid, no gross yellow/green pus, and he informs me that this is the best bet to try and save the implant and hopefully not have to go in and replace it and clean out the whole pocket.
I’ve had the drain for three days now, and I’m over it.... but I know it’s necessary. Hopefully it can be removed on Monday, along with the remaining sutures.
I’m just tired of the issues.... I know it will heal, but it’s getting old.
Will update soon!
Updated on 4 Jun 2019:
This is progression of when my PS sutured closed the exposed implant on my left breast and closed the superficial opening on right breast. I ended up with an infection in my left breast three weeks after exposure was sutured.
Updated on 4 Jun 2019:
I had the drain removed on my left breast yesterday but returned today because of two spots that seemed see through. My PS informed me that the bacteria from the infection dissolves tissue and we needed to act quickly before we ended up with another implant exposure. Today he cut a section from my rib/stomach and flipped it up to cover the thinned area. I’m so tired of the healing.... feeling depressed and discouraged, even though I know it will eventually heal. I am stressing and having major anxiety with the fear of ending up having to remove the implant and having to heal it for months with only one implant. Hoping for the best at this point....