It’s Rough, but It’s Worth It (Full Abdomen, Flanks, Full Back, Armpit, Arms)

I’m on my 5th day in and I’m going to share recovery because plenty of people have shared their day of.

Day 1 - piece of cake, seriously. Xanax and laughing gas make the whole experience easy.

Day 2 - was able to move around and get on my self powering treadmill and take the laziest 45 minute walk in crocs. Swelling wasn’t noticeable yet and I was surprisingly “normal” considering. There was a lot of leaking, I ruined one of my pillows when the puppy pad slipped down during the night. I thought the leaking would be a brighter red, it was very bloody looking. Slept pretty well that night.

Day 3 - shower day! Had my hubby help me take the garments off and omg the difference was blatantly obvious. They explain that you could be light headed taking the garments off, I was not light headed at all, in fact I felt relief. I finally saw the flat stomach I’d never had ever in my life right before my eyes. I stared for a moment at Dr. Markelov’s work and decided to get in the shower to rinse the marker off while hubby threw my blood soaked garments in the wash. Removing the pads was fun, they were soaked through. The incision sites looked weird, to anyone who has a fear of holes this is not for them. I have what looks like some laser burns. Now some reviewers have complained about this, in the totality of it all scarring is not one of those things that bugs me. The soap they give you tingles a bit but I was happy to be clean. It was during the cleaning that I realized I had zero sensation EXTERNALLY on the back of my arms, INTERNALLY felt like I tried to do 200 push ups. Parts of my stomach and back also felt numb. Getting back into the garments was difficult without assistance, if you get your arms done be prepared to have little mobility. At this point swelling really set in and I couldn’t hook the arm compression garment back on without feeling extremely light headed. I figured so long as my arms were compressed I’d be ok. I did not get on the treadmill but I was still active throughout the day doing light cleaning around the house. I slept ok this night, I’m a side sleeper so I anticipated restless nights. My arms were very uncomfortable.

Day 4 - nerves are coming back to life. It feels so confusing. At one moment you’re numb, the next your entire body is tingling. I am able to put my hair up which was exciting, I previously could barely lift my arms. Stomach and back pain is mild, still rough to get in out out of bed or going from sitting to standing but it’s not awful. I can close the hooks on the arm garment again. I’m unable to get comfortable in any position. Sitting, standing, laying down, I’m just so uncomfortable and it made me irritable. Got on the treadmill for a half hour and paced around majority of the the day. I slept horrible this night, tired of sleeping on my back. I woke up frequently, at some points I could kind of twist my body to lay on my side and sleep for an hour before the pain in my arms wakes me up.

Day 5 - back to work and totally not ready to go in. I’m typing this at 6a and trying to motivate myself. I read a lot of people get depressed, I’m not depressed, just tired and irritable lol.

I will continue to share, I do feel this was worth it. I was genuinely concerned about going to the bathroom in the faja and I must say it’s actually pretty easy…peeing and pooping! I have mastered it! I got a she wee but the lack of mobility (combined with my T.rex arms and foam ab board) made that hard to use, but I could see the benefit of using it. Definitely not ready to wear normal clothes yet, I’m fairly swollen so it’s gonna be maxi dresses all week for optimal comfort. I’m very excited for results and the ability to sleep on my side again. Will post more in a couple days.

Day 6 - still reeling from day 5 and lack of sleep I noticed my forearms, wrists, and hands were swollen and truthfully very painful. Mentioned it to Elite and they immediately responded and one of the nurses called me. After we talked it was determined that the arm compression garment was too tight and we made a plan to alleviate it. I’m not going to share the plan because I don’t want other readers to do what I did if they experience something similar. You need to hear the course of action directly from the nurse or surgeon, not a reviewer. Anywho, it was immediate relief and I managed to get some sleep that night. The swelling is still there but I’m not quite a balloon. Overall pain is manageable, definitely stiffness in my arms, back, and belly. The bruising on my arms is the worst and my back and stomach have very minor bruising. The incisions are basically healed at this point which is freakin crazy. My left elbow incision and belly button incision are the biggest scabs of the bunch.

Day 7 - holy hell I feel kind of normal! The nurses advice helped A LOT where the swelling in my arms is concerned and I was significantly more comfortable. Few small victories on day 7 like….being able to put my hair up! Laying on my side for a couple hours! Picking things up off the floor! All things I haven’t been able to do for a week. I feel really weird outside of my faja, while it is an annoying garment it really provides a lot of support. Without the faja on I walk funny and hold my stomach. I usually jump right back into it after it dries. I slept really well this time, it’s definitely a constantly shifting learning curve for comfort when it comes to sleeping if you had as much work as I had done.

Day 8 - feeling about the same as day 7. Didn’t wake up with one of my arms being asleep and my upper back isn’t as sore from being stuck on it for 8 hours straight. This faja really helps with posture and so does the surgical pillow I bought for this so that’s why I’m having upper back pain. Incisions are well scabbed and healing, I didn’t get any pictures throughout these days. Arms are so bruised, but they look like they’re clearing up. Smearing them in arnica cream to help. I still have that weird sensation in my arms where the outside is numb and I can feel the pain inside it’s much better though. My nerves are waking up everywhere else so the normal nerve responses to trauma are occurring. The slightest touch sends my body into full goosebumps so I find myself tickling my sides a lot, weird I know. I’ve been living in loose clothing and maxi dresses but I put on a pair of my old pants and they were a little tight because of the swelling and the ab board. I imagine in a few weeks they’ll be loose.

I’ll update in a few days and I get into the second week of healing. I honestly can’t wait until I can sleep normally and my arms aren’t as tender otherwise I feel pretty good.

Ok, 4 months post op and there’s some things I want to mention.

First, it was a long heal so be prepared for a test of patience. I still feel pockets of swelling and tenderness in parts of my body. My left arm proved to be the part with the most damage and I still cannot feel sections of the back of my left arm. The other part that is still tender is my lower back where bra rolls are. It’s minor though and you do have to keep in mind that it can take up to 6 months for swelling and tenderness to resolve.

Second, I am extremely pleased with the results, so much so that I want to go in to do my legs and chin next. I do feel more could’ve been taken from my love handles so I may hip flip. Confidence really comes from within so it doesn’t fix your psyche, but I am more confident in my skin than I have ever been.

Third, exercise! It’s a long term solution BUT that doesn’t stop fat distribution in other areas. Exercise and eat well and it will amplify your results.

Lastly, wear the garment longer than disclosed. In fact, go through the three “fits” for optimal contour and for at least 3 months avoid pants with bands in them to prevent indentation. They say 4 weeks per fit. This was the advice one of the lovely ladies at Elite San Diego and it was solid advice. I do feel that if I just rushed out of it when “time” was up that I would be lumpy and ripply.

I’ll post complete before and after photos when it hits six months. Keep in mind, I’m not incredibly active and I really REALLY indulged in holiday treats lol.