Arm lift - post op 3 weeks

7 years ago I had accomplished something I didn't know was possible.... I had lost 90 pounds. Shortly after I had a 'mommy makeover' and would do it again and again, it changed my life!
Now that fitness is a daily part of my life I really want to see my muscles, but all I see is skin. I couldn't fill this skin with enough muscles to not sag soooooo here I come arm lift!
My previous surgeon focuses mainly on boobs and bellies so I visited my friends surgeon for this procedure.
My surgery date snuck up on me! I scheduled it in November and it had felt so far away that I kind of forgot about it! Lol. BUT I began to grow concerned because of the extra armpit skin(I added pics). I noticed on RealSelf a lot of surgeons do it all at once, arm and pit, so I wanted to make sure it was an option for me as well. I was super scared I would end up with skinny arms and mushroom top armpit skin and just couldn't picture how that was going to look. After reaching out to the staff a few times I was able to see the surgeon(zoom call) who couldn't tell me whether I could or could not get it done until surgery day. He felt it would be better to assess in person. I understood but still it left me worried and feeling a little powerless in my choices and options.
I had my arm lift April 6th. The surgeon looked at my armpit skin and(thank god!) decided he could do a vertical incision to take off some of the extra skin. Staff was great and very friendly. I feel like I was on the operating table within a half an hour!
After surgery my husband took me back to the hotel and I settled in trying to get comfy. It was not easy. I had been prescribed Percocet and it made me itch so bad but I couldn't move my arms cuz it hurt and I felt like I was being tortured! I couldn't get comfortable and was up from midnight to 3 before bursting into tears and waking up my husband. I just hurt so bad, couldn't get comfortable and itched all over. For my first surgeries I was prescribed Percocet without the Tylenol (whatever that is called) and it helped a ton. My former surgeon was generous with the prescriptions wanting I ensure I had a relatively pain free time to heal. So I thought Percocet would be fine! It wasn't! Lol.
The next morning I was given Vicodin to see if that would help and it was sooooo much better.
I feel like I was not prepared for the healing process of this surgery. It's hard to find anything on when I'm going to start normal activities again. When I asked my surgeon or staff the answers were really dependent upon how I was feeling during my healing.....
Well it's post op 3 weeks. I have toughed it out wearing this torture vest 24/7, took all my medication, refrained from doing to much with my arms and I don't feel like I'm ever going to feel normal. At first I thought I was overthinking my pain and letting it build my anxiety so I did some mindful thinking and focused on pulling my awareness of the pain away. It worked for a few days but the hurt is still so great I cant keep mentally masking it.
So that is the beginning of my arm lift story. I have added pictures to see progress. I would love feedback from anyone else in the same boat. It still hurts to drive, type, cut apples, etc like everything! I feel like I'm really struggling with the healing and pain right now and it sucks!