I'm Finally Biting the Bullet

25 years after losing 100lbs I am FINALLY removing the loose skin from my arms. So much has happened in between, a tummy tuck, 2 c-sections, a thigh lift...and now finally the last step, my arms. I put it off for a long time because it wasn't as critical as the other 'improvements' I felt I needed first. I also got super distracted having and raising my family and figured if I waited more time before I did my arms, they would get even looser and therefore make the surgery even more impactful. Anyway, now is my time.

I am VERY nervous. After my longer-than-expected thigh lift recovery 7 years ago, I know a little about what I'm in for. I am not fooling myself by believing recovery will be a breeze, I know I'll be out of commission for some time. Sadly, there is never a good time to be out of commission, and you will always have to miss out on something, so I finally decided I need to just pull the trigger. Today is Saturday and my operation is Tuesday morning. I am just wanting to get it done with now so I can move on to the recovery piece. Waiting for it all to begin may be the worst part.

My biggest fears currently are not being able to wipe myself (I think I'll die if this turns out to be the case), and not being able to drive or wash my hair for more than a week or two. I do a lot of things around the house and for my family. I take the kids to all their activities and am involved with their day to day school life. I don't want to be helpless and uninvolved, even for a little bit. I want to be able to fix their lunches, do the laundry, go the grocery store, etc. I know this sounds like mundane stuff but I like it because it gives me purpose and keeps me moving. Plus I only work PT now so the minimal demands of work keep these tasks from being overwhelming. Basically, I want to be capable, independent and helpful, and it kills me to know I will have to rely on my husband for nearly everything for a while. I really hope I recover quickly, but it is going to be what it is going to be and I will just have to deal with whatever it is.

I attached some 'before' pictures so I'll have something to compare my new arms to once this is all done. I measured my arms at the widest parts and they were 12" around :( As you can see from the pictures, a lot of that is just hanging skin. It will be a relief to finally get rid of it and not have to hide certain angles of my arms.

Anyway, that's it for now - wish me luck!

The surgery went well. I was a nervous wreck beforehand. I thought of everything that could go wrong, me not waking up and leaving my children motherless, me waking up in the middle of the surgery, everything bad possible. I did ok though - when I woke up the pain was pretty severe. I felt like the nurse was a bit stingy with the pain meds, it took awhile before she gave me anything but the dilaudid that had come through the IV. She kept saying it would help with pain but not the burning sensation. That literally was the pain, the burning...there was no throbbing or aching. Finally she gave me an oral narcotic and that helped A LOT. I could go to the bathroom and wipe by myself, I can eat by myself and pull up my own pants. I was suprised and how much I feel I can do and my range of motion. Even though this is tough and I am very limited and in pain, this is WAY better than the thighs. As the morphine comes out of my system I might change my mind...but for now that is the case and I'll take any good I can get. Anyway, I'm tired and it hurts to type a little. My right had is swollen quite a bit. I will try to give an update tomorrow.

Today I feel great! I had swelling in my right hand very bad overnight, but I loosened the arm wrap and that made it hurt less. The hospital and my Doc's office both called this morning to check on me and they both mentioned the IV hand tends to do that. Also, they said they removed 175 grams of fat/skin collectively. That is only .386 pounds lol. Visually I'm sure it will make a big difference though.
I was able to put on makeup today and walk my son to the bus-stop. Then I went on my morning walk plus a little extra - 4 miles in total. I really felt great doing it. My arms started out not being able to come down straight, they were at like a 45 degree angle from my body, but by the end of the walk they seemed to loosen and hang much straighter. I'm a little tired now and still feel occassional burning in various areas, but overall nothing major. I have been taking the percocet every 6 hours to stay on top of the pain so I think that has helped a lot. I'll try to post another update tomorrow.