Piece of Cake, Almost Painless Recovery! - Kirkland, WA
I lost 140lb and have already had a full...
I lost 140lb and have already had a full anchor-cut tummy tuck and breast lift with augmentation. I'm 28 but had the arms of a 60 year old. They didn't have much fat left on them but there were folds of empty, crepe-like skin hanging down. I never wore short sleeves.
I am 3 days post-op right now and I'm truly shocked at how easy this has been. I took 1 vicodin the night I got home from the clinic, and 1 vicodin the next morning. Haven't needed anything at all since. There's a small amount of stinging in the armpit area but that's it. The length of the incision has actually started to feel itchy, which is a sign of healing. It's a little annoying but isn't making me miserable.
I'm sleeping in a recliner with my arms propped up on pillows. I also sleep with thick socks on my hands because my fingers get cold. I can't reach my arms above shoulder height and putting them completely down at my sides isn't that comfortable either. So I walk around with them slightly raised from my sides.
I'm holding onto about 10 pounds of water weight, my face looks chubby as heck. But I expect that will come off in the next week or two.
I don't have any drains. I came home with the arms wrapped in gauze and covered in ACE wraps. Today I took a seated shower and changed the bandages. The incision looks really good!!! Not sure how long I'll have to wear the ACE wraps but I'm going to buy an arm compression garment online because the wraps are a pain in the butt to get on.
I have people staying with me for the entire first week but honestly as long as I have food pre-made and available, I don't need anyone. I've been self-sufficient since day 2. My energy is good but I'm sleeping a lot just to relieve boredom. I sleep in a comfy leather recliner because it's easier to arrange things the way I want it, and I don't roll around accidentally on my side in my sleep. That would be painful.
Tips so far:
-button-down shirts are your friend
-if you sleep in a recliner, get one of those soft airplane neck pillows. Helps keep my head from flopping around, a regular pillow just slides away
-take a stool softener! Start before you get constipated!
-move the microwave to a low counter, somewhere you can easily reach it. Same goes for dishes, cups, etc.
Replies (13)
Wow, congratulations on the massive weight loss and subsequent surgery. Your arm looks better already in the after pic, can't wait to see it once it's all healed!
How did you manage to lose so much weight?
Congratulations, you've obviously done a great job and worked very hard! WLS is not a cure, just a tool, which many people don't realise. There's so much work that you have to put into it, before, during and after surgery!
It would be awesome if you would write a review of your sleeve gastrectomy! If you'd like to you can use this link.
Kirsty
i lost all my emails and I wanted to say to you when I first joined.
So hi!
Do you know anyone who has had the armlift/lipo at the same time as a full thigh lift? Just wanted to know how they went thru it all.
Hi Charlie,
From what I know, lower body and upper body lifts are usually done separately, but there have been one or two people that have combined them.
This review from PrettyWings is for both arm and thigh lift.
This review from LMull is for both procedures, although they were done 2 months apart.
This is the link to our Thigh Lift reviews page. You can take a look through the reviews and I'm sure the community members would be happy to give you advice!
Kirsty
Update: Day 16 post-op. I am sleeping in my...
I am sleeping in my bed again, and I have found that laying with my arms raised up and bent so that they're elevated on either side of my head resting on the pillow, really decreases swelling. (Elbows are sticking up in the air- I didn't think my arms would stay that way but I woke up in the same position and my arms looked soooo much better). So there is still some swelling. The incisions are not scabbing anymore and are starting to smooth out a bit, though they still have that 'scrunched up' look. That will go away as the internal stitches dissolve. I had pretty heavy bruising on the left arm and the skin is actually kind of painful to the touch. I'm told that this is because there's blood in the tissues and blood is an irritant. Other than that there is no pain. Just a little itching and some numbness along the incision line.
I am driving again and going about my normal business, with the exception of heavy or repetitive lifting. Nothing over 10 pounds. I don't get to exercise for another month, which is frustrating. But I'll find a way to deal. My PS said at my week 2 checkup that he could have tightened the skin more on the upper arms but he wanted it to look natural, and I agree. If the upper arm is the same size as or even smaller than the forearm, you get the 'popeye' look and it's kind of peculiar. Also, better to not quite tighten enough, and revise later, than to tighten too much. I'm very happy with my results so far though.
Replies (9)
How was your recovery and discomfort after having lipo?
I am having an armlift and lipo.
I suppose the hardest thing with a thigh lift/lipo would be sitting on the toilet?
Any tricks to that?
Well as you can imagine, I just had an inner thigh lipo and that was a little painful. I can only assume that you will be under tremedous pain due to having a thigh lift. I can only recomment to take your pain medications and make sure you get some Xanax to ease the discomfort. And yes of course, you will need someone to aid you during at least the first week to get you around to and from bathroom. Best Wishes and just think how great your outcome will be!
How do you feel about wearing a short sleeve shirt?
Thank you so much for your reply, its so good to get feed back. I am so glad you kept a diary on how you were going with it. I think i will inform others as well how i go. I will be in hospital for 7 days due to the full thigh lift. But thats ok, would rather be there then home to recover.