Weight Loss and Genetics - a Perfect Candidate for Arm Lift - Seattle, WA

Hi Kristy, All really good questions - see below: How was your recovery period? Overall my recovery was very smooth and without complications. I would say there are several phases of recovery. Again, I did not have drains and I was able to shower the day after surgery - I also didn't have a lot of pain, more like a sunburn sting (?). The first week showed improvement on a daily basis - I was able to see improvements in my range of motion and strength and did not have much swelling. I wore my compression sleeves about 23 hours a day and slept with my arms elevated and did not lift much weight as instructed. The hardest part was getting my compression garment on (I used the kind that was more like a short cardigan that hooked in the font) - my husband had to help me in the beginning getting it on. By week two, I had enough range of motion to get the compression garment on myself and the bruising on my arms was almost gone. On week three, the surgery tape came off (what was left of it) and I started using New Gel+ strips on the incisions which helped a lot. I say Dr. Park after the first and third weeks and everthing was on track. Now, I'm almost at the 2 month mark and will be posting pictures soon. Did you have much downtime or pain? Very little downtime or pain. I was letter perfect for 1 week and then was getting antsy, so I bought a hands free leash for my dog and we started walking for over an hour each day like normal. I didn't have to use my arms so that was great. Also, my husband spent the first week in the guest room as I took up the whole bed with pillows elevating my arms and a special pillow to keep me semi-upright. Getting in and out of bed was tricky at first but got better every day. I had very little pain - like I mentioned, it was more like a sunburn sting or as if someone snapped a rubber band on my skin the first day after surgery. I took pain medication only at night for 5 days to fall asleep and was completely off pain meds by the end of the first week altogether. How long until you could do normal things again, like work, pick things up, etc? My surgery was on a Friday and I worked from home the following Monday/Tuesday and was back at work on Wednesday (desk job/meetings). I didn't have complete range of motion but nobody noticed as my job isn't physical - I was tired by the end of the week but nothing unmanageable. I was able to drive on day 7, and started walking the dog as I mentioned with a hands free leash. I didn't lift anything over 3 lbs and did not vacuum for two weeks, cooking was simple stuff and I was very careful not to overdo it with lifting. Really, it's the simple stuff that you have to figure out like putting on your bra - without help, there's no way I can hook the bra in the back. I used 'soft bras' for the first three weeks that you can pull up from the bottom. Also, opening jars, putting dishes away, etc. If you're considering this operation, the little things will need to be figured out especially if you're working and have to get yourself ready in the morning. Hope this was helpful. KK.

Wow, thanks so much for all of that information, very useful!

I will be needing this surgery in the not-too-distant future, so having experiences like yours to work from is invaluable. I think I'm most worried about pain, I have a very low pain tolerance and I'm a bit of a wimp, haha!

I'll definitely be following your progress, so please keep us updated! :-)

What I took away is that every doctor has a different approach and you need to understand their process. All I can say is that my experience went exactly as described and there were no surprises - which was nice. It was the small dumb things that caught me off guard - putting on a bra, reaching for the seat belt - the everyday oddities that I took for granted. But they ALL had a solution. I also saw my surgery on YouTube which helped me understand what went on while I was under. I'm happy to chat offline and get to the details :)