Cankles Be Gone... Calf and Ankle Liposuction

As most who have had this surgery have noted, it is important to have realistic expectations about the healing process. Swelling and bruising will be persistent for weeks, if not months. I am now just over 6 weeks post and still experience constant swelling, although I do feel that it's less pronounced at this point. By now, I have gone on several outings sans compression, but my legs feel so much more comfortable in my stockings so I still wear them very consistently when I'm home or in a "judgment free zone" like with family (or if I'm wearing pants). I probably still wear them 95% of the time and always while I sleep. I intend to do so for the foreseeable future.
Even at 6 weeks, I still have bruising around my ankles and in the space between my calf muscles and ankle. It's nothing crazy but noticeable to me. My calves are mostly pain-free at this point, but I am still quite sensitive in the same areas I'm experiencing residual bruising. Numbness is dissipating but, again, still more pronounced nearer my ankle. In the achilles region, I experience some tingly "fireworks" sensations when I stroke or shave the area. Although somewhat sore, especially with pressure, I wouldn't say I'm ever in pain now. Compression really helps and I think has contributed to my results thus far. Over the weeks I have had times where I've noticed rope-like hard bands under the surface and some knots, but those have improved drastically. Again, I credit compression.
The post-surgical depression is still sort of an issue. Even though I have an intellectual understanding that my healing and final results will take a lot of time, it's hard not to get frustrated when I have a day of particularly bad swelling. Although nowhere near perfect and hopefully still far from my final results, I would no longer classify my lower legs as cankles. So far, the most obvious change is from the side. I hope that the appearance becomes more slender from the front with time. Of course I'm anxious for the swelling to subside, too, because it's hard to envision what the contour of my ankle might look like. Since I am always at least somewhat swollen in the ankles, typically with a "puff" on the top. Even still, I'm optimistic!

Bruising, draining, swelling and pain were all in full force by one week post op. Four or five days after my surgery, I reached out to the office because my drainage hadn't stopped and I had been under the impression that it would cease by 3 days. My doctor immediately called me to ask a few qualifying questions and determined that I was probably draining lymphatic fluid and not to worry. This stopped between one and two weeks after surgery and did not impact my healing.

I found that my pain got progressively worse about a week after surgery and continued to ramp up until about two weeks post. I do not typically utilize pain meds, but had to ask my doctor to refill my prescription. He did so without hesitation. I definitely needed those extra pills for the next few days but, luckily, the pain became much more bearable around days 14-16. I was typically not in constant pain, but going from elevating to standing was very painful, with a very uncomfortable tightness in my legs. I also woke up in pretty significant pain each morning around this time.

Bruising was crazy. I was religious about taking my arnica tablets and also purchased arnica gel, that I applied whenever I changed my bandages or compression stockings. It was pretty wild watching the bruising migrate down my legs through my toes and up through my thighs. I do think the arnica helped because, for the most part, I never had extremely deep blue or black bruising. Although my entire lower legs seemed to be bruised, it's almost like I skipped directly to the healing phase so I was more of a green/yellowish color in most spots. Gross, but still preferable, I guess!

I am lucky to work from home, so I was able to wear compression and elevate consistently without any prying questions. I stayed home 90% of the time that first week because I didn't want to be seen and I found that my swelling got a lot worse when I wasn't elevating, although I swelled constantly regardless. Even in spite of the 'round the clock swelling, my results were visible beneath the compression stockings and I felt a fair amount of excitement about my prospects at the time. The pain definitely made things harder and "post surgery depression" is definitely real, but it does get better.

I traveled to visit family around the 2 week mark and had a much better flying experience--no extra swelling. Although my doctor said I could start going without compression (at least part time), I opted to continue wearing them 24/7. I did remove them for one evening out and DEFINITELY paid the price in swelling later that night and the next day.

This is a very belated update, but I'd like to recap my experience thus far and will start with my surgery experience.

My surgery was scheduled for 1pm, so I was able to relax and work from my hotel room until I ate a light lunch and showered in preparation. I took a hotel shuttle from my hotel to the clinic and was immediately escorted back. My vitals and weight were taken, I was given anti-anxiety medication, and I changed into a robe/tissue paper thong/bra/booties. Once in the operating room, I was scrubbed down from chin to toe with betadine. That was probably the most uncomfortable part of the entire experience for me. I started out on my stomach for the procedure. The injection of the lidocaine was not painless for me and, because my meds hadn't fully kicked in yet, my anxiety was through the roof. While never excruciating, there were definitely moments where I questioned what the heck I was doing. I was quite sensitive, particularly around the ankles. I had occasional "fireworks" sensations that shot through my ankle/foot, and those were really unpleasant.

Once I had time to marinate, I felt a lot better and the actual liposuction part of the procedure was pretty painless, although somewhat uncomfortable since I could still feel movement. My doctor was thorough and I felt him pay particular attention around my ankles, although I did not watch at any point (which I suppose would have been possible, had I wanted to). Once he finished, a nurse helped me into my compression, which was tough to navigate since I was pretty out of it and my legs felt like useless stumps! I barely remember the immediate aftermath and I was already covered in some bandages by the time I looked, so I didn't get a good gauge of my immediate results.

---

Here I'd like to add that, from start to finish, I felt very supported by my doctor and his team. Every person I interacted with in the office was kind and helpful. I truly feel as though they wanted success for me as much as I did!

---

My hotel shuttle brought me back to my hotel, where I felt VERY out of it. I managed to eat a little but otherwise passed out. The pain kicked in later that night, and I was very grateful for the meds. I spent 100% of my time in the hotel following surgery in bed with my feet elevated. I did traveled back to the doctor for my follow-up appointment the next day. Early on, I felt quite good on my feet, especially when medicated. I spent probably close to an hour that day walking (grocery shopping, etc.) and don't feel like there were any adverse effects.

Drainage over the next few days was fairly significant but nothing absurd. I honestly expected more. Bruising began pretty much immediately. By my flight Saturday (surgery was on Thursday), drainage was manageable so I didn't have to worry about changing bandages while I traveled. The swelling was intense, however, and my feet blew up like balloons minutes into the flight. I had a 4ish hour drive back home from the airport and, although very uncomfortable, it was doable.