48 yo, 5’5, 165, 4 kids - Tummy Tuck & Arm Lift

I went back to work at week 3. I was still stiff but moving ok. My arms are what has been rough. The pain in my arms and underarms can be draining. I’m at almost 6 weeks now and it’s better, but my arms are still what give me trouble. I still wear a faja/girdle for my tummy cuz it feels better to have the support. And it does keep me from swelling too much. Yes tummy and arms still swell. But I’m moving better and have been able to sleep on my side for at least a couple of weeks. Here are some pics from 3 weeks. I’ll try to post more recent pics soon.

Got my drains out yesterday!! And was finally able to get out of the house today for something fun. Went to lunch with my husband and step son. I try to walk as upright as possible. Actually have been since day of surgery. Hunching less and less every day. I can pretty much sleep flat as of yesterday (6 days po). As much as I heard about the whole recliner thing, I haven’t needed one at all. I slept propped up on a bunch of pillows for the first few days and now don’t really need anything special. I’ve been lucky to sleep in my bed the entire time. TT pain is manageable. Stopped taking the Percocet 2 days ago. Was just taking it at night to help me sleep. The pain that has gotten worse is my arms. The pain in my armpit (kind of a burning), from the lipo I guess, has gotten worse. So today I took a Percocet for that. It worked. I hope that doesn’t go In too long. Anyway, here are some post op pics from the night before I got my drains removed.

Day of surgery was a blur. Not much pain after because of the local injected into the muscles. Night of surgery was uncomfortable, hard to move, but pain was manageable with the morphine. However the morphine made me sick so was throwing up or dry heaving until I got the right anti nausea medicine. I can’t even tell you how painful that was. I stayed overnight but went home around noon the next day. My first night at home it felt like the local was wearing off. I started feeling much more soreness and pain all over my abdomen and hips/love handles. My arms were a non event at this point. They had removed the bandages and drains from my arms at the hospital before they sent me home and I wasn’t feeling any pain in my arms. Surprisingly because the scars looked painful. My first full day at home was awful. I kept trying to remember why I had done this to myself. Couldn’t move by myself, needed help to walk, just a lot of pain. But every day since has gotten better. I was able to take a shower on day 2 PO and saw my tummy (or lack of a tummy) for the firs time. It’s weird but I am thrilled with my new flat tummy!! It’s crazy. I’ve been wanting this for so long and it’s done! Now I’m just looking forward to getting better everyday and being able to move normally. I’ll try to get pics posted soon.