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POSTED UNDER Arm Lift Reviews

After Losing 100+ Pounds, it Was Time for an Arm Lift! - Vancouver, WA

UPDATED FROM ashleyjeansun
1 month post

5 weeks postop

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ashleyjeansunJanuary 8, 2015
$3,500
As a side note, I am 5'7" and weigh 200 pounds. I have another 15 that I would like to lose, but I also really love my body now.

ashleyjeansun's provider

Dr. Michael Workman

ashleyjeansun

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He seems to be very knowledgable, and allowed me to inundate him with questions with every visit. He was patient, but seemed to be set in his ways, which isn't so much a bad thing, but I wonder if there's room for suggestions from other people. My mother spoke with a wound nurse at her hospital and she suggested I use Juven. He seems to care about my recovery, and the office has been accommodating.

Replies (4)

jkwpdx
January 12, 2015
Hi, I had my arms done in august of 14, the healing period was a lot, so I understand your feeling. May I ask what happened that you had so much wound opening?
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ashleyjeansun
January 12, 2015
I'm not really sure. We think it was a combination of trying to do too much (I was feeling good so I went back to work, cleaning house, dressing myself, etc.), and being deficient in protein/amino acids. I wasn't keeping my protein up. Once I started upping the protein quite a bit and really restricting my movement a bit more, I was able to get them to start healing. I didn't take any pictures of them at their worst, as they split open quite a bit more near the armpit, but it was looking bad. My surgeon had left a larger opening near the armpit to drain, instead of having tubes, and that seemed to be ok, but they never healed shut. The tissue just kept splitting apart. My doctor also thinks I might had an adverse reaction to the sutures he used the first time, as they did appear to be pretruding from the skin in places, as if it was being rejected. So, that's our best guess! It's been a painful ordeal. The area near the armpit is very tender now that the tissue is growing back together and the sutures seem to be causing maybe a little irritation with movement. It feels like I've been hit by a bus!
jkwpdx
January 12, 2015
You gave been through it. Take it easy, and take care if yourself, there is a rainbow ahead.
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GypsygirlRV
January 12, 2015
Im so sorry you had this complication. Is it better now? Im so scared of them opening up...so far so good. Im now only wearing compression garment for the night. Still use tylenols for burning achy pain and started with silicone gel atc4?weeks. My scar on my right arm is quite puckered...and raised...i really hope they start settling down. I have 2 spots were the disolvable stitches are making their way to surface...annoying. Im also trying to move my arms a little more and not lose range of motion. I can now put over the head tops and do my hair. I could wash my hair and comb it myself around week 3. Brutal slow healing. Yup....feel like a bus hit me many days. Still more bad than good days.
Sweetmama55
January 23, 2015
Sorry you are having so much trouble. My plastic surgeon told me an arm lift was not for wimps and he was not kidding. I had a TT and arm lift done at the same time. The TT wasn't so bad but the arms were the worst. They burned like someone was putting a blow torch on them. Worse pain ever. After 8 weeks still burning some. My doctor told me I was not allowed to do anything with my arms at all, no vacuuming, no starting a tub of clothes or cooking. I did my best to follow his instructions. My house went to you know where in a handbasket pretty quickly and all over the holidays. Hope your arms are healing quickly.
TT Grandma
March 15, 2015
I am 6 weeks post op for a brachioplasty. I had an armpit that split a little. Otherwise my healing went well. My PS put solver nitrate on it to close it up. I do have one arm that swelling will not go down on. Is you swelling uneven or has it mostly gone down?
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F1Savannah
April 16, 2015
I never say this but the surgeon should be taken to court. Your road to losing that weight was long I am sure and you should be so proud of your self. I have never seen incisions like that. Good luck doll and take good care of yourself. You sound like such a positive person.
ORIGINAL POST

I had the sleeve gastrectomy in 2013 and lost...

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ashleyjeansunJanuary 7, 2015
I had the sleeve gastrectomy in 2013 and lost ~100+ pounds. I was left with what I call "bingo arms", and was slightly embarrassed by them. More just wanted them gone, and tried to look at the bright side. They weren't as large as some arms I'd seen after weight-loss surgery, and I didn't "need" them removed, but it was more economical to do them at the same time as the tummy tuck. I'm sort of glad I did them at the same time, somewhat wishing I hadnt. You need your arms to help you move around as your stomach is useless the first few weeks, so I felt like a turtle that had fallen over and couldn't get up. But, I've survived so far.

I'm still recovering from this surgery, 5 weeks post-op. I've been taken care of by the doctors office, and seen regularly to ensure they heal. I've had one revision, which you'll see in the pictures. I'm ready to be done with the healing already!

Hope to get stitches out next week.

The pictures are hard to distinguish, as I can't recall which arm is which, but here they are at about 2.75 weeks post-op.

Replies (3)

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smilingtlee
January 10, 2015
I hope your healing continues to go well. This isn't an easy surgery to recover from, but it will be worth it!
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ashleyjeansun
January 11, 2015
Yes, I do think that's what happened. It hurts still, but I'm slowly healing. My abdomen is still tight, but that healed so much better. I wish I had known! I might of asked for more time off, or had my arms tied down!
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ashleyjeansun
January 11, 2015
Thank you for our kind words! I don't know why you can't edit your text or comments posted, but it accidentally posted my other comment here too.. Hah. Thanks again! I'm looking forward to looking back on all this and being glad I did it.
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GypsygirlRV
January 11, 2015
We are about same. I had my arms and boobs lift and augmentation dec.2. It will be 6 weeks tuesday. Im sorry to hear you needed a revision. Its pretty common for stitches in the armpit to open. Looks like thats what happened? Im still dealing with pain, swelling sunburned pain feeling. But so dar so good. I had my tummy done in '07 and am still thrilled with that! The healing with arms for me seems more intense?!
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ashleyjeansun
January 11, 2015
Yes, I do think that's what happened. It hurts still, but I'm slowly healing. My abdomen is still tight, but that healed so much better. I wish I had known! I might of asked for more time off, or had my arms tied down!
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GypsygirlRV
January 11, 2015
Yeah you really cant npt move your arms around and bend them etc. Tough with the tummy i put a garment or girdle on and went about my business!!
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ashleyjeansun
January 12, 2015
Yes, the garments do help!
ctimothy79
January 31, 2015
I hope your healing continue to go well. I'm thinking about getting my arm lift and tt as well so may I ask what your cost was? TIA
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ashleyjeansun
January 31, 2015
Thank you! In still not done healing.. Gah! I tried to put the cost for each separately in each review, but total was ~$11,000. It was cheaper to do them together.
ctimothy79
January 31, 2015
Thank you so for replying I live in salem and so far the cheapest I've got is 12, 000 in salem, portland area
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