Brachioplasty and "Upper Body Lift" After Massive Weight Loss - Washington, DC

My last appointment with my surgeon was about 4 months post op. I actually timed this visit, it was 90 seconds from the time he walked in until when he left. He said everything looked fine, said he would revise the scar once it heals and during my next surgery. He asked if I was still planning on having more surgery, I said I wasn't sure. He said "money problems"? or something along those lines. I said that I was still pretty traumatized from the last surgery. He said to come back in December. I didn't end up going back. It takes me an hour to get there and didn't really seem worth the time as I am all healed now.

I want to say that although this review may seem somewhat negative, I am very pleased with the results. Even the scar that he was going to revise, I am not terribly bothered by. I think he is very talented, and is a wonderful doctor. I think it just wasn't a good fit for me. My advise to anyone thinking about getting plastic surgery, would be to do your research, talk to multiple doctors, and make sure you choose the one who you feel the most comfortable with.

I have decided to continue with my surgeries . I have found a new surgeon, who I think is a better fit, and is closer to my home, for my next surgery. I am scheduled to have a tummy tuck in January of 2016. Even after the issues I had after my last surgery, I am glad I had it. I am also in a better position this time, because I have a better idea of what I am getting myself into!

I went back to work 2 weeks after my surgery. My arms and chest were incredibly weak, I wasn't able to lift anything over 5 pounds (Not "not allowed", I couldn't physically do it.) I had to buy leggings for work because I did not have the ability to button my pants, because of the weakness in the muscles in my arms and chest. When I asked the nurse if I should be avoiding lifting a certain amount, she said my body would tell me if I lift too much. She told me i could curl soup cans to gain strength.

During week 2 or 3 I noticed some discharge under one of my breasts. The area looked like it was open a little, and seemed to be oozing quite a bit. The skin around the area was red, and I was concerned about infection. I called the nurse, and she told me to send a picture of it. She said it did look like a surface infection, and to put antibiotic cream on it. That area stayed open for about 2 months. I ended up having to put a pad in my bra to keep it from staining.

For about a month, maybe a little longer, after surgery, I couldn't extend my arm all the way. It felt like there was a string going from my wrist to my elbow that was pulling. I could actually feel the string like structure under my skin with my fingers. The nurse didn't seem to know what I was talking about, but it did eventually go away.

The next time I saw my surgeon was at either 3 or 4 weeks post op. The appointment last about 5 minutes, he said that we would wait for my arm to heal on its own, and would revise the scar later. He said he would charge me to fix the scar. i asked how long it would take my arm to heal, he said something along the lines of "every heals differently." My problem was, looking at my arm, I didn't understand how it would "heal on its own", it was a gaping hole! Turns out, the human body is pretty amazing. It actually did heal by itself. I have some awesome time lapse photos of the healing process. You learn something new every day.

After about a month and a half, I was pretty much back to my normal routine. I was doing cardio, but I had muscle pain that lingered for about 3-4 months. I wasn't able to lift weights without a lot of pain under my arm/ down the side of my chest. I really wasn't 100% at work for about 5 months.

My surgery was on Friday, I had an appointment on Monday to check on the open wound on my arm. Again, I was surprised it was the nurse and another doctor who saw me. They took the gauze off and looked at it, but I was too afraid to look. I asked what happened. They said that my forearm had turned white after surgery, and the doctor had to cut some sutures to let the blood flow. I know this wasn't his fault, but I had no idea what this meant or how it would heal. I asked the doctor there what was going to happen with it, he said the surgeon will have to decide. That they can't close it now because of risk of infection. They put a piece of vasolene gauze over it, and wrapped it in more gauze. They also took the other drain out because nothing was draining. they said I could take a shower, but to wrap the gauze in a plastic bag and not to let it get wet.

I was way too freaked out to take a shower. I was afraid to touch my incisions, and was afraid if I coughed wrong I would burst or something. It wasn't a fun time for me. I noticed a day later that there was an area under my arm that looked like it was opening. I called the office and spoke to the not so nice nurse, she said seemed annoyed that i was calling so much, and said to keep it clean and they would look at it at my next appointment.

I believe my first official post op appointment was on Thursday. Again, not with my surgeon, but with the nice nurse. She checked the open would, I finally looked at it this time, it was pretty gross. She said everything looked like it was healing okay. I asked about the bumpy part under my arms, she said it was swelling. Looking back, that makes sense, but at the time I couldn't imagine how that could ever look normal again.

I spent most of the first week freaked out, convinced I had made a terrible mistake. I didn't know what was normal and wasn't, and everything scared me. I stopped calling the office, because I got the feeling they were annoyed by my stupid questions. I remember texting my friend crying that i just wanted my life back. Looking back, a bit of an exaggeration, but I was super stressed!

I woke up on Friday, 1 week post op, feeling a little bit more like myself again. I texted my friend and told him to remind me next time, it wakes 1 week to feel human again. I finally took a shower that day, very carefully!