Question:
Question about info on surgical garment you wear...
I have a question regarding the garments you wear after re constructive surgery. I am having my inner thighs done, I know I am suppose to buy a surgical garment, my question is from all of you who have been there and done that, can I wear spandex instead, or a light weight long in the legs girdle ? I plan on buying one, but I would like something to wear while it is being washed. Any and all help is appreciated. I am so looking forward to saying good bye to my wrinkle dog looking inner thighs . Thanks Kelly — domestic G. (posted on March 3, 2005)
March 3, 2005
After my TT I was given a binder to wear. The nurse was really nice and
gave me a second one. by the time I was 2 weeks out, I felt I needed
something better, as they were stretching out. Most of the PS's have
catalogs or sources for you to order the garments from. I went online and
looked, but for that $$ I wanted to see and try things on. I ended up
going to a place I found online and happened to not be far from where I
live. They sell all kinds of shapewear and girdles. If you are interested
in the name, e-mail me. They didn't have stuff specifically made for
post-ops, but they have plenty of things that worked for me. I got long
legged panty girdles that had zipper closures, not pull ups. My PS sad
they were fine, and they were almost half the price. I had a total of 4,
but could have managed with 2 or 3. Good luck!!
— Fixnmyself
March 3, 2005
My PS sold me a long leg garment for $100. They told me that if I could
find something that went to my knee and had spandex in it to buy it.
— Patty H.
March 4, 2005
I had an LBL, not thighs done, but . . . one issue to bear in mind is how
you're gonna get the garments on and off when you're swollen, which you
will be for quite awhile. The problem I see with Spanx and similar
products (which I like and have used, but never for PS compression), is
that I don't see how anything you could drag up your legs onto those
swollen thighs would, at the same time, provide the firm support they need,
even for the short time while you're washing your "real"
compression garment. (Given any chance . . . my body swelled up to fit
whatever I was wearing . . . so getting the compression garment back on
after wearing a lighter one while sleeping was a real chore every morning
for me.) *Unless* you can find something that will snap (best) or zip
(maybe) closed, but I don't know how many such products are out there and I
don't know if they're strong enough even for temporary
compression.<P> The thighs are such a tough PS procedure . . . if it
were me, I'd bite the bullet and spend the $$ for two compression garments
for that. I know they're expensive, but unlike TT's or even LBL's . . .
I've read too many stories of problems with thigh lifts (split stitches in
particular) to not want the strongest support I could get for that 24/7.
JMHO . . . hope you get an answer from someone who's had a thigh lift, not
just those of us who've had TT or LBL. Different stuff entirely.
— Suzy C.
March 4, 2005
I've had everything except my breasts and arms done. The LBL I had a stage
1 (side hook & eye with zippers over them) garment that went from my
calfs to just under the breasts. It had a 4" wide elastic band at the
top. The crotch was cut out so you could take care of bathroom functions
and also gave a place for my 5 drain tubes to get to the outside of the
garment. The reason the PS chose this garment, instead of a binder, is
because of the lateral thigh work. He wanted some support and compression
for the legs in addition to the abdominal area. Since I was cut all the
way around and up the center to just under the breasts the garment covered
everything that needed compression. The garment actually felt good and I
wore it 24/7 till I was about 3-4 weeks PO and then usually at night. I
also would sometimes wear Danskin leggings that were made with supplex,
which are more compressive than the ones just made with spandex. Trying to
pull the leggings over the legs and gut area was a little uncomfortable at
first but improved over time. The numbness, bruising and pain from the
lipo in the saddlebags made things pretty tender.
<p>My 2nd PS was the upper portion of an abdominoplasty. Due to my
waist being very anchored and having huge blobs on my back, below the bra
line, they could not remove all of the skin in the first surgery. I also
had very extensive lipo work done on the thighs in preparation for the skin
removal. I came out of surgery with the same long garment on. The leg
swelling from the lipo was unbelieveable. Even with the compression
garment they were huge - like basketballs. After about 10 days I switched
to the Danskin leggings again but it was horribly painful to pull them over
the severely bruised legs. Once they were on they felt great, but getting
them there was unbelieveable. I would also wear a long line, back support,
front hook bra. I needed to have some compression on the incision on my
back (I'm cut all the way around at the bra line) and found this felt the
best. The wide elastic at the top of the other garment just didn't fully
cover the incision. The long line bra helped keep everything compressed
and provided support for the healing tissue. It took a good 3-4 weeks
before the swelling from the lipo started to drop anything significant and
a good 3+ months before it was all gone. My PS would not do the skin
removal until at least 4 months after the lipo.
<p>I had a medial thigh lift 5 months after the 2nd PS. I assumed I
would have massive swelling etc, but I didn't. I think because I had all
the lipo work done ahead of time, that somehow it made the actual skin
removal a lot less traumatic to the legs and tissue. Nothing scientific to
support this, just my feeling. I had dreaded the thigh lift from the
start, as everyone, including my PS, said it was an ugly recovery. Many
PS's won't even do the thigh lift with the cut down the side of the legs
because it can be difficult to heal. However, for me it ended up being the
easiest recovery of all 3 PS's. Not sure why, but I was very thankful. I
came out of surgery with just the legs wrapped in Ace bandages. I was
surprised, as I had brought the long garment along. After I was home the
gauze and Ace wraps kept shifting so I ended up removing them and using the
long garment some and alternating with the Danskin leggings. I had 2
drains related to the legs and 3 drains related to the revision work he did
on my upper torso, so I just tucked the drains inside the top of the
leggings. I also decided to wear the long line bra for a while just for
extra support and help the revised tissue anchor down.
<p>I went through the LBL with only 1 garment. I didn't wash it for
the first week or so, until I could get the leggings on to use while it
washed and dried. Because it was open in the crotch it really didn't get
smelly. I got a 2nd one with the 2nd PS, so I could alternate them. You
need to discuss with your PS if they want you using a compression garment
or not right away, and if so, what kind. There is a fine line between good
helpful compression and too tight and not allowing enough blood supply to
get to the area for healing. My PS did not have me use the compression
garment for almost 10 days after the LBL because he was so concerned about
blood supply etc. He was also concerned of swelling but wanted to make
sure the incisions were healthy before putting something tighter on them.
Once I got the garment it felt really good. I had 19 lbs removed and he
was concerned of so much trauma that he gambled the swelling over the
incisions being traumatized. He was especially concerned of pulling
something across the fresh incisions. So keep that in mind. I suspect
that is why he had my legs wrapped and not in a compression garment after
the skin removal. Once the incisions are well on their way to healing, and
no obvious areas of skin dying, then it should not be a problem to pull
clothes across them, but trust me they are very tender. So if you use a
garment use it carefully and buy it larger. A little compression will work
just as well in the early stages. My leg incisions are nice and thin and
fading. Some days they are quite light and some days more red, but in time
I suspect they will be as minimally noticeable as possible. It's amazing
how they place the incision that you just don't see it from the front or
back. Only when you cross your legs etc. I'm pleased with how the whole
surgery has turned out. I am almost 4 months PO from the thigh lift. Good
Luck!
— zoedogcbr
March 4, 2005
I am amazed reading these posts. Following my LBL I used an abdominal
binder for 6 weeks. arm lift, I had ace wraps for a week. thighs coming up
next month and was told by my PS that I would have the ace wraps like the
arms had. My healing went great, I was outpatient, doing stairs the same
day. 2 days later walking 1/2 mile in AM and again in PM. and 2 miles a day
the second week. I hear the thighs are more painful, not looking forward to
that, but I am tough. With all the variations in surgeons recommendations,
I think you should talk to the surgeon (hopefully board certified in
Plastic surgery, and experienced in dealing with WLS patients) you have
chosen to do your surgery. If you are putting your life in his hands, I
would hope you would trust him to recommend the compression garments that
he normally uses and gets good results with.
— **willow**
March 5, 2005
your long line girdle down to your knees are your best best. i had 3 sizes.
tight, tighter and tightest.my surgeon made me buy them in smaller sizes so
as i got smaller, so do my garment. you do have to wear it 24/7 and you
will look foward to the support after a while. your want a smooth look and
no dimpeling or cottage cheese look. wear the right garments and wear them
often. All the best1 Tracey
— traceybubbles
March 6, 2005
May I suggest you look into having lymph massage and wrapping after plastic
surgery. Lymph massage is a gentle massage and will help with the
swealling and healing after surgery. I have lymphedema in both legs and
get lymph massage and compression wrapping for reduce the swelling. A
occupational or physical therapist who is a Certified Lymphatic Therapist
can do this and are also knowledgable about post-surgical treatment. The
wrapping is NOT ace wrap, they look similar but are short-stretch. My OT
has had several private patients for who she did post PS treatment for. I
am hoping to have a hernia repair with TT in May and she is already talking
about taking care of me. I asked her how soon lymph massage can start
after surgery and she told me the next day.
— Sarahlicious
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