Reconstructive Surgery Update

Hi all. It's been three weeks since my LBL and brachioplasty and so I wanted to update you on how things are progressing. I'm doing this solely for the purpose of informing those of you who are considering having this work done in the hopes that my experience will help you in making a more fully informed decision. Ken, feel free to chime in here -- how are you healing? And feeling? I have to say out of all the surgeries and work I've had done, this has been the roughest for me - not so much in terms of pain but in terms of getting better, feeling better, rebounding. I tried to do some stairs yesterday and felt like I wa**** by a truck before I got to the top level. These are the same steps that I used to take daily to the gym - and I was bounding up those puppies like an Olympian. Yesterday's experience really brought to light how quickly our bodies can deteriorate under stressful conditions. So, three weeks out and I still feel totally drained, like I've been hit with a flu that won't quit. I fall asleep on the sofa at 7pm and have to drag myself to bed. In terms of the actually surgeries, I've had very little pain from the LBL but I am terribly swollen - my pants won't fit at all. It's still hard for me to tell how this will look in the long run. I am bloated and look like I've gained 20 lbs. The hardest aspect of recovery has to do with my arms - listen, this is no easy surgery! Please, please do your research before you blindly opt for this one. In terms of aestetic value, sure the bat wings are greatly diminished (not gone altogether), but you have to trade that off with the off-balance appearance of your forearms being larger than your upper-arms. Popeye. This won't change, won't get better. I also have had a nasty complication called a Seroma -- a fluid-filled sac at the base of the stitch line (my elbow) -- it continues to fill to the size of a baseball even though my surgeon has aspirated it and left an opening in the stitching for draining -- which it's not doing. So I don't know what's going to happen with that. I also have some pretty distressing nerve damage to my lower arms and my surgeon doesn't know if this is permanent. Bottom line is the brachioplasty is no walk in the park! Am I happy with the results? Not yet, certainly. My surgeon tells me it will take a full 6 months before all the swelling is gone and my body is done settling. So that's my update - if anyone has had either of these surgeries done and can provide more insight, please post! Thanks all. Good day - Maureenie

Great post and I have to agree with the vast majority of it. I'm doing ok, not in huge amounts of pain but I can say I'm not comfortable very much. More like a constant level of just not feeling all that great. I had the belt lipectomy which if I understand correctly is the upper portion of the LBL. He just didn't touch my legs or butt. I return to him today for my first post op visit so I will have more to tell then. I am also returning to work today on a limited basis. I too am swollen, but I have some pics in which I will try to get a picture trail accound set up for those who wish to see. I'll post more later.

Dear Reenie: I have been following your progress. You were very brave to have all that work done at one time. Just give yourself time to recover and you will love the results. I wish you a wonderful life. Pat

Reenie, Thanks for the update. I'm watching you and Ken very closely to see how things go for you. Hopefully I'll be behind you in a month or two. I can't believe you went back to work after a week. You're a much tougher woman than I am. I'll be looking for more updates, especially on the arms. That's the part that scares me the most. Love ya, Connie

Maureen, You have gone through a lot and this is your time to heal. Don't push too hard. You're right when you say your body deteriorates so quickly under stressful conditions. Just know that when your 6 months is up, you'll look back at this time and say it was well worth it. With WLS we have all had to force ourselves to do a lot of things that didn't come easy. Force the water......load up on the protein......exercise......change our lifestyles. But there is only so much forcing you can do when it comes to your body healing itself. Just hang in there. I had a TT and breast lift back in September and I thought I was going to die. Even having 5 children, back surgery and a hysterectomy, I realized they were a walk in the park compared to the pain I felt 5 months ago. I never thought I was a wuss when it came to pain, but I remember just crying because I hurt whenever I tried to move. I can't imagine what the LBL is like. You are a brave soul. But I have to tell you, when all the swelling subsides and you're back to wearing regular clothes again instead of sweats and loose garments.............you, too, will look terrific. I am scheduled for my last procedure, a thigh lift, on March 13th. I probably wouldn't be doing it at all, but in the last year I have found several tumors in my leg. When there was just one, my primary doctor told me just to watch it; she said it was most likely a fatty tumor. But that tumor grew and brought some friends along. I now have 5 of them. Although the thinking is still that they are fatty tumors, my doctor wants them out to make sure they are nothing else. Since my inner thighs look horrible from loose sagging skin and they would be cutting me anyway, I made the decision to have the thigh lift done. Trouble is about 90% of the posts I have read on different boards are negative and have scared me to death. The pain is supposed to be far worse than the TT, the scars have a tendency to widen, and people are not always happy with the results. I am trying to have realistic expectations, but I still am scared. If anyone has had a thigh lift, please share your story.....whether it be good or bad. Seems there is not a lot out there on thigh lifts. But Maureen, just know that everyday you'll be getting stronger and you'll be flying up those steps again in no time. Joann

Yes, I need to update my photo as well; I think this one was taken about 6 months out of surger when I had lost about 80 lbs. Have lost significantly more since then. Thanks for your very thorough post, Joann, and for your kind words of encouragement. What work have you had don so far? I had a partial thigh lift this last round of work - the outside thighs. All that remains (unless I opt to do my face at some point, which is really sagging and makes me look 10 years older than I am!) is the inside of my thighs. I am just now starting to feel better; getting more energy, little by little, every day. I guess having 4 major surgeries in under 2 years will take a toll. Just don't know if I can face going under again anytime soon! Tell us what you've had done and whether or not you are pleased with the results. You look just beautiful in your photo, congratulations. Take care, Maureen