More Brach Question

Hi All,

I am starting to get excited about getting my arms done and possibly the girls as well. I have 4 consults set up in Aug. and I can't wait for them to get here!! (By the way, I called the 1 doc back that gave me a rough quote of $3,350 for my arms...that DOES include everything!!! I am hoping surgery here in Kansas is cheap!!)

So here are my questions:

Do you typically have drains with brachioplasty?

How long is the typical recovery for Brach, or how long can I expect to be off work? (I am a fast recoverer..back to work 4 days after my gall bladder.)

No drains-- and I thought the gallbladder was a cakewalk as well.

Brachioplasty resullts depend on just how much work you've had. Mine was massive and just started hurting at 3 weeks out-- I am just over a month out today and have one wrapped in a heating pad because it's so purple and sore.

Also depends what kind of movement your job requires. I'd take no less than 2 weeks-- and maybe more if you need a lot of work or your job requires stretching or lifting.

I had mine done 2 weeks ago along w/ my LBL. I had the drains in only while I was in the hospital and they really didn't drain so the took them out when I was discharged.

It's been fairly painless w/ the arms. Just feel really tight. Only problem I seemed to have is that I was using my right arm more within a few days becasue the felt so good and at that point it became a little bit more painful. I then tried to distribute things evenly between my right and left side and tried to limit the amount of use and how much I was lifting. I'm in compression garments as of today to help reduce the swelling but couldn't tell you how long to be off from work just for brachio since I had other work done at the same time.

Sonya

I had arms and stomach done 4 months ago, I had 2 drains in my arms and 4 in my mons/hips. I went back to work 13 days later but could have went back sooner if I could have showered, I wasn't allowed to shower for 12 days until the last drains came out on day 11.

No drains. I was back at work 10 days after surgery - but I also had my breasts done at the same time and I have a desk job.  I couldn't travel for over a month because I couldn't lift.

No drains for me in arms, only breasts.
I took off 3 weeks, arms, sides, breasts.  I have a desk computer job.  Deal with that is your arms will swell from hanging down, so if you swell alot you may need half day the first week back to adjust like i did.  I worked all day the first day back, then the rest half days.
I would go home put the arms up to relieve swelling.  The thing with arms, if you swell, your stretching those incisions too dont forget.  makes for BAD scars.  Baby those arms.

I had no drains and no swelling, I had my surgery on Wednesday and went back to work for a while on Sunday.  For me it was a super easy surgery, a month after I had it done I was carting a 50lb suitcase through the airport to Chicago.

Good Luck
Hugs Heidi

Thanks Everyone!!!

I am thinking of maybe having just my arms done at xmas time because that would limit the vacation time I have to take. (The girls would get done in late spring). I do not have a lot of excess skin (but enough to make me self conscious), so maybe my recovery won't be too bad. I was hoping to go back after about a week, but if I can swing it, I would have off the week of xmas, work 2 days the following week, then have off another 4 days. I work an office desk job, so nothing strenuous.
Well see what happens after the consults.