Getting nervous and wanting to add more.....
I promised that I would never be the one who was super critical of every part of my body. I told myself once I get rid of the excess skin and have a tummy tuck and the excess skin with a brachioplasty, I would be okay,
Fast forward 18 months later. I am not okay! I LOVE my tummy tuck!! My arms are ok.....just okay.
I had an issue with the arms. My upper back and arms are very unproportioned with the rest of my body. When I had the excess skin cut off, the weight of the left over arms put pressure on the scar which caused the scar to stretch and the arm to become a bit bigger than it was in the months right after the braschioplasty, This has been very hard for me because I still won't wear short sleeves because I hate the way they look.
IN addition, my belly button has formed scar tissue and it is almost closed. If you look, it looks like a normal belly button, but the actual hole is actually nonexistant.
The doctor suggested he could fix the belly button, but I have to pay the surgery center fees and the anasthesiologist fees. I am fine with this. He also suggested he lipo my upper arms to sculpt them and get rid of the excess bulkiness. I figured I might as well add this since I would already be paying a small fee for the anasthesiologist and surgery center. So, the entire price went up and I decided to do the arms.
My surgery is on November 20 with my preop being Wednesday, the 11th. Now, I wonder if I should add in upper back lipo. I don;t know how much more it would be, which will help me decide because I don;t have too much more money to spend.
1. Have any of you had this kind of experience with a brachioplasty? or the belly button hole?
2. Has any one had lipo on the arms? or upper back? What were your experiences?
3. Why can't we be satisfied with out deformed bodies looking okay in clothes? I am married and my hubbie doesn't care? Why do I care so much?? I only wear 3/4 sleeves because of my arms....I wish I was happy that I weigh 180 lbs less!
Sorry for this long novel! I do have pics up on my profile....you can see my before and after arms. I don't have recent arm pics, but they are a bit bigger than the afters on there.
Fast forward 18 months later. I am not okay! I LOVE my tummy tuck!! My arms are ok.....just okay.
I had an issue with the arms. My upper back and arms are very unproportioned with the rest of my body. When I had the excess skin cut off, the weight of the left over arms put pressure on the scar which caused the scar to stretch and the arm to become a bit bigger than it was in the months right after the braschioplasty, This has been very hard for me because I still won't wear short sleeves because I hate the way they look.
IN addition, my belly button has formed scar tissue and it is almost closed. If you look, it looks like a normal belly button, but the actual hole is actually nonexistant.
The doctor suggested he could fix the belly button, but I have to pay the surgery center fees and the anasthesiologist fees. I am fine with this. He also suggested he lipo my upper arms to sculpt them and get rid of the excess bulkiness. I figured I might as well add this since I would already be paying a small fee for the anasthesiologist and surgery center. So, the entire price went up and I decided to do the arms.
My surgery is on November 20 with my preop being Wednesday, the 11th. Now, I wonder if I should add in upper back lipo. I don;t know how much more it would be, which will help me decide because I don;t have too much more money to spend.
1. Have any of you had this kind of experience with a brachioplasty? or the belly button hole?
2. Has any one had lipo on the arms? or upper back? What were your experiences?
3. Why can't we be satisfied with out deformed bodies looking okay in clothes? I am married and my hubbie doesn't care? Why do I care so much?? I only wear 3/4 sleeves because of my arms....I wish I was happy that I weigh 180 lbs less!
Sorry for this long novel! I do have pics up on my profile....you can see my before and after arms. I don't have recent arm pics, but they are a bit bigger than the afters on there.
BigCityGirl
on 11/7/09 1:28 am - San Diego, CA
on 11/7/09 1:28 am - San Diego, CA
I had my arms debulked with lipo, a revision, about eight months after my brachioplasty. The result was great (my photos are posted). Pain-wise, it was a non-event. I just had upper back lipo last week along with spot lipo on other parts of the body. The fact that I had several areas worked at the same time seemed to add to the blood loss and discomfort. Everything looks good so far.
About the proportions: it seems that in the process of becoming obese, our rib cages spread (sort of like what happens with the hips and ribs during pregnancy) and they don't retract following massive weight loss. I think that explains why I can wear a size 6 skinny jeans on the bottom but nothing smaller than a 10 on the top (and it's not because I have big breasts). I'm actually wider in the ribcage now than I was in my early twenties, before I gained weight. These issues can be camoflaged easily enough with clothing so it's not a horrible disfigurement.
As for your feelings of dissatisfaction with your body, I totally relate. I think for me it's more a part of my general nature which is one of being a perfectionist. I like things to be as good as they can get, every problem addressed and worked. Of course, at some point, you have stop. I'm pretty much at that point right now unless something with the lipo work I had done last week needs revision and it's way too early to judge that now.
Sometimes, you just need to pull out an old (fat) photo of yourself and be happy for your achievements.
Good luck.
About the proportions: it seems that in the process of becoming obese, our rib cages spread (sort of like what happens with the hips and ribs during pregnancy) and they don't retract following massive weight loss. I think that explains why I can wear a size 6 skinny jeans on the bottom but nothing smaller than a 10 on the top (and it's not because I have big breasts). I'm actually wider in the ribcage now than I was in my early twenties, before I gained weight. These issues can be camoflaged easily enough with clothing so it's not a horrible disfigurement.
As for your feelings of dissatisfaction with your body, I totally relate. I think for me it's more a part of my general nature which is one of being a perfectionist. I like things to be as good as they can get, every problem addressed and worked. Of course, at some point, you have stop. I'm pretty much at that point right now unless something with the lipo work I had done last week needs revision and it's way too early to judge that now.
Sometimes, you just need to pull out an old (fat) photo of yourself and be happy for your achievements.
Good luck.
Surgeon: Joseph Grzeskiewicz, M.D., F.A.C.S.
La Jolla Cosmetic Surgery Centre
La Jolla Cosmetic Surgery Centre
Thanks so much for your advice. I am also a perfectionist....I don't know how I ever became so large and didn't stop eating because it was so not in my nature to lost track of my self.
I hope the arm lipo debulks but doesn't leave more hanging skin. I may add the upper back, just not sure how much more it will be and really need to check into that too!
Everyone tells me to pull out a before pic and look at it....and I do....and i have come a really long way, just not as far as I had hoped for!
Thanks!
I hope the arm lipo debulks but doesn't leave more hanging skin. I may add the upper back, just not sure how much more it will be and really need to check into that too!
Everyone tells me to pull out a before pic and look at it....and I do....and i have come a really long way, just not as far as I had hoped for!
Thanks!
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