Swelling or weight gain??

So I had surgery with Dr. Sauceda on 12 December. It was lower body lift and breast lift plus some liposuction in the back, stomach, thighs and fat injection in the butt.

I am now 3.5 weeks out and all the scars are healing nicely except under my breasts which is still scabby but Dr. S says that is normal. I have been sending him pics and he is always quick to respond.

I am still pretty sore all over, which I find a bit surprising this far out.  But maybe I had unrealistic idea of the recovery.  Plus my garmets have not gotten any looser- the bottom one is cutting me in half in the stomach and is really uncomfortable.  I am wondering if this is still swelling and/or I have gained some weight. This is very possible as I have been eating a lot (holidays) and not exercising (Dr. S said no exercise until six weeks).  I think it might be weight gain as even my arms are bigger and I did not get any surgery on them.  Or is it possible to have swelling in non-surgery areas? 

Thanks for any feedback anyone may have!

And hi to my surgery buddies Tammy and Heather!

I had SmartLipo on my inner/outer thighs and knees.  The outer thigh area was very
TENDER for quite some time.  Fortunately I didn't have much bruising or swelling with the SmartLipo in those areas.  Sorry I can't help you with your other questions.  Good luck on your recovery.  I'm sure you'll be very happy with the results in time.  Barb

I am sure it is swelling! You are very early out...give it time!

It's not true weight gain -- your calorie needs increase dramatically to accommodate recovery from this kind of surgery (and you had a lot done).

The only thing that stands out is that the garment should be COMFORTABLE and make you feel secure and protected.  

I had lipo on my outer thighs on Aug 20,2009 and the right thigh is "still" tender but not painful. I am having revisions done next week, with some llipo to my lower back....can you tell me how painful that has been?? I'm getting super nervous about the lipo since it has taken so long to feel better on the thigh area...but also I agree with Charming, your garment should feel fairly comfortable, tight and holding everything in its place, but not to the point where it causes major discomfort....,maybe get a bigger one that does the trick for you...good luck

Hey Jen! Good to hear from ya! My garments aren't painful anymore but seem to be a little tighter this week as I seem to have upper and lower abdominal swelling which is new. I didnt have much swelling there except the small sermoma above the TT incision.  I can say the eyehooks on the garment can be painful on my hips. I tried the maxipad but made it tighter on sides. I just purchased the stage 2 from Veronique that are non-zippered. I want to wear these ones for a while since I will be building up my cardio again and feel more secure in garments. Dr S said I can walk on treadmill from 2 weeks out so I have been doing about 45 min but very slowly 2.0 now up to 2.5mph no incline.

Tammy,

Will you let me know how you like the stage 2 Veronique garment and if it increases your swelling (due to the lesser degree of support)?  I purchased a stage 2 by Merona and while it's much more comfortable and look much better under my clothes, it provides less support so I'm afraid will increase my swelling.  I'm almost 4 weeks out, so close to you. 

Thanks,

Michelle

Sure, I will keep you updated.

Thanks for your comments. Yeah I think my garments might just be too small. They feel good- except in the waist where they are really cutting me in two.

I hope it is swelling and not weight gain!

Tammy- thanks for your message. You look great!  Good to know you are exercising already maybe I will try some walking too.  I think some mild exercise might make me feel better. It is like we said in Monterrey- you actually feel worse just sitting around.  

Hi Jen,

My swelling got worse around the 3 week mark, and I still have some discomfort from the lipo in area, especially in my back.  I am 12 weeks out, and I still have a lot of swelling.  I also still wear my garment at night, but it doesn't hurt and is comfortable.  It will feel a little uncomfortable when I am REALLY swollen though, but not cutting me in half.  Did it hurt like that in Monterrey?