Brachiplasty in less than 2 weeks...any last minute suggestions??

I had my pre-op visit yesterday for my brachioplasty that's scheduled on April 1st.  I received very helpful info from the doctor's office but was wondering if any of you who've had it done have some suggestions of things to do/get ahead of time to make the recovery go smoother....thanks!

Hi Pat,
Best advice I have for after the brachio is to take all the stuff you use that is on the top shelf or under and cabinet in your kitchen or bath and move it so you can reach it at waist level.  You will not be able to stretch your arms fully for a few weeks.

Also, get all your pillows together and whenever you lay down prop your arms up on 2 pillows (each arm on 2 pillows) so they are higher than your heart...this will help you keep the swelling down.

Best wishes...I'll be thinking of you on the 1st.
TTFN
Ruth

Hi Pat,

I had brachioplasty and lipo done at the end of January. I really could have used a recliner to sleep in for the first few days, honestly. My abdominal muscles were so sore from trying to get out of bed without using my arms! (And this coming from a woman who does do crunches in an attempt to strengthen those muscles! I'm delusional, apparently. Ha.)

You might want some of those frozen, pliable ice packs. I used them when my arms swelled and it helped.

I agree with the pillow suggestion. Some firm pillows under your arms to elevate them works wonders.

Good luck to you! I hope everything goes well for you.

Nicci

Thanks for the suggestions & positive thoughts! I'll let you know how things go! :-)

I had my arms done about a month and a half ago.  It is so easy!  You will be swollen for a while, maybe a few months. . . so be prepared for that.  But the pain is really pretty minimal.  Be sure that you have some sleeveless tops that you can get into and out of very easily because the wraps around your arms make it hard to get sleeves on.  Pillows are important too!!! 

Mepitac tape is good for scarring. . . you may want to google it or ask your PS    

Looks like everything's been covered. I used short sleeve zip up robes the first couple of days which worked great. I bought extra firm pillows for my arms even though I'm not using them as much anymore. I found that my sofa pillows worked well since they were firm and shorter than the big pillows.

Where did you find the short sleeve zip robes - just the ones that look like grandma? congrats on brachio, mine is Tues.

I love my robe because it's the soft fleece type and feels comfy. It's similar to this. I got mine at JCPenney but I didn't see the one I have online. They do have the grandma snap button ones but I refused to get one like my mom used to wear!

http://www.kohls.com/kohlsStore/womens/sleepwearrobes/robes/ PRD~581726/Croft+and+Barrow+Umbrella+Drink+French+Terry+Dust er+Robe.jsp

Congrats!!  I LOVE my new arms!!  I used straws to drink the first few days.  My arms were wrapped so tight to prevent swelling that I could not get my hands to reach my mouth.  My daughter had to feed me and I put my drinks on the table and drank with a straw.  I saw my doctor on day 3 and he unwrapped my forearms/hands so things were better after that...

Laura