well, it's official...I'm having a few problems...
Hi guys.
Well, I am 2 weeks out yesterday from an extended brachioplasty and extended mastopexy.
I can truthfully say, this sucks.
It is much more difficult and painful than I ever dreamed it would be.
Woke up yesterday with a mushy underarm on the left side, a ping pong ball hanging from my right elbow and a red weepy area under my right breast.
Called my surgeon, went in this morning at 9.
Diagnoses?
Left Axilla wound breaking down.
Stitch abscess under my breast.
Seroma at my elbow.
Treatment?
Axilla wound; abx ointment and gauze. Three times a day.
Stitch abscess opened by the doc. Stitch removed. Abx ointment and dressing three times a day.
Seroma aspirated and dressed. By the time I got back home it had soaked the dressing, my compression sleeve and my hoodie. Still dripping steadily as I type. But as Shrek says..."better out than in".
Appt in a week.
I'm bummed and weary.
Everything hurts.
That's it.
Quick !! somebody offer me some cheese with my whine!!
Well, I am 2 weeks out yesterday from an extended brachioplasty and extended mastopexy.
I can truthfully say, this sucks.
It is much more difficult and painful than I ever dreamed it would be.
Woke up yesterday with a mushy underarm on the left side, a ping pong ball hanging from my right elbow and a red weepy area under my right breast.
Called my surgeon, went in this morning at 9.
Diagnoses?
Left Axilla wound breaking down.
Stitch abscess under my breast.
Seroma at my elbow.
Treatment?
Axilla wound; abx ointment and gauze. Three times a day.
Stitch abscess opened by the doc. Stitch removed. Abx ointment and dressing three times a day.
Seroma aspirated and dressed. By the time I got back home it had soaked the dressing, my compression sleeve and my hoodie. Still dripping steadily as I type. But as Shrek says..."better out than in".
Appt in a week.
I'm bummed and weary.
Everything hurts.
That's it.
Quick !! somebody offer me some cheese with my whine!!
"And the day came when the risk to remain tight in a bud was more painful than the risk it took to blossom. " -- Anais Nin
Revised from Band to Bypass 10/26/09
High Wt 355/ Surgery Wt 343 (BMI 61) / Current Wt 190 on 3/17/12
TT/Fleur De Lis 8/22/11
Mastopexy and Brachioplasty 12/14/11
Revised from Band to Bypass 10/26/09
High Wt 355/ Surgery Wt 343 (BMI 61) / Current Wt 190 on 3/17/12
TT/Fleur De Lis 8/22/11
Mastopexy and Brachioplasty 12/14/11
Oh man. That sucks.
My dr. told me that WLS patients have far more wound issues than non wls patients - and they don't really know why.
I thank all the powers that anyone might believe in that I didn't have wound issues...but I can imagine your depression over it. BUT you caught things early and you've got treatment. Hopefully everything will heal up quickly and you'll be on your way!
Good luck!
My dr. told me that WLS patients have far more wound issues than non wls patients - and they don't really know why.
I thank all the powers that anyone might believe in that I didn't have wound issues...but I can imagine your depression over it. BUT you caught things early and you've got treatment. Hopefully everything will heal up quickly and you'll be on your way!
Good luck!
Proud Member of the Cambridge Crew! 
HW293/LW147/CW158 Height 5'9" Working on Maintenance!
Fleur de lis TT and Brachioplasty - Oct. 19, 2010 Breast reduction and scar revision August 2, 2011
HW293/LW147/CW158 Height 5'9" Working on Maintenance!
Fleur de lis TT and Brachioplasty - Oct. 19, 2010 Breast reduction and scar revision August 2, 2011
Erica - I can't speak for anyone but myself - but these are some of the reasons I had issues with healing after my fleur de lis abdominoplasty & brachioplasty:
- years of yo-yo dieting - stretching my skin out over and over again
-years of bad nutrition ( lots of sugars, colas, fats, carbs)
- years of eating more calories than I needed for my height and body type
-years of taking prescription drugs for conditions (hypertension, migraines, water retention, high cholesterol, asthma) caused by my morbid obesity
-lack of sleep and oxygen from sleep apnea caused by my obesity
- years of sedentary lifestyle (exercise was not a part of my life)
-years of using food as my "drug of choice' instead of dealing with my issues
- years of not caring about my body or taking care of it
All that and probably much more left my skin, muscles (and probably organs) is less than optimum condition. I'm below goal weight and eat nutritiously now (for the last 3 years) but it doesn't undo all the damage I did during those morbidly obese years where I assaulted my body.
Penny
- years of yo-yo dieting - stretching my skin out over and over again
-years of bad nutrition ( lots of sugars, colas, fats, carbs)
- years of eating more calories than I needed for my height and body type
-years of taking prescription drugs for conditions (hypertension, migraines, water retention, high cholesterol, asthma) caused by my morbid obesity
-lack of sleep and oxygen from sleep apnea caused by my obesity
- years of sedentary lifestyle (exercise was not a part of my life)
-years of using food as my "drug of choice' instead of dealing with my issues
- years of not caring about my body or taking care of it
All that and probably much more left my skin, muscles (and probably organs) is less than optimum condition. I'm below goal weight and eat nutritiously now (for the last 3 years) but it doesn't undo all the damage I did during those morbidly obese years where I assaulted my body.
Penny
Penny Highest Weight 255 * Wt loss includes 19 lb lost before surgery
Damn girlie--when it rains it pours, doesn't it! Please don't ever think you are whining. I think if I felt like I was whining everytime I complained on this board then I'd have been hesitant to return. The fact is that it is exactly what you said: It sucks. And there is no better place than here to get it all out. I'm hopeful that you are super close to the corner you should be turning any day now. At least you got it all out of the way in one fell swoop and didn't drag it out with a complication a week. Now that is it for you young lady--you have met your complication quota!! LOL!
Hang in there hon! Praying things resolve super fast!
Denise
Hang in there hon! Praying things resolve super fast!
Denise
Check out my blog--menumealplanning.com. Tales of making meal planning managable, family fodder, and everything else under the sun.
RNY 2/3/09, LBL/BL w/Augmentation 9/16/11
Start weight: 335 Current weight: 185 Goal weight: Whatever the hell I can maintain without driving myself insane!
*6.5 lost preop
darn it!!!
I'm sorry you are having some issues and the thing is drains or no drains I can't figure out the seroma stuff. I had drains and they were removed only when they stopped putting out fluid.
I have 2 in my right arm and one in the left. I have had them for a few weeks and my surgeon wants me to keep compression on them and not drain them because he says once you it would take multiple drainings and that the body will eventually absorb them.
So instead of the Damn Ace bandages that I hated I bought 2 arm toning shrugs from Maidform and keep them on 24/7 which still sucks becaus this girl likes to sleep naked and has had to be wrapped up like a mummy!!! Luckily they do seem to be getting smaller.
Anyway no pain and bat wings gone but still some chicken fat hanging off of mine which means a revision at some point.
Oh shoot, I forgot this was about you and not me, sorry!!!
For the record I just took a drink of something strong for the both of us
HUGS!!!
I'm sorry you are having some issues and the thing is drains or no drains I can't figure out the seroma stuff. I had drains and they were removed only when they stopped putting out fluid.
I have 2 in my right arm and one in the left. I have had them for a few weeks and my surgeon wants me to keep compression on them and not drain them because he says once you it would take multiple drainings and that the body will eventually absorb them.
So instead of the Damn Ace bandages that I hated I bought 2 arm toning shrugs from Maidform and keep them on 24/7 which still sucks becaus this girl likes to sleep naked and has had to be wrapped up like a mummy!!! Luckily they do seem to be getting smaller.
Anyway no pain and bat wings gone but still some chicken fat hanging off of mine which means a revision at some point.
Oh shoot, I forgot this was about you and not me, sorry!!!
For the record I just took a drink of something strong for the both of us
HUGS!!!
HW 405- Pre op weight 374- Plastics weight 203 Current weight 194
Circumferential lift/Brachioplasty November 8, 2011
16.3 pounds removed.
Revisions + Thighplasty October 23, 2012
Breast lift- Spring 2013
So instead of the Damn Ace bandages that I hated I bought 2 arm toning shrugs from Maidform
wow, cool, I didn't even know they made these. thanks for the tip. Is yours like one of these?
http://www.maidenform.com/flexees/solutions/arm-toning/?cata logId=10550&storeId=10052&langId=-1&categoryId=28501&facet=& pageSize=45&sort=&sortByBottom=
Anyway no pain and bat wings gone but still some chicken fat hanging off of mine which means a revision at some point.
Sorry 'bout that. :o( Gee, I thought the fat would be the easy part to remove, but then I'm no PS. What will the revision envolve?
-Jenny
wow, cool, I didn't even know they made these. thanks for the tip. Is yours like one of these?
http://www.maidenform.com/flexees/solutions/arm-toning/?cata logId=10550&storeId=10052&langId=-1&categoryId=28501&facet=& pageSize=45&sort=&sortByBottom=
Anyway no pain and bat wings gone but still some chicken fat hanging off of mine which means a revision at some point.
Sorry 'bout that. :o( Gee, I thought the fat would be the easy part to remove, but then I'm no PS. What will the revision envolve?
-Jenny
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