PICS! "Bat-Wing" Surgery in 2 days! If you've had it let me know how it went?

Hello OH-ers...I've been absent for a while - living a fantastic healthy life! We are in the process of moving...sold our house - which has been a financial "albatross" for years..we are down-sizing to a very small house until we decide if we want to move to a different state.

Surgery...2 days away is my first plastic surgery after reaching my goal in just 10 months of 155 pounds lost. I am 148 currently. I am "getting my feet wet" so to speak with my arms first and was wondering about any one's experiences, good or bad, (hopefully good for you) with this procedure. Please share your thoughts...

Saw your post on the VSG forum.  Glad you posted it here.

I'm 11 days post-op from brachioplasty, breast lift (no implants).  Breasts were no problem at all.  It already looks like the incision around the nipple is gone w/ virtually no scar.  I think God designed breasts to be beautiful even after being cut on.  And I must say, they are beautiful.  They are not large -- didn't want them large since they never were pre-4 babies and weight gain, but they look like a young woman's breasts.  Seems my size didn't change at all which is what the PS said.  Still a 34D.

Now the arms. . .about six days post-op I was really having buyer's remorse.  I have an incision up the inside of my arms, no biggy.  But I also have an incision perpendicular to the arms across my entire arm pit.  May I say that's the pits?  Pun intended.  BUT my doctor did warn me that would be the toughest part.  I also did some reading on the web and found out it takes 4-6 weeks for that T-intersection to close.  It's a moist, delicate area and just really hard to heal.  It was very sore and I would "forget" and reach too far and pull it apart.

I finally figured out day 7 to wear a sleevelss shirt w/ my compression bandages!  Don't know what I didn't think of that earlier so now they are exposed to the air at all times (unless I go out, of course) and are doing better.  I also put hot compresses on them several times a day and that is so soothing.

I have not taken any paid meds 'cause I do not like them at all.  I did take 2 Advil and an Advil PM the first three nights (even though I'm not supposed to take Advil at all).

So now I'm doing well and LOVE not having the bat wings.  Mine weren't quite as pronounced as yours but I hated lifting my arms and seeing them, did not like them slapping my side when I ran and didn't like the look of the chubby arms when my arms were at my side.  Even w/ the swelling (which I read takes 3-6 months to fully subside) my arms look good.

I found these cheap tubular elastic bandages @ a compounding pharmacy and that's what I wear for compression every day.  I ordered sleeves that come up and hook across your back like a bra but they haven't come yet.  I'll save those to wear when I go out and wear the cheapy ones around the house.  My doctor requires compression for three months.

Kind of long but I thought you'd like some info.  If you have any other questions, just ask me.  I'm an open book.

Jumping in here - where did you find the following:

cheap tubular elastic bandages @ a compounding pharmacy

sleeves that come up and hook across your back like a bra

Thanks.

 The sleeves that hood came from The Marena Group.  Look under compression --arms.

The bandages are just that.  Find a pharmacy that sells medical/diabetic supplies and they should also have all types of bandages.  These come in a big roll in a box and they pulled them out and charged me by the foot.  So for $5 I got around the house arm compression.

Judith...Thanks so much for all the great info. I have a compression garment my surgeon required me to purchase. I was wondering about the "reaching" part so that was very helpful. I'm back to work the next day but I have a desk job so I should be fine.

Not having "the girls" done yet but like you have had 4 kids so not sure if I want implants (small) or just the "lift" and tighten up action. I'll cross that bridge a bit later when I have the funds and my surgeon only will do 1 section at a time to promote the best healing since after the sleeve surgery you can't take in the protein required to heal a large area or multiple areas.

Thanks again! 

Wow. The next day?? Why on earth would you do that???? I could not use my arms at all for the first 3 days. I was wrapped super tight to my finger tips to prevent swelling and walked like a mummy. No way in hell I could have gone back to work before day 10. I was not even allowed to drive for the first week. Shocked...

 Wow! I would really re-think the returning to work the next day! I did too much at 2 weeks out. I had help up until 2 weeks and my right arm scar is horrible. It never opened but it stretched and healed very wide and thick. My left scar is flat, faded to skin tone and almost invisible. Too much too soon and I am left needing a scar revision. 

I had my arms done first, too. It was an easy recovery for me. You are going to LOVE your new arms. Good luck!!

Laura

Thanks Laura...I'll keep you all posted with updated pics. I can't wait!

So u don't think a week off from a desk job would be enough?