Arm Lift: Day 3 post-op update (photo)

Okay, I survived my bilateral brachioplasty on Monday! Hurdle the First!

I also made it to my follow-up appointment today where my surgeon took out my drains and put me into my compression garment. Hurdle the Second!

Mostly, I'm just excited to again be able to feed myself and wipe my nethers after using the toilet. Or scratch my own nose and pull up/down my underpants. Or do anything involving using my hands above my waist, really. It was a very long two and a half days with such limited dexterity.

Pain has been minimal, but I'm also sticking to a strict pain management schedule which means I'm taking my prescribed meds every four hours around the clock. I switched from oxycodone to tramadol today, but I'll be cutting that dose in half tomorrow and hopefully be on nothing but tylenol by the weekend. There are flashes of sharp pains in and around the armpit scars, but they always pass with a few Lamaze breaths and teeth gritting. There's numbness in the areas where he did lipo, but that should come back soon.

Swelling in my hands was worst on day two. If I'm not conscious about keeping my arms elevated, they will still swell, but not nearly as bad as they did then.

I gently walk my fingers up the wall every couple hours to keep the scars from healing too tight and ensure I get my entire range of motion back.

My arms measure 12 1/4" and 12" (left and right) in my compression sleeves. That's a pretty great change from the 19" they used to be!

I know I'm a few weeks from seeing the way my arms will actually look, but so far, I'm totally pleased. I just hope for swift and easy healing of my incisions so I can get out all my sleeveless dresses for summer!

Woooo!!!! This is so exciting :D

Looks good. Looks like he/she actually went below your elbow which is wonderful - my ps ended at my elbow although I didn't need much done below the elbow. My ps also wouldn't go directly through the armpit - went toward the back of my armpit instead of straight through. Sending you good healing thoughts.

I had large forearms, so there was enough loose skin there that if he hadn't continued past my elbow there would have been a drastic transition between my tight upper arm and my floppy lower arm, which i really didn't want.

Thanks for the healing vibes!

I had very similar surgery last summer - from 3-4" below up through armpit and about 5" down the chest wall. Very haapppy!!

If I dare to give advice, it is to do everything you are told to do to min long term scarring. The portion below my elbow is hardly noticable and I have thin line white from above the elbows. It visible but not nasty. I got help, kept arms elevated and used the cream the my PS recommended. (I do tend to head well, but I tried not to do anything that mess up my healing)

I got a elec recliner on Craigslist for $40 and used it.

You look good so far!!

Take it easy - good luck. I did little computer work because of swelling. I wore the compression sleeves for a long time -- prob full time for 6 months.

I had a breast reduction/lift and brachioplasty about 7 years ago. They apparently cut off too much skin because my hand was turning black on my right arm, so they put in a temporary skin graft. After I recovered, my forearms were significantly larger than my upper arms; enough that I couldn't find shirts with sleeves that fit the forearm. In the meantime, the surgeon removed the skin graft and ended up doing a z-plasty above my elbow. I absolutely cannot go sleeveless; my arms look deformed. In addition to the size difference in the forearm and upper arm, I also have a tight ring above my left elbow and two above my right elbow. He also put the scar on the back of my arm just so I wouldn't see it (he said). I didn't even realize the back of the arm was an option; I "assumed" they were all done on the inner arm - lesson learned too late for me. I have a slight revision done - another surgeon cleaned up the scarring and did lipo on my forearms, which helped somewhat with the size issue, but my forearms are still larger than my upper arms and I still have the tight rings around both arms.

I've been trying to find a doctor that would do surgery on the entire arm. Your surgery is the closest I've seen to that. Have you heard of a doctor does the entire arm? Who was your doctor and his/her contact info please? Thank you! Debbie

ddmc, i hope you sued that surgeon, thats unacceptable. I hope you're at least pain free.

Nice! You will do great. Love Yoni Freehoff BTW

Looks good. Sleeveless dresses!

did they say how the incisions will look after healing?