Question:
Has anyone had specifically tummy and arms done together?

Has anyone had arms and tummy done at same time? Will I be able to move? To take care of myself? What kind of dual pain am I going to have?    — missesrita (posted on February 10, 2004)

February 10, 2004
I had an abdominoplasty and liposuction on my upper arms at the same time. My PS did my brachioplasty in 2 stages. First the liposuction to remove the fat. Then 8 months later he did the modified brachioplasty to remove the excess skin. After the liposuction, my arms were wrapped from the elbow to the shoulder. They were very bruised but I was still able to move them. I had 2 drains from my abdominoplasty. The pain wasn't that bad. I would say a 3 on a scale of 1 to 10. I had a modified brachioplasty done in June and the pain was MUCH more intense then when I had the liposuction done. My scars are all under my armpits and a couple of inches down the inside of my arm. No where near the elbow. It's still tight under the arms even after 8 months. The pain after this surgey was intense. I don't really remember anything from Friday to Tuesday (lots of pain medication). This time my arms were wrapped from elbow to shoulder and then I had a wrap that went across my back to the other arm. I would say the pain for this operation was about an 8 out of 10. I guess it depends if your having a full brachioplasty (elbow to armpit) or where there cutting. The abdominoplasty is not that bad but the arms were a different story. I'm having my inner thighs done in May and my PS already told me that the pain would be the same or a little worse then when I had my brachioplasty done. Needless to say, I'm not looking forward to that. Take your pain medications BEFORE the pain starts. It helps.
   — Patty H.

February 10, 2004
I had my tummy tuck and brachioplasty done a little over 2 years ago after a 140 lb. weight loss. I may be in the minority here, but I thought that the plastic surgery was the most "comfortable" surgery I have ever had (including my lap RNY). When I woke up in the Recovery Room, I had to ask if the surgeon had "forgotten to do my arms". I had armpit to elbow incisions on both arms with no drains...they were wrapped in thick gauze, but I had complete movement and only minimal discomfort in that area. The tummy tuck was uncomfortable on the day of surgery, but by the next morning I was walking in the hall (not even stooped over!) and only taking Percocet for pain. I had four lower abdominal drains....two of them were removed at two weeks, the third at four weeks, and the last one at seven weeks (a little longer than usual, but not unheard of). There seems to be two schools of thought about drains....some plastic surgeons remove them very quickly because they feel that there is an increased chance of infection the longer they are in....my plastic surgeon goes with the theory of drainage being "better out than in", and stated that he had experienced no increased incidence of infection with this practice...he also said that if he pulled the drains prematurely, fluid would continue to accumulate under the skin and he would have to remove it periodically with a needle. I had no infection during the seven weeks and was happy to leave them in place. I found the drains (and their removal) to be completely painless...just aggravating to disguise under my clothing when I returned to work two weeks post-op. I am extremely grateful for such a great surgical course and recovery period, but everyone has different responses to anesthesia and post-op discomfort, so just try to have the most positive attitude possible and follow your surgeon's instructions to the letter and you should do great! Having the tummy tuck/brachioplasty was the next best decision I ever made other than the WLS :-) Best wishes!
   — Diana T.

February 11, 2004
I am 4 weeks out from having my arms and tummy done. The pain was nonexistant. I took pain meds from Tue until Wed pm and quit because I had no pain. My husband is a Doctor and he said your brain can only process one pain at a time. In other words either your tummy will hurt or your arms will hurt not both at the same time. I had surgery on Tuesday and I was on the treadmill on Fri. I walked 15 min at 2.5mph. Slow but I did it. By 7 days I was up to 45 min and 3.5-4.0 mph. The swelling will be there a while. I still cannot wear pants I could wear before surgery. That is depressing. I know by the spring I will be wearing my old clothes again. I lost 1 pound in each arm and 4 pounds from my tummy. I am glad I had them done together. Good Luck. Nancy
   — Nancy P.

February 11, 2004
I had TT and Arms done on August 18, 2003. For me....That TT was THE MOST painful thing I had ever had done to me (keep in mind I have never given birth ;)). And I had open RNY. However....I had a tremendous amount of muscle tightening done as well as a hernia the size of a grapefruit repaired. The arms didn't hurt a bit...however, after a week went by, the Abs stopped hurting so much and the arms started to ache a bit...they were extremely bruised. You never realize how much you use your abdominal muscles. It hurt to breath, cough, laugh, move....I camped out on the couch for a week, then had to keep my legs elevated for nearly a month wehn I did sleep. But, I hear it all depends on how much muscle work is done. I had a lot to do. Good luck to you!!!!
   — Danielle M.