blackcatsandbaddecisions

I agree. And the surgery would remove fat cells as well as loose skin if that was a concern. Plus fat cells don’t make you gain weight & become overweight. We do that to ourselves by overeating & making poor food choices. (It’s a lot of why I said I have to work harder than friends & family who’ve never carried weight - too easy to slide to bad habits again.)

Congrats on the pre surgery weight loss! I had a lot of weight to lose so I am very grateful I lost 50+ lbs before surgery. It might not make as big a difference for those who have less than 100 or so plans to lose, but for those of us who are 150+ lbs to lose it can make a huge difference. Plus it can make surgery safer for us.

And the amazing thing is unlike all other diets this pre op weight loss actually stays off!

I’m mostly confused on the Lipo portion of this. Speaking as someone who recently had plastic surgery, I had multiple surgeons I consulted with note that I didn’t need lipo because quite frankly there wasn’t fat to suck out. If you lose enough weight you won’t even be a candidate for liposuction. Having just had all the loose skin removed from my hips up, I am not sure how this would have worked even had I asked for it. I can clearly feel bones and muscles under the surface now especially in my arm and chest.

Congrats on the pre surgery weight loss! I had a lot of weight to lose so I am very grateful I lost 50+ lbs before surgery. It might not make as big a difference for those who have less than 100 or so plans to lose, but for those of us who are 150+ lbs to lose it can make a huge difference. Plus it can make surgery safer for us.

And the amazing thing is unlike all other diets this pre op weight loss actually stays off!

I’m mostly confused on the Lipo portion of this. Speaking as someone who recently had plastic surgery, I had multiple surgeons I consulted with note that I didn’t need lipo because quite frankly there wasn’t fat to suck out. If you lose enough weight you won’t even be a candidate for liposuction. Having just had all the loose skin removed from my hips up, I am not sure how this would have worked even had I asked for it. I can clearly feel bones and muscles under the surface now especially in my arm and chest.

thats so stupid wow... as far as hydration. Google in your area IV Therapy. and see if anyone offers it. In my area several companies offer IV hydration. You pay and get the IV bag and you can have Vitamins and other things added to it. The ones that put the IV in your arms are all RN's I have been wanting to go to one here soon. I am 6 months post op and i still struggle to get in more than 40 oz of Water a day. Below is a picture of the menu offered at my local hydration center. yours will differ. Basically we choose the IV Bag, add however many vitamins in it we want and thats it.

I was wondering who drew the "That Guy" chit this week.

One month in. The bottom part of my left forearm is still completely numb. I think it is nerve damage since it’s been this way since surgery and hasn’t improved at all. 😞. I haven’t lost any function in the arm, just sensation from wrist to elbow on the bottom half of the arm. It’s really annoying and I wish it would come back but I am starting to think it is permanent. Not much to do about it but it’s a possible rare outcome, and looks like I’m the lucky one who got it.

Drain hole closed up, FDL and breast lift scars are doing well. I’ll post pics of the arm lift since that’s something I can do without disrobing, haha. This is one month to the day healing arm lift scars.

Got my final drain out 1.5 weeks after surgery. Having issues with the drain spot however, as the hole isn’t in any hurry to close up on its own. Doctor wasn’t sure if the area was infected or if it was irritated so we have me on an antibiotic now just in case. That was four days ago, really hoping that drain hole closes up soon. 😖

Other than that I’m doing great, I feel fine on a daily basis. sleeping propped up in my back is probably the worst part. I’m a side sleeper and this is not an easy transition. That plus my abdominal binder is just making for a great sleeping experience haha.

Yep, did it all in one go. I’m not gonna lie and say recovery was easy but I was able to go back to work at 2 weeks and as of 3 weeks I’m able to get back to my Peloton rides and a lighter version of my exercise routine. I had about 5 lbs of skin removed over all.

Mine was a new wardrobe…and a tummy tuck/breast lift/arm lift. 3.5 weeks post op!

Well of course he’s happy with how things are now, he isn’t doing any work and has no responsibilities and somebody else is taking care of everything for him. If somebody is not providing emotional financial or household support, it’s really kind of a struggle to figure out what exactly it is that they are doing.

Sorry, I would love to say something reassuring and inspirational here, but I am of the opinion that grown able-bodied adults all need to pull their own weight in life, be that childcare, household, earning money, etc. It really seems like he’s taking advantage of you.

One month in. The bottom part of my left forearm is still completely numb. I think it is nerve damage since it’s been this way since surgery and hasn’t improved at all. 😞. I haven’t lost any function in the arm, just sensation from wrist to elbow on the bottom half of the arm. It’s really annoying and I wish it would come back but I am starting to think it is permanent. Not much to do about it but it’s a possible rare outcome, and looks like I’m the lucky one who got it.

Drain hole closed up, FDL and breast lift scars are doing well. I’ll post pics of the arm lift since that’s something I can do without disrobing, haha. This is one month to the day healing arm lift scars.

Just that it may come back, may not. I do feel burning in that area sometimes, nothing like distracting or painful but just a mild sensation. I’m kinda hopeful, but trying to be realistic that it might be my imagination.

I read online that magnesium and exercise are possibly good for nerve regrowth so I am taking a magnesium supplement and I’m exercising every day so we will see. I still am not supposed to be running so I raised the incline on my treadmill up to 15% for my walk, and I’m working my way through all the low impact peloton classes they have.

Wow what a weird angle on the first pic. I promise my arms are normally shaped. The scar goes all the way through my armpit and connects to breast lift. I lost all the hair on my right side, I have about a one inch strip left on my left side. 🫤. Not wearing deodorant right now because of scars, but thus far it doesn’t appear I sweat on underarms through my peloton workout. Might come back, but nothing for now.

One month in. The bottom part of my left forearm is still completely numb. I think it is nerve damage since it’s been this way since surgery and hasn’t improved at all. 😞. I haven’t lost any function in the arm, just sensation from wrist to elbow on the bottom half of the arm. It’s really annoying and I wish it would come back but I am starting to think it is permanent. Not much to do about it but it’s a possible rare outcome, and looks like I’m the lucky one who got it.

Drain hole closed up, FDL and breast lift scars are doing well. I’ll post pics of the arm lift since that’s something I can do without disrobing, haha. This is one month to the day healing arm lift scars.

I will try to look through my pics and see what I have…unfortunately to get the abdomen in a picture is a bit less clothed than I like to be in pictures, haha.

My three week checkup went great, she said I’m healing incredibly fast. The drain hole is almost closed up (thank goodness). Still dealing with numbness on bottom part of left arm, but other than that I feel great. She released me to peloton workouts and walking longer distances and that has helped my mood considerably. My arm scars are still puffy and puckered in places due to the internal sutures/swelling so they look kind of scary at this point. My abdomen swelling is definitely still there but much less uncomfortable than it was even a week ago. I got on the scale and I was actually down a few pounds, surprisingly. I saw a number that started with 15 for the first time in my adult life. I am thinking I may still end up in the 160s because that seems to be my hold point, but it was a nice thing to see even if it was temporary.

Three weeks today! Still dealing with the abdomen drain hole not fully closed, left arm numbness and swelling. The swelling is on my forearm so I kind of look like popeye especially since my upper arm is smaller now. Speaking of swelling, still super swollen especially as the day goes on. I knew this happened post op but I don’t think I really understood how much swelling was happening or how uncomfortable it was. Also hard to see real results when you’re puffed up like a Water balloon. Not having pants fit was kind of alarming for me- I know it’s probably just the swelling but I can’t help but be worried that I’m bigger now.

Got my final drain out 1.5 weeks after surgery. Having issues with the drain spot however, as the hole isn’t in any hurry to close up on its own. Doctor wasn’t sure if the area was infected or if it was irritated so we have me on an antibiotic now just in case. That was four days ago, really hoping that drain hole closes up soon. 😖

Other than that I’m doing great, I feel fine on a daily basis. sleeping propped up in my back is probably the worst part. I’m a side sleeper and this is not an easy transition. That plus my abdominal binder is just making for a great sleeping experience haha.

Also forgot to mention for reference, I did not have any liposuction, and the doctor said she would check to see if I needed muscle repair but I did not need any. I have no idea how I managed to go through two pregnancies and two C-sections and be that overweight for so many years without separating those muscles, but I managed it. I am very tall with a long torso so maybe that helped? Who knows. I’m just grateful because I am sure that helped post op. Also forgot to mention when the tape came off saw incisions for first time. Yikes, I am kind of Frankenstein’s monster right now. Still feeling good about the procedures and experience though.

One week appointment went very well. I got three out of four drains removed, and potentially getting the fourth drain removed on Friday if I can keep my output below 20 each day. They took all the tape off of the incisions, which wasn’t very painful but did it feel weird. When they were taking stitches out of my bellybutton I could feel clearly that they were touching the skin on the side of my abdomen, despite the fact that that skin is now in the center of my stomach. I think I am going to need to reroute some nerves or some thing. Ha!

Due to the fact that there was so much loose skin on my upper body, they ended up actually having to do an upper body lift at the same time. So my incisions run all the way from my elbows through my under arms and underneath my boobs. I am happy with this, because I had such trouble with skin spilling out in my under arm area that I really was concerned if they left any skin there what it was going to look like a postop. It’s probably going to be a longer recovery because of the additional area, but I am OK with that. Still not in any significant pain, although riding to and from the appointment and getting the tape and drains out absolutely tuckered me out for the day yesterday. I guess it’s hard to judge how much energy you have when you were spending all day and a recliner watching an old season of project runway. My left arm is still significantly swollen, and missing some feeling on the lower bottom part of my arm. Hoping that resolves once the swelling goes down, whenever that is.

I also have family members with alcohol dependence, so I keep a very close eye on my alcohol intake. That being said, I have had to keep an eye on other offshoots like shopping. It will try to sneak up on you, I swear! No great advice other than it’s great that you are aware and being proactive.

Last weekend I was in a larger city and I went to some stores that I’ve heard of but never shopped in, because we don’t have them in my city. It was nice to know that all these upscale and trendy stores carry my size and I would look good in them. Now the problem is that they are too expensive for me. 😅. I guess I’ll keep buying stuff off of poshmark anyway.

One month in. The bottom part of my left forearm is still completely numb. I think it is nerve damage since it’s been this way since surgery and hasn’t improved at all. 😞. I haven’t lost any function in the arm, just sensation from wrist to elbow on the bottom half of the arm. It’s really annoying and I wish it would come back but I am starting to think it is permanent. Not much to do about it but it’s a possible rare outcome, and looks like I’m the lucky one who got it.

Drain hole closed up, FDL and breast lift scars are doing well. I’ll post pics of the arm lift since that’s something I can do without disrobing, haha. This is one month to the day healing arm lift scars.

Wow what a weird angle on the first pic. I promise my arms are normally shaped. The scar goes all the way through my armpit and connects to breast lift. I lost all the hair on my right side, I have about a one inch strip left on my left side. 🫤. Not wearing deodorant right now because of scars, but thus far it doesn’t appear I sweat on underarms through my peloton workout. Might come back, but nothing for now.