A Tale of Two Arm Lifts (rs & ms.sss)

[rs 1,473]

Today marks 3 weeks since PS!

Update from tonite's follow up appointment with Doc found here:

Sounds like a very good appointment and that your Dr thinks you're progressing well! That's awesome. Thanks for all the detail info. I'll bounce it off of what my Dr tells me tomorrow. Glad you love your boobs! Reading about them and your Tummy Tuck makes me so envious. I'm still surprised your Dr did everything during the same surgery. Mine recommended keeping the upper body lift surgery separate from the lower body lift because each is pulling the skin in opposite directions. I'm impressed that you are handling the recovery of so many areas of your body as well as you have been. If (I'd like to say 'when' but so many pennies to save first) I have further skin removal surgeries, I still think I'll split them up, moreso because my pain tolerance is so low that I just can't imagine having essentially my whole body hurting and trying to heal at the same time. Thanks again for your update!

[ms.sss 14,691]

@rs sounds like you are doing better as well, elbow re-swelling aside. Also yesterday (I forget the context why he was telling me but...), Doc mentioned that during the day swelling tends to increase so maybe that is what you are seeing with your elbows? How are your incisions, aside from the dryness? Are they scabby/not scabby? Are they flat?

@sillykitty I hope this morning finds you better ❤️ (did you end up starting into space and ordering take out? LOL)

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As for me, I've got a bit of a pain issue. Yesterday my steri-stips came off and the PA was trimming/snipping stray sutures that were sticking out from the various incision ends. Well, I guess she missed one under my left boob, which I discovered late last night as I was taking my sports bra off.

The end of the suture I guess snagged on one of the hooks of the bra and when I was unhooking I inadvertently yanked at the suture. OMG I yelled. Felt like I pulled at an artery or something (if I knew what that felt like)..I could feel the pain from the entry point all across my chest. It continued to hurt and I noticed that it felt better to hold my boob up. But when I let go I could feel the ache again. So I taped it up with steri-stips to sort of lift it and taped down the suture so it doesn't get caught on anything again.

Had a horrible sleep cuz it hurt to twist or stretch out that area, so I'm pretty tired and cranky this morning.

I emailed my surgeons office at 7am this morning for direction. I don't think my issue is ER material, so am just going to wait patiently for them to answer. My pain is at a 0 if I don't move, but like at a 4 or 4.5 when I do. So its bearable. (Yesterday it got to a 7-ish )

P.S. Also my arm incisions sort of hurt/are sore since the steri-strips came off. Not sure if its because they are rubbing against my compression garment, or if I'm just feeling sorry for myself what with the boob thing, but I feel uncomfortable.

Edited January 9, 2020 by ms.sss

[mousecat88 2,279]

On 1/8/2020 at 10:34 AM, 2Bsmaller18 said:

You look amazing! Not just the scars healing well you look so strong and confident!

Do you feel like you are 100% back to normal? Do you feel tight or have any movement restrictions? Able to lift do everyday things without feeling tightness?

I feel like 98% back to normal, haha. Sometimes if I lift my arms straight up in the air I can feel a little tightness in my armpit. But yoga on Tuesday REALLY stretched things out and it has been significantly improved the last 2 days. It's really not even noticeable. My abs are 100% except I am actually sore from doing my crunches and I never used to get sore before. I was allowed to lift up to 10lbs a few days post-op. Now I have no weight restrictions; just to take it slow. I do my tricep extensions and bicep curls with 5lb dumbbells right now... not sure on the chest press and lat pulls because it's in kilograms and I can't remember what weight it is. LOL. I just remember where the pin goes. The yoga was SO SO helpful in stretching out the scar tissue on my arms. I can't wait to go back next week. It felt so good.

Edited January 9, 2020 by mousecat88

[ms.sss 14,691]

So went to see Doc about my sore boob. He checked me out and said I'm ok (which I sorta already knew, really). He snipped off the suture that was sticking out and said to go back to wearing my supportive sports bra for now (he cleared me for regular bras yesterday) until it doesn't hurt any more.

He also told me to touch and massage my boobs often to aid in healing (as well as any other areas that feel sore or stiff). I thought his prescription to constantly feel myself up was hilarious, and I told Mr. about it. He told me he would be happy to take that task on for me, LOLOLOLOLzzz.

Anyhoo while my boob is still achy, it is much, much, much better than yesterday (and still perky AF!)

[rs 1,473]

Had my check up with the Dr on my arms yesterday.

Said everything is healing nicely. He answered some of the questions I had regarding elbow swelling, and the tightness when extending my arms. He said that's all normal. It just takes awhile for full recovery.

There was one area under my arm that looked like it was puckering. Turns out it was a stitch so he snipped it. He said I may come across others and to just go in if they're bothering me and he'll snip them. I didn't realize that's what the issue was on that one he snipped because nothing was hurting me (like the issue @ms.sss had with her boob). It just looked weird, like it was just going to ultimately heal puckered, and in the days leading up to my appointment I was starting to get upset thinking that it was going to look like that permanently.

Dr said I can put lotion on the incisions of my incredibly dry arms. He also said to start putting the silicone tape on. I haven't done that yet because I've been so busy with work that I've pretty much just been crashing when I get home. I asked about the bio oil and he was indifferent about it. Said he didn't feel it makes a difference but it also doesn't do any harm so he left it up to me. He said with my light skin the scarring should not be very noticeable.

He said I can shave under my arms as long as I'm careful. But I'm not ready for that one yet because it scares me. I still barely even look at my incisions. I get grossed out seeing all those scabs etc. I just have my husband look over the incisions every couple days to see if he thinks anything looks to be of concern.

I really like my Dr. He is kinda quiet yet personable. And his years of experience just somehow really come across when he's explaining stuff and giving examples whether he's answering my questions or just sharing stuff in general. I can't really describe what I mean. He's confident, but not arrogant. Anyway I just really like him. I want him do other skin removal surgeries for me, after I've saved enough money.

So, pretty uneventful appointment. I walked away feeling good knowing that everything is healing well, and relieved that the aches and pains I've been having are all part of the recovery process. My next appointment is in 3 months.

Edited January 11, 2020 by rs

[rs 1,473]

On 1/9/2020 at 4:57 PM, ms.sss said:

I thought his prescription to constantly feel myself up was hilarious,

Hahaha. Laughing at this statement, but *not* at the pain you had!! Oh my goodness I could feel that pain right through your post. Glad you're doing better.

These rogue sutures are kinda weird. As I am typing right now I actually feel something on one of my side boob incisions. Ok, I just touched it (eeww I hate that), and I'm certain it's another one. Gosh I don't want to be going to the Dr every day or two to have him snip them all the time. His office is not close enough for me to conveniently pop in often. I need to get out of work early then drive in the downtown traffic blah blah blah. I'm hoping that once I put the silicone tape on then I won't really noticed the sutures that need to be snipped. But now I wonder, if I just leave them alone will they just continue to heal/dissolve on their own without the Dr's help to snip them? Hmm I might send an email to ask.

[Stella S 612]

So after my arm lift I stopped growing underarm hair. At all. I always had super light hair but now it is gone. What about you??? My arm lift was Sept 2018.

[catwoman7 10,870]

4 hours ago, rs said:

But now I wonder, if I just leave them alone will they just continue to heal/dissolve on their own without the Dr's help to snip them? Hmm I might send an email to ask.

they might - although mine all eventually popped out through the incision, as I recall. They were pretty painful! It stopped after about four months, though - I guess that's when they've all dissolved.

[mousecat88 2,279]

So after my arm lift I stopped growing underarm hair. At all. I always had super light hair but now it is gone. What about you??? My arm lift was Sept 2018.

I definitely still have hair. womp womp.

Sent from my SM-G930R4 using BariatricPal mobile app

[ms.sss 14,691]

5 hours ago, Stella S said:

So after my arm lift I stopped growing underarm hair. At all. I always had super light hair but now it is gone. What about you??? My arm lift was Sept 2018.

I found the same thing with me after my breast reduction years and years ago. I have maybe like 10 very fine hairs in each armpit. I don't know if this arm lift will get rid of those last few hairs for good, but I totally wouldn't mind at all if it did

[ms.sss 14,691]

9 hours ago, rs said:

Dr said I can put lotion on the incisions of my incredibly dry arms. He also said to start putting the silicone tape on.

I mentioned earlier that Doc's PA told me to wait to put the silicone tape on. I googled this after reading your post and google seems to say to put it on ASAP on "immature scars".

I think I'm going to put my tape on now and not wait until another 3 weeks as suggested by the PA. They were going to give me a supply of tape at my next appointment (in 3 weeks) but I have a stash of my own, so....

I find that my incisions on my left arm have been feeling prickly and itchy and low-key sore since they took my steri-strips off and I'm thinking the silicone tape me provide some relief..?

Edited January 11, 2020 by ms.sss

[rs 1,473]

So after my arm lift I stopped growing underarm hair. At all. I always had super light hair but now it is gone. What about you??? My arm lift was Sept 2018.

Interesting you bring that up because even though I haven't shaved in nearly 4 weeks I'm still pretty surprised it doesn't look more like a jungle under there. While the hairs that are there are getting pretty long, it seems like there aren't really that many total number of hairs. In fact I asked my husband to cut them for me because I was too scared to shave and he said it wasn't worth it because there wasn't much there at all. Cool.

[rs 1,473]

they might - although mine all eventually popped out through the incision, as I recall. They were pretty painful! It stopped after about four months, though - I guess that's when they've all dissolved.

After 4 months? Dang that's a long time!

[rs 1,473]

1 hour ago, ms.sss said:

silicone tape me provide some relief..?

@catwoman7 did you use silicone tape? If so did it help with the pokey sutures?

[catwoman7 10,870]

5 minutes ago, rs said:

@catwoman7 did you use silicone tape? If so did it help with the pokey sutures?

I used a box of it and then went back to silicone gel (although I alternated using silicone gel with oils or rich lotions that I could massage my scars with, since you don't/can't massage them with the silicone gel, and my surgeon wanted me to massage them at least once a day - and preferable two or three times a day). Nothing helped with the wayward sutures. When they got unbearable, I had the surgeon - or my PCP - take them out.