Found out last month that both @rs and I had Arm Lifts scheduled for the same week, just two days apart. @rs got the deed done yesterday, and I'm heading in for it tomorrow morning. We thought it would be fun/interesting/just-something-to-do to start a thread where we both could post to document our progress for a one-stop view of two different experiences of the same procedure.

So here we go!

@rs @ms.sss

This is when the journey started. I hope you guys post some pics when you can. Also, I hope everyone’s swelling goes down!

2 hours ago, okayestmom said:

I can’t tighten my belt to the pre surgery notch and my thighs are still swollen as well. I am putting up my two week pics though. Once I figure out how to do it. I do have a little line below my new belly button where my old belly button used to be. Also, I am not leaning to one side, I am just not symmetrical. Made me laugh pre surgery when they were letting me know one of the things that could go wrong is not being symmetrical. I was like well, I am not symmetrical now, so I don’t see the big risk. No bathing suit so rolled shorts seemed classier than underwear...5’5” 144 pre surgery. I haven’t got on the scale since surgery. I did do a dexa scan which I am going to repeat in April just to see the differences.

First: "Also, I am not leaning to one side, I am just not symmetrical." Bwah-ha-ha-ha-ha-ha!! ?

Now, that is so odd that you can't tighten your belt, because your midsection is exponentially smaller-looking than your before pic. And FLATTER. High five, surgeon.

Did you also get something done with your boobs? They look perkier...or are you wearing a different sports bra?

P.S. I'll try to remember to take some pics after my shower later and if they are worthy, I'll post them (all my incisions are still covered in steri-strips and I'm still swollen so it'll probably look meh). Also since the TT was a last minute decision, I don't have proper before pics of my stomach. Actually...I'ill email my surgeon's office now and see if they will forward pics he took of me last June.

Edited to Add: UPDATE: surgeons office got back to me: they aren't in the office until after the New Year, so will have to wait for the tummy Before Pics till then. I'll see if I can dig up some pics of my entire tummy bare somewhere....

Edited December 27, 20196 yr by ms.sss

2 hours ago, okayestmom said:

Wowza. The difference is AMAZING. Yay, you!!!!

An excerpt of my 10 day Plastics Post-op Update (link to this below):

* TMI Alert *

Poop Watch 2019 continues...

Today marks Day 12. I am carrying TWELVE days of poop in me, people.

Mr. (he's a keeper) assisted me with suppository insertion this morning. After no less than 2 minutes, I felt the sweet, sweet urge to push. So I skipped (skipped!) to the toilet and out came........a partially melted suppository. That's it. Are you effing kidding me.

Now, the instructions on the box said not to use more than once in a 24 hour period. It also said that it should have worked within 15 mins to an hour. So I'm going to try it again at 6pm tonite, which is 12 hours after this morning's attempt as I figure I basically pooped the suppository out before it even melted and do its thing. In the meantime I ate 2 prunes. Good News is that it didn't make me sick, Bad News is that I am not a fan of the taste. I am also drinking water like a crazy person.

Miraculously, despite my backed-upped-ness, I don't have any pain nor cramps. Just a feeling of absolute bloat. Ugh.

10 minutes ago, ms.sss said:

An excerpt of my 10 day plastics Post-op Update (link to this below):

* TMI Alert *

Poop Watch 2019 continues...

Today marks Day 12. I am carrying TWELVE days of poop in me, people.

Mr. (he's a keeper) assisted me with suppository insertion this morning. After no less than 2 minutes, I felt the sweet, sweet urge to push. So I skipped (skipped!) to the toilet and out came........a partially melted suppository. That's it. Are you effing kidding me.

Now, the instructions on the box said not to use more than once in a 24 hour period. It also said that it should have worked within 15 mins to an hour. So I'm going to try it again at 6pm tonite, which is 12 hours after this morning's attempt as I figure I basically pooped the suppository out before it even melted and do its thing. In the meantime I ate 2 prunes. Good News is that it didn't make me sick, Bad News is that I am not a fan of the taste. I am also drinking Water like a crazy person.

Miraculously, despite my backed-upped-ness, I don't have any pain nor cramps. Just a feeling of absolute bloat. Ugh.

Have you tried drinking a bottle of magnesium citrate? You can get it at any pharmacy..

9 minutes ago, catwoman7 said:

Have you tried drinking a bottle of magnesium citrate? You can get it at any pharmacy..

Haven't tried, no...am hesitant to do so after all these different measures without consulting my PCP.

But Mr, and I decided to draw a definitive line in the sand: if the suppository does not work tonite, he's taking me to the ER for some professional help. Again, its not so much that I'm in any pain (should I be?), it's more that I'm totally freaked out of the idea of 12 days of poop in me.

P.S. I started feeling "earth moving" feelings in the left side of my stomach (like when a bout of diarrhea is about to come on) about 45 mins ago...prunes working perhaps?

Can you soak in the tub -like maybe just your legs not to your incisions in a bath with a lot of Espom salt? Maybe your skin would absorb the magnesium? May not do anything but just a thought.

1 hour ago, ms.sss said:

definitive line in the sand: if the suppository does not work tonite, he's taking me to the ER for some professional help. 

I agree. Definitely go in. 12 days seems crazy long!

I was backed up for 6 days post wls. The suppository did nothing. The enema worked well.

Good luck!

Didn't cry this time when I put my stupid compression garment back on after my shower #notababy

9 hours ago, rs said:

Didn't cry this time when I put my stupid compression garment back on after my shower #notababy

#winning

@rs : are you able to put on the garment yourself? How is your arm mobility now?

Edited December 28, 20196 yr by ms.sss

...also:

THE PACKAGE HAS BEEN DELIVERED.

THE EAGLE HAS LANDED.

ELVIS HAS LEFT THE BUILDING.

...and so concludes Poop Watch 2019 after 13 effing days.

Edited December 28, 20196 yr by ms.sss

Scale of RBB 1-10 with 10 being highest, how bad was it?!! Weight B/A please? Curious if there may be some remnants left behind. hahaha!

Congrats!!!!!!

37 minutes ago, FluffyChix said:

scale of RBB 1-10 with 10 being highest, how bad was it?!! Weight B/A please? Curious if there may be some remnants left behind. hahaha!

Congrats!!!!!!

* TMI Alert *

So this AM, it actually wasn't bad at all (at least the pooping part). Now the holding in suppository was another story...

First I have to mention that Mr. was not down with doing suppository last night in the end, he wanted to wait the full 24 hours as per the packaging for Take Two.

Now, yesterday I had the suppository in less than 2 mins before I started to feel the urge, which resulted in pooping out just the suppository. Boo. So this morning I kept that sucker in there for 15 minutes despite the fact that I could feel my body already wanted to go after 2 mins. Not sure if that was a good thing (cuz it took some real effort NOT to go), but at the end of those 15 mins, I was rewarded with a long-ish snake like poop that slid out with minimal effort. YAY!!!

I was expecting a bunch of watery stuff to follow, but that was it. Which leads me to suspect that there is still stuff up in there (plus I still feel relatively bloated). So Miralax/Clearlax, Benefibre, Chia is going back into my daily diet until I start to feel normal again.

Finally, I didn't do a before and after weigh in, LOL that was the last thing on my mind a the time. In fact I haven't done a "real" weigh in since surgery. I did do one fully clothed and constipated yesterday and it was 115, which was my weight the morning of surgery. Right now all I care about is fitting back into my jeans!! (oh and the ability to stand up straight would be awesome too)

Edited December 28, 20196 yr by ms.sss

Some BEFORE and AFTER / IN PROGRESS pics of my left arm and abdomen!

P.S. Sorry no B&A boob pics, but I did some measurements and it looks like I went from a 30B/28C to a 30D (mind you I am still swollen so this is likely to get smaller)

*image-specific comments are include with the pics below...