Hey all,

Tomorrow's the d-day for Abdominoplasty and brachioplasty. Looking forward to Abdominoplasty for sure given my abdominal area didn't flatten out with the weight loss. So LiPo plus reconstructive surgery will do decent job not to mention tighten up some of the loose skin.

Not sure how I feel about brachioplasty for now. Scars definitely make me a bit uneasy. Plus it takes time to heal and scars to lighten and flatten out. But hopefully down the road, I'll be happy with the final result.

Anyhow, do advise me how to look after myself and post-op recovery. First week will be the hardest I feel. Any suggestions?

Good luck tomorrow! The first few days just plan on resting (even if you think you feel up to more). If you can, either have someone who can cook for you or have some pre-made meals in the fridge. Drink lots of water.

Recliner and pillows will be your best friends. You'll want to keep yourself in a U shape for your abdomen but also want to keep your arms elevated.

2 minutes ago, loridee11 said:

Good luck tomorrow! The first few days just plan on resting (even if you think you feel up to more). If you can, either have someone who can cook for you or have some pre-made meals in the fridge. Drink lots of Water.

Recliner and pillows will be your best friends. You'll want to keep yourself in a U shape for your abdomen but also want to keep your arms elevated.

Have you gone through it?! How many days or weeks do you stay in the u shape? Sleeping and also have been advised to walk hunchback lol

Good luck and I hope you heal quickly.

keep in mind that'll it take months before you see the final result. You're going to look a lot better right away (well, aside from the swelling and scars), but it's going to continue to improve. I've read it can take as long as a year to see the final results (although the majority of the swelling will be gone within a couple of months). Everything will look more natural, scars will have faded significantly (some will be barely visible), etc.

Wow lucky you D&S!! We've been together on our weight loss journey for the last 19 months. I can't afford any tidying up procedures but I'm so happy that you can! I hope everything goes smoothly for you. Please may we have some before and after photos?? Lots of folks here will be able to give you proper advice.

4 hours ago, Spinoza said:

Wow lucky you D&S!! We've been together on our weight loss journey for the last 19 months. I can't afford any tidying up procedures but I'm so happy that you can! I hope everything goes smoothly for you. Please may we have some before and after photos?? Lots of folks here will be able to give you proper advice.

I'll definitely try to do a before and after - Especially after things have stabilized. May be 3 months, 6 months and a year after progress so others can see the process as well! ?

Thank you Spinoza - Hoping all goes well. Just dreading the recovery phase of 6 to 8 weeks before things normalize especially the very first or two weeks post-Op!

Week 2 of recovery - Gotta say, recovery for plastics is no joke. Bariatric recovery seemed like a breeze compared to this one.

Still hanging in there, pain is a bit tolerable but it'll take at least 8 weeks or so to go back to feeling normal per se. Anyone thinking of plastics, please bear in mind week 1 and even 2 will be a little difficult in terms of recovery!

But can't wait to see in a month or 2, how I feel and look in the mirror!

yay! you got it done!!!

the first couple months were on the rough side for me...but i was a dumbass and started exercising way too early. take it easy and don't push yourself!

can't wait to see ur results...just in time for bikini season!!!

❤️

8 hours ago, ms.sss said:

yay! you got it done!!!

the first couple months were on the rough side for me...but i was a dumbass and started exercising way too early. take it easy and don't push yourself!

can't wait to see ur results...just in time for bikini season!!!

❤️

Yeh I am definitely taking it easy and made sure to take enough time off work. Wanted to make sure I didn't take any unnecessary stressors while recovering. And seeing how week 2 is trending, I am glad to have taken 4 weeks off work. This one is definitely but more hard core than the bypass considering the superficial injury and all.

I won't be indulging in any work out or exercising until I feel I am back to my normal self. I think surgeon's recommendation is 8 weeks. I'll do my usual walking and all but anything more I'll wait it out.

And I can't wait to come outta my drains and compression garment to see the final result in a month or so! ?

Edited June 23, 20233 yr by DaisyAndSunshine

On 6/22/2023 at 3:29 PM, ms.sss said:

yay! you got it done!!!

the first couple months were on the rough side for me...but i was a dumbass and started exercising way too early. take it easy and don't push yourself!

can't wait to see ur results...just in time for bikini season!!!

❤️

Ms.sss how long did it take for your abdominal swelling to go down and feel normal enough?! Also, did you also wear the abdominal binder for about a year?! Dr. Chivers recommended wearing it 24/7 for 8 weeks and thereafter during the day and so for about a year!

2 hours ago, DaisyAndSunshine said:

Ms.sss how long did it take for your abdominal swelling to go down and feel normal enough?! Also, did you also wear the Abdominal binder for about a year?! Dr. Chivers recommended wearing it 24/7 for 8 weeks and thereafter during the day and so for about a year!

i had swelling up until maybe 6-7 (maybe 8??) months post plastics. i don't think anybody noticed but me though

i don't remember if Chivers told me how long to wear the binder! (seems like ages ago). But i did wear it (or a faja) basically 24/7 for well over 6 months, only because i really liked wearing it, lol! i still wore it pretty regularly almost every day for several hours a day for another 6-12 months after that.

it was weird, i felt like i was "spilling out" if i didn't have anything tight over my surgery sites ??‍♀️ ...not that i actually was, it just felt that way and i didn't like the sensation. hence the long-term wearing.

sometimes i still strap it on in the morning if i wake up with an achy back from sleeping wrong.

PRO tip: before i got my faja, i wore TWO binders cuz wearing only one was difficult to pull tight enough evenly over both my waist and my hips....so i cinched one over my hips/lower abdomen, which resulted in a not-as-snug fit at my waist, and then a second one over the first to target just the waist.

bonus is that wearing 2 stops them from riding up.

also doubles as a weight belt when working out.

also makes your waist look tiny when wearing it! ?

How are u doing, BTW? are u pleased with ur results so far????

1 hour ago, ms.sss said:

i had swelling up until maybe 6-7 (maybe 8??) months post plastics. i don't think anybody noticed but me though

Yeh that's what they told me that for about a year or so, I may notice swelling without the binder. So they recommend I wear the binder throughout the year or abdomen may swell up.

The binders that I use have been provided by them - the fabric velcro types. They can look a bit bulky over certain clothings. Or may be I can look into a faja post 8 months or so. Any specific type that you purchased? Amazon has many selections especially those waist trainer ones. I may ask Dr. Chivers on my 6 week f/u if corsets or shapewears can be used instead of the current binder. Let's see. Right now binder seems comfortable especially since the area is super hypersensitive!

So far I think I am happy with the results. It was a painful recovery but I am glad lose skin especially the muffin top is taken care of and has flattened/tightened my tummy. I can't wait to wear shorts and jeans now. Some of the shorts and figure hugging dresses didn't look very good with my tummy area. Now they look lovely. I'll try more clothing as swelling goes down.

Arms also look tonned and defined ??? So overall I am satisfied. Just waiting for dressing to come off and see how scars progress, the biggest challenge of this surgery!