enterprise01

Having been inspired by JulieNYC, Puddin, and TheGhost, I decided to start a thread to chronicle the brachioplasty I will hopefully be having soon. I started at 218 lbs and had my lap-band surgery on 1/17/07 by Dr. Spivak in Houston. As of today, I'm at 144 lbs. I still have 26 more to lose. On Friday, Oct 26th, I went to see Dr. Lior Heller about having a brachioplasty (my weight was 148 on that day). My plan was to see him for the consultation and schedule the surgery for late December. I figured I'd be within 10-15 lbs of my goal weight by then. Well, Dr. Heller is doing a TV show for a local news channel and told me if I could lose 10 lbs in 2 weeks, he would waive his surgical fee and use me for the TV show. I've lost 3.5 lbs since last Friday. I'm eating between 400-500 calories and walking 4-6 miles every day. Keep your fingers crossed that I meet the goal. If I don't make it on the TV show, the brachioplasty will cost me a little over $5,000. If I'm on the TV show, I only have to pay $3,000 for the OR and anesthesiologist. I'm also planning to have a breast lift, tummy tuck, and thigh lift next year, so I need to save as much money as I can. I planned to do the brachioplasty soon because I don't think much more fat will come off my arms. All the excess weight seems to be in my stomach, hips, and thighs now. Although I'm not at goal yet, I wanted to have the brachioplasty this winter in order to be healed enough to wear sleeveless tops in the summer. And in Houston, summer starts in March. These are my most recent before and after pics. I take some pictures of my naked arms soon.

Yes, I'm very pleased even though the incisions still look gross and I still have some pain. The doctor left a little more fat around my elbows than I would have liked, but he felt it was best not to take the incisions any farther down my arms. He believes the plump area at the elbows will even out over time, and I think he's probably right. The breast lift is the procedure I have the most doubts about, primarily because my boyfriend loves my breasts just the way they are. He's already very upset about the brachioplasty because it's caused me so much pain, and more plastic surgery may push him over the edge. He honestly thinks I'm perfect just the way I am, so I have a hard time getting him to understand why I want plastic surgery. But on the other hand, I'm incredibly lucky to have a guy who loves me for me.

Wow! You look fantastic (and a lot younger, too!). Let us know how it goes with the plastic surgeon. If you have a tummy tuck, you should start your own thread so we can follow your progress. I had an arm lift about 5 weeks ago and have a thread about it. I was inspired by JulieNYC and TheGh0st, who both had threads about their plastic surgery.

Alynne - I'm glad I found your thread. I'm sure your results will be amazing. You know how we all love pictures, so please post some when you can. Even though the photos can make you feel kind of exposed, just remember how much it helps other people. And it will also help you to fully realize your progress if you have visual evidence of all the changes in your body. A year from now someone will ask you about the procedure and you won't remember precisely how you looked or felt at any given time, so this thread is a great way to memorialize the whole journey. I may have a tummy tuck, breast lift, and possibly an inner thigh lift in the future and am hoping none of them will be as painful as the arms were for me. I also had those "what the hell have I done to myself" moments, but as soon as I saw how small my arms were, those thoughts vanished. And, yes, the drains are a terrible nuisance. I was lucky -- mine were not at all painful to remove.

jenslapband - Glad to have you back on here. I was wondering what happened with your band after the slip, so thanks for the update. Thank god you got to keep the band, but I'm sorry you had to go through all that (both physically and financially). That's every self-payer's nightmare. Sunshine - I've done the same thing. I start cleaning out the closet and think I should hold onto the fat clothes just in case. I have to keep reminding myself that the band actually works. It still seems too good to be true. And, yes, eBay can be a great place to find bargains. I bought a gorgeous black dress on eBay a while ago -- the kind of dress that is perfect for any wintertime party -- and it only cost $12.

You can get them at a regular drugstore, but the selection is limited. I ordered the Biodermis 11" x 16" Scar Reduction Standard Silicone Sheet (Self-Adhesive) from www.makemeheal.com. Considering the cost, I decided on the 11" x 16" sheet since I can cut it and get several smaller sheets out of it. My port incision has a raised scar on it that is still very red after almost a full year. I want my arms to heal better than that. If and/or when I get a tummy tuck, I'll ask for a revision on that port scar.

I remember reading somewhere that Mederma is made from onions. That's probably why it smells funky. Dr. Heller suggested the silicone sheets. My guess is that the silicone sheets help keep the scar flat because of the way they adhere to the skin. I also like the idea of keeping the scars covered because the whole area is extremely sensitive and just the slight rubbing of my clothes against the incisions causes pain. Lynn, I'm sure your daughter will heal just fine. Youth has quite a few advantages. But I do remember being that age and worrying about every little flaw. (What am I saying? I still do that!)

No, I'm not following this either. The "soap opera" comment is very apropos. Of course, I rarely venture into the R&R section because I end up wasting a lot of time there and always leave feeling disappointed in the human race. I was hoping this thread would prompt a discussion of the differences in the way men and women are socialized and the differences in the ways they communicate, but it's definitely not going that way.

You are such a fast healer! Your arms are looking fantastic. I'm at 4 weeks post-op and my arms are no where close to how yours look. Are you using silicone sheets or mederma or anything else on the scars? And are you still in a compression garment for the arms?

Can't wait to see photos of the thighs. How has the pain been? Make sure you take it easy. The more you over do it, the longer it will take to get back to 100%. But of course you know that already.

Julie, your breasts are looking great -- just the right size. The scars from the lift aren't even visible. Your dad does excellent work. Did you have any loss of sensation from either the lift or the augmentation?

Yes, the pain was worth it. I haven't lost any more weight since the surgery, but everyone has been telling me how much thinner I look. And that's from people who don't know about the surgery. I think the thinner arms have given my whole upper body a slimmer look. Even though the incisions still look fresh, I'm really surprised at how much their appearance doesn't bother me. The flab was much more unattractive.

They still haven't called me to schedule the follow-up, so I don't know when the show is going to be aired. Dr. Heller said they have a few patients to follow-up with before they get to me.

I had my follow-up with Dr. Heller this afternoon. Surgery was 3 weeks and 2 days ago and he thinks I'm healing a little ahead of schedule. The shooting pain persists in my upper left arm, but he assures me it will fade soon. The severe pain I've had in my forearms is from the compression garment. He wants me to wear it 12 hours a day instead of 24. He seemed a bit surprised that the pain is so bad that I cannot fully extend my arms. In another week, he wants me to start using Mederma or the silicone sheets to help minimize scar formation. The elbows are still looking a bit puffy, which is from the remaining fat, not from swelling. He thinks it will even out over time, but if it doesn't, we should be able to do some fairly minor liposuction to correct it. He mentioned that he made the decision not to extend the incision completely down to my elbow and the trade-off was having fatter elbows. I'm fine with that and do believe that it will eventually even out. I've already seen some improvement in the area. Attached are photos I just took. Here I am in my shortest sleeved t-shirt. And there's also a close-up shot of the incision on the right arm. It still looks a little scary, but it's getting better every day.

Your sister is extremely rude. The idea of inviting you to her house for Christmas and then saying that she and her family are going to a movie to avoid being around you while you are with your father is absurd and again flat out RUDE. Just remember that you can't control her behavior; you can only control your reaction to it. I would suggest telling her that if she pursues this course of action, you will be leaving after saying Merry Christmas to your dad. Apologize to your dad for the brevity of your visit with him, tell him you love him, but that you're upset with your sister, need some time to regroup, and don't want to spend another minute in her house. If you don't have anywhere else to go, I'd suggest going to the same movie theater as them. Who knows? Maybe your dad will want to go to the movie with you and then you can spend some time together without having to talk or interact much. Whatever you do, don't let your sister bully or intimate you and don't play into her hand. I have a truly horrible sister myself, so I have a great deal of sympathy for you, but the bottom line is that you need to do what you must to protect your emotional health. And don't let anyone make you feel bad for doing that.

Got to run my doctor's appt, but I'll post when I get back. I know how infuriating family can be.

Yikes! Thanks for all the info. I'm glad you're doing well. The thigh lift is scary. I'm still suffering from the brachioplasty, which was a breeze for you, so if the thigh lift is hurting you, it will probably devastate me. Is it difficult to use the bathroom with the thighs bandaged? What kind of compression garment will you be wearing? Can't wait to see the pictures of the new you. You're already very beautiful, and I suspect this last round of surgery has made you absolutely perfect!

Thanks, Paulax. You're right about the movement. I didn't realize how many times a day I scratch my nose or rub my eye or push my hair out of my face until moving my arms became such an issue. Just the slight movement of the arms swinging back and forth while walking is painful (too much rubbing under the arms).

Tomorrow is my follow-up appointment with Dr. Heller. I'm still experiencing a good amount of pain, so I'm going to ask for some stronger painkillers. It's difficult to sleep with the constant pain, and lack of sleep will only hinder my healing. The incisions are looking better each day, but it's still fairly slow progress. I don't think my arms will look presentable for several months. I'll post more pics soon. Thanks to everyone for all the encouragement.

Good luck, Julie. I can't wait to hear all about it. I'm also considering an inner thigh lift, but if it's as rough as the brachioplasty was for me, I'm not sure I'll be ready for it any time soon. Wishing you all the best.

Wow! Your progress is just incredible! You should be so proud of yourself. How's your husband doing with all these changes? Is he supportive of the plastic surgery? My boyfriend is still having major issues with both my weight loss and the brachioplasty. I hope you don't have to deal with that.

Now I remember her. I guess I just didn't know her name. Yes, she was always very nice. I got the impression she had been there a long time. I wonder what happended. When someone leaves to go to a higher paying or more prestigious job, the old co-workers will usually tell you. But if someone gets fired, that's when you get "she doesn't work here anymore" and nothing else.

Here are some new pics. Back view of compression garment, side view, and each underarm.

Argh! Why doesn't the edit option work right anymore? I went back to fix one typo and ended up with garbage. Very frustrating.

Have you posted any recent pics? I remember seeing some of you on the Before & After thread but don't recall anything in the past month or two. Your smile always stands out. You look like such a happy, fun person with a great smile like that.