Recovering from Abdominoplasty and breast implants

[Anghelys Garcia 32]

I'm three days out and extremely emotional. I got my bandages removed today and went home and cried. I've had mixed emotions and have felt severely overwhelmed. I'm a wuss when it comes to pain so it hasn't been easy. I've also been experiencing severe anxiety over fear of gaining weight due to not being in my regular diet routine and experiencing cravings. I experience anxiety on the norm but it got worse after the procedure. All of this with stress from school and just what the final healed product will look like is driving me nuts. Any suggestions?

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[Djmohr 6,965]

Congratulations!

You have to remember that your body actually needs more Protein to heal so don't be so hard on yourself.

The emotions are normal as well and whoever said plastics wasn't painful is full of it. I had Brachioplasty 7 weeks ago and I had a lot of pain, I also had an allergy to the glue which made my arms burn like these were set on fire for over 3 weeks.

My next surgery is a breast lift with augmentation and Abdominalplasty and as much as I cannot wait, I am not looking forward to the pain and swelling associated with it.

I hope you feel much better soon. Just be kind to yourself and remember your body is burning calories just healing.

[Anghelys Garcia 32]

Congratulations!

You have to remember that your body actually needs more Protein to heal so don't be so hard on yourself.

The emotions are normal as well and whoever said plastics wasn't painful is full of it. I had Brachioplasty 7 weeks ago and I had a lot of pain, I also had an allergy to the glue which made my arms burn like these were set on fire for over 3 weeks.

My next surgery is a breast lift with augmentation and Abdominalplasty and as much as I cannot wait, I am not looking forward to the pain and swelling associated with it.

I hope you feel much better soon. Just be kind to yourself and remember your body is burning calories just healing.

Thanks so much on the advice and congratulations on your journey also. How did you deal with the emotions and pain? I'm trying to be kind to myself but I am so terrified of gaining weight, like even my doctors tell me to take it easy. They tell me I'm doing great, but I feel like I'm doing everything wrong.

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[Djmohr 6,965]

@@Anghelys Garcia

You are going to think I am crazy but I started using Young Living Essential oils 2 days after my Brachioplasty. I started diffusing stress away oil with a bit of lemon grass oil.

I started using them because I was having horrific hot flashes and I was waiting for my oils to arrive when I had surgery. I started using progessence plus oil of hot flashes by putting a few drops on my forearms and neck.

I went from having over 50+ hot flashes per day to none! I swear it!

I honestly was not a believer and thought I would be wasting my money but I was desperate to deal with those flashes and I did not want to take any more medications. I have worked hard not to have to take medicines.

Now I use them for everything. I get severe Migraines where I usually have to give myself a shot in the leg to reduce them. Well, I started using lavender and peppermint when I felt a headache coming on and 3 out of 4 migraines were relieved without medication. That never happens for me.

Seriously took away my stress, left me less emotional and I feel great. Of course I still had some surgical pain but it was tolerable.

I also started diffusing grapefruit oil which is supposed to deal with hunger which I really had a lot of while recuperating from this surgery. I think the wounds are so big that your body simply needs more Protein and calories in general to heal properly. I am not convinced I had the right solution because I found myself still having cravings for stuff that I really shouldn't have.

Try not to worry so much about gaining your weight back. If you gain a few, simply go back to the plan when you are feeling better. I gained 3lbs over a period of 6 weeks and lost them in 2 days. Just make sure it is Protein based calories you are adding for the most part and you should be fine.

I hope you start to feel better soon. I personally have had more surgeries in my life that I have fingers and most of them major surgeries: 6 spine including 2 spinal fusions, an open gallbladder, hysterectomy....you get the picture. This particular surgery was brutal mostly because the incisions are so big and your body swells so bad. I was not expecting it and in talking to other that have had it, the swelling shocked them as well.

For me that burning and itching sensation was the worst. I had a 3 level cervical fusion a year ago and I swear the pain was not nearly as bad. LOL

[sweettea 300]

I have anxiety attacks and a horrible fear of gaining the weight back, plus a fear of have I lost to much. I obsess over my weight. So please know you aren't alone. Do you go to counseling? It might help. It's helped me somewhat. I still have bad days, but counselor has helped me with tools to deal with anxiety. That and I have a very understanding husband and bff who talk me through my anxiety attracts.

[Anghelys Garcia 32]

@@Anghelys Garcia

You are going to think I am crazy but I started using Young Living Essential oils 2 days after my Brachioplasty. I started diffusing stress away oil with a bit of lemon grass oil.

I started using them because I was having horrific hot flashes and I was waiting for my oils to arrive when I had surgery. I started using progessence plus oil of hot flashes by putting a few drops on my forearms and neck.

I went from having over 50+ hot flashes per day to none! I swear it!

I honestly was not a believer and thought I would be wasting my money but I was desperate to deal with those flashes and I did not want to take any more medications. I have worked hard not to have to take medicines.

Now I use them for everything. I get severe Migraines where I usually have to give myself a shot in the leg to reduce them. Well, I started using lavender and peppermint when I felt a headache coming on and 3 out of 4 migraines were relieved without medication. That never happens for me.

Seriously took away my stress, left me less emotional and I feel great. Of course I still had some surgical pain but it was tolerable.

I also started diffusing grapefruit oil which is supposed to deal with hunger which I really had a lot of while recuperating from this surgery. I think the wounds are so big that your body simply needs more Protein and calories in general to heal properly. I am not convinced I had the right solution because I found myself still having cravings for stuff that I really shouldn't have.

Try not to worry so much about gaining your weight back. If you gain a few, simply go back to the plan when you are feeling better. I gained 3lbs over a period of 6 weeks and lost them in 2 days. Just make sure it is Protein based calories you are adding for the most part and you should be fine.

I hope you start to feel better soon. I personally have had more surgeries in my life that I have fingers and most of them major surgeries: 6 spine including 2 spinal fusions, an open gallbladder, hysterectomy....you get the picture. This particular surgery was brutal mostly because the incisions are so big and your body swells so bad. I was not expecting it and in talking to other that have had it, the swelling shocked them as well.

For me that burning and itching sensation was the worst. I had a 3 level cervical fusion a year ago and I swear the pain was not nearly as bad. LOL

This is so amazing because I've been diffusing lavender to keep calm also. I've been using essential oils on and off for a few months now and they do help. I just seem to forget how helpful they are. I use a blend and dill for hunger but will definitely look into grapefruit oil.

You're inspirational and strong to have gone through all of those surgeries. Truly inspirational.

As for worrying about my weight gain, I'm going to either avoid weighing myself until the swelling goes down, or try and accept that the scale will be higher due to the swelling. Do you know of anything that can help with swelling?

I will try and stick to my normal routine diet as best as I can. But I need to accept that I might have to make tweaks due to my healing. My cravings are strong but I have plenty of alternatives that can calm them down.

Thanks so much for your advice. I greatly appreciate it.

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[Anghelys Garcia 32]

I have anxiety attacks and a horrible fear of gaining the weight back, plus a fear of have I lost to much. I obsess over my weight. So please know you aren't alone. Do you go to counseling? It might help. It's helped me somewhat. I still have bad days, but counselor has helped me with tools to deal with anxiety. That and I have a very understanding husband and bff who talk me through my anxiety attracts.

Hi thanks so much for your response. Thanks so much for assuring me that I'm not alone. Im planning on starting counseling once I finish school in late October.

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[Djmohr 6,965]

@@Anghelys Garcia

I have learned two things that help with this kind of swelling. 1. Compression absolutely is the number 1 help. Without it, I swear you can feel your body swell

2. Ice. I packed my arms in ice all day and night for the first 3 weeks. After about 3 weeks the swelling improved enough to stop icing but I am still wearing my compression garments for most of the day. I do take them off for a little while (a couple hours), then I want them back on because I feel them start to swell.

Lastly......it takes quite a while before your weight comes back to normal. You would think having all that skin and fat removed you would actually lose but it is not true. My doc told me it will take 6 months to a year before all the swelling subsides. She took off close to 5lbs in fat and skin from my arms and I weight the same as I did before surgery 7 weeks later. My measurements are different but I weight the same.

Try not to get so hung up on the number, focus on how you feel, stick to your plan and the rest will happen.

[Anghelys Garcia 32]

@@Anghelys Garcia

I have learned two things that help with this kind of swelling. 1. Compression absolutely is the number 1 help. Without it, I swear you can feel your body swell

2. Ice. I packed my arms in ice all day and night for the first 3 weeks. After about 3 weeks the swelling improved enough to stop icing but I am still wearing my compression garments for most of the day. I do take them off for a little while (a couple hours), then I want them back on because I feel them start to swell.

Lastly......it takes quite a while before your weight comes back to normal. You would think having all that skin and fat removed you would actually lose but it is not true. My doc told me it will take 6 months to a year before all the swelling subsides. She took off close to 5lbs in fat and skin from my arms and I weight the same as I did before surgery 7 weeks later. My measurements are different but I weight the same.

Try not to get so hung up on the number, focus on how you feel, stick to your plan and the rest will happen.

Thanks so much. Your advice has been beyond helpful!

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[JamieLogical 8,708]

Sorry I'm late to this party, but what you are going through is so normal. You are not alone! The pain is tough. It is no joke. I try to spread the word about that as much as possible on these forums so people know ahead of time. BUT, the pain is temporary. You will make it through. Just take it one day at a time, just like you had to after WLS. It will get better! Not as quickly as it did with WLS, but eventually.

As for the worry about weight gain, it is SO SO SO important to feed your body right now. You may not be exercising (please do NOT push yourself before you are cleared to do so!), but your body is using a LOT of energy to heal. Protein is super important right now.

Stay off the scale too. The swelling will only make you depressed. It takes literally MONTHS for the swelling to subside. If you have an Lipo done, it will be even worse. So just stay away. Focus on healing, be kind to yourself, and do NOT push yourself too hard too fast. Hang in there!

[Spiceyfrog 269]

@@Djmohr, do you diffuse all of these oils? How many hours do you have to be exposed for them to work? Just thinking about those who work 8-10 hours per day, is the 4 hours that you are home in the evening enough to make it work? I have been thinking and hearing about this for some time and your post was so encouraging.

[Anghelys Garcia 32]

Sorry I'm late to this party, but what you are going through is so normal. You are not alone! The pain is tough. It is no joke. I try to spread the word about that as much as possible on these forums so people know ahead of time. BUT, the pain is temporary. You will make it through. Just take it one day at a time, just like you had to after WLS. It will get better! Not as quickly as it did with WLS, but eventually.

As for the worry about weight gain, it is SO SO SO important to feed your body right now. You may not be exercising (please do NOT push yourself before you are cleared to do so!), but your body is using a LOT of energy to heal. Protein is super important right now.

Stay off the scale too. The swelling will only make you depressed. It takes literally MONTHS for the swelling to subside. If you have an Lipo done, it will be even worse. So just stay away. Focus on healing, be kind to yourself, and do NOT push yourself too hard too fast. Hang in there!

Thanks so much for your response! I'll definitely keep this in mind!

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[Anghelys Garcia 32]

Update

11 days post op 09/11/16, a little swollen but feeling better!

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[DaisyAmy 561]

Wow! Looking amazing!

[ThomasWinfrey 0]

Glad to know that you are recovering.