Edema after arm lift

[body]

Over 10 weeks ago I had brachioplasty - under arm incision and from arm pit to half-way down towards my wrist. Wore the compression garment for 3 weeks until I developed cellulitis & swelling was so bad I had to stop wearing it for good. I am now left with one big swollen arm. Anyone out there know if the swelling ever goes down by itself & how long it takes? Thanks.

[tunny]

Wish I could help you but my incision was only in the armpit. Why did you have that procedure done along with an incision all the way down your arm? I thought it was either one or the other and not both. What does the Dr. say about the swelling? Be careful with this.

[body]

Both incisions were done at the same time on the same arm - across armpit and down the length of my arm.

[brad]

I am about 5 mos. post op from brachioplasty and I have the scars on the inside of my arms...and couldn't be more thrilled. For me, after a large wt. loss and lots of hanging skin, it was always more about the improved profile of my new arms being more in proportion to the rest of my body. I did have some swelling difficulties earlier in the recovery process with the arm wraps and compression garments and I too had to stop wearing them because they were hindering my recovery instead of helping. It took a few weeks for the swelling to go down in a major way, and my Dr. said that swelling can typically take up to a year to go down re final results. If you feel that you are not seeing improvement within a reasonable amount of time, you shouldn't hesitate to question your Dr. extensively until you feel you are being truly listened to. I know this stage is frustrating, but ultimately so very worth it. The other replies did advise you well however....swelling which is not showing signs of improvement could be very serious and you certainly want to get it checked out in a timely manner. Best of luck,

[Alleygems]

Ooops!!! You did a perfect wrong thing. You should not wore the compression garment immediately after brachioplasty. Actually you can wear your dream dresses only after complete healing of the surgical wound. Any how, please consult your surgeon immediately to rectify this issue. Hope everything will be alright within couple of weeks.... ALL THE BEST!!!

[melmel]

Originally Posted by body

Over 10 weeks ago I had brachioplasty - under arm incision and from arm pit to half-way down towards my wrist. Wore the compression garment for 3 weeks until I developed cellulitis & swelling was so bad I had to stop wearing it for good. I am now left with one big swollen arm. Anyone out there know if the swelling ever goes down by itself & how long it takes? Thanks.

What may have happened is that the compression garment held your arms too tightly, since they would swell up. This could have caused internal injuries, especially since the arms were already weak from surgery.

[sacback]

Originally Posted by body

Both incisions were done at the same time on the same arm - across armpit and down the length of my arm.

Was there a reason why you had both done? I mean I though they only did one. Sounds like somethign was done wrong.