swelling after arm surgery

[tunny]

I am 3.5 weeks out from a brachioplasty and my right arm is still swelling in areas. I wonder if anyone has had similar symptoms? I no longer am wearing the arm wraps (per doctor).

My doctor has said its normal and can happen. Any suggestions?

[brad]

I am 10 weeks post op from brachioplasty, and one of my arms was a bit more swollen than the other too. The one with more swelling had had more sagging and loose skin, and so the surgery on that arm was a bit more (along with lipo) than that on the other side. At only 3.5 weeks post op, swelling is pretty normal, and can take quite a while to resolve. When in doubt though, it's always best to keep checking in with your surgeon and never feel bad about asking as many questions as you need to.

[body]

I can understand your concern about the swelling and the matching of one arm to the other. In my case, yes, the swelling did go down, although some is still in evidence, coming up on 12 weeks post op. The arms look very equal in size now, but I do notice a crease in one arm about an inch up from the elbow crease, that is on one arm but not the other. I am told that some form of the swelling can continue for many many months, but in my case as I said, I see little difference in size from one arm to the other. I am not sure what 'lymphadema' is, but many conditions as described on the internet can sound very scarey. My best advice would continue to stay in very close touch with your surgeon, and if you have concerns that you feel are relevant to your case, do not hesitate to ask your the surgeon about them, including this condition and why you are concerned about it. It's so nice to have this site and to be able to stay in touch with other people who have had the same procedure. Continued good luck with your recovery.

[tunny]

I was wondering, did it finally go down to match the other one? Also, did you ever get told you had "lymphedema"? I have not yet been told that - but when I read about it on-line, it looks pretty scary.

I guess what I am saying is the swelling permanent?

[kellyg]

Originally Posted by tunny

I guess what I am saying is the swelling permanent?

The swelling definitely shouldn't be permanent, but it can last a while. There's no harm in asking your doctor to look at your arm, because he can check to make sure that their any complications.

[sacback]

The swellen isn't permenant no but you have to remember that you just altered your body so with that said you had a major impact done on a part of your body that has mostly muscle to it. You are going to swelling for a while. Some cases are different than others but know that it will go down.

[illuseesion]

I can say that the swelling is very painful and it may come off that it like it will never end but it will. When I had my surgery it took around 3 months just for the swelling to lessen to the point where it didn't bother me.

[Tag]

It wouldnt hurt to check with your doctor about the swelling. Even more important to do so, if its painful.