So over swelling...and a drain question...

I will be two weeks post op for an anchor TT and BA/BL.  My thighs and legs are swelling worse that the tummy area.  I mean I am so swollen I look and feel like I have pillows wrapped around my legs.  How long does this last ????   I just want my legs back.  talk about a self esteem killer.....

I still have my drain tube in.  It seems to get quite a few clots (because it leaks almost everyday no matter how much I try to avoid it.) I guess its draining old blood from what I can tell.  My question is... how long did you have to keep your drain?  I have my appt. on thursday to remove the drain but I will probably have to reschedule since I am still draining too much...

Trish,
I had the same exact thing happen to me.  I had no swelling in my tummy but my legs and butt blew up!
The only way to get them down was to wear a full compression garment and I kept taking breaks to lay down and elevate my legs.  That did the trick for me.  Within 3 of getting into the compression garment the legs were much better but it took about another 2 or 3 weeks for all the swelling leave.
Sorry to tell you this but swelling can come and go and stay with us for 3-6 months easily.  Sucks, I know!!!

My drain did not come out until I was 19 days post op.  Think of it this way...the more the drain pulls out the less you swell....if the fluid doesn't come out you will swell more.  That's how I made myself feel better about having the drain in so long........

PM me if you want to chat more.
Ruth

Hi Ruth,

I will definitely PM you.  I am just so frustrated.  I worked so hard for my muscle tone, and although I have alot of flab on my legs, I have alot of muscle too.  Now they are jus****er bags.. lol.  I am wearing the compression garmet almost 24/7.  The big problem is that my swelling increases the longer I sit in a chair, and I have a desk job....Hopefully when I get back to running the sweling will decrease some... I hate to think that it could last up to 6 months but thanks for letting me know...

 

I will watch for you PM.
Don't want to make you feel even worse but you need to know that when you start getting more active/exercising the swelling increases but if you are like me you'll see it just a little bit in your tummy.

Did you have any lipo done during your procedure?

I had my last drain in for 6 weeks. completely sucked. By the end I was ready to pull it out myself, it hurt worse than any of the incisions.

I'm 5 months out and stil swell to a certain degree every day.  Not as bad as the first couple of months though.