LBL questions

I'm booked and super excited!  Having LBL and brachioplasty in December.  I have a few questions.

• How long after LBL did you comfortably wear pants?  Would it be smart to get some with elastic waist or avoid pants for a while? 
• What about skirts (elastic waist) would they be comfortable or would the waist irritate me all day?
• For hanging out around while recovering, will I want some sweats or pj pants in a size or two larger than I am now, just for comfort?
• When you do swell, are you larger than you were pre-surgery?
• Any other post-surgical clothing thoughts or suggestions?

Thanks!

I went home in a pair of lose sweatpants and wore them, housecoats, and pajamas during recovery.  I know I was focused on my abdomen, but with the compression garment on, wearing pants wasn't a problem.  In fact, the sweats were comfortable and convenient for hanging the drains to.

What IS a problem is raising your arms above your head and straightening out.  You'll be hunched over for awhile, depending on how much muscle repair is done.  Getting clothes over your head, or even fastening a bra, is difficult.  Not impossible, just difficult.  So look for something that buttons or zips up the front.  I wore a front close leisure bra.

I didn't swell enough to change clothing sizes, but most of my clothes have some room in them anyway.  But that seems to be dependent on the person, so you might swell out of your clothes.  A size larger in pants/pjs should be plenty.

If you know someone with a walker, borrow it.  Your lower back is going to be seriously sore from the abdominal muscles pulling it over.  The walker is convenient to lean on and balance yourself.

Some people get the lift recliners.  Probably a good idea.  I managed with my bed and lots of pillows.

And, it's going to be awhile before you can get up/down easily, so make sure you gather everything you need within arm reach, and get things off of high shelves and within reach.  Honestly, it was a miserable 3 weeks after surgery, and pretty uncomfortable even after that.  But the result is worth it!

Best of luck to you!!!

thanks...glad you reminded me of the front closing bras...got to dig those out of the storage bin.  I do have loose pjs and some yoga pants, so i should be good with those.  I think I will look for a couple more zip up hoodies.  They did come in handy when I had the BL/BA.  I might even have some larger panties saved for such an occasion.  I am fortunate that hubby works down the street and can pop in to help if I need something.  No little ones at home, so I can relax and recover with hubby waiting on me!  Not sure if anyone I know has a walker, but I will ask around.  I just ordered a power recliner.  It's not a lift, but at least I won't have to struggle with the lever like i did when I had my VSG. 

I was thinking of getting a wedge pillow...did you use one of those?  The worst thing for me was constantly adjusting the many pillows I used.  Maybe the wedge would be easier when I sleep in the bed.  I am excited but I do know that my lower back will be aching.  I've had other abdominal surgeries and it seems to be a common thing.  I'm sure it's worth it.

:)

Didn't use the wedge pillow, but I think it'd be a good idea.  I stayed in embryo position (head and knees elevated) for the first week or two, and getting into an upright position was a pain.  Standing up - no problem.  Sitting down - no problem.  But when you hit that position where your core supports you - ouch!

I used a wedge pillow for my back/head and a neck roll pillow under my bent knees.

My waist was 27 inches pre-op. Post-LBL it swelled to 31. After about a month I lost 3 of those inches. It took another month or so to get back down to 27. I wore yoga pants and tank tops while I was recovering. I am a teacher and had 7 weeks to recover. I don't think I wore pants until I went back to work. I wore dresses that summer if I went somewhere I could not wear my yoga pants.

That doesn't sound too bad...I've read some people thought they looked several months pregnant. Hopefully the worst of it will happen when I'm home recovering.  Earlier I was reading someone's post that she said she wore the compression garment at night for about a year and in the morning, her tummy was flat.  How long did you wear yours?  The doctor said at least 4 weeks, but if it helps that much, I don't have a problem using it longer.

4-6 weeks, I believe. After that I wore spanx type shapewear for another month or so.

Here I was 18 days post-lbl/bl. We were going to a sweet 16 party. I was sore, but managed. I did sit the whole time. I don't think you could tell I was swollen here.

you look great!

You develop a real love/hate relationship with your compression garment.  It's a nuisance, but it gives you a feeling of security. Without it, you feel like a sausage about to explode out of your skin.  A lot of this depends on how much muscle work you have done.  The skin removal is easy.  The muscle repair is a *****