please help! armpit opened up after arm lift :(

Yeah I've been trimming and pulling little white stitches out the past couple of weeks now.  When I went to the doctor he pulled out a blue stitch that was about  6 inches long!!!!  I had a little one like yours right where the incision ends by my elbow and asked about packing that one, and he said no it was more like a little pimple, and sure enough it's gone now.

I do my compression on and off due to discomfort, and I do have some mild swelling.  Fun, fun stuff, but it should all be worth it soon!  Heck I already want to wear tank tops to show off my puny arms :)   

haha! Step away!! I'm sure you look great and will look even better after a few weeks. Mine and your sound very similar but I think mine is bigger; I also do not see any stitch. Wishing you fast happy healing!

Hi Jennifer, When I had my tummy tuck I freaked out about the swelling. I was in contact with Dr. Capella alot. I even called him in the middle of the night once. I was sure something was wrong, that I had a seroma. Dr. Capella was right all along, that it was just normal swelling... but it took an ultrasound and an MRI to convince me of that. So, my well-intended advice to you is to listen to him. He really knows what he is doing. 

Also be aware that some patients who post well-intended comments are sharing their experience and may have had issues that are not what you are experiencing... failure to heal, spitting stitches, things like that which are not the same as skin dehiscence. 

You are like me, reading, researching, freaking out... just take a deep breathe and stop driving yourself into anxiety with the research and listen to your surgeon. I know exactly what you are going through because I do the same thing myself. A few weeks ago I was a hot freaking mess. Then I forced myself to let go one day and after that I was fine. 

You are in good hands. Call Dr. C more often if that makes you feel better. 

Remember just a week or two ago you were upset about your implants and he told you to wait. And now you love them. Do yourself a favor and just let go. 

Be well!!!

Wow... more evidence that Dr. C is amazing!! Dr. C is awesome and I did talk to Scott about it already. I'm not so much worried as I am annoyed lol I'm so paranoid to move much. I hate to bother them over something so small that I know is pretty normal so I'm trying to just stay chill.

I am def a worrier / over planner / over researcher / crazy person lol I just can not help it. I do not understand how people can go into a huge choice like this and not do research. (a friend of mine just did)

I know everyone is different but I guess I just hoped someone who know this trick to make them close sooner or could prepare me for what will happen if they do not close. Not things that sound fun thats for sure (burning? ouch!) but either way I'll have to heal on my own or have him do something to make me heal.... not much I can do or change about that now. I am so happy I don't even care how they close :)

Yes, I am totally with you on being an epowered patient. But I do drive myself crazy sometimes. My dad is one of those other patients you mention. He had a quadruple bypass and a caroditectomy (sp) a few years ago and just the other day he told me that he did not realize what a big surgery it was?!?!?! Seriously, someone cracked open your chest and worked on four of your clogged arteries of your heart and you did not know that was serious... SMH. 

I suggest you run any remedies past Dr. Capella before trying them. You don't want to do more harm than good. 

I am so hoping that my incisions do not open. I have both the armpit and the groin to worry about. I am only two weeks away form my surgery... by this time in two weeks I will be in CareOne. Yikes!

Wow! Some people shock me... At least he is fine, thank god! Some people just have faith and are free and just do "it". Sometimes I wish I were like them

wow two weeks! so soon it will either fly by or feel like a year lol You are in great hands!

I am on vacation in California for two weeks + so it will fly by. I planned it this way so I did not freak out. So instead, I had my freak out before my vacation, LOL.

Yes, sometimes I wish that I were like those other people, too. But I diagnosed my mother with a rare disease years ago after many specialists missed it. Plus, I worked in pharma most of my career so I have seen lots. It all keeps me very involved in my healthcare.

One of mine opened up after my manboob reduction and the doc recommended packing it with calcium alginate rope, which did seem to help it close up again - it wasn't doing much of anything until I started dressing it. The main problem is that the pit is such a PITA to bandage, but at least once it closed the doc was eager to get me into the pool again.

Thanks for the tip! I'll look into that :)

Yeah it is a pain area to work with- cleaning, drying, dressing etc :/ I just hope it closes fast

Jennifer, please do me a favor: you have to listen what Dr Capella will tell you to do.

Alla