So I have gone AWOL from my blog for awhile. I have no good excuse. I am simply a bum. In the last entry I had just run my 10k. It was one of the most exciting days of my life. I was so proud of what I did. After the race I stopped running and started concentrating more on just working out. I also decided to go through with something that I have dreamed about for years.
It was something I never thought could happen. I decided to get skin removal on my arms. It was something that made me so self-conscious for years. I don't quite remember when the skin started to become a problem. I didn't have it in college, but when my brother was married three years later, it was there in all its glory. I started really noticing it, especially on my right arm, when I began dating Dave. We were hanging out at my apartment and I was telling him about my weight loss. At the time (March 2010) I had lost 50 or so pounds and the skin on my right arm was very noticeable. Anyway, I was telling him about the weight loss and he mentioned something about lifting weights to help my arm. He wasn't rude or anything, but It really got me thinking. So I began to really focus my workouts on lifting weights trying to change my arms. But by that time, I was in love, and had hurt my back. Working out became secondary, and as I have blogged before, I gained back much of the weight I had lost.
Fast forward to March of 2012... With support of my family and my friend Chrissy, I decided to see a plastic surgeon about my arms. With my 100 pound weight loss, the skin on my right arm had increased. It was becoming difficult to find short sleeve shirts that hid my skin. I was very unhappy, and I was sad. Every time I bought a cute shirt, I would have to buy a sweater to wear to cover up with. I hated it. The plastic surgeon said I was a good candidate for Brachioplasty, or an arm lift. I was able to get financing for the surgery, and Chrissy said she could help me during the first day of recovery. So I booked it. June 4th would be the day.
For whatever reason, I didn't take a before picture. I am a dumb ass. I looked through all of my pictures for a pic of my arms and found nothing. Over the past several years, I have done an excellent job of hiding my arms in pictures! Here's one from a few weeks ago. You can barely see my arm, but you will get the idea.
See.... look right above this ^^^ My left arm wasn't so bad. In fact, if my right arm looked like my left arm, I would not have had surgery.
June 4th arrived in a hurry. That morning I was so excited and scared. I am very glad that Chrissy was there to help me.
When the anesthesiology was waking me from the surgery I remember asking, "Do I have skinny arms?" All the people laughed. I hadn't even opened my eyes yet. Surprise, surprise, me trying to be the comedian!
It was something I never thought could happen. I decided to get skin removal on my arms. It was something that made me so self-conscious for years. I don't quite remember when the skin started to become a problem. I didn't have it in college, but when my brother was married three years later, it was there in all its glory. I started really noticing it, especially on my right arm, when I began dating Dave. We were hanging out at my apartment and I was telling him about my weight loss. At the time (March 2010) I had lost 50 or so pounds and the skin on my right arm was very noticeable. Anyway, I was telling him about the weight loss and he mentioned something about lifting weights to help my arm. He wasn't rude or anything, but It really got me thinking. So I began to really focus my workouts on lifting weights trying to change my arms. But by that time, I was in love, and had hurt my back. Working out became secondary, and as I have blogged before, I gained back much of the weight I had lost.
Fast forward to March of 2012... With support of my family and my friend Chrissy, I decided to see a plastic surgeon about my arms. With my 100 pound weight loss, the skin on my right arm had increased. It was becoming difficult to find short sleeve shirts that hid my skin. I was very unhappy, and I was sad. Every time I bought a cute shirt, I would have to buy a sweater to wear to cover up with. I hated it. The plastic surgeon said I was a good candidate for Brachioplasty, or an arm lift. I was able to get financing for the surgery, and Chrissy said she could help me during the first day of recovery. So I booked it. June 4th would be the day.
For whatever reason, I didn't take a before picture. I am a dumb ass. I looked through all of my pictures for a pic of my arms and found nothing. Over the past several years, I have done an excellent job of hiding my arms in pictures! Here's one from a few weeks ago. You can barely see my arm, but you will get the idea.
June 4th arrived in a hurry. That morning I was so excited and scared. I am very glad that Chrissy was there to help me.
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| I took this as I waited to be wheeled into the room! |
I was a immense pain. It was quite a weird feeling. My surgery took about two and half hours. I was in recovery for close to five hours. I was not recovering very well. I was very nauseous and in a lot of pain. Chrissy drove me home and I slept and slept and slept. Later that night Chrissy took a few pictures of my "new" arms.
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| Left Arm |
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| Right arm (the one that made me want to get this surgery) |
Why yes, those are drains hanging down! Gross, I know, but a necessity!
So there ya go. I am still in a little bit of pain. I am amazed at the numbness that I have around the stitches. Now I am very swollen around my elbows. I have to wear under armor to help, but it doesn't always help.
In other news. I am single. Mike and I broke-up because he wants to "focus on his career". Please don't worry about me. I realized that this man was incredibly selfish. There were things that happened this past week when he was supposed to be helping me recover. He tried, he really did, but in the end, it just wasn't enough. The end of our relationship was eminent. I was really feeling it, was trying to see if it was just a phase. It wasn't! I have already begun to move-on and have a date next week! Out with the old and in with the new!
=)
You are such an inspiration Amanda! I love reading your blog posts <3
ReplyDeleteYay for you, Amanda! You are awesome! Better things (and men) to come :)
ReplyDeleteThanks Ladies!
ReplyDelete