Liposuction / Flying Squirrel surgery

Hi Linda,

I’m here at Dr Chen’s and today I just got told the same thing. I’m from out of town so I’m scheduled fir the LVA on Wed but he is now suggesting the liposuction.

What did you end up doing?

amanda

I am currently waiting for insurance authorization too. Think if I do get it, I'll wait until I can get the covid vaccine (hopefully early spring). Let me know if you find out anything.

Thanks,

Amanda

Hi Linda and TooMuch,

I haven't logged in for a while... this year has been so crazy for many reasons. I had my flying squirrel procedure on March 25th and then flew home for recovery. I stayed in arm wraps 24/7 and elevated my arm am/pm for 4 weeks, then continued with wraps for another week or so and am now in 30-40 mmHg flat weave 24/7 along with a hand glove. I have also started using my pneumatic pump again (and see my PT).

It has been quite a journey to say the least! But it has all been worth it and it's in the service of hopefully buying more time until I progress further (years hopefully). I am going to go for another ICG staging this summer and hopefully it will show that I was able to revert to a lower stage (I was a stage III lymphadema -- which surprised me btw because I had only had swelling for a few months.. or so I thought).

I am also scheduled to have the LVA this September. Although that may be on a hold because of insurance issues. (as of right now, Blue Shield has technically "denied" my claim for the liposuction -- even after saying that I didn't need to have pre- authorization for it)!

However, there were a few things that were a challenge for me after surgery. Primarily, I don't think I was prepared enough for what recovery involved. Yes, it's a pain to wrap (but your significant other/friend or whoever will get the hang of it. You will get into a rhythm of washing your wraps and doing dishes with your left hand etc. But, the actual post-op was very difficult for me. And, I think I sort of blocked out what was going to happen and, unfortunately, I didn't pay enough attention because of it. For instance, I didn't know that they would be giving me a nerve block for the surgery and this was inserted into my neck (like an epidural would be in your back). I also didn't know I wouldn't be able to move my arm. I mean literally at all. In fact, it was dead weight for 3 days. But, I should be glad because I felt no pain! (other than in my shoulder from carrying the weight of that arm with my other arm). It was very weird to wake up and not feel my arm. I also had a very weird complication that had me go back to the ER.... after they released me from the hospital, over the course of that first night, I actually stopped being able to pee! I had to go the next day to get my bladder drained! It was SOOOO painful and scary. They told me later ( after a urology visit) that after 3 kids, my bladder had dropped and it sometimes can pinch off the urethra (if your bladder gets too full) and, after surgery, sometimes it can take up to 48 hours for the proper functioning of our bladders to "wake up". Who knew? Well, I wouldn't wish that on anyone. They sent me home with a foley catheter. So there I was walking around, carrying a pain pump wearing a catherer strapped to my leg and holding my right arm up and elevated. I was miserable!!!! Sometimes I feel like I'm such a doufus.

But that is all over now and I am really hoping I can get the LVA done.

The only other thing is that my right arm looks much smaller than my left one (I knew it would but seeing it is kind of another thing). I am hoping to lose some weight and then my left arm will lean out a little. And, I need to do some light weights and regain some muscle definition in my right arm (after being immobile and wrapped for so long, it got kind of wimpy looking). It will even out over time. But, it definitely looks different. Eventually, I can get a little lipo on the other arm if needed. But this is what the surgery was intended for! Hope you all understand what I'm trying to describe (want it/don't want it). But, looking just at my right arm, it looks fantastic and the scar is very tidy. It's just now my left arm is jealous of my right arm!

But I have NO pain in my right arm, NO aching, and NO swelling (although I had to work to that for several weeks post op). I am not testing if I can go wiithout compression garmets, nor will I for at least a year. I am hoping for some compression free hours eventually but I'm told there isn't a guarantee.

Sorry to leave such a long post but I hope it's useful.

Amanda

Hi Linda,

I was wondering about exactly the same things as you (airport etc). They give you an arm sling which helps a lot. I bought two different arm bolsters off Amazon that I used at different times.

But frankly, they made me realize that I was overthinking everything. They are much more “casual” about everything. I held my arm up as much as I could through the airport but sometimes it was down (in the sling).

it all goes by so quickly!

The main thing is wrapping the arm. I was very diligent.

Good luck to you.

Amanda and Linda,

I'm sorry that I have been offline for so long. Thank you so much for posting all this amazing information!

Amanda, I'm sorry you had a rough post-op course.

I have had to keep my arm wrapped almost 24-7 from February 2020-June 2021! When I tried to wear a compression garment my hand swelled. Needless to say I've gotten very good at wrapping!

I ended up getting a 2nd opinion and had LVA surgery in March knowing that I would likely need liposuction to treat the solid component. I normally work in an Emergency Department but for more than a year, I did telemedicine. The hope was that the LVA would allow me to work unwrapped without getting significant swelling or cellulitis. I haven't had cellulitis since the procedure but my arm does swell after every shift. It usually takes about 2 days of MLD, using the pump and wrapping to get it back down. But the LVA definitely helped with my hand and wrist swelling. At least now I feel like I can go a few hours unwrapped without serious swelling and I can get the swelling down much faster than before the LVA.

I'm scheduled to have liposuction in December. I have loose skin on my good arm without a lot of fat and I don't want to have one really skinny tight arm and one wiggly one. Just a personal choice. I'm also going to have an ICG prior to surgery to see if there are any additional places for LVA. I am planning to take 3 months off after surgery to wrap and wear compression but I hope after that I will be able to return to work without developing significant swelling. I do anticipate that I will have to wrap for a day or two after each shift.

How many days after your surgery were you able to fly home? I haven't gotten post-op instructions but only walking for 10 minutes at a time and otherwise keeping your arm elevated for a full month seems tough. I did that completely for 2 weeks after the LVA surgery and for the next 2 weeks I didn't really exert myself and of course didn't lift anything heavy but I did take slow walks and cook.

'Linda, are you seeing a lymphedema therapist? She/he could probably tell if your arm has stabilized.

I'm glad to hear that you're both doing well! Please update this site with your progress!

Toomuch

it’s a wonderful solution!! Just have it. See my

Post at the end of the threa

Can anyone explain "flying squirrel" surgery to me?

Thanks, Footloose