Question about a non-working upper arm fistula

[kellyt]

Ok, my upper arm fistula, which I never used, went dead the day after I received my transplant.  The vein got really big, but never protruded or was visible.  Now that it's clotted off, or whatever, my arm is noticeably bigger than my other arm and much, much more flabby.  Will I be able to tone this arm up with lots of work or not?  If I decide to look into plastic surgery would they even be able to remove some of the fistula/vein/whatever?  My scar is horrible and the doctor said I could look into surgery to fix that, but the scar doesn't bother me as much as the size and flabbiness of the arm.  Maybe I could get it all done at the same time.  Has anyone ever had something like this performed?  How did it turn out?  Did they remove part of it or what?  Thanks

[jbeany]

I've got a clotted graft, and I've got that same "1 bigger arm" issue.  What is that, anyhow?  Other than annoying when I try to find clothes, of course.   Is the skin just more stretched because of all the fluid swelling it as it was used?  I don't have a removal option because mine is a graft.  The size did go down quite a bit when I lost the 25 pounds the hard way this summer, but it's still uneven compared to the other side.

So far, I'm just going with 3/4 length sleeves on everything I own!

[RightSide]

My fistula arm was definitely flabbier than my other arm--but that's because I was warned not to stress the fistula arm:  Don't lift more than about 5 or 10 pounds, etc.

Even when I worked out on my elliptical trainer, I would let the other arm do the work and not stress the fistula arm.  So the unequal exercise soon resulted in my fistula arm being flabbier and less muscular than my other arm.

[Stoday]

I was warned not to stress the fistula arm:  Don't lift more than about 5 or 10 pounds, etc.

Me too. Except my lift limit was 5/10 kg.  That's a result of living in Europe. 

[sullidog]

I have a failed upper arm graft, and don't have that problem, my graft itself just feels like a flat hose