Smart Lipo: Stories

I went in on June 28th for smart lipo of my upper/lower abdomen and flanks. I am 47 years old, 5'4" and 125 lbs. I have always felt that I have carried my excess weight around my middle, and it seems like the last place I lose weight. As I have gotten older the "middle tire" has seemed to get bigger!!

I wanted to record my experiences to help others that may be in my same situation with age and size. My body type seems to first to gain and last to lose around my middle, and as I have gotten older I cannot seem to lose it no matter what I do. I currently weigh 125 lbs- I feel like my body is a size 2, but because of my muffin top, I have to wear a size 4/6. therefore, my clothes tend to be tight around my middle, but baggy elsewhere. If I try to lose weight- it comes from my breasts and butt. I don't want that!! So smart lipo made the most sense to correct these issues.

I had the procedure done at 10am on Thursday, June 28. I was excited, but felt a bit bad because I thought I was being a bit self absorped doing this for vanity. After talking to my friends who are the same age, I have found alot of us in our 40's want to look good and age gracefully, so I wasn't alone!! I had vitamins the doctor suggested, (vitamins A, C and Zinc) that I started 2 weeks out, and Bronmin and Arcin 2 days before the procedure. Also started an antibotic the day before. The day of the procedure, I took my "before" pictures, and measured my waist (28 inches) and my hips (34 inches) , and weighed at home at 126 lbs. I also had drank alot of water, 70 oz for 2 days prior so I felt pretty hydrated.

When I went in, I was given a valium, weighed in (126 lbs) and put in a nice dark room with candles and jazz music. The doctor then came and got me (I had dozed off) and she marked me up and I got on the table and it was time to go!! She started with putting in liquids (2 liters) and boy did it hurt!! The doctor was very good to me, and numbed the areas, but explained since I didn't have children before, my stomach had never expanded like that before and she did what she could to make me as comfortable as possible. Once that part was done, she started with the laser, and I can say that I felt the wand moving around, but it didn't hurt a bit! it took longer than I thought ( 1-2 hours) and we chatted the whole time, so it wasn't bad at all!! They do put shields on your eyes, so with them closed, it did help by outta sight outta mind!! In the end the doctor told me that she had taken 1.5 liters of fat out, Yay!!

I then got up, they put the absorption pad around my middle, compression garment, then a binder and off I went home. I was told I had to drink 4 bottles of water in 2 hours, and eat a light meal with protein and carbs, it really felt like alot with all the compression going on! I didn't feel bad at all when I got home, but I did take a loratab anyways to anticipate the pain that may come after the numbness wore off. Probably around 10pm the binder was soooo tight that when I finally ate (a grilled chicken salad around 8pm) I felt so uncomfortable that I had my husband rewrap the binder to give me some breathing room and make me more comfortable to sleep. I really didn't have any drainage seeping through my garments that day or night. I woke up twice during the night, once to pee and another for another 1/2 pain med, and I did sleep the rest of the time.

The next morning I felt ok- maybe a 5 on a 1-10 scale, and I was very anxious to see the results and also see how the drainage looked. I did take off the stuff, and saw quite a bit of drainage, and the results looked great for 1 day post op! I didn't experience too much dizziness, but I made sure to sit down a good 5 minutes before getting in the shower. I then rewrapped the area with the absorption pad, compression garment and then the binder, and felt pretty good. Like others, when I get up or down from a chair or bed the pain is probably around an 8, but being still only a 3-4. I think the best way to handle the day after is to take it easy, to help with the swelling and pain. I took a half a loratab, and all the vitamins and drank a ton of water again. I did sit at my desk, drive and went grocery shopping and felt good but a little tired. By nightfall, I was feeling like I needed to change the dressings, so when my husband got home, he helped me out of my garments, and the pad was pretty clean, so I just used bandaids for the ports, and put the compression garment and binder back on to sleep- another half of loratab and a benadryl and went to bed. I slept good but only on my back, because moving to the sides hurt too much!

The next morning (day 2) I felt super itchy and couldn't wait to take off the garments to shower!! It turns out the binder had been cutting into my sides, and I had alot of redness and it super itched where the garment zipped on the sides!! I looked swollen, more swollen than day 1, and I took my measurements, 27 " waist, 34.5" hip and weighed 128. Instead of putting the garment on with the zipper to irritate my skin, I took a t-shirt that was totally fitted, made sure it lay flat, and then put on my compression garment and binder, thinking that will prevent the irritation from the compression garment's zipper. Again took a benadryl for the itching, 2 tyalnol, water and vitamins, and promised myself to take it easy to allow the healing to take place.

It's been 8 days since my procedure, and I think I am finally finding a routine in this. I have had minimal brusing, the vitamins and lots of water seem to help! I have been wearing the compression garment I got from the doctor for the last 8 days, and it has been really uncomfortable! The side zipper and hook and eyes have been digging in my skin, and when I went for the 5 day followup, I wanted to know if I could switch compression garments. I was told I could wear a spanx- but it has to fit tight- very tight. I had one I used to wear that was a size med (6-8) but I was told it was too loose, and needed either a small, or probably something smaller than that! I was glad to go in and see her, because there are so many compression garments out there, I wanted some help with what the best one would be. We looked at the Bella Jane garments and we decided on the Structured Abdominal Support one, because it has "boning" in it, so it will give good support to my abs, and love handles, and it gives a nice curve for my waist and hip area. I am really excited to get it in, and will give reviews once I get it. I also wanted to ask about the compression garment, what it does and how long I need to wear it. I have had to take the compression garment off at times ( an hour each day) because I needed a break from it digging in my sides- and she assured me that the compression garment helps with the swelling and creating the curve, and helps the skin to reattach in a flattering manner. She said it was important to lift the skin "up and out" up on my rib cage- and use the fingers to go out toward the hips or sides) when placing the garment on to help the skin attached in a flattering manner. she said it would take a couple of weeks for the skin to reattach, and that's why you feel tingling and sometimes a sharp pain- it could be the skin pulling back away because the fibers when they reattach could be weak. It made more sense, and since, I have been sure to do that when I place the garment on. I also asked about the lumps- or hard spots, and she said massaging was fine, just to smooth out the skin. I felt like she did a good job answering my questions. She thought my results were coming along fine- even though my waist is only down an inch and my hips are the same, since she said that I was still pretty swollen and should see results in the next couple of weeks. I go back in a month, and by month 2 (60 days) she said that I should see 90% of my results my then.

So after ordering my Bella Jane. I also decided I wanted to add something else, to wear when the Bella Jane needs washing, so I went to Target and got the "Assets" by Spanx, which is the same thing as a Spanx but half the price. I am wearing that now (day 8) with my binder since I feel like my shape needs that extra support for the next couple of days. I do think the swelling also has to do with the salt intake- I had wings last night, and I do see more swelling today.

I will post pictures in the next couple of days.