“5 week update”

I have always had an athletic body with absolutely no butt. Since having a child (July 2010) it has gotten worse. My hubby is giving this to me as a Christmas gift. I guess he's tired on my complaining. I am nervous about the procedure, but excited about my expected results. I am 5'6", 180lbs and I carry most of my weight in my belly (yes I have the muffin top/spare tire). I have never had to travel for surgery so any advice would be appreciated.

Updated on 10 Apr 2012:
My date is approaching fast and I am really nervous, but excited. I am still waiting for my lab results to be faxed (hopefully by thursday). I just finished buying all of the stuff I think I will need, I got a lot of help from reading all of the posts. I am still trying to decide between two hotels. I actually cant wait to get back to the gym afterwards.

Updated on 17 Apr 2012:
So I am about a week away from my surgery date and I am really nervous. Not about the procedure or pain, but because I am worried that I am going to forget something. I just found out that my best friend will not be going with me. So I have to hire a nurse. I am waiting on a phone call from them. I have so many questions like.... Will I have the same nurse the entire time? How long are their shifts? Should I get a room with two beds? Speaking of beds... I have yet to make my hotel reservation I am still not sure which hotel is best. They all are about the same, but I am leaning toward the Best Western because there is a grocery store across the street and I don't want to feel stranded or have to depend so much on the driver. I haven't started taking the multivitamin becuase I get really nauseous and it comes back up.

Updated on 22 Apr 2012:
So my procedure is 4 days away and I am getting really nervous. I have packed my bag already and re-confirmed my flight, hotel and nurse. I am thinking about upgrading my return flight to first class to be comfortable. I will post more before pictures today. I weighed in at 183 this morning, which is perfect becuase my ideal weight for my build is 165-170lbs. I can't wait to get back to the gym afterwards.

Updated on 25 Apr 2012:
So I arrived here at 10am today and so far so good. Larry met me at the aiport and took me to the office. It was really crowded, luckily there were women there who arrived for their check up so they were standing up anyway. After finishing up paperwork with Nancy I spoke with Dr. Salama, he was super nice, but you could tell he is very busy. I also met Nomie and Ruben. Larry took me to Target to get my prescriptions filled. After waiting for over an hour, I went to pick up my prescription and the line was out the door and the pharmacists were talking and laughing. It was almost a two-hour wait. Larry patiently waited for me. I also had an issue with the nurse, it took forever to confirm, but I finally spoke to them and everything it set for tomorrw. I am scheduled at 3:00 so I will not be able to eat all day ;( Now I am in my hotel preparing my room for tomorrow. I do not have a dress that opens in the front so I guess I will go get one tomorrow. Did anyone else not have the dress? If so, what did you wear? I brought maxi dresses, sweat pants and t-shirts and a robe.

Updated on 26 Apr 2012:
So my surgery is about 3 hrs away and I am really nervous, but excited. I cant wait for the surgery to be over with. I haven't had anything to eat or drink since 9pm last night. I planned to eat again at 11:30pm but I was so tired that I fell asleep, when I woke up it was 1:44am. I don't really feel hungry or thirsty. I have spent the morning trying to find a dress that opens in the front, I couldn't find one so I will have to wear my robe and sweat pants, lol. I found a dress, but it was $79 and I don't want to spend that type of money on a dress just for surgery. I will post an update afterwards. Wish me luck

Updated on 28 Apr 2012:
So it's been 2 days since my bbl. The pain hasnt been too bad. Except when Celia came to my room to give me a massage. It was awful. I did feel better afterwards. I have another on Monday. My nurse is amazing. My butt is rock hard. I look forward to showers lol. The day after I was walking around alot but yesterday my body was really sore. I keep losing feeling in my arms due to the suit, so I have to sleep with my arms down by my sides. I havent been eating much at all, I have to force myself to eat. I have only taken 3 percocet because it makes me nauseous. I have a lot of bruising so I will take pics later.

Updated on 29 Apr 2012:
So it has been 3 days since the bbl. Last night was the worst. I got no sleep at all. My nurse leaves today and I really dont want her to leave, but I can do this on my own now. My butt is as hard as a rock and my back and belly only hurts sometimes. The suit is very annoying. I actually feel better standing so instead of laying down I kneel in front of a chair and rest on a sheet. I only lay down when I have to sleep. I wanted to walk outside today but its raining so I will have to walk around the hotel instead. Im thinking about asking for a bigger garment for my arms. I have definitely had times where I have thought to myself "Why did I do this" but things are getting better by the day.

Updated on 30 Apr 2012:
So I am 4 days post op and my drains are empty most of the time now so I am hoping to get them out very soon. I am having such a hard time sleeping in the garment, every time I move the drain stabs me and I wake up. I have probably slept 5 hrs in the past 48 hrs. I am so tired. I have no problem wearing the garment all day, but during the night it's impossible. I sat up watching movies and walking around the hotel to get the drains to fill. I am supposed to be getting pads to put in my garment soon. Has anyone else had difficulty sleeping with the garment, if so, what helps you?

Updated on 30 Apr 2012:
5 days post op and I had a massage today. It actually felt really good. I got the pads for my garment today and they are actually comfortable, it turns out that the size of my garment was too big, but its perfect with my pads. The only thing that I dont like about them is that they press against my drain. The pain was excruciating at first, but I adjusted and they are comfy again. I get my drains out on wednesday so I cant wait.

Updated on 1 May 2012:
I get my drains out first thing tomorrow. I can't wait. I have no pain just my rock hard butt. I get very weak because I am having a hard time eating/drinking. I am walking a lot now that the weather is warming up. Last night was the first time I slept really well (with tons of pillows). I can't wait to go home soon I am not excited for the plane ride though. When will my butt start to soften up?

Updated on 3 May 2012:
So it's been a week since my bbl. I flew home last night, I couldn't wait until this morning. I was really depressed, I missed my son and hubby sooo much. The flight was horrible, I couldn't stand due to tubulence. I had to face backwards and rest on my knees. It was awkward looking at the old lady seated behind me, lol. Larry dropped me off super early so I had to walk around the airport for almost an hour. I dont think I was ready for all the stares and whispers. The boppy pillow didnt work for me. I have been eating and drinking a lot better and moving around a lot too since I arrived. I still have a lot of swelling but not too much pain the board is very uncomfortable but the pads are okay. When I got home I was really excited to show the hubby the results. He's happy with them. I have a massage scheduled for tomorrow morning and I am nervous becuase the drive is 30 mins.

Updated on 4 May 2012:
I have my first massage today (since being home). I am really excited about it. I find myself getting tired pretty quickly. I am not in any pain. I am supposed to wear the pads and board, but I may have to remove the board becuase it is starting to bruise my thighs. The only part of my suit that bothers my is that the material irritates the skin on my butt (sorry if its TMI, lol) I took my last antibiotic yesterday. Sleeping is getting better I am only waking up maybe twice a night which is much better than 3-4 times a night. I give myself a 1 hr suit break when I shower (when I first wake up and right before bed). I cant wait for the swelling to go down. I feel like I have too many CCs, I still dont know how many because Dr. Salama is out of town and the information is only on his laptop. I am finally posting my pics, sorry it took so long. Let me know what you think.

Updated on 5 May 2012:
So I am 9 days post op. I am feeling much better, I get tired easily though. I originally started in an XXL garment then it was switched to and XL the day after surgery. Now that the swelling is going down (thanks to the pineapples/pineapple juice) I have noticed that the garment is loose around the wasit (even with the board/pads), but my butt and thighs will not fit into the L. Has any one else had this issue? When did you switch garments?

Updated on 9 May 2012:
So tomorrow will be 2 weeks since my bbl and I feel much better. I only have slight back pain when I wake up. I recently bought a directors chair. I got it so that I can still sit. I took the seat fabric and moved it down when I assembled it (so that my butt still hangs out the bottom) the fabric back and seat makes it comfortable for my back and legs. I would recommend it. I have a spot on my stomach where the excess fluid is, I have to get it drained (with a needle) in the morning. Dr. Salama warned me about this so I knew to look for it. It seems as though I have lost no volume at all, my butt is getting softer already. I still don't know how many CCs I got, hopefully I will hear back from Dr.Salama soon. I am wearing sweat pants, t-shirts and basketball shorts so no one has noticed yet. I am trying to wait until I can take the garment off to wear nicer clothes. I dont like that the back of the garment is really high so it can be seen when I wear certain tops, and I am still wearing the board and pads so I don't want it to be seen.

Updated on 10 May 2012:
I just got an email from Nomie with the information and she told me that I had 1550 cc injected in each side. I am very happy with those numbers. I still see that I have lost no volume. I still cant fit my butt into a smaller garment so I have added a waist compression garment (size M) beneath my garment (size XL).

Updated on 16 May 2012:
Tomorrow will be 3 weeks post op. I am feeling great. My butt is getting softer and waist is getting smaller. My pre op measurements were 36-38-41 and my post op measurements are 34-31-47. I don't see that I have lost any volume. I am still wearing my garment 22 hrs a day. My butt still wont fit into a smaller garment so I am ]now wearing 2 waist cinchers and the pads and boards beneath the garment. I have been walking alot since I can't workout yet. My back is still a bit tight, so I stretch twice a day. My stomach is getting softer. I am getting comfortable with my new body, today was my first time not wearing sweat pants since the procedure. I had a meeting at work this afternoon and bring a yoga mat/boppy was not an option, so I sat leaning forward on my thighs. I'm pretty sure I looked ridiculous but I don't care, I don't want to lose any volume that I don't have to, lol. At first I panicked when I was told about the 1550 ccs, I thought it was too much, but now I am really happy with it. I will post pictures soon

Updated on 28 May 2012:
I am over 4 weeks post op and I feel great. I love my new shape. My current measurements are 34-29-47, I have lost 3 more inches to my waist. I still wearing the size XL garment, but I am wearing a size M squeem compression garment beneath it with the pad and boards. Sitting in the directors chair has made is easy to function. I haven't been wearing jeans becuase it is really hard to find ones that fit. I no longer wear an XL shirt, I wear a S/M. I am glad that I waited to buy clothes. I have been eating very healthy and I plan to start working out again at 6 weeks. I dont want to start too soon because I dont want to lose any volume. I will post pics later

Updated on 28 May 2012:
Just tried to upload pics. I sent them to my email, then deleted them. Only to find out that just one of them were in my inbox. I will take more later and post. I just put my garment back on.

Updated on 28 May 2012:
I finally got the pics uploaded. Feel free to ask any questions.

Updated on 31 May 2012:
So today is 5 weeks since my BBL, my current measurements are 34-29-45. I am having mixed feelings now. I tried on a pair of pants that I owned prior to the BBL and they fit. I think I am losing too much volume. I feel like it should be a bit bigger. I am also wearing a L garment now. I guess since I have lost no volume up to this point, the 2 inches is really bothering me. I feel like you cant the see the difference in my before and after. My waist is great but I can only notice my butt when I am wearing leggings/workout pants and a tight shirt. When I wear regular pants I HAVE to wear a small/tight shirt just to notice the difference. Maybe its just the shape that I have to get used to. I kinda feel like with 1550 ccs, you should be able to see my butt while wearing a potato sack. I may be overreacting, what do you all think? I have posted some pics

Updated on 31 May 2012:
Sorry about the mini-meltdown earlier. Im feeling a lot better this evening. Thank you ladies for the support. I guess I wasn't prepared for the adjustment to my new shape. The pants that I tried on earlier fit but I had a lot of extra material around my waist (which is why I have to wear small/tight shirts). Thanks again for all of the support, I appreciate all of the comments and opinions. I guess I will go sit in my directors chair now :-)