Lipo of Upper and Bottom Abs, Lower Back, Love Handles - Fort Lauderdale, FL

I'm a 36-28-35, which is a royal pain for picking out well-fitting clothing. I'm a relatively healthy person who exercises on the regular, but I've got a stubborn pocket of fat on my stomach and love handles. I'm interested in lipo to help me trim around my waist enough to comfortably fit my size 3 jeans, which have waist size of 26-27 usually and hips of 35 to 36. So frustrating!

I went in to the South Florida Center this morning at 6 am for my surgery with Dr. Pinnella. I actually locked myself out of the building because I forgot my paper with the building code the staff provided the night before, and panicked a little, but luckily two doctors assistants pulled up and we're kind enough to let me know. Advice for future patients: don't pee until you get there just in case they need a urine sample! Unfortunately I did, but they need a sample to confirm I was not pregnant before starting. The anesthesiologist was the sweetest person, with the best bedside manner I've ever experienced. Him and Carla were very friendly, reassuring and thorough, and patiently waited over a half hour for me to eek out a drop, while I met the Doc and filled out updated paperwork. HOWEVER, a different female staff member whose name I unfortunately did not catch had an awful case of Resting [RS bleep] Face and a terrible attitude to match. She addressed me like I was INTENTIONALLY holding my pee in just to [RS bleep] her off, to the point of threatening me with a catheter if I didn't hurry it up! Are you kidding me??! Luckily the anesthesiologist politely explained that that's just her personality, and dismissed what she said. Then I was introduced to the Doc (I was originally scheduled with Dr. Alexander). He was very nice and friendly, and complimented my existing figure (unlike Dr. Alexander) and informed me that I was an ideal candidate for lipo based on my age, skin elasticity, and pre baby body. I'm sure Dr. Alexander would have done an equally good job, but I'm not gonna lie, I felt 100% more comfortable and more reassured after speaking with Dr. Pinnella. He was quick, but also detailed, and gave comprehensive explanations about the procedures and my potential outcome. As for the procedure itself, I was unconscious within 5 minutes of laying down. I woke up and felt as if I blinked, and it was over. My nurse(?) was very warm and competing and helped me dress, move to a wheelchair, answered all of my questions, arranged my pick up by my boyfriend, and wheeled me to the lobby. I had some pretty intense shakes upon waking from the anesthesia, and the nurse offered to give me something for it, but I declined and it went away by the time I was loaded into my car. So far there hasn't been any pain. Even before I took a pain pill and muscle relaxer. I can't touch my stomach and struggle to turn on my side in bed or stand, but I did walk up and down my stairs to the kitchen twice, and used the bathroom on my own without issue. I'm fully cognizant, no drowsiness even with the meds. In fact, I felt so clear-headed, I worked all day remotely on my laptop from the comfort of my bed. I'll definitely be in for work on Monday. I just have to say, everyone in my life made me feel soooo bad for choosing the South Florida Center for Cosmetic Surgery, to the point that I was genuinely worried I might die on the table just to save a few bucks. But my actual experience was really quite perfect, especially for a girl who never had plastic surgery, let alone any surgery before. Ignore the naysayers and follow your got.

Doc says I'm gonna look like a goddess, lol. Even with all the swelling and bruising, it looks soooo good. Even at my thinnest and fittest, I never had an hourglass waist. The proportions make my breasts and hips look much bigger and sexier, which is exactly what I was hoping for.

While I'm waiting for the swelling to pass, I'm going to gobble down all the pineapples in the world, schedule some lymphatic massages, and coat myself in cocoa butter, hahaha!