“Upper & Lower Abs Only - Bristol, VA”

Hi there!

So I'm 24 and 124 lbs. I've gained about 15 lbs since high school. I've been trying to work out regularly. Unfortunately, even at my lightest, I've always had a stomach buldge. I'm looking to be rid of that! I haven't had my appointment as of yet though. It's scheduled for June 15th.

Anyway, I'm very nervous about the procedure. This website has provided so much information that I really hope my results are as fabulous as the majority on here. Anyway, I'm doing my upper and lower abs only.

To be honest, I can't really find a lot of reviews on my particular doctor except for the MedSpa's website. I always wonder how much to trust those sites b/c you never know if those are real cases of successful smartlipo procedures. He is a board certified surgeon and only does about 4 smartlipo procedures a week. Other days during the week, he is on-call at one of the local hospitals here.

I've talked to the consultant and assisting smartlipo nurse several times. Both are very nice and very reassuring. Both women have had smartlipo done a couple different times and absolutely love it.

Anyway, I'm uploading a few before pictures. I'm very nervous about my upcoming procedure even though it is still about 3 weeks away. I'll update after the procedure and keep checking back for more pictures of other smartlipo cases.

Oh! BTW, I'm hoping to get an extra boost of confidence and hopefully have someone on here tell me that I will have an amazingly flat tummy once the procedure has taken place. So please, I'd like some input!

Updated on 15 Jun 2011:
So I had my procedure today. All in all, it wasn't so bad. I'm super duper swollen though. I was perscribed lortab for any pain. However the pain isn't anything unbarable and the pain medication makes me sick. I literally haven't eating anything today since breakfast b/c i just keep throwing up water when I move around at all.

The leakage is insane to say the least. Much more than I really expected. I've just been in my bra, the garment and adult diapers all day. My bed is lined with a shower curtain and I have two bedpads under my butt/back. There's also one bed pad that I keep on top of me b/c I don't want to stain the sheets.

Anyway, back to the procedure. The staff was super nice. They were very easy to talk to and I wasn't crazy nervous but they gave me the anxiety medicine anyway. Dr. B was very nice. He wasn't as talkative to me as he was with the nurse but I'd still say he was nice.

As everyone on here has experienced, the "uncomfortable" feeling of the numbing part. And that's really all it is, just uncomfortable. From there, the nurse and doctor just went to work. My procedure took longer than I thought it would. I was expecting around 1.5 hours. and it took about 3.5 from start to the finish of sucking the fat out. Apparently they took about 4 pounds out (800 cc's). I'm surprised b/c I'm not that big to begin with.

As far as the pain, it's not terrible. I do have some issues trying to get up. No one knows about this procedure and hopefully I am able to convince my boyfriend that I just lost weigh in the month he hasn't seen me and that I had to have some other sort of surgery or something. haha. But the incisions do hurt. I do have some trouble standing straight. So right now, if I stand, I'm a little hunched over b/c my incisions feel like they are going to rip.

The swelling/numbness is so strange. My pelvic area is completely swollen (lovvely, just lovely). Also, I know I'm not supposed to remove my garmet for 24 hours but what's wrong with a peek? So I kind of pulled the top of my garment down to see my belly button. It looks strange..definitely differently than it used to. I hope it's just b/c of the puffiness. Well, it's late and I should get to bed. I can't wait to shower and be done with this drainage. I feel so gross. Hopefully by morning, I won't need to wear this adult diaper anymore. Anyway, I'll keep everyone posted.

Updated on 16 Jun 2011:
Day 1: So today, I'm still extremely swollen. I have exactly the same shape as before the procedure. I realize that it's only been a day. But I look at everyone else's one day after pictures and their results were immediate. My stomach is so swollen that it almost looks like my belly button is swollen shut.

Pain isn't too bad. On a scale from 1 to 10, 10 being the worst, I feel like it's a 4-5. I've been taking my antibiotics and arnica tablets. I also put arnica gel on my stomach a couple times today. I've also been taking bromelain to help reduce the swelling (3 500mg tablets today). I've also started bruising on my stomach and the skin is a strange reddish color. I'm so swollen that I can't fit into any of my pants so I've been wearing pjs all day.

I don't really mind the garmet too much. Even though the garmet is crotchless, it doesn't seem big enough to go number 2.

Did anyone else have a ton of swelling their first day? I'm a bit paniced with how much swelling I have and am worried I won't see results anytime soon. Can someone tell me if they had the same situation? And when might I expect a vast improvement in my swelling???

Updated on 20 Jun 2011:
Day 5: I'm feeling much better today. Today was my first day back to work. I have a desk job for the most part so it wasn't horrible at all. I've been measuring my swelling everyday. I've gone down about 1.25 inches over all. I go for my post-op check up on Thursday (Day 8) and I will be able to get my stitches removed.

Pain isn't bad at all. I still have slight pain if I'm driving and go over a speed bump too fast or if I roll over in bed too fast. I also feel a bit of pain if I sneeze. But other than that, the pain is almost non-existant.

I've been measuring myself to keep track of my swelling and how many inches I've lost. So I will post my before and after measurements.

Before
Waist: 27 in
Belly button: 34.5 in

Now
Waist: 27 in
Belly butoon: 30.75 in

In the mornings the measurement around my belly button is about 30 inches. However, I'm still very swollen even in the mornings so I do believe I will shrink a bit more than that. Right now with the swelling, I don't have the flat stomach I was hoping to have. I look a few months pregnant, to be honest. But my swelling is gradually going down so I still have my fingers crossed that I will have great results.

I will post pictures after my check-up on Thursday.

Updated on 22 Jun 2011:
Day 7: I go to get my stitches removed tomorrow. Hopefully, they will say I'm healing just fine. I've been doing everything they say when it comes to taking care of my incisions.

My swelling hasn't gone down any. Apparently the other day when I thought it had gone down, it must have just been that I measured on an empty stomach. Or perhaps, I'm just extra swollen today.

I tried to go without my garment for about 30 minutes today. I couldn't do it. I started swelling immediately to a larger size that I have been. So I put it back on. I'm really getting a little discouraged with my swelling. I understand it's still way too soon, but I'm annoyed that my body has to be a sweller! My belly button is almost completely swollen shut still and I realize that I'm round and pregnant looking only b/c of swelling. But it's still just all a little discouraging in itself.

Pain is isn't too bad. It still hurts a bit when I sneeze. I also still feel the need to hunch over a little when I walk. For some reason, it feels like my sides are ripping if I stand up straight.

I will post pictures and an update tomorrow after stitches are removed.

Updated on 24 Jun 2011:
Day 9: I uploaded pictures. Yesterday I went for my check up and got my stitches taken out. All is well. I do have some hardness under the skin of the majority of my stomach. So far, I am happy with this procedure. Pain is minimal and I was actually able to sleep partially on my stomach for part of the night.

I'm still very numb which is strange, but feeling is coming back little by little. I'm allowed to take off my garment throughout the day and only sleep with it at night. I'm still wearing it throughout the day and night but I might try to go without it some tomorrow.

Updated on 24 Jun 2011:
Oh, I think I forgot to mention my swelling. I'm still swollen quite a bit. My belly button still looks half swollen shut. When I sit, there are no rolls or skin wrinkles. Hopefully swelling will subside sooner rather than later!

Updated on 25 Jun 2011:
Today when I woke up, I was very flat. I'm super excited to see my tummy stop swelling!!! It looked absolutely great! Also when I measured around the belly button, it was 29.5 inches. That means I've lost FIVE inches altogether. I plan to start working out again on Monday and I look forward to showing my body off!

Updated on 30 Jun 2011:
Day 15: I'm beginning to be a little lumpy. I think it's mainly just the induration and the swelling going down irregularly. I'm uploading pictures. Let me know what you think!!

Updated on 6 Jul 2011:
Day 22: Nothing has really changed since the last time I have posted. I look great in the mornings. Everything is flat and even. But when I start moving around, I just swell back up and become lumpy and uneven again.

My pants fit me again but some are still a little tight from the swelling that is left. I have a lot of hardness (induration) around my belly button. It doesn't really hurt anymore. I have mild discomfort if someone else touches my stomach area but nothing too major. I will post more pictures when I notice less swelling throughout the day.

Updated on 10 Jul 2011:
Day 26: I'm in no pain, whatsoever. I'm still numb around my belly button. It still looks smaller than before I had the procedure. Most of the induration has gone away on the right side of my belly button. However, the left side is still very hard. It's mildly tender when pushing on it. I've been trying to give myself massages here and there but that doesn't seem to make it go away any quicker.

The pictures that I've uploaded are from this morning when I just woke up. Everything is nice and even when I wake up but as the day progresses, I do puff back up quite a bit...more in some areas than others.

I've started back on light workouts. Doing crunches doesn't cause any discomfort really. Walking at a brisk pace is fine but if I get to a jog or run, it still feels like my sides are ripping a little.

Updated on 2 Sep 2011:
Day 79: I uploaded a few pictures a couple day ago. I haven't been in any pain for several weeks now. I'm very happy with the outcome. However there is still some unevenness on my right side but it is not noticeable in pictures very much.

The nurse told me that If i gain weight the fat will go to other parts of my body like my butt or thighs. Uuugghh! I didn't think of that when having the surgery. Well, I guess that just means I have to take extra precaution from here on out.

Updated on 21 Jan 2012:
7 months: Well, it's been 7 months since I have smartlipo. I have to say that I'm very pleased with my results. The only thing that I wish was a little different is a small sunken spot on my stomach on the right side just above my belly button. A little too much fat was taken out there but it's not terribly noticable. And I'm in the process of getting back down to the 115 lbs that I was before I gained 10 lbs several years ago. Hopefully after I've lost about 5 more pounds, the sunken spot won't be noticable at all. The receptionist e-mailed me my before and after pictures but did not send the ones of me turned so that you can see the sunken spot. They all knew I was a little insecure about that one spot anyway, so I'm sure they wanted to just make me feel more positive about my results in which case, I can't blame them. Over all, I am pleased with my results, fully healed and happy I made this decision.