SmartLipo Upper and Lower Abdominals - Chevy Chase, MD

I am very excited and nervous to have my procedure in about 10 days. I am in my late 30's in decent shape and I work out 4-6 times a week. Since having my second child, I can't seem to get my tummy back to the way it used to look. Hopefully, I can get it back to the way it was or better :)

I have done lots of research on lipo and they type I want to get. I want the least invasive type of liposuction with the best results and SmartLipo seems to be the best choice for me.

I spoke with several doctors and after meeting with my Dr. Khalifeh, I knew that he would be the best to do my surgery. I had a good initial consultation and he answered all of my questions and made me feel very comfortable. He is also a board certified plastic surgeon which is a must if you are getting plastic surgery (at least in my opinion). Adrienne, his patient coordinator has been great at answering all of my questions (and I have had many). I was also very impressed with all of the information on his website.

I will update once I get closer to the surgery date. Wish me luck :)

Upon arriving to Dr. K's office on the day of my surgery, I was told to take my anti anxiety and pain meds. I then went into the surgery room, got my before photos, and Dr.K marked me up. At that point, I was feeling loopy and did not feel much pain at first.

The surgery itself was tolerable except for certain areas that were very tender. It felt like a needle was stabbing me. The doc was very patient and gave me breaks and more numbing fluid. He was quite pleasant and talked to me throughout the surgery. I was given 2 extra Valiums to calm me down. I expected some pain and I was correct.

My hubby brought me home and I was out of it. The pain meds did their job and I slept most of the afternoon. I leaked quite a bit. It was gross, but having a waterproof matress cover saved my couch.

I was fine laying down but getting up was extremely painful. I dreaded having to use the bathroom. Luckily, I have a great hubby that helped me with everything. I slept well throughout the night and was able to get up on my own to use the bathroom with less pain.

Day 2

I feel 80 percent better! I am able to walk around and even made lunches for my girls this morning. Obviously, I am still sore and need to rest. I am not leaking anymore which is great. My spirits are up because it's hard for me not to be active. I recommend taking your pain meds as directed. They have really helped me.

I looked at myself and I see a difference. I know that I am still puffy and bruised and will go through many stages in the healing process, but it's a positive thing.

The past few days have been rough with many emotions. I still am very bruised and swollen, which is expected. I can't wait to be as active as I was before.

I am a week and a day post op. Yesterday was one of the toughest days pain wise. I finished my prescribed meds on Saturday. I was ok on Sunday, but by mid day Monday I was in tears from the pain. Luckily, I got my prescription refilled and I am feeling much better. This is a true journey! I thought I'd be a lot more mobile at this point, but everyone is different. Tomorrow is a new day ;)

I am finally able to sit without much pain and can walk around with ease. I am still taking pain meds, but only a few times a day. I think my pain threshold is not as high as I thought. ;)

I highly recommend Arnica pellets and gel. I have been religious about applying and taking the pellets. My bruises are almost gone and the swelling has gone down considerably. My compression garment feels a little big now.

I feel lots of hard spots and my tummy is still swollen, but I see a light at the end of this journey. I still have a long way to go, but feeling better makes all the difference. I see my doc on Monday for the first time since the procedure.

I just got back from my first post op appointment. I am doing well, but it was no surprise that I am swollen and lumpy. Dr. K said that this is the most swollen I will be. He said that in a few weeks, I will finally be glad that I had the surgery because I will be able to see results. I was given massage techniques for my lumpy and hard areas.

He also mentioned that some people want revisions once they are healed. I really hope that I am not one of those people.

It's that time of the month and I feel even more bloated and in pain since I had the surgery. Cramping feels odd since my stomach is hard in many areas. There is no way that I can massage my lumpy areas today. Anyone else have worse cramps and discomfort during their first monthly cycle after their surgery?

I am finally done with my period and today I purchased a compression garment with no hooks. It felt great, but by night time I was the most swolen I have been in a long time. I am back in my stage 1 and plan to only sleep in the other garment for a few more days.

I am quite frustrated and I know that it's part of the process. I also started to feel like my abs are on fire on and off today. I was quite the grouch and although my family is patient, I feel like I should be feeling better after there weeks.

This past weekend was really rough. I thought that by week three, I would not have a need for pain medication. I was miserable all weekend and decided to call the docs office. I am only taking them twice a day, but I am a different person now that I feel better.

I am starting to work out tomorrow. I tried getting on my elliptical machine today and it didn't hurt. I work out hard four to five times a week and it has felt so weird to not be active.

I am posting a few updated photos. Not the horrible dents from my compression garment. I am still wearing my stage 1 because I feel like I am still swollen and more comfortable in tight compression.

My lower and upper abs are still very swollen.

I am one month post surgery and feeling much better. I started working out last week on the elliptical and am slowly increasing time and intensity. Up to 40 minutes.

I still go through bouts of pain and take one pain med in the morning and maybe half in the afternoon. Anyone else still taking pain medication? I feel that early morning is the hardest for me because I am the most active in the a.m.

I am still switching back and forth between my stage one compression garment and spanx. I feel more comfortable with the extra compression if I am very swollen. I tend to swell at night.

My swelling has gone down significantly, but I still have hardness and lumps.

I tried several dresses on that I wanted to wear and I can see a big difference. I have only lost 4 pounds, but my shape is defenitely changing. Excited to look like I used to years ago.

Have my second post op appointment next week.

It has been a while since I updated because I felt so swolen and in discomfort. I still have numbness and am a little swollen, but the results are great now. I went into this surgery with realistic expectations and I am very happy with the results.

Before the surgery, I was a stuffing myself into my old size 6 clothing when I was really a size 8 (and that was tight in the abdominal area). Now my size six clothing are all very loose. I tried a pair of sixe 4 jeans the other day and was happy that thry fit me. I can't wait until all of the swelling goes down.

I still wear my compression garment every day and feel uncomfortable without it. Since I am still swollen, it just feels better when everything doesn't move. I am still in discomfort if I sit for too long or am very active.

This has been an crazy journey. I think that about 80-85 percent of my swelling and discomfort are gone, but I still have a few lumps and my lower abs are swollen and hard. I still have a hard time wearing pants with buttons or anything too tight around my abdominal area. I can wear my skinny jeans for a half hour before I have to unbutton them because it is too much pressure on my lower abs. I am able to work out hard like I used to an can finally do some ab exercises with modifications.

I am happy with my shape and can wear form fitting clothes again without being so self conscious. I am still waiting for the final results and didn't think that it would take so long. Like I mentioned, my lower abs still stick out and without a light compression garment, I wouldn't look right.

I have a follow-up appointment soon and will post once I get some more answers. It seems that many people stop posting once they are a few months post op.