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*Treatment results may vary
Week 4 - not much change. :(
I'm really not feeling much different from last week. Still uncomfortable to sit and especially bend. My skin still feels very sensitive, especially my sides.
The ripples and a few lumps are still present. I've been trying to massage but it is very painful. I attempted an electric massager but that lasted a whole 2 seconds because it hurt too much.
I'm still wearing my second stage compression garment every day/night. I only take it off when showering in the morning then for about an hour before bed to prep the wounds. I started wearing my white binder the last few nights, thinking that might help shape me up a bit but so far no differences other than it makes sleeping even more uncomfortable.
I am still very swollen and in the mornings I feel like a bloated pumpkin. My pelvic is still very hard and swollen and I can feel it also in my thighs. The doctor told me absolutely no exercise for 6 weeks and if I do something I could compromise the results. I don't quite understand though why Sono Bello's brochures mention you could be back to your usual activities in 2 weeks. That's crap.
The good news is that my OBGYN doctor said the lipo has no affects on my upcoming hysterectomy. So both doctors have given me the thumbs up -- WHEW.
Incision points on my left side are still much worse than my right. Seems like it not healing very fast.
Tonight is girls night out so putting on a pair of jeans for the first time in a while -- not looking forward to it because I'm sure it'll be uncomfortable.
The ripples and a few lumps are still present. I've been trying to massage but it is very painful. I attempted an electric massager but that lasted a whole 2 seconds because it hurt too much.
I'm still wearing my second stage compression garment every day/night. I only take it off when showering in the morning then for about an hour before bed to prep the wounds. I started wearing my white binder the last few nights, thinking that might help shape me up a bit but so far no differences other than it makes sleeping even more uncomfortable.
I am still very swollen and in the mornings I feel like a bloated pumpkin. My pelvic is still very hard and swollen and I can feel it also in my thighs. The doctor told me absolutely no exercise for 6 weeks and if I do something I could compromise the results. I don't quite understand though why Sono Bello's brochures mention you could be back to your usual activities in 2 weeks. That's crap.
The good news is that my OBGYN doctor said the lipo has no affects on my upcoming hysterectomy. So both doctors have given me the thumbs up -- WHEW.
Incision points on my left side are still much worse than my right. Seems like it not healing very fast.
Tonight is girls night out so putting on a pair of jeans for the first time in a while -- not looking forward to it because I'm sure it'll be uncomfortable.
Week 3 - still uncomfortable
My pain has been decreasing but it is still very uncomfortable to sit and driving is the worst. This week I noticed some hard bumps and dents on my stomach. Also, my pelvis region is VERY hard. In doing some research, it looks like I should be massaging. So as painful as it was, I gave myself some hard massages a few days in a row. But it backfired as on Weds/Thurs of this week my pelvis region really swelled up and became more painful. Any suggestions?
Two of the five incision points seem to be healing pretty good. But the incision points on my left side are much larger and red. The one near my left buttock hurts every now and then, feels like I'm getting a shot in the butt. Very strange feeling.
Some of the numbing sensations are decreasing but my skin just feels weird. The feeling actually feels amplified when touching it.
It is still difficult to sleep at night, pretty much only sleeping on my back.
I'm still unsure if this surgery was worth it. And I'm nervous about an upcoming hysterectomy I have scheduled for the first week of November. I hope my swelling and healing will kick in soon and that I didn't screw the timing of this surgery up.
Any suggestion you might have would be appreciated.
Two of the five incision points seem to be healing pretty good. But the incision points on my left side are much larger and red. The one near my left buttock hurts every now and then, feels like I'm getting a shot in the butt. Very strange feeling.
Some of the numbing sensations are decreasing but my skin just feels weird. The feeling actually feels amplified when touching it.
It is still difficult to sleep at night, pretty much only sleeping on my back.
I'm still unsure if this surgery was worth it. And I'm nervous about an upcoming hysterectomy I have scheduled for the first week of November. I hope my swelling and healing will kick in soon and that I didn't screw the timing of this surgery up.
Any suggestion you might have would be appreciated.
I’m 45 years old, 5`4, 135 lbs. I work out...
I’m 45 years old, 5`4, 135 lbs. I work out everyday and eat pretty healthy but I’ve always had the belly bulge. I’ve been wanting a more defined stomach and after trying many things I decided Sono Bello might be my answer. I obtained quotes from other places and although Sono Bello was about $1000 more than my other quotes, I felt more comfortable going with someone who performs lipo on a regular basis.
I had a consultation on 9/25/2015 and it was decided I needed three areas: upper abs, lower abs, and waist. I signed up for the Sono Bello TriSculpt laser assisted liposuction process. The cost of the surgery is based on your BMI. For me, each area was $1295, then there is a surgical fee of $1995. I qualified for the Sept special so received $250 off and if you pay up front or use their financing you can get $1000 off. My cost for the surgery was $4742.64. Surgery was scheduled for the next day, 9/26/2015 with Dr. Volk. I was given prescriptions to pick up the following medications and was instructed to bring them to my surgery appointment:
- Alparazolam, taken for anxiety
- Cephalexin, antibiotic
- Ondansetron, taken for nausea
- Oxycodone, pain relief
I was also supplied with Arnicare skin care cream to apply to the skin after surgery (not the incision points). They also gave me Boiron Arnicare homeopathic medicine to take three times a day for a couple of weeks.
Surgery was scheduled for 10 and I was required to be there at 9. They gave me pregnancy test, gave me the drugs listed above, along with a shot of Demerol. Then the doctor came in to “mark me up.” When I disrobed, I broke out into hives on my chest– the dr was concerned it might have been an allergic reaction. No – I explained when I’m nervous my chest breaks out. Ha.
I had a wait a bit for the surgery to get started as they wanted the drugs to kick in. I believe the surgery started around 10:20am. They asked what type of music I wanted to listen to, gave me some eye goggles, then the doctor proceeded with making the incisions for the pain medications.
This experience was not bad, I really didn’t feel much. Through the 1.5 hrs of surgery, I only felt pain 1-2 times when he was working near my hip bone. Some people say they fall asleep during surgery or they feel that they are “high” or “drunk.” I didn’t feel or experience any of this. I may have been a little “calm” but that was really it. I definitely knew what was going on at all times.
After surgery, the nurse has the wonderful job of trying to squeeze you into a compression garment and bandaging you up. This is not fun and a little embarassing but Jess the nurse tried to make light of things. A very tight binder was also put on. Special instructions are given to your pick up driver, who must also sign you out (at one point I thought about hiding this surgery from everyone and checking into a hotel – I don’t think a taxi driver would have signed me out…)
Jess the nurse put me into a wheelchair and wheeled me out to our vehicle. The two hour trip home was a little uncomfortable, just hard to sit up straight. As soon as I got home, I immediately went to bed. Later that night I asked my husband to help me change the bandages. This was NOT fun. Taking off the compression garment was not an easy task, it is SO tight. And my bandages were full of blood. I immediately got light headed. I usually have a stomach of steel and am not nauseous at the sight of blood, but this was a really weird feeling. Thank goodness my husband helped me – he got me a bag of ice to put on my head while he tried to figure out how to change my bandages. Sono Bello suggested using maxi pads but of course my husband had a hard time figuring out how to use / position them and he was kinda freaked out by it but we got it done then had to tried to squeeze myself back into the compression garment.
The next day I was 100% bed bound. I just couldn’t move, my stomach muscles hurt so bad. We changed out the bandages again and I got sick to my stomach, and vomited. The only times I were up was to use the bathroom. And that was a challenge too as you just don’t think you have to use muscles to urinate, but you do. I hurt SOOOO bad. I was completely black and blue, especially in my pelvic region – even my vagina was swollen and black.
On Monday, I took a sick day and stayed the whole day in bed. Still a lot of pain and my bandages had quite a bit of drainage. On Tuesday, I still couldn’t image going into to work so stayed home and stayed the whole day in bed. I worked the rest of the week and it was HORRIBLE. My drive is about 30 minutes and the worst part is climbing in and out of a vehicle and sitting. Fortunately I’m on my feet most of the day because sitting just doesn’t work. The compression garment is extremely uncomfortable and the hooks and zippers are digging into my sides.
I haven’t told anyone at work about my surgery but everyone is noticing I’m not right. It hurts to stand up straight, it feels like my skin is ripping and tight. My walk is definitely slower and I can’t bend down to pick up anything. It’s pretty difficult to hide these types of things.
A week after the surgery I was still very, very black, blue, green and yellow with bruises. Every part of my back, sides, and stomach hurt. My pelvic area also was still very sore. During my one week follow up, the nurse seemed a little concerned with my incision points as she didn’t think they were healing very well. Because of that she brought in Dr Volk to review. Typically, you don’t get to see the Dr. after surgery, it’s just the nurses but since she had a concern he took a look. Dr Volk said my healing is a little slower than normal but felt I was still on the right track. Apparently I’m in the 9% of patients who have extreme pain after surgery and slow healing. Figures.
At my appointment they provided me bioCorneum topical scar treatment. I’ve already seen an improvement and I’ve only used it 2 days.
It has now been two weeks since the surgery and what ride it has been. I’m still extremely uncomfortable, especially when sitting up. My pelvic region is very swollen which is preventing me from bending. My second stage of compression garment came in and it has been a HUGE relief. Although it is extremely uncomfortable getting it on, when it is on it doesn’t feel bad. There are no hooks or zippers like the first one. The garment was about $80, it is Isavela. My model number I BS04-MD-BL.
If you are considering lipo, here are some tips or things you might want to get:
- Maxi pads and bandage tape for covering the wounds
- Step stool for climbing into bed
- Puke bucket / pail handy in bed and for when changing garments
- Arnicare skin cream. They provided me one tube, which I used up pretty fast. I purchased another tube at Walmart for $7.99
- Plenty of water at your bed stand
- Watch your diet – stay away from Salt.
Attached are pictures on the day of the surgery and two weeks later. You can tell from my pictures how tight the first compression garment was. I’ve still got a long ways to go but I’m happy my stomach is much flatter than it was. Do I think it was worth it? I don’t know yet. I’ve been so miserable, I had no idea I was going to be in this much pain. I’ll update you as my journey to getting athletic abs continues!
I had a consultation on 9/25/2015 and it was decided I needed three areas: upper abs, lower abs, and waist. I signed up for the Sono Bello TriSculpt laser assisted liposuction process. The cost of the surgery is based on your BMI. For me, each area was $1295, then there is a surgical fee of $1995. I qualified for the Sept special so received $250 off and if you pay up front or use their financing you can get $1000 off. My cost for the surgery was $4742.64. Surgery was scheduled for the next day, 9/26/2015 with Dr. Volk. I was given prescriptions to pick up the following medications and was instructed to bring them to my surgery appointment:
- Alparazolam, taken for anxiety
- Cephalexin, antibiotic
- Ondansetron, taken for nausea
- Oxycodone, pain relief
I was also supplied with Arnicare skin care cream to apply to the skin after surgery (not the incision points). They also gave me Boiron Arnicare homeopathic medicine to take three times a day for a couple of weeks.
Surgery was scheduled for 10 and I was required to be there at 9. They gave me pregnancy test, gave me the drugs listed above, along with a shot of Demerol. Then the doctor came in to “mark me up.” When I disrobed, I broke out into hives on my chest– the dr was concerned it might have been an allergic reaction. No – I explained when I’m nervous my chest breaks out. Ha.
I had a wait a bit for the surgery to get started as they wanted the drugs to kick in. I believe the surgery started around 10:20am. They asked what type of music I wanted to listen to, gave me some eye goggles, then the doctor proceeded with making the incisions for the pain medications.
This experience was not bad, I really didn’t feel much. Through the 1.5 hrs of surgery, I only felt pain 1-2 times when he was working near my hip bone. Some people say they fall asleep during surgery or they feel that they are “high” or “drunk.” I didn’t feel or experience any of this. I may have been a little “calm” but that was really it. I definitely knew what was going on at all times.
After surgery, the nurse has the wonderful job of trying to squeeze you into a compression garment and bandaging you up. This is not fun and a little embarassing but Jess the nurse tried to make light of things. A very tight binder was also put on. Special instructions are given to your pick up driver, who must also sign you out (at one point I thought about hiding this surgery from everyone and checking into a hotel – I don’t think a taxi driver would have signed me out…)
Jess the nurse put me into a wheelchair and wheeled me out to our vehicle. The two hour trip home was a little uncomfortable, just hard to sit up straight. As soon as I got home, I immediately went to bed. Later that night I asked my husband to help me change the bandages. This was NOT fun. Taking off the compression garment was not an easy task, it is SO tight. And my bandages were full of blood. I immediately got light headed. I usually have a stomach of steel and am not nauseous at the sight of blood, but this was a really weird feeling. Thank goodness my husband helped me – he got me a bag of ice to put on my head while he tried to figure out how to change my bandages. Sono Bello suggested using maxi pads but of course my husband had a hard time figuring out how to use / position them and he was kinda freaked out by it but we got it done then had to tried to squeeze myself back into the compression garment.
The next day I was 100% bed bound. I just couldn’t move, my stomach muscles hurt so bad. We changed out the bandages again and I got sick to my stomach, and vomited. The only times I were up was to use the bathroom. And that was a challenge too as you just don’t think you have to use muscles to urinate, but you do. I hurt SOOOO bad. I was completely black and blue, especially in my pelvic region – even my vagina was swollen and black.
On Monday, I took a sick day and stayed the whole day in bed. Still a lot of pain and my bandages had quite a bit of drainage. On Tuesday, I still couldn’t image going into to work so stayed home and stayed the whole day in bed. I worked the rest of the week and it was HORRIBLE. My drive is about 30 minutes and the worst part is climbing in and out of a vehicle and sitting. Fortunately I’m on my feet most of the day because sitting just doesn’t work. The compression garment is extremely uncomfortable and the hooks and zippers are digging into my sides.
I haven’t told anyone at work about my surgery but everyone is noticing I’m not right. It hurts to stand up straight, it feels like my skin is ripping and tight. My walk is definitely slower and I can’t bend down to pick up anything. It’s pretty difficult to hide these types of things.
A week after the surgery I was still very, very black, blue, green and yellow with bruises. Every part of my back, sides, and stomach hurt. My pelvic area also was still very sore. During my one week follow up, the nurse seemed a little concerned with my incision points as she didn’t think they were healing very well. Because of that she brought in Dr Volk to review. Typically, you don’t get to see the Dr. after surgery, it’s just the nurses but since she had a concern he took a look. Dr Volk said my healing is a little slower than normal but felt I was still on the right track. Apparently I’m in the 9% of patients who have extreme pain after surgery and slow healing. Figures.
At my appointment they provided me bioCorneum topical scar treatment. I’ve already seen an improvement and I’ve only used it 2 days.
It has now been two weeks since the surgery and what ride it has been. I’m still extremely uncomfortable, especially when sitting up. My pelvic region is very swollen which is preventing me from bending. My second stage of compression garment came in and it has been a HUGE relief. Although it is extremely uncomfortable getting it on, when it is on it doesn’t feel bad. There are no hooks or zippers like the first one. The garment was about $80, it is Isavela. My model number I BS04-MD-BL.
If you are considering lipo, here are some tips or things you might want to get:
- Maxi pads and bandage tape for covering the wounds
- Step stool for climbing into bed
- Puke bucket / pail handy in bed and for when changing garments
- Arnicare skin cream. They provided me one tube, which I used up pretty fast. I purchased another tube at Walmart for $7.99
- Plenty of water at your bed stand
- Watch your diet – stay away from Salt.
Attached are pictures on the day of the surgery and two weeks later. You can tell from my pictures how tight the first compression garment was. I’ve still got a long ways to go but I’m happy my stomach is much flatter than it was. Do I think it was worth it? I don’t know yet. I’ve been so miserable, I had no idea I was going to be in this much pain. I’ll update you as my journey to getting athletic abs continues!
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