46 years old, work out regularly - Happy So Far - Stuart, FL

I had Smart Lipo done on Feb. 19 on my upper and lower abdomen and flanks.  I'm 46 years old, work out regularly, but never have been able to get my stomach looking good - I do cardio and lift weights regularly, but nothing worked.  About 2 years ago, I went to a well respected surgeon to ask about regular lipo.  He said I was not a candidate for lipo since I had some loose skin and he felt a tummy tuck would give me the best results and lipo would just leave me with looser skin.  I was not happy with the idea of getting a huge scar across my bikini line so I did not get the tummy tuck.  When I heard about SmartLipo being able to tighten the skin as well, I had to check it out.  I went back to the same surgeone and he said he could definitely do a great job for me using SmartLipo.  Unlike most posts I've read, I was given a lot of anesthesia so I did not feel anything during the procedure.  It took approximately 2 hours and after I woke up in the recovery room, a nurse sat with me for about 45 minutes.  I had two incisions low on my bikini line, one at the top of my belly button and two in my back around waist high.  There was one stitch put in each incision with a bandaid over each.  I had about 2 liters of fat removed and had a compression garment on around my waist.  Make sure you have someone to drive you home and care for you the first day.  I slept for about 2 hours and then the effects of the anesthesia started to wear off.  I was expecting all the leaking and drainage everyone talks about, but I had none.  Apparently, my surgeon sucked it all out and there wasn't even a drop left to come out of me.  On the first day, I felt as though I went through a very rigorous workout and was sore, but not hurting.  The next day I felt worse.  I was very uncomfortable to say the least.  My flanks, lower abs and back were extremely sore and it was painful to get out of bed, sit, etc.  I took my pain meds, but they didn't help all that much.   I felt pretty uncomfortable for about 3-4 days.  I started wearing Spanx instead of the wraparound garment because it was tighter and didn't have the seams which bothered me.  It was extremely difficult to get the Spanx on and off, but it was well worth it.  I slept in them as well and they really helped me to keep everything tight and get better results. After 3-4 days, I really noticed the difference - I actually had a flat stomach for the first time in my life!  Although my lower abs are still a bit swollen, I can see a dramatic improvement.  I went back to the doctor a week later and he removed my stitches.  All I had were five tiny incisions that will close up and barely be noticed.  I do have lots of bruising (especially on my lower back).  The odd bruising I never expected was to my pubic area and my lower hip/upper thigh area.  It's been 10 days and all I have left is bruising on my back and public area.  My abs and waist look so much better and I am extremely please with the results already.  He said he needed to give me lots of anesthesia because he would not have been able to work so vigorously on me if I was awake.  He said I still had another 40% swelling to go down in my lower abs and 20% to go down in my waist and in about a month I would sort of get all sucked in.  I am already happy with the way I look so it can only get better as far as I'm concerned.  Yes, I was very uncomfortable for a week, but it was well worth it.  I have not had a flat stomach my entire life even after putting in all that hard work at the gym.  Just make sure you get a great surgeon - I can't speak for everyone, but I think it's better if you are not awake during the procedure and the surgeon can do more work and you won't feel a thing.