Smart Lipo: Stories

I am 39 years old and for as long as I can remember, I have had a big stomach. I always looked pregnant, so spent my life wearing clothes 2 sizes too big to cover it up. If pants fit me in the waist, they were always too baggy in the legs and butt. Nobody could ever understand why I was so concerned with my weight because they always said "you are so tiny", but they could never see what was hiding under my big shirts. I have been on Weight Watchers for years and have always worked out pretty regularly (usually cardio dvd and walking), but nothing ever helped my stomach. When I found out about this procedure, I was of course skeptical and I also assumed that I would never be able to afford it.

I met with two different doctors. The first was a nice man, but I just was not comfortable with him...there was just something about him that I was was unsure of. I then met with this doctor and felt instantly at ease with him and knew right then that if I could make this happen, I wanted it to be him (his wife had performed several laser hair removal procedures on me and I felt the same way the first time I met her, so it made sense that her husband would be as nice and kind and she is).

Anyway, we had several issues with scheduling and financing and he jumped through all sorts of hoops to make this thing work for me. I was able to do mine on a 0% financing offer using my credit card and making some cuts to the monthly budget. It took over a month, but everything FINALLY fell into place and I had my procedure done 1 week ago today. I had my upper and lower stomach, my sides (love handles) and my lower back done. I had done a lot of research, so I was prepared. I started taking Arnica tablets about a week prior as directed faithfully. The day of, I put a shower curtain on top of my mattress and then some old sheets on top of that. I then layed two layers of towels on top of that. I started taking my antibiotic the night before and wore very loose sweats and a sweatshirt. I took a valium two hours before and had a light meal. I brought yogurt and a banana for a snack and stocked the fridge with G2 (drink lots of fluids and get something with electrolytes) before I left.

The procedure took about 4 hours and the most painful part was the injections of the anisthetic solution, but it certainly did not bring me to tears or anything and it did not last that long. They rest of it was pretty easy. A few times I felt it, so he would just move onto another area and give that area more time to get numb. I cannot stress enough how important it is to find the right doctor. They made me feel so at ease the whole time and it just made everything so much easier. It is pretty freaky after all the fluid has been injected into you, too...it is like you are a balloon that has been filled up with water. Towards the end, things get pretty fuzzy as I was given medication every hour or so and after 4 hours, I was pretty "happy".

My husband came to pick me up and I went home and went straight to bed. I remember getting up several times in the middle of the night to use the bathroom and I had to change the towels as a lot of fluid had come out, but I did not need help or anything. My husband helped me take the garment off the next day and take a shower. I had bought a bag of Target brand maxi pads and medical tape, so we put those over the incisions after I showered and then put the garment back on. I slept a lot the next day and that day is pretty fuzzy, also.

By the following day, I was feeling pain, but it really was not bad at all. It is exactly how they say it is...just like I had overdone it with a workout. We took a walk that day and had no problem with that. The soreness lasted for a few more days, but it really was no problem...I went to a pool party on day four (could not get in the water, of course) and had a great time socializing. I took a week off of work, but I really could have gone back on the third or fourth day, but they were on a weekend and then Memorial Day was day 5. By day 5, my garments were no longer as snug as I felt they should be, so on day 6 (yesterday), I ran some errands and went to Kohl's to see if I could find a replacement. I found the perfect solution and I highly recommend it if you are not getting your legs done. They are called Flexees, firm control waist snippers. I got two large so I could have one to wear while the other was being washed and dried. They are wonderful. I got large and will go back in a couple of weeks and get two medium (you want them to be as tight as they can be, but still comfortable).

They removed 8.6 lbs. of fat from me and I could not be happier. My husband swears he can see the difference already and I think I can, but I am not sure. I am not expecting anything for at least the first three months as I know that is what is realistic, but I must admit that I just "feel" smaller...I am not sure how else to describe it, but I just feel slimmer. This was a dream come true for me and if you are considering doing this, please find the right doctor and have realistic expectations and I think you will also be thrilled. I am not expecting to look like a super model or to wear a bikini...I just want to buy clothes that fit and be able to wear shirts that don't hang off me. I think it is important to have a supportive family, but even if you don't have that, do it FOR YOU! You have one life to live...shouldn't you feel fabulous while you live it???

I cannot say enough about my doctor. If you are in the DFW area or even within a couple of hours driving distance, I highly recommend him. As of today, I have had not bruising or bumpiness and my incisions are tiny, but most importantly, he is honest and he really does care about his patients and that speaks volumes! So, was it worth it??? YES, YES, YES...it was worth every penny and then some!!! I will post photos ASAP.

I did want to say that I have met another wonderful "RealSelfer" through this post and she has had a pretty rough time of things, but she got a lot done in a short period of time. Between the two of us, I think we can agree that it is much better to break up the sessions if you are doing a lot of areas. Also, she had some laser burns, so it has been pretty rough going for her. The good thing is that she has had some pretty drastic results and looks great, but the reason I am writing this is because I don't want anyone to think that this is "lunch time lipo". I am sure for some people it is really easy and they go back to work the next day, but my guess is that is not the norm. If you are going to do this, you should plan well in advance and give yourself at least a week for recovery and hopefully your job will be flexible enough that if you are able to go back to work early, they will let you, but it would be far better to plan on being out a week and going back early than to plan on going back after one or two days and then needing a week.

Also, I would highly recommend getting reference from your doctor and talking to them about their procedure. If your doctor tells you this is "lunch time lipo" and/or is not anxious to turn over references to you, I have one word of advice...RUN! Will post more pics soon!