“Slim Lipo on complete abdomen & inner thighs - Jacksonville, FL”

So here is my story...

I am 31 years old with 3 children and am finally ready to fix my body for good. I have been dieting and exercising for the past many years and recently reached my goal weight through Weight Watchers. I'm 5'8 160lbs and cannot manage to lose another pound. I'm happy at this weight and size but just want to minimize, the mommy tummy. I never thought I'd be bold enough to undergo any sort of surgery but my neighbor recently got a tummy tuck and so I was inspired to so something about my own trouble zones.

I did a little research and liposuction didn't seem too invasive so I began to set appointments for a consult. My first appointment was on 4/20/11 with Dr. Sofia Kirk and was very discouraging. First of all they didn't even record my appointment so when I arrived I was told they could work me in. After an hour wait Dr. Kirk spent about 3 minutes with me to tell me I'm not a candidate for liposuction. She seem really disinterested in even talking to me and didn't offer any other suggestions.

My second consult was on 4/27/11. He was very thorough in explaining how both lipo and tummy tuck work. After examining me he said that lipo is not my best option and that I need a full TT, but even that would not remove my love handles. He quoted a price of $5,800. With 2 small children at home it would be very hard for me to have 2 weeks, or even a week, of down time. At this point I was ready to throw in the towel and accept that maybe I'll have to live my life in Spanx.

I had already scheduled my third consult with Dr. O on 4/29/11 so I figured, what the heck, might as well go and let him tell me the same thing I've already heard. Much to my surprise he said that I am a good, not excellent, candidate for Slim Lipo. He thoroughly explained the procedure to me and went over all of his credentials as well as details on the facility. He showed me some before and after pictures including one of his office staff members. I was quoted $4,800 which was more than I expected, but reasonable if it'll boost my self confidence.

I have not decided 100% if I want to go through with the procedure but I'm finally feeling optimistic. I don't want a perfect body, I just want to look better than I currently do. I'm not even trying to wear a bikini. I just want to love the way I look in a nice pair of Express jeans and a tank top. Is that too much to ask for?

I'll continue to post as I make a final decision. Any input you can provide would be GREAT!!!!

Updated on 2 May 2011:
Soooo, it has been decided. I called this morning to schedule my appointment for Slim Lipo with Dr. Lewis Obi. My pre-op is on Thursday, 5/12 and the surgery is scheduled for Wednesday, 5/18 at 9am. I sure hope I can be one of those super lucky, no pain, no downtime people because I'm going out of town for a marriage retreat that same weekend.

Excited? Scared? Anxious? All of these emotions are constantly going on at once. One motivating factor is that I will be more than 3 months post-op by my birthday in August so the results should be pretty visible by then. Weekend on South Beach?? That may be a little ambitious but we'll see.

Updated on 12 May 2011:
I had my pre-op appointment today and it went really well. I also had another consult with Dr. Obi because I wanted to ask about doing my inner thighs as well as my ab. I figured since I'll already be under the knife, why not go for it.

So the price went up from $4,800 to $6,000 but I'd rather do it now then sit around for the next few months regretting not having it done. As a bonus, he's throwing in 3 VelaShape treatments and I talked the coordinator lady into giving me a second compression garment.

I am so anxious. I have never had any sort of surgery before so this will be considered major surgery for me. I took great comfort in learning that he uses a twilight anesthesia so I wont be fully alert during the surgery. I'm REALLY squeamish.

My next update should be post-op. I can't wait.

Updated on 12 May 2011:


Updated on 18 May 2011:
I'm about 6.5 hours post op and I'm glad the wait is over and I can begin the healing process. The surgery lasted from around 10am - 1pm and everything went really well. I was awake but in a deep restful state. I could hear most of what went on and was able to respond when they told me to turn and roll over. We stopped for Philly Cheese steaks on the way home (yumm) and I sat in bed and ate mine but was really drowsy. After I ate I immediately went to sleep and just woke up a little after 7pm. I did a couple loads of laundry, and swept the kitchen floor so obviously I feel fine. My knees are the most noticeably sore but nothing too terrible yet. I went ahead and took a Percocet just to offset any impending pain. I can't really judge the outcome of course but right now I am a big puffy, bloody mess. I have a follow up appointment at 4pm tomorrow. I was told not to bother showering or taking off my garment until after my appointment tomorrow. Sigh. Let the healing begin.

Updated on 21 May 2011:
Day 3: 95% of the pain is gone. I'm a little tender to the touch but I'm back to all of my normal activities such as cleaning and playing with the kids. The compression garment isn't a big deal except for the fact that it is HOT, like 95 degrees today. My garment goes from just under the bust down to mid-calf so I have to wear long sun dresses. I currently do not see any results and my stomach feels like a water balloon. It's round and puffy. My thighs don't feel swollen but I'm assuming they are because they don't look much smaller. He removed a total of 600ccs of fat which is not a lot but I knew I didn't have much fat. I was in pretty good shape to start with and am hoping to get most of my results from the laser tightening which I know will take a while. My biggest challenge now is to get back to eating right and exercising so that I don't end up gaining weight. I had a follow up appointment the day after my surgery and I got back on Tuesday, which will be day 7. I think I'll be getting a phase 2 garment at the point. Hopefully in the next week or so I can change my "Was it worth it?" rating from "Undecided" to "Worth it".

Updated on 25 May 2011:
Day 7: No results yet, but I am happy to be back to my original measurements! Before the surgery my measurements were: waist: 30.25, abs: 35.5, right thigh: 24.25, left thigh: 23.75.

I am trying to stay away from the measuring tape but it calls my name EVERY MORNING!!!! I'm just glad the swelling is mostly gone.

I had a follow-up yesterday and the doctor said I should start doing massages 3x / day for 10-15 minutes using a rolling pin. I'm scheduled for my first VelaShape treatment on June 9th. I was told not to expect to be pampered and that the treatment would be quite uncomfortable. No pain, no gain, I guess.