Smart Lipo: Stories

am 47 years old and have over the last 5 or so years put on lots of extra bulk in my stomach, thighs and behind! I am 5'8" and weighed 155 lbs. I have usually worn a size 6-8, but am now barely fitting into a size 10...sometimes a 12, depending on where I shop. My exercise and eating habits have been fairly consistent
( I run 2-3 times per week, and eat a fairly healthy diet) but I still gained weight and bulk around my middle. Shopping experiences are quite depressing. I see many things that look very cute, but know that they won't look "cute" on me! I have discovered that clothes don't usually look so great with a muffin top...or big thighs for that matter!

I had smart Lipo on May 22, 2009. I had upper and lower abs, flanks and inner thighs. I am planning on having outer thighs and banana roll done in the next week or so. I really enjoyed reading posts from others prior to my experience, so I thought I would do the same.

Day 1-The day of the procedure I was very nervous, as I have read many posts about the pain, but it really wasn't bad at all. There were some areas that were more difficult that others such as the area right around my belly button, and my flanks. My inner thighs were a breeze! When they did my flanks I had this sensation that he was poking me in the side...you know when someone pokes you in your side and you pull away. It was a weird feeling, but it did subside after about 15 seconds or so, although it would start again every time he stopped or started. The flanks were the hardest and there were some spots that hurt. My doctor had to keep numbing the area, as it was quite sensitive. That night I came home I changed my pads at the drainage site. I used maxi pads as someone had suggested, and that worked great. It does require two people though, as the leaking is a lot, and it's hard to position the pads and put on the garment at the same time. I took two ibuprofin before I went to sleep, and slept without a problem. I will post pictures of before the Lipo and 24 hours later when I submit this post. I plan to post more pictures at one week. I found the pictures very helpful when deciding whether or not to do the procedure!!!

Day2- Weight increased from 154.5 to 161 lbs, and about one half to one inch bigger in hips, stomach and legs. Lots of swelling, and some drainage. Pretty sore, but it doesn't really stop you from going about your routine. I went to grocery store, ran errands etc without a problem. Slow getting in/out of car and takes a minute when you get up to get used to it, but not a problem. I was a bit nervous in the crowded grocery store as I was afraid that someone would bump into me, and I knew that would really hurt! Fortunately that didn't happen! Drinking loads of water...and peeing all day! I Took ibuprofin two times today, but still no pain meds.

Day 3- Weigh 159 lbs, so swelling is less today...I feel less swollen too. Measurements are about where they were before procedure. The leg measurements haven't changed at all so far...not up or down, and they still look very much the same as before the Lipo. I hope to see changes when the swelling starts to subside. Stomach feels very rigid, and doesn't really bend at all, which feels pretty strange. No bumps or lumps yet though. Getting up and down still uncomfortable, but getting better. Today is Sunday, and I have to go back to work on Tuesday! I was able to take a shower today, and took a few minutes with the garment off to slip on my pants. Even with all the swelling, they fit sooo much better! No more muffin top! I am so excited! I put on a couple of tops too that I wasn't wearing before because I thought they made me look fat, and they looked great also! I can't wait for my final results.

 Day 4- Weight down to 156 lbs today and measurements are down an inch in abdominal area and in my waist. Legs are still about the same:(  Still lots of swelling and soreness in abdomen, but not really anywhere else. The only bruising so far is at the inner thighs. Off to work tomorrow, which should be interesting! I work with babies and am on the floor a lot playing. 

 Day 7- Weight is up and I am more swollen after the last few days…very depressing. Measurements have stayed pretty consistent with no change in the legs still! I’m thinking swelling is up since I started back to work, and have been drinking far less water, plus I ate fast food for lunch on Thursday (which I’m sure was loaded with sodium). It was far easier to eat right and drink plenty of water before I went back to work! I am going to drink lots of water this weekend . eat well and hopefully the swelling will go down. Have been taking ibuprofen daily to help with the tenderness, but no pain really. I did take pictures, but they take a lot of room to post, and there isn’t much difference from the previous pictures that I posted, so I will wait to post more.

 Day 14- Weight is back down to pre op at 155. Measurements are down about one inch everywhere except the thighs. They are about the same. I am really hoping that this week I will see more changes. Tomorrow I can stop wearing this garment 24/7. The garment didn’t really drive me crazy like it did some people, but I won’t miss it that’s for sure. I’m still going to wear it at night for the next week or so. Over the last week I have developed some lumps, which I have been massaging twice a day. They seem a little better, but not gone. I am very happy with my stomach so far, but the jury is still out on the flanks and legs. I feel like my right flank is bigger than the left??? Still not really a big difference with pictures, but I know that people like to see them so I will try to post.  You can see the lump on my right abdomen. I go back to my Doctor next week, and I will ask about the results in the flanks and the legs. 

 Day 21- Weight is down only about one lb., and the measurements are about the same as they were last week...no big change in numbers, but the pictures look so different I think. I guess it's because I seem to have had a lot of fat in my upper abs and I didn't measure there (only my lower abs, which are down about 1.25 inches). My clothes feel very different, and I feel as though I can wear lots more now. I stopped wearing my garment 24/7, and went a few days without wearing it.  I noticed that the lumps seem to get worse and so does the swelling, so I'm keeping on as much as I can. I have this hard ridge above and below my belly button, which feels very strange. I'm a little nervous about it and hope it goes away! The soreness is still there, not pain, just sore. I did return to running this week (with my garment). I was afraid that it would be painful, but it wasn't at all. I will post pics yet again....It's getting a bit much, but I think the pics are different from last week, so I will post. 

I am now on week 4 and I am down a few inches in my lower abs, still pretty much same everywhere else. Maybe a 1/ 2 inch or so in my thighs. My weight is down 3 lbs total since I had SL.  Still sore to the touch on my abs, but no pain. I really like the looks of my somewhat flat tummy, but the lumps and bumps are freaking me out! I hope they go away. They look so unnatural! I do feel (aside from the lumps) that  the results really do get better as the weeks go by. I was a little skeptical about that when I read that it takes 3- 6 months to see results, but I can understand that better now. Swelling is far less and everything seeming to begin to fall into place.  At this point I am focusing on the lumps and scars. Trying to massage them at least two times per day. Scars still pretty red and noticeable. They are somewhat symmetrical, so you can definitely tell that they are not there from natural occurrences! No pictures this week, as there is not really much difference than last week. I will post more next week!!!

 Well it's been almost 7 weeks since my SL and 3 weeks since my last post. Everything pretty much the same since my last post, but not really sore anymore. Had banana roll done two days ago, and it was a breeze compared to when  had my abs done. No pain during or after. Lots of drainage though. My doctor also did a touch up spot to my abs, which didn't hurt either. Now I'm back to wearing my garment 24/7.....yuck!