Liposuction of Stomach, Flanks, Hips, Inner Thigh (front & back) & Chin - New York

If I was going for it, I was going all the way. No excuses here about kids, exercise, or medical issues. By the time you're 40, even if you weigh the exact same as when you were 27, things tend to shift. Every woman experiences this and deals with it in different ways. The hot bod from your 20's turns into a middle aged one, and there is nothing within reason you can do. I'm not going to kill myself running 10 miles a day just to try and get some semblance of a stomach back. Nope. After very careful research and vetting (using this website as a guide also), I conducted interviews with Doctors and finally settled on Dr. Sherwyn. Not that the others weren't good, but he just made me feel completely at ease, and his before and after book is really compelling. He even gave me a price break so I paid less than the list price of 13k. I just went for it and did all the problem areas I've ever had in my life, from above my knee to below my chest. Because of all the areas done recovery wouldn't be as easy as someone with just one area, but I went for it anyway.

2.5 liters of fat and 8 hrs later I have a stomach again.

Post op notes:

Day 1 - This day I mostly slept & took pain drugs.

Day 2 - Not much hunger this day. I remember beginning to be aware of the pain I had, especially when getting in and out of bed to go to the bathroom.

Day 3 - Still hurts bad to get in and out of bed. But then I had a big surge of energy and walked around the room 16 times. (2 sets of 8 - not fast, just low speed shuffling)

Day 4 - was very hard due to overextending myself the previous day. Dr tells me to be patient, that everybody heals differently and I will not see the finish line for a while, but I wanted to be one of those people that just healed quickly and amazed everyone. Nope. Can barely get out of bed to stagger to the bathroom without help. Showered also today. No picnic getting garment on and off but felt very good afterwards.

All good so far. Day 5 and in bed. Sore, stiff and that's what my surgeon told me to expect. Had ambitious hopes of getting caught up on my reading but all I want to do is watch bad movies on tv. Thought I'd be moving around more by now and I am, though it still hurts and takes 3 mins to get from laying down to standing up. Walked to the kitchen successfully. I consider that a win for today. Now if you'll excuse me Revenge of the Nerds is on.

Woke with some groggyness and stiffness, to be expected. But after I shook that off, I got out of bed with less than half the pain/effort of previous days! Went to the bathroom with almost a spring in my step. Initial "standing up" was not painful per se, I was just aware of how bent over I was, but its far better than initial standing up of previous days. My walking was still shuffling, but it didn't hurt. I even did some light housework before going back to bed! (Light housework = rearranging blankets and tucking in sheets.) Yeah for day 6!

Yes I think I've put the worst days behind me. That is the short version.

If you want the excruciating details of my progress read on... I remember sleeping on my side for a few minutes last night (1st time since surgery!), and even doing a little side-stretching with my hips in the side-sleep position and my shoulders flat on the bed. And even though I was half asleep I was still awake/anal enough to also do the other side before returning to my back. I woke up hungry, and only had a tiny self-pep talk before heaving myself out of bed. It wasn't bad or painful. Not like past days. I went to the kitchen and made myself a little breakfast.

I remember the garment being looser than other times last night when I laid down to sleep, but when I woke up it was tight again. Not sure how the whole fluid accumulation thing works.

To avoid boring you, I probably won't post again except for milestones and Dr. appts, and of course for those after pics I did all of this for. Baah.

The last three nights I have been craving large amounts of cold water at night, and the last three days have been the best in regards to progress made, less pain, etc. I'm not sure if correlation = causation but I'm going to continue it. Even if it means i have to pee 7 times between 9pm and noon.

I'm doing really well at this point. The only times I am bothered are:
1. Getting up after laying down or sitting for a while (guess that means I should be moving around more and not such a lazybones)
2. Random pain after siting/laying so long in any position except on my back with legs straight out
3. Bending too far over / forgetting to be careful and twisting/reaching too far

I see the healing happening though! My body is looking so much better. The compression garment no longer suffocates me, it just compresses me, meaning swelling is going down. I wear spanx during the day. So glad I left myself 2 weeks to heal though. Would NOT have been happy working during this time.

So I saw the Dr. yesterday and he was very pleased! I am glad he is as pleased as I am!! All bandages/stitches were removed (painless due to numbness so that's good). Then I was able to walk around, eat a meal, and I didn't feel tired or stiff after these activities, either yesterday or today. So that means I can do more in a day and maybe? heal faster.

One thing I will recommend - Drinking all this water may be great for me but I can tell I crave salt. I had a soup yesterday and it was so satisfying! So don't be afraid to eat soup and get those minerals.

I've posted some photos taken at the 1 week mark. You can already see the difference, especially in my stomach/midsection.

Its not a before/after side by side comparison but I promise to do that... eventually...

Took the new bod out to the Caribbean (just got back, still tan :) and yep, it was ah-may-zing. Felt a confidence I haven't felt since 25. I am not holding my stomach in.

Before: 132lbs (sluggish, little to no exercise, salts and sweets all the time)
After Surgery: 124lbs and rest/recovery with proper nutrition
Now: 118lbs (proper nutrition and adding 3x/week exercise - two weeks so far)

I anticipate my weight will go up as I continue to exercise, to account for the growing amounts of muscle in relation to decreasing amounts of fat. This has changed my life so much! Before it happened I wanted to be a success story, not just gain it all back in a year. And so far I have really stuck to my guns in terms of proper nutrition and exercise. KNOCK ON WOOD that I will continue this.

So happy and positive about everything now, it's really amazing how eating fruit and veg (large helpings, multiple times daily) fills you up and truly fills the spot where potato chips used to be. Now If i crave something it's usually a hand full of blueberries. It sounds annoying and preachy but it is actually true for me.

Only one life to live and I mean to continue this. A little reflection - could I have done it without the lipo? Possibly, and some folks can and do. But for me, it's the investment I have to protect. Can't let it get back to the place it was. And if that's what keeps me moving forward and in the right direction than that's what was right for me.

This website also has been great. In addition to Dr. follow ups it gave me an additional bolster of support especially through those first crucial days and weeks. Hope to give a proper before and after photo but in the meantime here is an idea of how it turned out! xoxo to the gals who posted comments earlier, it was very supportive of you and thanks so much!