I do have a waist now :)

I had tumescent liposuction on July 31. The liposuction was performed under IV sedation and was done on my abdomen and flanks. In addition to the lipo I had an incisional hernia fixed and lipo injection on my buttocks (with my own fat).

I was supposed to have VASER lipo but the doctor told me that since the VASER liquefies the fat, and he wanted to get good quality fat for the lipo injection, he did not use the VASER. I am still a little confused about the difference but will ask him at the post op appointment.

A little info about myself: I am 41 years old, have 3 kids, 5'2 and 126 pounds... I am not overweight, work out 3 times a week and generally fit, but always had a belly and no waist... I always joke about it saying that I look like a sausage... So after having a personal trainer and no signs of reducing my abdomen, I decided to have liposuction to get rid of the belly, and hopefully have a waist.

What can I say? I have been with horrible pain in the treated areas... They gave me some pain killers but made me nauseous and lowered my blood pressure.. I almost fainted the morning after surgery, it was awful... Because the discomfort and pain I feel with the liposuction, I have almost forgotten about my hernia surgery.

A nurse came to my house the day after the surgery to clean the incisions. Almost no draining thank God. She recommended me to get some very ripe pineapples, peel them, cut them in 4 and put them to boil for a long time and drink that pineapple water all day long.. She said pineapples have some ingredient that helps with the bruising and swelling. So here I am, drinking pineapple water.

My doctor prescribed lymphatic drainage massages. I bought 8 sessions for 450 dls. Yesterday I had my first. It was not painful but uncomfortable. First, the therapist massaged me with an ultrasound machine and after that, a massage with her hands. When I asked what could I do to reduce the swelling, she suggested the pineapple water also, so I am glad I am drinking it. She also prescribed a heparin sodium gel to be applied on the bruises. I have appointments everyday next week for the lymphatic massage.. hope they help.

If I find a comfortable position I can manage the pain and discomfort... But I was having a horrible headache that would not go away with Tylenol, and I never suffer from headaches (in fact, I found this site when I googled headache after tumescent lipo) so glad I did, it has helped me a lot to learn about other people's experiences and find out that the pain is normal... Yesterday I could not longer stand the headache and called my doctor. He is so polite. He prescribed some painkillers for migraine and thank God, the headache went away.

I am so swollen that I dont know if the results are going to be what I expect... I just hope that I will feel better each day and that the results will be worth all this pain. I will find out how to post pictures and post later when I feel better. I will update the rating once the swelling disminishes (God willing) and I continue to feel better... Oh, I just want to feel well again...

Hello... Its day number 11 after my procedure. I am feeling better, almost no pain except when bending over, etc... I do worry about the swelling... I am still VERY swollen and no signs of getting better.. But my dr said it is normal and that it should get better at about 4 weeks and on... My clothes still do not fit because of how swollen I am... However I can see a slightly hourglass figure and my belly is getting flat... So I am excited about how my final results will be...
I continue with the lymphatic drainage, still 2 more sessions to go...
I will update in one week... Hopefully with more good news...

Today I am 24 days post op. I feel better thank God. I am less swollen and my bruises are gone!! I'm not gonna lie and say that I am perfectly ok. No, I am still sore, have tenderness in my lower abdomen and at night the skin of the treated areas becomes very sensitive. Last night I went to a dinner with my husband and I could not wait to get home and rest because My abdomen felt so sore..maybe it was because I was wearing pants for the first time I dont know... However,, I am starting to see my results and I like them!!
I got my new compression garment for the second stage this week, and it is VERY tight... The PA told me to wear it during the day and at night I could wear a spanx or similar. So I got one from Leonisa that is seamless and will use that at night. I am very concerned about the marks the previous garment left on my left side where the zipper is. The zipper would not keep straight and a bump formed on my left love handle eventhough I tried to avoid it by putting a maxi pad and later a folded face towel between the garment and my skin. I massage that area twice a day and since I bought 12 additional sessions of ultrasound and massage, the therapist lady also massages that area a lot... Hopefully it will help.
Another concern I have is that after reading other peoples experiences with fat transfer to buttocks, all of them have been recommended to sleep on their belly. However, my dr did not tell me anything and I slept on my back since the day of the surgery... Until I read that and starting to sleep on my belly (about 4 days ago... So 3 weeks sleeping on my back... ) I hope this wont have as a consequence that less fat stays permanently in my buttocks, because I like what I see now...
I have a trip planned to Europe in 2 weeks with my husband, my dr said it is ok... But I am kind of afraid because I dont feel completely fine... But God willing, I will feel ok by that time... :) I will let you know...