SmartLipo on Inner Thighs, Outer Thighs, and Banana Fold - Ponchatoula, LA

I am a fairly petite female at only 5'2" and 135lbs. I have always been pretty fit and have always had a flat stomach. The one area I could never get how I wanted it was my legs, particularly my thighs. I have had SmartLipo in the back of my mind since high school (I am 22, still rather young) because it was considered an "easy" procedure and wouldn't make me put my life on hold with a long recovery. I went through high school always being self conscious about my lower half, and then went to college still insecure. Now I am in dental school, about to get married, and am just fed up with looking in the mirror and having the first thing I see and think be "MY LEGS ARE HUGE"! I decided to have SmartLipo on my inner thighs, outer thighs, and "banana fold" area. Now for those of you who are like me and don't know what that last area is, it is that nice roll of fat that runs longitudinally beneath your butt cheeks! My procedure was done on February 11, 2011 at 2:30 in the afternoon and here is my story.

Day of the Procedure:
I went in and the nurses took my vital signs, before pictures, and measurements. They scrubbed me down with an antibacterial cleanser and before I knew it, it was time. The doctor came in, had me lay on my side and he injected local anesthetic into the site where he would make the small (1/4") incision. The anesthetic did sting a little but no worse than say the HPV shot if any of you have had that!! Actually, the HPV shot makes this one look like a piece of cake! Then, he made the incision and began injecting the tumescent fluid. The was the most painful part of the entire experience. I think it was just the combination of it stinging slightly and the fact that it causing immediate swelling in areas that don't normally swell. It did hurt but it was nothing unbearable. Next was the laser. I only felt the laser once or twice, at which point I tensed up and the doctor immediately made it better! Finally, the fat was sucked out. This hurt the least out of everything. I was a little worried about this part because I had watched videos and it looked very painful, but I honestly didn't feel anything but pressure. I was awake for the entire procedure and was talking to the doctor and nurses the entire time. The procedure started around 2:45 and I left the doctor's office at about 4:00. I slept the entire way home (it was a two hour drive) with no problems. Upon arriving home, I did notice that I had leaked through quite a bit at one of my incision sites (no blood, just clear fluid). With the help of my fiance, I laid down on the bed and unbutton the compression garment just enough to be able to replace the pad. I haven't had any leakage except for that. I took one pain killer (lortab) at midnight before heading to bed.

Day 1 Post-Op:
I woke up at about 5:00 this morning because I was uncomfortable. I usually sleep on my side and right now that is just not an option! I am having to sleep on my back. Plus, I keep a pillow under my knees just to try to keep the areas elevated and reduce swelling. I tried to go back to sleep but was in some pain (not bad, but it was keeping me awake) so I got up at about 6:00 and took another lortab. I fell back asleep and slept until noon! :) I have felt fine so far today, no more pain killers or anything. I have been trying to relax and only get up to do necessary things like wash my face, brush my teeth (gotta keep up with my oral hygiene), and go to the bathroom. Speaking of going to the bathroom, its not as easy as one would expect. I have found that the best way it to just sort of back up to the toilet and hover over the top of it. It makes you sound like a guy peeing but it isn't painful!! Hope my story will help others in their decision of whether or not they want SmartLipo. I will try to keep you posted with updates on my adventure and will try to post some before pictures.

Days 2-3 Post Op:
Day 2 was more of day one for the most part. The same pains, only took a lortab right before going to bed. I did, however, take some tylenol about midway through the day. It wasn't terrible pain or anything, but why suffer if you don't have to! I was able to run to the grocery store and go get a movie to watch without any problems so I consider that progress! I did get a little nauseous about noon and called my sister (who is a pharmacist) to ask her if it could be the medications. She said that I needed to eat every time I took the antibiotic or it would make me feel dizzy and nauseous. Good to know-- I just ate a few crackers and I was back to normal in a flash!
Day 3- Well I had to go back to school today which was no fun (not because of the procedure, just because it was school!). I was able to sit without being uncomfortable for the entire 5 hours or so that I was there. I even played a little ping pong on my lunch break. All in all today has been very easy. No pain killers, no tylenol, no anything! My fiance took my sutures out and, although I was very nervous about it, it was easy. I had four incision sites and five sutures total. I'll try to keep you updated daily, but I can't make any promises. School keeps me quite busy. But I will post some more pics!

About two weeks Post-Op: Well, school took control of my life and prevented me from writing on here as I would have like to. Oh well, the first week was easy. I stopped taking any type of pain medication. I wore the garment as I was told and patiently waited it out for some hint of new, smaller thighs. The second week was even easier... most of the tenderness that came with sitting ect. disappeared. The only times I feel any discomfort at all is when I do any exercising that involves jumping around (and sometimes even running) because the swelling moves separately from my legs. It kind of jiggles I guess. Oh, and it hurts when I sit down to use the little girl's room because I am putting all of my weight on that banana fold area. Of course, understand that when I say "hurt" I don't really mean hurt, I just mean I can feel it. It's nothing but a tiny bit of discomfort. I kept using the arnica gel on my bruises and I can honestly say that it helped A LOT!! I really doubted that it would do anything, but I was completely wrong. My bruising faded so much more on the days that I put the gel on. Well anyhow, that is all I can think of to say, let me know if you have any questions and check out the pictures. I don't really see much of a difference yet, but maybe you all will.