Hello! After reading the reviews and viewing the pictures on here as well as other sites I've decided to take the plunge! I've always hated my stomach. I lost over 40 lbs and have kept it off. Now I'm at a healthy weight I'm 5' 4 1/2" and approximately 133 lbs. I work out regularly and eat fairly healthy but my stomach won't go away. The photo below is a before and after of my weight loss. My stomach is hidden obviously. I will post pictures of my stomach later. I had 2 consultations with 2 different office. Both we around the same price initially, but the 2nd offered a discount ($1,000) if I booked that day and was able to get me in sooner. My surgery was scheduled for 2 weeks after my consultation and on a Saturday. The doctor that's going to perform my procedure is a Board Certified plastic surgeon so I'm confident he will do a great job! Updated on 17 Sep 2013: Updated on 21 Sep 2013: My procedure is one week away! I'm starting to get nervous. I received an email from the office with instructions. I'm confused as to what to wear that day? They stated to wear dark loose clothing and a shirt that does not go over my head. I was planning on wearing sweatpants, only pants that I have that are loose. No idea what to wear for a top? All my tee shirts go over my head. They also suggested towels for my car and bed because of drainage. How much drainage are we talking about? The thought of have liquid secrete from my stomach makes me want to hurl. I have a sensitive stomach and get grossed out easily. They also suggested maxi-pads to catch the drainage... how does one attach a maxi-pad to their stomach? I'm feeling faint just thinking about it. My post-op appointment is Monday so I'm sure they will discuss these items. Updated on 23 Sep 2013: Good morning! I had my pre-op today, feeling a little bit better. Still weird-ed out about the drainage. They took my measurements, waist 27 and hips 33, and my weight 131. Hopefully once this is procedure is complete and I'm fully healed my waist will be more proportional to my small hips. Updated on 27 Sep 2013: Approximately 24 hours until my procedure! Very busy today which is both good and bad, will keep my mind off tomorrow. I'm working a full day, heading to the gym, going to the market then home to clean my house. This morning I picked up my prescriptions that I need to bring with me tomorrow, which include antibiotic, anti-nauseous medicine, Percocet, and Ativan. The office also gave me Arnica tablets. My appointment is at 10 am, I wanted to squeeze in one last workout before but I don't know if that will be possible since the office is an hour drive. I've gotten into such a good routine, going to the gym 6 days per week. I'm afraid I'll lose the momentum since I won't be able to go for a week or two. I'm planning to return to work Monday, only one coworker knows what I am having done but ironically she won't be in. My job is mostly a desk job, occasionally I need to set up new computers which involves crawling under desks. I feel like I'm forgetting to do something. Any last minute tips or suggestions. Thanks! Updated on 28 Sep 2013: So far no pain. They gave my one Percocet and two Adivan before the procedure. Then numbed ny stomach. The tubbing with the medicine was uncomfortable. My stomach is still very numb, once that's gone the pain will come. The doctor and nurse were both very professional. They made me at ease the entire time. The doctor is excited to see my final results because "I am the ideal candidate for Smart Lipo." So we shall see! I'll keep you posted. Updated on 29 Sep 2013: First I apologize for any typos yesterday. I thought I'd wake up in severe pain but my stomach just feels weird. It's hard to sit up. So far I've gone about my normal routine, except for not working. I helped my boyfriend make pancakes and I washed the dishes then cleaned the kitchen. He keeps telling me I need to take it easy but I feel ok. I thought for sure I'd be in a lot of pain once the numbing wore off. Yesterday is a tad blurry. The oozing has slowed on my hips but the two lower incision are still oozing pretty bad. I woke up around 3 am to change out the pads so that it didn't make a mess in my bed. I learned its easier to change them in the bath tub to make clean up easier. I'm using sterile pads from CVS rather than maxi pads. So far I've gone through 18 pads. The doctor said the oozing should stop about 24 hours after the surgery. Fingers crossed it does because the oozing has been the worst part. Updated on 29 Sep 2013: Swollen but I can already see results! Updated on 29 Sep 2013: Updated on 29 Sep 2013: Updated on 2 Oct 2013: I noticed a bump on my stomach, to the left of my naval. Its hard and hurts. My stomach looks uneven. I'm so disappointed almost ready to cry. My stomach is very swollen. Becoming depressed because I can't workout. I took my pug for a short walk today, she kept pulling me to walk faster because I couldn't keep up. To top it off I have irritation and blisters from the garment. Updated on 5 Oct 2013: Not sure how I feel about the surgery and my progress this far? I'm still in pain, its very hard to transition from sitting to standing, very hard to get out of my car, uncomfortable to drive, etc. I keep feeling random pulls coming from my groin area. My stomach is hard and lumpy. I have some bruising but not as bad as I thought I would. The office gave me arnica tablets that I let dissolve under my tongue and I bought arnica cream to massage on my stomach. In my one week pictures I feel as though my stomach is as chubby as I was before the surgery. Updated on 7 Oct 2013: Today was the first day I worked out since surgery. It was uncomfortable to say the least especially with the garment on. I walked for 46 minutes on the treadmill at a pace of 3.0-3.5 miles per hour. I usually walk much faster and at incline. It got easier as the time went on but I didn't want to push myself. Tomorrow I'm going to try to go faster and maybe some light weight training. Updated on 8 Oct 2013: I was able to increase my intensity up to 4.2 mph with 1% incline. I feel so much better now that I can workout again. I actually missed it, never in a million years did I think I would say that. Tomorrow I have my post-op I'm hoping they having some suggestions for my lumpy bumpy stomach. The bump near my naval is harder than ever. Unfortunately, I'm still not able to wear my work clothes (dress pants) yet, they are tight and uncomfortable. I hope I can fit into them soon I don't know how long my boss will continue to allow me to wear yoga pants to work. Updated on 9 Oct 2013: I had my post-op appointment today went well. I shocked when I got on the scale, I weigh 132.8, down since Sunday and I that was a morning weight. The nurse said my incisions are healing nicely. The bumps are scale tissue and to massage my stomach twice a day. I scheduled my 1st of 2 Venus Freeze treatments for November, she said that will also help with the bumps. Feeling much better about this. No pain, just minor discomfort if I move from sitting too long. Updated on 12 Oct 2013: Feeling great! Can't wait for the swelling to be fully gone. Updated on 17 Oct 2013: Everyday I seem to wake up smaller and smaller. Don't get me wrong my belly still bloated, especially from the side view. My size 4 pants that fit perfect before the surgery, then couldn't wear after the surgery due to bloating, are now falling off of me! I'm psyched to be a size 2, I won't go shopping just yet but the thought makes me super happy. I weighed myself last night, 130.2 so down over 2 lbs since my post-op appointment the week prior. I'm hoping to get down to 123 lbs when this is all said and done. That will give me a total of 51 lbs lost overall. I should mention that in addition to the surgery, I have been working out 5-6 days per week and eating approximately 26-29 points per day. I will take and post my weekly pictures Saturday. Updated on 17 Oct 2013: I know I said I was going to take new pictures Saturday but I felt so good after the gym I thought why not snap a couple. I can see a big difference with my side view. Updated on 24 Oct 2013: Sorry for the delay in posting these. I feel like my progress has stalled a bit. I hate the stage 2 garment, it's so tight. Updated on 29 Oct 2013: I still feel like my progress has stalled. My stomach is still lumpy and hard in spots. I bought size 2 jeans this weekend from A&E Artist style, the skinny were too tight so I didn't buy those yet but I hope to soon. I also bought size 2 dress pants from NY&Co, I know NY&Co runs big but still feels good. This morning I put on pants that I wore last week and they are so big... still wearing them lol. Updated on 4 Nov 2013: Still swollen, lumpy, bumpy and numb. Updated on 28 Nov 2013: Today marks the 2 month mark since I had my procedure. According to the emails I get from doctor's office I should be seeing 50%-60% of my results. At this point I'm not very satisfied. I don't see much of a difference. Updated on 5 Dec 2013: Almost 10 weeks after my surgery and I have come to the conclusion that it wasn't worth the money I spent. I followed all the doctor's rules and suggestions and I really don't see much of a difference. I wear the compression garment all day and most nights even though it hurt my back. I workout 5 days a week- 45 minutes to 1 hour of cardio plus light strength training. I eat fairly healthy, I follow the WW program. I'm a healthy weight, 130 lbs, so I'm not trying to lose weight I just wanted my stomach gone. I had realistic expectations, I thought the fat would be gone and I would be left with a little extra skin but that's not the case, I can still squeeze my stomach into a "donut". I have a followup in January I will be sure to voice my concerns at that time. Very disappointed! Updated on 4 Jan 2014: Still no noticeable difference in my stomach. I'm very disappointed. I'm going to voice my concerns at my 3 month post-op appointment Wednesday. Updated on 9 Jan 2014: I had my 3 month post-op appointment yesterday. I voiced my concerns about the unevenness, bumps and lack of results. The technician said the bumps are scare tissue but the main area I'm concerned with is extra skin (around and above my naval). I completely disagree. I have some extra skin from losing weight but not much. It seems like the doctor missed that area completely. She said my 6 month appointment will be with the doctor, he will determine if I need another surgery. Not a happy customer! Updated on 4 Mar 2014: Scheduled my 6 month post op for 3/13. I finally get to see the doctor again. I'm still not happy with my results. It looks as though he missed my upper abs area, there's a large band of fat there that sticks out more than my lower abs. Most of the bumps are gone. Updated on 13 Mar 2014: Today is my 6 month post-op follow-up. Wish me luck! Updated on 13 Mar 2014: Met with the plastic surgeon today he said the area I'm concerned with is mostly lose skin. I disagree. He's going to do a revision free of charge, I only have to pay for the garment and the medication. Updated on 14 Mar 2014: Updated on 11 Apr 2014: Excited and nervous for my revision tomorrow! I'm anxious to get the rest of my chub off and hope my stomach looks smoother. Updated on 13 Apr 2014: I had a revision on my upper abs done yesterday; the recovery is definitely easier this time, minimal draining. Yesterday I was walking around like normal. Today I'm in a bit more pain but nothing compared to the first time. I'm very swollen. The doctor was great, very friendly. I was worried because the revision was free he was going to treat me differently. He used the same incisions, but only two, as the first time to minimize scaring. Updated on 20 Apr 2014: The healing process is definitely easier the second time around probably because he only did my upper abdomen. I didn't have much drainage. I forgot how much your entire body swells though. My legs were so swollen on Tuesday and Wednesday. Feeling much better today. I'm able to wear jeans already (loose size 4s) , last time it was a couple of weeks before I could. I've taken a few leisurely walks. I might try the gym tomorrow. I have my post op appointment Wednesday. I finally found out how much fat they took out during my procedure, 425 ccs initially and 75 on the revision. That doesn't seem like much to me.
As a kid I always had a perfect button nose, and when I was around 13/14 it suddenly changed into a horrible, big, crooked, droopy nose. Not the kind that simply ruins your profile, the kind that ruins your whole face, from any angle. Mentally, I never truly accepted it as my nose, and in my head I still pictured myself with the nice nose I used to have, but every once in a while I was reminded of its presence and it killed my confidence, even though otherwise I'd consider myself quite attractive. There's be times when I had a great outfit on, nice makeup, my hair was done, I was feeling really great about myself, and then while laughing or turning to the side or something, I remembered how my nose looked, and it was just awful, to feel so great about yourself and then have that feeling ruined by one stupid feature.
