I do not know why two people have commented that they should have been able to see the dr. for a follow-up. Why??? I have had various procedures done by technicians at various dr. offices and you don't get a follow-up with the dr. at any of them because it's not necessary! On a separate note, I have had two coolsculpting treatments by the technician at Dr. Felderman's office and the experience was great both times. The technician is extremely knowledgable and explained everything.
Personally I have not had a chance to meet with Dr Felderman yet but I've had an excellent experience with her staff. I had coolsculpting done to my abdomen early last year and I was pleased with the results. Yes it actually is painful but no pain no gain people! Recently I had my inner thighs treated and it hasn't been long enough to see the results yet but I'm confident it will work out well. Additionally the women on her staff are excellent. She made me feel comfortable during the procedure, was very kind and even gave me advice regarding a scar that bothers me. I would definitely recommend Dr Feldermans office for coolsculpting.
Here's my experience. I received a Groupon for $549 at Dr. Lenora Felderman in NYC. I never actually saw the doctor. The procedure was painless (although the first five seconds when my lower belly fat was being sucked into the machine was a little scary). The Coolsculpting was for a large area (lower abs). All the literature about this procedure tout it as being "painless". It is. But AFTER, it's PAINFUL. I got the procedure done in the morning and went directly to work at a desk job. No problem. The next two days my stomach just felt numb, tingly, and itchy. Itchy was very annoying but I could live with it. On the third day after the procedure the painful pin pricks started. I'm currently seven days out and I still have painful pin pricks, not much numbness, and no itching. On the second day of pain I called Dr. Felderman's office and asked for a painkiller to be called into the pharmacy. I was told that a prescription painkiller would only make it worse, Dr. Felderman does not give out prescriptions for this procedure and that I should take Tylenol, not Motrin, but Tylenol only. It wasn't until I did research on RealSelf that I discovered cold packs. The solution to the pain is most definitely cold packs! I've got a wrap around gel type that's convenient but unfreezes in about an hour. I also have an old fashioned type that you have to hold on you but it stays filled with a huge block of ice for hours. Unfortunately, I can't wear these at work so I suffer throughout the day. I've tried putting on Bengay Cool Gel. I smell like a 90-year-old lady and I'm not sure the Bengay helps. I'm really hoping that this will be over soon, most people say two weeks. I'm disappointed that the Dr.'s office didn't tell me about this--the pain, the cool packs. They only mentioned the numbness. Also, I discovered that I can't even see that doctor on a regular basis (and no follow-up to the procedure either) because her clientele are mainly rich Upper East Side folks who pay $400 per hour. There's nothing wrong with that per se, but I think as part of the Groupon deal we should have received at least a follow-up check-up to ensure there are no issues. Seriously, at one point I thought I was dying. I had no idea I'd feel this way because all the research I kept reading reiterated painless procedure, no downtime. Totally misleading. I will not get this procedure done again no matter what. In fact, I've discovered that I'm not a good candidate for any procedures ever: no lipo, no tummy tuck, no breast enhancement, no nothing. I don't like pain and I don't think a flat stomach is going to make this worth it. I'm just going to have to learn how to embrace myself as is. Oh, by the way, I was still able to go to the gym a few times a week. So even though the pain is there, it's not constant. It comes in spurts. I don't feel any discomfort when working out so I recommend it! One last thing, I've had virtually no appetite since this procedure. I don't see any comments on that, but I think it's pretty easy to knock off a couple pounds because who wants to eat when their stomach is distended and feels like a boulder is inside. Didn't I mention that? Oh yes, you may be very bloated when this is over. But it goes down eventually. Updated on 19 Nov 2012: I'm on day 11 post procedure and I'm still in pain. I have no idea when this is going to end. Yesterday, during the day, it was hardly noticeable and I had a fabulous day. I just needed an ice pack a couple of times. At night however, the pain was extreme and I was hunched over to get my hands on Motrin and an ice pack. Neither helped. Thus far, the procedure was not worth the pain I'm going through. As I write this, I'm feeling burning and pin pricks. I'm back at work and I brought my ice pack with me and wore loose clothing just in case. I don't want to go there but Friday I suffered way to much and wish I'd had my ice pack. Wish I'd been told about this... It also sucks that my appetite is all but gone and Thanksgiving is three days away... Updated on 20 Nov 2012: Whoops, I wrote this in the comments section by mistake. I'm on Day 12. Still feel pain. The good news is that it's subsiding. It's less frequent and not as intense. I still can't sleep at night. It's much worse at night than during the day. I feel what new mothers must feel. I've grown accustomed to going to bed dog tired then having to wake in the middle of the night to crying. Except the crying is my own! Kidding! It isn't that bad. But I do wake at night, doubled-over headed to get a fresh ice pack for my tummy. My appetite is returning too, which is nice. Updated on 24 Nov 2012: I'm 16 days out from the procedure. The pain stopped at Day 13 for me. I was able to sleep for the first time that night too which is great. So now my tummy is still a bit numb (not sore) but I don't think about it at all. No itchiness and thankfully no pain. My stomach is still plump and I see absolutely no signs of the procedure working. I'm measuring myself too and I'm still the same. That's all for now!
I had zeltiq 4 days ago to flatten my tummy a bit in time for the summer, it was applied to my lower abdomen at a dermatology office in Manhattan, NYC. When they placed the smaller suction cup on to the area, my autonomic nervous system basically went into shock. I broke out in a cold sweat, became nauseated and had to recline in the chair and take deep breaths to calm my body down. My guess for this reaction is that human bodies just aren't very happy with being cryogenically frozen. For the first 10 minutes, I was in tremendous pain. For point of reference, I've had my nose, ankle and foot broken (three seperate occasions) been in 2 car accidents and have dealt with having four impacted wisdom teeth removed (while I was awake b/c I can't have full anasthesia) but I have Never experienced such devastating pain such as this. The pain did not completely dissipate after the first ten minutes, like everyone had told me it would. It continued to be rather uncomfortable but I was able to read and wimper to my boyfriend a little on the phone to distract myself from it. The end of the procedure (when the suction is removed and your skin is exposed to the air/starts un-numbing)may be the worst part. Afterwards, I had to run to the restroom as I experienced a case of acute diarrhea (sorry to be so graphic, but I want to accurately share the experience). It has been 4 days and I am still experiencing numbness, itchiness, cramps and some shooting pains. Apparently this is normal for the first week or two so I am not worried about it; however, it is quite painful and has had an effect on my movements, ie: working out is painful, any movement in the treatment area at all is painful, actually just lying still is painful. Initially, the skin was very sensitive/felt like a bad sunburn for the first two days. That, thankfully, has subsided. The initial bruising from the procedure has faded away also. Hopefully, I only have another week or so to go before the abdominal cramps and shooting pains subsist. This better be worth it! I don't think everyone will have as bad as an experience as I did, but I at least want people to know that it is possible to feel A LOT of pain - going in to it, it may make it easier for the other people out there like me.
33 year old male. ~ 17% bodyfat, 215 lbs and 6' tall. After reading many reviews, I came across a groupon deal for coolsculpting. I purchased a large application and two smaller applications with the intention of doing the large one on my abs and small ones on my love handles. Had the first procedure done 12 days ago. The initial suction was a bit uncomfortable, but not bad and I got used to it within a few minutes. The person administering the procedure said if the suction is lost the procedure is over, due to there not being a way to restart the procedure mid way through. So, during it, I tried to minimize moving and took shallow breaths (likely unnecessary). Towards the end of the procedure, you can start to feel the machine easing the suction gradually. WHen it ended, my stomach looked pretty much like the videos on youtube and it was very red. The nurse said it would bruise. Well, it did not bruise and the first few days were a breeze. The area numbed and I felt no pain. After perhaps 4-5 days the pain started and was bareable. It sort of felt like a sunburn with a very sore set of abs underneath, with the occasional stabbing pin pain. Around the 6th day, i took one neurontin and found it way too sedating. It made me feel uncomfortably relaxed. After that I decided to open them and take small amounts as needed for the pain, which I did for the next 4 days. By the 12 day (today) the pain is nearly gone and much of the swelling has subsided. I am still fairly numb, but it seems as though the feeling is coming back. I will report back as the days past and I am able to assess the results of the procedure. Also, the next procedures on my love handles will be in a few weeks. I will be sure to add that to the post as well. Updated on 10 Jan 2015: The procedure was worth the money and did work. One thing to note, I gained a bit of weight (10 lbs) and notice my upper abdomen tends to be the recipient of more fat than it had in the past. It is still more desirable than going to my lower abs/flanks. The experience makes me wonder the consequence of having lipo on my abs/flanks and then down the road gaining 10 lbs. Would there be areas where fat gain is most significant have a strange appearance? I will have to look around, I am sure there are quite a few people on Realself that have gained a modest amount of weight post lipo.
