I’m 5’3” and 118 lbs and in decent shape. I recently lost 18 lbs and have been exercising a lot. I’ve always been thin, but even when I was 109 lbs I had a little bit of a belly. I’m not a huge fan of stomach exercising, but I think that what I have going on is a bit genetic! Menopause hasn't help any of this, too! I decided after losing weight to try cool sculpting for a spot treatment on this area hoping that it would rid me of some of this belly. I went for my consult and was told that I was a good candidate as I was within 5 lbs of my goal weight and was also told, after measuring, that I would likely need only one treatment, on each side of my lower abdomen. She told me that each side would take 35 minutes. I thought about the procedure for a bit and read a lot of reviews on this site. I was concerned about the nerve pain that so many experienced and that put some pause in my mind, but decided to give it a try. The technician told me that she would be using the small applicators and they are less likely to cause that nerve pain. The day of my procedure I arrived at the office not feeling nervous at all. I brought some reading material with me and she also provided me with a tv with netflix, etc. all ready to go to help me pass the time. She suggested that I take a Motrin before the procedure started to get ahead of any pain I may experience and also to help with swelling. She put a wet gel pack on the right side of my lower abdomen first and then attached the applicator. She left the room but gave me a call button in case I needed her which was comforting. The first 5-10 minutes of the procedure were uncomfortable, but not really painful. I felt a bit nauseous, but that subsided. After the 10 minute mark, the discomfort passed and I settled in for the rest of the procedure. Overall, it was easy, but I noticed toward the last 5 minutes I started to experience some discomfort again — not sure if that was because I knew it was ending soon and became antsy. The removal of the applicator wasn’t pleasant, but again wasn’t painful — just discomfort. And the massage, for me, actually felt good because it felt like circulation was coming back to my stomach. I know many others felt differently. The process was the same for the other side. I made sure I turned the timer on my phone for the second side because I didn’t have an idea of how much time I had remaining during the first procedure since there wasn’t a clock in the room. Directly after the procedure, my stomach just felt discomfort, was swollen and numb. I came home that evening and went for a long walk with my husband. My yoga pants hurt just a bit, but nothing horrible. I started to notice some marks on my stomach, which are visible in my photos, that I found out were the bottom of the applicator. The almost looks like welts initially, but flatted out. The tech told me, after my reaching out via email with some photos, that she had the same thing happen and they subsided after a week. She confirmed with me that the skin wasn't broken, which it wasn't. I kept with the Motrin for the first two days and also iced the area. I wore Spanx for the first day, but hate them so much that I decided to deal with swelling instead. I’ve had discomfort, tenderness, swelling, deep pain but not bad, numbness, tingling and itching. All of it has been tolerable and no meds were needed. I didn't have any of the nerve pain that others have talked about. I think the most annoying thing for me is the itching. I've taken an antihistimine a few times to help with that. I will continue to post photos - I’m only about 2 weeks out now. I’m anxious to see some results — not seeing much at the moment, but hopefully I will as time passes. She told me to expect results from 1-3 months. I welcome any questions! Updated on 4 May 2017: Tuesday, May 2nd was the 2 week mark. My photos don't really show much of a difference but I do see a very subtle change. I'm trying to be patient but am wondering if one treatment will be enough for me. I will wait and see if things hopefully decrease. Updated on 4 May 2017: I wasn't finished uploaded photos to my previous posting and can't add them to it now. So this will have the other two angles. Additionally, I have lots of itching at times -- mostly at night. I also a deep feeling of bruising but nothing bad unless I press on my stomach. Updated on 18 May 2017: I'm seeing minor changes. I think they are more visible in person, than in pictures. Updated on 3 Jun 2017: This coming Tuesday will be 6 weeks since I had Coolsculpting on my lower abdomen. I'm very pleased with the results. I've lost a couple of pounds as well which I'm sure has helped but there's a definite difference in my skin in that area. It's a bit crinkly when I bend over but not in a bad way.
