I chose Dr. Khan initially because she is close by and Board Certified and routinely does "Mommy Makeovers" which often includes lipo. Her credentials are stellar and she also does reconstructive surgery which often requires a bit of artistry. Although I had 2 additional Dr.s in mind to consult with, after meeting with her I was confident she was a good choice.
And I have to mention how stunning and immaculate her office is (and I've seen a few, lol).... and how fabulous her staff is (Hannah & Betty) but more on that later.
I've had lipo in the past. A loooooooong time ago on my outer thighs as I had "saddle bags". I had mostly really great results but the canulas were very large back then (about year 2000) and I was very thin so I do have a spot on one of my thighs that is slightly indented. Dr. Khan looked at the area and we decided it would just be better to just leave it alone. Now, I might not be as detailed here as some because I already know what to expect for the most part.
The cliff notes are as follows: You put a gown on, you step in front of a mirror (uuuuughh) and discuss your "areas of concern" with your Dr. Basically you point out all the cringeworthy spots that led you to the Dr. in the first place. She decides if you are a good candidate and sets realistic expectations. For example, some patients, perhaps women who have had kids or people with drastic weight loss or older patients with lax skin, will not see the results they want without having loose extra skin removed. You then pose for the dreaded "BEFORE" photos. After a brief exam, photos and discussion, Dr. Khan pulled up a recent lipo patient that is a similar weight and body type to mine which was helpful in determining what my results would probably resemble.
Then Hanna delivers the bad news.. Lol, just kidding, it's "expected" news as she goes over the prices. And that's basically it for the consult so you either go on your merry way and think about it, consult with other Dr.s, or put down a deposit and schedule the big day! Which is what I did...
I am 5'6 and 47yrs old (in a month) and until I was 44 I hovered between 115-118 lbs with zero effort or dieting but was quite active. At 45 my weight started to climb, I was diagnosed with endometriosis, and desperately needed a hysterectomy. I had to save up not only the HUGE deductible but also for the time off which took me another year. A few months later an unlicensed/uninsured driver slammed in to my vehicle on the freeway which required months of treatments and more of the sedentary lifestyle that was wreaking havoc on my waistline (I was lucky to not be injured worse then I was though). All of this stuff, the down time, and my changing body (and face but that's another review) just mentally took it's toll... My weight is between 125-130 and is a healthy weight. Im not so concerned about the "numbers". But my BELLY FAT FOLD and my MUFFIN TOP, SPARE TIRE, or "hips" as Dr. K calls them, have GOT to go! So it was either buy looser gym tops, bigger jeans, and forgiving blouses or have it all sucked out and then get back to the gym! I did actually try a couple of horrid diets and dropped down to 120 but that Belly didn't budge!
So the areas I wanted done were my belly and my hips and the price quoted was $5900. I was on the fence about my inner thighs at the time and ultimately didn't mention it because of the (unknown) extra cost. BUT, the more I thought about it later on, I wondered just HOW MUCH it would be to throw those suckers in there too... so I called the bearer of bad news, Hannah, and asked if she could approximate the cost (You MUST know outside of her duty to tell you how much your bank account will be depleted, she is the sweetest girl ever!) She gave me a rough estimate and then scheduled an additional consult for me. Here's the thing for the newbies to know... if you get lipo and then gain weight, those devious little fat cells will find a new home! And the new home on my body (because I sucked out their outer thigh abode) was on the top front of my thigh. So not exactly inner thigh though they were generously spilling in there too. Dr. Khan said if she did the inner thigh I'd have loose skin but when we talked about the upper thigh, she agreed that we could address that area. It was an additional $1500 but that was the exact # I was ok with in terms of spending more. Im secretly hoping to eventually lipo every single area on my body so that any weight I gain is strictly in my face! Kidding! But would be cool...
Prep. Dr. K will give you a script to have blood work done and the cost is included in your quote. Mine was at Quest Diagnostics. No waiting, super fast, very reputable company.
You will need an EKG which is the only part thus far that got a little tricky. You have to do this on your own at your own expense. For most I guess it's a non-issue. For me it was. So never having had one and with my crappy insurance company needing a "referral to any specialist" from my Primary Care Dr., I was looking at a Primary Care visit copay, a worse Specialist co-pay, then the co-pay for the EKG which ultimately might have been rejected due to the nature of my "elected" surgery. Long story short and over a half-dozen, immediately answered and helpful phone calls to Hannah, she referred me to Heart Place for a cash pay of $26.39 for my EKG. If ya'll know the medical world, nobody does anything for 27 bucks!! Not only that, but I had no wait time, the EKG took 15 minutes mx, and you see the results right away! It also happened to be at Baylor which is top notch here in Dallas! Yeeeeeessss. Its all coming together now.
So today (literally the night before), I filled my scripts. Betty (whom I only briefly met at my consults) left me a message telling me they were ready to be picked up. I have the latest iPhone software that transcribes voicemails but is on a huge delay!! I had no idea she called until 5pm today but she called with a very sweet detailed message. Anyway, heads up! No pain pills outside of Ibuprofrin BUT after a lengthy chat with Dr. K, even her Mommy Makeover patients do fine without it... I actually prefer this as I dont like the strong painkillers and there side effects and she ASSURED me they will not let me suffer in pain at the end of the day. That makes me a teeny bit nervous but even some Facelift patients on here only take strong meds just the first day.
Ok, so 3 minutes til midnight so gonna get some rest... I KNOW I will feel like a truck ran over, backed up, and re-ran over me tomorrow but I'll try to post!
Gonna try to upload the befores right now....Updated on 9 Feb 2017:
Oooooooooouch geez this hurts! Get to that in a minute. I had my surgery scheduled for 11 a.m.. I opted not to do the crack o' dawn surgery because I had my house/pet sitter driving me and that just isn't cool to ask for that too. What I DIDN'T factor in was the thirst factor I'd have the "day of" (had the standard nothing to eat or drink after midnight)! OMG, that was pretty brutal! I obviously had plenty of fat stores to feed my body so the no food part was no biggy. But the thirst was REAL folks!!
After checking in I changed in to the, well what exactly do you call that "thing" that only slightly resembles a robe? Well we'll go with "gown" for discussion's sake. I was tucked in to soft blankets on a waiting table, which was next to the surgery room, and peacefully drifted in and out of a nap while listening to really cool 90's music... because Dr. Khan and her team are cool like that... THEN I was looking at the IV bottle hanging next to me and it reminded me of HOW THIRSTY I WAS! It reminded me in a torturous "mirage in the desert" kind of way... Uuugh!! The Dr. came in and marked all the areas and then Jason, who you'll love & who handles the anesthesia, put my IV in.
Couple of things to note... Dr. Kahn is the most accessible Dr. I have ever had that answers questions or concerns within an hour or so if not minutes... and her staff is as well. 10 stars right there!
AND.... just don't wear make-up/lashes/jewelry of any kind. Yes, it sucks but it is what it is so let these people do their job and don't do things that will irritate them or slow them down. AT all. I went in with my bare, peely pink Retin-A face and nobody in the building/office gasped or fainted at my appearance. Sooo, suck it up buttercups!
A few minutes after I was wheeled in to the surgery room, it was sayonara...
When the procedure was done I was wheeled in to a recovery room to finish waking up. The Sprite that I had previously begged for, didn't even sound good.... where am I??
So, yeah, people... IT HURTS LIKE HELL!!! I def was in a TON of pain but it wasn't the sore pain that will be hanging around for a while but more of a painful burning sensation. Dr. Khan explained that it should be better tonight (which it is) and then the areas will go numb. Jason adjusted the meds and it helped quite a bit.
Then they slowly sat me up and the whole world started to spin.... and here comes the nausea... noooooo! I laid down a few more minutes until it somewhat subsided. This was one of the things I dreaded the most, and it happened. The girl right before me seemed to fare much better. Keep in mind it is entirely different for every person. They dressed me and took me to my awaiting ride in a wheelchair.
The ride home was not as bad as I thought it would be. Going over bumps did not cause any discomfort and did not elevate my nausea. And ooooh how I prayed that my stomach contents would just stay in my stomach for the 20 minute drive.
My friend took me up to the 5th floor of my building's parking garage as it is the highest one and was the one most likely to allow me to enter the elevators in "stealth" mode. As luck would (not) have it, several lovely ladies were going up and one even to my floor.... BUSTED!! I wonder if they even noticed my sunglasses, my pink peely face, my IV bandage covering my hand, the Dr. Khan plastic surgery bag used to carry your what-nots and that has a giant logo screen printed on it , the black Hefty-look-a-like-bury-a-body-in-the-back-yard plastic bag poking out of the giant logo bag?? Nah, probably not... They were just glancing over because I looked extra cute today, right??
Ohhhh, noooo! Here it comes!! Find keys, find keys, find keys. Well up it came (actually hardly anything) but I am happy to say there were no eyewitnesses and luckily I was parked & praying to the porcelain.... Feeling a lot of pain and nausea so I took Ibuprofen & took a 3 hr nap.
Woke up feeling much better. Feeling mostly sore. I checked my garments and had leaked a lot. See photos... WEAR BLACK LADIES!! I bought a Juicy black velour track suit because cool or not cool... They are back! If the bottoms are pretty fitted, go up one size and get a larger top w/ a full zipper....
Ill take more photos right now. I have a follow-up in the morning so I'll post afterward.Updated on 13 Feb 2017:
Well, today I'm 4 days post..... Thursday was the op, Friday got around "ok" and went to my post-op but Saturday and Sunday were nothing short of brutal!! Sitting, standing, resting, walking... all hugely challenging. Capital P.A.I.N! And to say that I am swollen is an understatement. Uuuuuugh... I am definitely not feeling my usually chipper self.
Besides the bruising, swelling, and soreness, my compression garment is annoyingly troublesome and it's making me grouchy!. It's creating 2 deep (painful) creases in the front when I sit/and one on the back where the garment elastic stops at the top. After reading a TON of reviews and Dr.s comments, I am a bit weary of this creating permanent dents. Since Im so early out, Im gonna be very pro-active in preventing the things that I can. The nurse said to use maxi-pads to cushion the ares. That seemed to help some but they collapse too easily under the pressure of the garment and crease too. I ended up getting Reston foam pads that are about paper sized and 1/2" thick. I placed one in the front of my garment and one in the back without actually using the adhesive (which can cause it's own issues). HUGE relief and finally was able to sleep last night. I can also sit now without the dreaded denting. The sides are still digging in a bit up top but Im hoping it will ease up as the swelling goes down. My legs though super sore, have been very comfortable in the garment.
Speaking of garments, I have a quality medical grade garment supplied by my Dr. from Marena. You actually pay for two, a Phase 1 for the initial healing after your surgery and typically a one size smaller garment for Phase 2. My garment goeas from just underneath the breasts and extends down to just above my knee with eye-hook and zipper fasteners going up each side. I see girls on here buying all types of garments from all over the internet and I see differing opinions from Dr.s as well. All I would say about that is that you chose your Dr. for a reason and have hopefully seen lots of examples of their work. I would follow your Dr.s instructions and give them any feedback if you feel like you are having issues.
I do have an issue with my garment right now because I am SO SWOLLEN on my entire torso, back and sides... It has a 3" wide tight elastic band at the top that is seriously digging in to my skin :( I just ordered the same garment but without the elastic band and with shoulder straps that should correct that horrible pressure. I found it on Marena's website but ordered it off of Ebay for $53 (as opposed to $103 on their website and $150 from my Dr.). Marena actually sells on Ebay for about 50% off on some styles. The Dr. estimates I'll be in my secondary garment when Im 2 weeks out so it's worth the extra expense to be somewhat more comfortable and to keep my sanity until then!
I have to say that today, Day 4, the pain has gone down a level. Two full days of agaonizing definitely took it's toll. If you are reading this, there is a good chance that your day 2 & 3 will be nightmare-ish too but just hang tight and keep moving around moderately and mentally prepare yourself if you haven't had your surgery done yet....
I wasn't going to post photos til' a week out but since Im gonna have a shower, I'll put a few up tonight.... and sorry for the super boring & lackluster update but my sense of humor is currently bruised and battered...Updated on 8 Apr 2017:
Photos week 3. Super bruised still but optimistic. Concerned about irregularities, especially on my thighs but I know and was told I have lots of swelling still... Starting to have anxiety about my decision...Updated on 8 Apr 2017:
7 weeks out and having major regrets... I had a follow-up with Dr. Khan today (not the day Im writing this but at 7 weeks) and expressed concern over the flat areas on my thighs and the "outline" of the treated site that doesn't blend with the other areas. Really bummed as I was never concerned with the top muscle part of my thigh, as that's where I can gain results in the gym and doesn't have much fat, but my concern was the upper most part of my thigh that meats my torso. I literally sat down in a chair during my consult so I could grab the 2-3" excess fat there to show the area I wanted treated. Not sure why the area was lipoed so far down or at all except I know they need to feather whatever area is being treated. I was told it was too early to tell as I still have swelling (and I get that and only wanted to be hopeful) but I logically know that volume loss will not come back in the irregular areas and my fears are slowly coming true.... Stomach is looking pretty bad too :(((Updated on 8 Apr 2017:
I am one day short of 2 months out today.... I am depressed, in tears, and have reached out to Dr. Khan's nurse, Betty as she is available via text. My body is a mess. It's hard to look at. I am in total disbelief as to what I see in the mirror and feel like I am certain to face revision, which I cannot wrap my mind around. I have not heard from Dr. Khan yet but am hoping to. The cost, recovery, and STRESS alone has made this a nightmare. But to invest in an improvement in myself after hard times and then be faced with results (I understand I might see some improvement in 4 months) WAY worse than when you started, is beyond devastating. Not sure if I can ever show these parts of my body again and they weren't that bad to begin with :( My legs and stomach look like that of a 90 year old :(((((( I won't even look at my back yet. I've always been thin with moderate exercise and never worried about weight/body but after a struggle with some life circumstances and inactivity over the last 5 years , I gained a SMALL amount of weight on stomach, hips, and thighs that made me feel not like ME anymore. At this point I'd give anything to turn the clock back 2 months... What have I done :(