Hello I researched and researched tons of doctors about lipo. I decided to go to sonobello in Garfield Heights. I see a lot of doctors and people on here saying that u don't meet with your doctor. That is not true!! I met with my doctor several days before the surgery and she was great!! So I got to have 3 consultations. The day of surgery they sedated me with Norco and Vicodin. I was really nervous because that's just my personality. But she numbed the spots that she was cutting and started after she made sure everything was sterile. Things were so sterile to the point of when I came in the o.R she held my hands so I couldn't touch anything which I thought was awesome!!! She made sure I was okay and reassured me I was fine. I got to talk with her and the assistant the whole time and it was great!! I felt a little discomfort but nothing at all painful.I am going to post a before and now I am 2 days post op
There isn't a day that has passed since having my second child that I hoped my leftover stretched out tummy from having babies would shrink and my clothes would fit me properly. I felt my tummy was bit deformed and dis proportioned to the rest of my body. After having bilateral hip surgery 2 years ago I was told I may never run again and this truly motivated me to prove that Dr. wrong, somebody telling me that running was no longer in the cards for me....what would I do? How would I battle the belly bulge if I couldn't run? I know there are other options but running was my space, my place! So I fought back and hit the elliptical and biked. I am very proud to say that I am running again after all of the hard work... But here's the problem all of the work that I put In and I STILL THE BELLY Fat :( So when my sister suggested this brand new Procedure for Lipo that was incredibly Safe and Affordable I decided why not?? It's not like I didn't already poor my heart into diet and exercise so I needed help. The consultation was very non aggressive and they made me feel extremely comfortable and Michelle the patient care consultant gave me very realistic expectations, and they have a great payment plan they offer as well that you can finance if you have to and pay it off in a certain amount of time you don’t have to pay any interest. I was interested in doing my arms and maybe just below my bottom as well and Michelle advised this was not an area they would recommend doing on me because it wasn't really fat just loose skin, I appreciated the fact that they weren't' just out to make a buck and she was very candid with me. They truly just wanted to help where they felt they could make a big impact on the way I felt, which was my upper and lower abdomen, waist and hips...goodbye muffin tops too! Michelle explained that for my arms (what happens after 40?) and below my bottom they have a new Laser Procedure called Venus that uses magnetic technology to build collagen and this would take care of tightening up that skin so lipo was not necessary. She explained the reason Lipo with Sono Bello was so much more affordable than most is because they do not have to use an anesthesiologist...they don't have to put you under for the procedure and this is a huge cost savings. More importantly because you don't have to be knocked out it is much SAFER and being a mother of 2 I feel I have a responsibility to my children to be there for them. Something holding me back previously from making the leap to do this procedure for Myself was just that it felt a bit selfish. Everyone knows surgery can be dangerous but when you’re not "going under" it's a much safer procedure therefore the Mommy guilt was eliminated and I was ALL IN!! So just to qualify because the procedure is done without Anesthesia you’re probably thinking as I was that this would be scary because I was. They give you a “cocktail” prior to walking into surgery which included some type of pain med and something else to calm your nerves that definitely did the trick (no not alcohol silly) I literally made the surgeon Lol when I told her I was so relieved that this didn't feel like a surgery at all but more of a day at the SPA...when she started the procedure no joke I was completely fearless with 0 anxiety about what was going on . They talked with me during the procedure and informed me of what was going on and we joked and laughed. To me I felt like I was in the middle of a Grays Anatomy Episode (One of my favorite shows) only I got to participate in the surgery it was very cool! Pain free. By being so informed pre op I was empowered and feeling excited about the procedure leading up to surgery day. So post op they told me to take it easy and generally patients return to work in 3 days, I was baking a cake with my kids later that afternoon and hosted a 4th of July party at my house the next day so for me it was quick but I tend to bounce back very quickly. They also advised no running for a month so that the muscle has time to adhere to the skin (minus the fat). I feel like I might turn into a blob not running for a month but I'll just have to watch the chocolate for a few weeks. I exercise so I can eat chocolate freely by the way. So the results are even better than I expected I gained 80 pounds during my 2nd pregnancy so my skin was very stretched out and so was the muscle I wasn't completely convinced that removing the fat would be enough to make a difference in my appearance but I am thrilled to say that I feel Fantastic. My clothes are already big on me and they say that I will continue to see results for the next 6 months which is hard to imagine but I'm excited to see. I could barely look in the mirror at my tummy before the procedure, now I check daily. I also receive aftercare emails with advice on how I should be progressing and how to take care of myself to achieve the best results. The entire process was quick easy. I do plan on following up with the Venus Treatments to tighten up the skin on my belly arms and bottom so thinking in a few months I will be feeling like million bucks. I am already feeling like myself again, I felt like I was stuck in a fat suit prior to this procedure. Updated on 14 Jul 2015: Just added some Pre Op Pictures, I'll post progress photos shortly. Definitely seeing some terrific progress. Updated on 14 Jul 2015: Added some more photos to show Pre and Post- OP I am seeing some great progress and had my first Venus treatment to build collagen and tighten up the loose skin. I'll keep you updated! Updated on 30 Sep 2015: 3 months later I couldn't be more pleased with my results. I am down 2 sizes and several inches. I believe the best results we're on the lower abdomen in the areas where it didn't seem to matter how hard I worked out the lower belly fat didn't budge. I also had considerable reduction in the love handles, good bye and good riddens. My clothes fit me so much better and I can even wear strapless shirts and dresses which is something I never saw in my future. I am very excited for my results I do have some saggy skin in the lower abdomen but I am continuing to go for the Venus Laser treatments so hopefully they will do the trick. I'm thinking a mini tummy tuck is going to be the solution to get rid of the rest of the leftover saggy tummy though and who knows maybe the full mommy makeover with a breast lift in the future! Definitely very satisfied with my results and very glad I had the opportunity to take off the extra pounds that we're slowing me down and making me so uncomfortable. Workouts are easier to achieve results without the extra pounds slowing me down.