Hello....so after over a year of contemplating having something done...today I pulled the trigger! I am 31 years old and never had a weight issue until after the birth of my son. He is 5 years old and I literally still look pregnant....the weight didn't come off as easily as expected and I'm tired of being unhappy with how I look. I researched getting a mommy makeover, but frankly do not have the time available to take off work, or the support system to help take care of me and my son. So today I went to a consultation at SonoBello and scheduled my liposuction to take place April 15th. The staff was very nice and the facility is beautiful. I did not fell pressured or rushed, all my questions were answered. It is more expensive than I thought (I figured around 5,000 or so), but the before and after pictures of women who have similar body types to mine, is what really sold me. I scheduled my pre-op appointment, procedure and post-op appointment. I'm excited and nervous......I know I will get more nervous as we get closer, but for the time being I am just going to be happy dreaming about my soon-to-be new and improved body =)
Updated on 9 Apr 2016:
Today I had my pre-op appointment.....I am really nervous and my blood pressure reading proved that. The nurse took my before pictures and the doctor went over my body and where the incisions will be. I have a couple prescriptions to fill for nausea, antibiotics and Norco for the pain after......which, Norco doesn't really do much for me so I'm a tad nervous that won't be enough.
The doctor is concerned my blood pressure might be too high the day of....so she recommended me to stop drinking caffeine and to do things that relax me.
That would be a huge bummer if I end up having to cancel because of my blood pressure.......so I'm taking her advice seriously since I know the day of, I will be a nervous wreck! Friday is the big day.....hopefully I will feel up to posting my experience that day......
Updated on 15 Apr 2016:
Today was the big day! My procedure was at noon.....all they gave me was a Percocet and a Xanax before, which didn't really do much. However, I didn't feel them make the incisions at all.....the numbing fluid felt a little funny but not bad at all! I was supposed to have my upper & lower abs, waist and back bra roll done but they reached the maximum numbing fluid they could safely use so I have to go back for my back bra roll. Now that I know it is very minimal pain, I'm not scared or upset at all that I have to go back. I'm full of fluid and not allowed to take my compression garments off until I shower tomorrow, so I will take pics then......for now, I will upload the pics I took this morning before I left for my appointment. I'm in pain, but not a pain I can't handle. My abs are definitely more sore than my waist and when Dr. Chen called to check on me she said they took a LOT of fat from my abs so that is expected but that tonight will be the worst. I'm beyond excited to see my results over the next couple of months. I have already started eating more healthy the last 2 weeks and am going to stick to it in efforts to get my pre-baby body back!
Updated on 16 Apr 2016:
Woke up in pain......but again, not a pain I can't handle. It's dull in some areas, sharp in others and sore all over. My draining hasn't been as bad as I thought it would be. Even with the compression garment on, I can tell I'm swollen quite a bit. I'm looking forward to my shower later today because I will will finally get to see my stomach :) my husband has already said he can tell there is a big difference despite the swelling and garment. My doctor said she took a little over 6 pounds of pure fat which makes me very excited!! And to think even more will come off when I go back to have my back bra roll done!
Updated on 16 Apr 2016:
Finally I was able to take everything off and shower! I took some pics but can't really see a difference from my before pics, however, I can tell a big difference in person! I kind of look like what I used to look like when sucking in.....but I'm not sucking in, lol. My husband wasn't very excited about what he saw. I tried to explain the swelling to him but I think he will have to see it to believe it. I could tell additional swelling happened while I had the garment off to wash it....it was really hard to get back on. I also didn't realize how much it helps with the pain, I was in quite a bit of pain with it off, but just sore feeling now with it back on. Anyway, I'm really looking forward to the swelling to go down so I can see the real results!!
Updated on 17 Apr 2016:
They scheduled my back bra roll for Friday, May 6th. It will be nice to have everything done. Also, even though they said I can sleep however I want (I'm a stomach sleeper) it's been too painful to sleep on my stomach or sides. I'm assuming my pain from the first surgery will be gone or very minimal by then so I should be able to easily sleep on my stomach after the bra roll lipo.
Updated on 18 Apr 2016:
I'm sure my incisions are healing, which is why they are itchy......but having this garment on and not being able to scratch is driving me bonkers!! Lol
I'm 3 days post op and no longer taking pain meds.....pain is still there, but minimal. Sitting is uncomfortable because my lower tummy is the most sore and when sitting it feels like that is where all the pressure is. Laying or standing there is very minimal pain. I have been receiving daily emails from my doctor and today's said that because of swelling I can look the same or bigger than before surgery and that this is normal. Well I actually look slightly smaller than before surgery, so that makes me happy........still anxious to see a big difference.....but I guess I have to wait........
Updated on 19 Apr 2016:
Itching has gone down.......swelling has stayed about the same. I'm down 1 pound on the scale, but know they took over 6 pounds of fat.......I'm eating healthy and honestly don't have much of an appetite. I was able to sleep on my side while hugging a pillow last night. Pain is slowly going down, changing positions is when I feel the most pain, when I sit or lay still there is no pain. I had my first bowel movement this morning and it was very uneventful, barely anything came out and I'm feeling really bloated so hopefully today I have more relief. I go back to work tomorrow and I feel ready.
Updated on 22 Apr 2016:
I'm 1 week post op today and I'm starting to get frustrated with the swelling. I'm only seeing a minor difference in my stomach, I know the swelling takes time to go down.....but I thought I would see more of a difference by now. I'm trying to be patient but the more days that pass, the harder it gets :( I have my first post op appointment tomorrow so we'll see what the doctor says......I also have one incision that doesn't want to heal. 4 of them look great and are barely noticeable while 1 stubborn one wants to stay open....errrrrrr........