Horrific pain after liposuction. Should I go to the ER? (Photo)

Some patients are back to work after 1 week, while some patients have pain for 2 weeks or so.  Every patient is different, and every surgery is different. It is hard to provide an average time or what is normal because everyone has a different pain tolerance level. Continue to follow up with your PS as he/she is responsible for your recovery and can prescribe other medications if hydrocone and ibuprofen 800 are not working.
Kenneth Hughes, MD, ABPS Board Certified Plastic Surgeon
Los Angeles, CA

Pain can be variable for patients who have had liposuction. If necessary, this pain can be treated with anti-inflammatory medications and neurontin. If it persists, I recommend following up with your physician.
Swelling post-lipo can persist for months, so it's important to be on the right after care protocols. I recommend following up with your physician about their suggested after care protocol. I have my patients wear compression for 3 to 6 weeks straight then overnight for 3-6 months after their procedure. I suggest adding hyperbaric oxygen and lymphatic massage along with your compression to help decrease swelling. To improve your final results, I also recommend adding Vanquish for further fat removal; truSculpt iD, Exilis, Forma, and Venus Legacy for additional skin tightening; and Cellutone / ZWave to make the skin smooth, remove scar tissue, and improve the skin’s appearance.
It will take 6 to 12 months to see the final outcome. Ultimately, if you are unhappy with your results, please speak to your physician and ensure that he/she was a full body VASER Hi-Definition liposuction physician with extensive experience in contouring and body shaping -- and not just traditional fat reduction. You can always get a revision procedure by an expert if needed. Best, Dr. Emer

Thanks for your question. Redness, swelling, heat, and pain are all signs of infection.  While you only report one of these, infections are a big deal and should be addressed immediately when present.  Best is to discuss specifically with the operating surgeon so that he /she can take a look.Healing after liposuction is usually pretty straight forward.  There is a process of swelling and bruising that peaks at 3 days after surgery and then undergoes the first stage of major resolution in the first 2 weeks after surgery.  The lateer phase of healing takes place over the 2-3 months after surgery where everything really settles and softens.  It is after this time that we are getting close to the final result, though this varies patient to patient. 

 The most significant indicator of a serious complication after liposuction is worsening of symptoms especially pain.  If your pain is more now than it was a few days after the procedure then you should be evaluated for a serious complication.  The complications that could present as  abdominal  pain include infections and intra-abdominal injuries including intestinal  perforation's.  Both of these complications can be life-threatening and should be taken seriously.  I don't have the liberty of examining you or having a thorough history.  My recommendations would be to contact your plastic surgeon immediately and tell them as succinctly as you can what your symptoms have been from the date of surgery.  Considering questioning your surgeon if they think you may have a complication.  If you feel you're not getting the care you need then consider going to the nearest emergency room.  I don't know where you live but if there are choices of different hospitals to go to you should choose the largest hospital that has plastic surgeons on call. Typically this could be a hospital with a level one trauma unit.  For sure you should be evaluated.  The typical patient is feeling substantially better eight weeks after surgery and the fact that pain medication is not controlling your pain gives significant red flags that an evaluation it needs to be done.  To test for an infection typically an examination is done with a combination of history and blood tests.  To test for possible intra-abdominal injuries a CT scan is required.  If you're not sure lean on the side of caution and get evaluated.  Your plastic surgeon should have an emergency number to contact or the number of someone covering the practice if they are not available.  Do not let the fact that it's a weekend stop you from getting the care you need to.  Best, Mats Hagstrom MD