500cc Oval Butt Implants + Tummy and Love Handle Lipo

I'll start by saying I am still in the midst of week 2 recovery, so I'll try to update this review as much as possible as I go along but I'm very low on energy and will right now. This recovery has been no joke and when I'm through with everything, I don't think I'll ever lay on my tummy ever again lol
Prior to my surgery, I spent a lot of time choosing between Dr. Katzen and Dr. Ryan Stanton. Stanton seemed like the "safer" choice when it came to butt implants since that's his speciality, but I just got a really good feeling when I met with Dr. Katzen for our consultation, and I didn't get the same feeling when I met with Dr. Stanton. When I found out that Dr. Katzen was able to order the patented Stanton anatomic oval implants for me (apparently the two of them are good friends), I decided to follow my intuition and go with Dr. Katzen. I'm glad I did, because Dr. Katzen and his staff have provided me with exceptional aftercare and support so far. They've checked in with me almost every day, and I am able to call in whenever I have any concerns or issues with my healing. I also had 2 post-ops scheduled with Dr. Katzen, so I feel like they have really gone the extra mile to ensure that my recovery is as smooth as possible.
Dr. Katzen was able to fit 500 cc stanton ovals into each buttock. He also performed lipo on my tummy and love handles to help me contour my shape and make my hips pop out more. On top of that, he also added a bit of ab etching to create that line down the center of my abs that I've always wanted :) it's a very subtle line so far, but it's an extra little thing that I was really pleased to get out of this whole experience.
My butt has been doing fine through this recovery. It still feels really hard and swollen, but I think it's been healing at a reasonable pace. It was even harder (rock solid) and swollen when I first got out of surgery. I keep on having to remind myself that what I see right now is not the final result. I don't love how huge it looks right now but I know it's gonna get smaller. I'm trying not to regret getting the 500cc over the 420 ccs. Let me know what you think.. I'll post pics of how I look so far. I haven't felt much pain in my butt because Dr. Katzen also installed a "pain pump" into my butt during the surgery - it's basically tubing that periodically dispenses lidocaine into my butt cheeks throughout the day and numbs the whole area out. The pain pump lasted the first 3ish days of my recovery, so I didn't have to feel the pain at its worst. It was only a minor annoyance to have to carry around an extra thing attached to me for the first few days, and I wasn't able to get the tubing removed until my 1 week post-op. I was glad I had it, but also relieved to have it removed.
One thing people really don't talk about enough though, is how incredibly painful lipo recovery is. I thought it would be just a minor inconvenience, but I'm starting to feel like my lipo recovery has made this whole recovery far more difficult and exhausting than it would've been if I had just done the implants alone. If I could go back in time, I would tell my past self to stop trying to save a few thousand bucks and do the two procedures separately. Because my lipo was on my abdomen, any time I try to get out of bed or do anything that involves engaging my core, I feel a lot of pain. I never knew how involved my core was in pushing bowel movements until this surgery lol. I also had 3 drainage tubes attached to my abdomen to help with the lipo recovery. I think these drainage tubes have been one of the hardest parts because not only do I have to measure and empty them every day, but I have to lay on top of them all day long for my butt implant recovery. Because I have the tubes in, I also haven't been allowed to shower since my surgery morning. Thankfully I've been pretty immobile so there isn't too much to shower off of me. Needless to say, this whole thing has just been uncomfortable, to say the least.
When I look at the results I have so far though, I'm very happy with what I see. I think I'm going to be even happier and excited about it when I can finally start walking like a normal person again (right now I am still at a slow waddle). And when I can shower and feel like a clean, alive human. Right now is just really hard. I'm so tired of being on my tummy 24/7 and not being able to help my boyfriend with anything around the house. It's hard to feel so useless, but I take this as a humbling lesson in patience.

I don't think I emphasized enough in my original post how wonderful Dr. Katzen has been. He's very kind, patient, and confident about what he's doing. His energy puts me at ease, and I feel like I can trust him. Even on surgery day, when I was internally freaking out, he came in and was somehow able to ease me into a calm place (even though I started freaking out again as soon as he left to finish getting ready lol). He and his staff also make themselves available for asking questions at pretty much all hours of the day and weekend, which has been such a relief because I've definitely had a lot of questions and concerns along the way. I would absolutely recommend him; he's a good person and a very skilled surgeon that knows what he's doing.

So back to how I'm doing... I wish I had more photos to show, but to be honest, it's impossible to find time to take them. I still spend 85% of my time in bed, because my butt starts hurting and I start feeling pains around the incisions if I'm up for too long. The other 15% of the time, I'm using the bathroom, brushing my teeth, eating, etc and I don't have time to stop and take a cute pic before my butt starts to hurt. I don't know how other people that go through this procedure are able to spend time trying on cute panties and taking pics. I wish I could. I'm over here, in my crotchless compression garment, just trying to survive lol. I will definitely post more shots of myself when I'm further along in my recovery and have the energy to try other clothes on. Right now, it still feels like I have a long way to go.

As mentioned, my butt still gets really sore and painful if I stand and walk/waddle around the house for more than 15 minutes. I definitely have more mobility now than I did 5 days ago, and it gets a tiny bit better every day, but it's still very hard to do things on my own. My boyfriend helps me with pretty much everything. It feels like I have two 5-pound weights on my butt, dragging me down when I stand. When will this feeling go away? I'm expecting it to gradually feel more and more "normal" and "part of me" over time.. but it feels like that will take such a long time from now. Just need to be patient. The incisions still have stitches and tape over them. They look quite large and not pretty... but I'm hoping it'll all heal and look better with time.

For the lipo recovery, the whole area is still numb to the touch. It's very strange to touch and look at my own stomach/abdomen because it feels like it doesn't belong to me. I know it's just the nerves healing and etc but it's a very odd experience. It looks beautiful and flat though so I'm happy with the results and look forward to being fully healed there. I still have 2 out of the original 3 drainage tubes attached to my tummy. They haven't been draining much fluid so I'm looking forward to getting them removed at my 2-week post-op in a few days.

I'm still glad I did this procedure because I know I'll be really happy once I'm fully healed, but things just feel hard right now. It will be much much better when I can finally shower after getting the drainage tubes removed in a few days. I think I'll feel like a real human again and I'll be able to enjoy my results more.

I also wanted to mention that they had put a catheter in me during the procedure so that I wouldn't have to get up to use the bathroom in the first week. That catheter was a total lifesaver because it was SO hard to get up in those first few days. It allowed me to drink as much water as I wanted without having to stress about going to the bathroom. The downside is that it would hurt my urethra a little bit every time it shifted around, and it eventually got so uncomfortable that I couldn't wait to get it removed after the first week. Also, it was definitely not fun having to carry my pee bag around with me everywhere I went. When I got it removed, I was so relieved. It definitely caused a bit of damage down there.. I think I either have a UTI or some tissue down there got a little torn up because it's been stinging when I pee for a few days now. But like I said, the catheter was a lifesaver in those first few days so I'm okay with dealing with some stinging when I pee now. I'm taking cranberry pills, and the antibiotics that they have me on should help me clear everything out in time. I now use a female urinal cone thing to pee, and that's been pretty easy now that I'm able to get out of bed and waddle to the bathroom on my own.

Yesterday was my 2-week post-op appointment. Dr. Katzen removed my 2 remaining stomach drains (thank GOODNESS), and then blessed me with the green light to finally shower. It was the greatest shower I've ever had in my life. Somehow, with the drain removal and the shower, my recovery seems to have fast forwarded. I went from being incapable of standing for more than 20 minutes without feeling immense pain just a couple days ago, to being able to walk around my apartment, do chores and help prepare meals for hours at a time, no sweat. So strange.. I had read some other people say that at the 2 week mark, everything starts to get a lot better. I'm definitely feeling that :) I have to go back to work next Monday and now I'm finally feeling like I'll be prepared to do that. Thankfully, I have a work from home computer desk job and a standing desk so I think it'll be manageable. I've even started phasing out the percocets/painkillers, and leaning on Tylenol a bit more. I only take 1 percocet during the day time and 1 at night now and I think soon I'll be able to stop taking it during the day all together. This is much better compared to how much I had to take just a week ago.. 1 or 2 pills every 6 hours. ouch.

Still feeling super happy about my results. My booty has gotten much smaller as the swelling has gone down, and I am in loooove with the size and shape now. The 500cc ovals were perfect - not too big that it looks unnatural. Just *very blessed* haha. I know my butt will still change in the next few months, but I think I'm just going to love it more and more. So happy with how cute and perky it is now. Can't wait to be able to try on cute bikinis and clothes once I'm able to actually able to bend forward and put pants on by myself. The lack of flexibility/mobility part is probably still the most challenging bit, but I'm not going to start stretching until Dr. Katzen says it's okay. So far, he has been very much on the "safe side" of telling me how to manage this recovery, and I appreciate that very much. I know my results will be much better for it. Starting this week (week 3), I am going to work on standing for longer periods of time, walking around more, and lengthening my stride a bit. I'm still waddling around like a penguin, but it's getting better. No sitting or stretching yet. That will likely start next week. Fingers crossed that I can sit down for a holiday dinner at the end of next week!

I still have all of my stitches in for both the lipo incisions and the butt implant incisions. The small lipo stitches will likely come out next week, and I think the butt implant stitches will stay in for a few more weeks. I think this will allow my scars to be much less noticeable. Dr. Katzen triple sealed the butt implant incisions with stitches, surgical glue, and surgical tape on top. I'm so glad he did because sometimes I still get paranoid that I'm bending too far and might tear something!

For some reason, I have been crazy itchy all over my body for about a week now. I think the tightness from the compression garment is starting to get to me? The itchiness seems to be all over my body, anywhere that is covered by the compression garment - not just where I got lipo or have incisions. Does anyone else experience this? I've been trying not to scratch so much but I'm so bad at it. That's partially why my front/abdomen still looks a little red :X

Forgot to post this before, but I am in my early 30's, 5'5", 135ish pounds, very athletic and active. I've always had longer legs and a shorter torso so I think the lipo sculpting has definitely helped me feel a lot more happy with my body proportions. And of course, I'm stoked to have a cutie booty now, haaay! ~