Lipotherme on Outer Thighs - Rockford, IL

These reviews have been so helpful to me; I'll share my experience also. I had the Lipotherme done on Friday afternoon on my outer thighs. I was given similar anti-anxiety meds an hour before the procedure, which was good because I was feeling very anxious! Changed into robe and disposable panties, before photos were taken, Dr. drew lines on "work" areas. The numbing pricks - those smarted, but was over quickly - after that I felt very little. I have two incision holes on each thigh. The doctor and his assistant were constantly asking me if I could feel anything, let them know, etc. In retrospect, I was awake the whole time, and we were talking the whole time (three hours), but I remember very little of the conversation - bits and pieces come back to me now! lol. They stood me up after the first leg to take a look and did a bit more suctioning while I was standing - no problem standing at all. Took 750 ml from right leg and 550 from left leg - the left leg started to smart a little towards the end - I think he said the pain meds were wearing off and they get suctioned out along with the fat, so he stopped a little sooner. At this point, standing up, you have an amazing amount of pinkish-red fluid pouring out of these little holes in your leg - it's a little freaky. They bandaged them up with maxi pads and helped me get into this zippered compression garment that I thought there was no way was going to fit on me - but it did after a struggle... it's awkward. I went home and had to immediately change the maxi pads becasue of the amount of fluid that was expressing. At this point I knew my husband really loved me because there was no way I could have gotten out of the garment and replaced the pads by myself. I continued to change these pads every hour for the next 4 hours; at one point I just stood in the bathroom and pressed lightly on my thighs to encourage the liquid to run out - I just wanted to get it over with! It didn't hurt - it didn't take much pressure - and in retrospect, I wish I would have done that a little more. Again, the amount of fluid puddling up on the floor was a little shocking - I'm really glad the doctor prepared us for that, so we were laughing a little. At this point I should say that both my husband and I could see a big difference in my thighs, even with the obvious swelling. I was uncomfortable and bruised, but it was not painful to walk - just that really bruised feeling. I took the recommended 2 extra-strength Tylenol every 6 hours. My whole right thigh is black and purple; my left thigh has some mild bruising - even though they seem very similar otherwise. Both legs have a "pouchy" area around the bottom incision - I think it's fluid and loose fat that never leaked out and has settled there - now it will have to be absorbed... I'll ask the doctor at my one-week follow-up. My right incision leaked like crazy, while the left one was much less. The next morning I was able to cover the incisions with large bandaids and what little leaking I had up to that point stopped completely. I was a little tired on Saturday but was up and moving and running errands, cleaning, laundry all day with a couple half-hour breaks on the couch. Same with Sunday and yesterday. I have been using Mederma on my incisions - I really don't want any scars! I purchased a Jockey capri shaper and a Flexees shaper, but they do not have the compression that the compression garment has - but good enough to wear while washing the compression garment. The doctor could not stress enough how important it was to wear the compression garment for at least two weeks, preferable four weeks, so I am going to take that seriously. So, minimal discomfort for the last couple days - I've only taken the tylenol once a day yesterday and not yet today and I'm fine. The skin on my thighs is just sore. I have also already started feeling the "coolness" or "rippling" sensation others have mentioned... the doctor says that is my nerve ending repairing themselves and that it is good. I'm also itchy - another sign of healing. The swelling is going down a little bit every day - my legs are definitely feeling a little lumpy and I have started lightly massaging them, which is recommended down the road any way. Overall, I'm pretty happy with this so far - there is definitely a big difference and the doctor insists that I won't be really happy until 3 months and thrilled until 6 months... so I'm staying positive. I miss working out at my gym and I can't go back for two weeks, and even then I'm a little worried about how it's going to feel the first few times - hopefully this sore feeling will be gone by then. I plan on doing some weight-bearing stuff at home in a few days - sit-ups, push-ups, a lot of walking. I'm wondering if there is anything I can do to help my body absorb this melted fat and get rid of it? I have such a slow metabolism to begin with :( My husband took before photos and photos the following morning (swelling and all) and we plan on taking a follow-up photo every Saturday morning for a few weeks. In hindsight, I should have taken my actual thigh measurements also. I'll post a follow-up down the road. I should also add that I am extremely happy with the Doctor and his assistant. They were great at explaining everything and preparing me for what would happen when I got home. The assistant gave me her phone number in case I had any questions during the weekend, and she followed up with me on Monday to see how things were going. Excellent bedside manner and customer service.