Full Abdomen, Arms, Love Handles- Day of Procedure

Just had my procedure this afternoon about 6 hours ago at the New York location. My surgeon was Dr Perkins and he was excellent. He answered all my questions and was super nice throughout the entire process. I arrived early but the paperwork took a long time since I tried to read everything. Got freaked out because the paperwork goes over the worst case scenarios. The staff were super nice! I was incredibly nervous and on the verge of a panic attack but once I met my nurse she really calmed down because she was so sweet and reassuring. They took a urine sample to make sure I wasn’t pregnant then they had me get changed into a robe and their undergarments and socks. I originally was going to get love handles, full abdomen and fat transfer to breasts, but I changed to full abdomen, love handles, and arms at the last minute because Dr Perkins agreed that my body would look more proportionate without my arm fat and a smaller waist and that my boobs would look proportionately bigger with smaller arms and smaller waist. My nurse took pictures of me before i got marked up and after i got marked up. Dr Perkins was great. He told me to ask him all my questions and I did, but I honestly didn’t have many questions because for the past 2 months I’ve been obsessively reading every review online so I feel like i knew exactly what to do and what to expect for post op and during the procedure. He reassured me that the numbing process wouldn’t that much which was my primary worry. Then my nurse gave me my meds to take- it was xanax, an anti nausea pill, and something else I forget what. Then they took me to the OR. I laid down on the table and I felt the meds kicking in only after like 10 minutes. I did eat a big breakfast like 3 hours before so my stomach was sorta empty. I didn’t feel nauseous at all. My nurse gave me a shot in my thigh to help with the pain and the shot felt like a longer flu shot but with more stinging. It wasn’t bad. The xanax just made me feel super relaxed and drunk. Then Dr Perkins started to numb me which was the part that hurt the most. It felt like a dull pain then i could feel a metal instrument moving under my skin and injecting numbing fluid. It was a weird sensation to feel something moving around under your skin. It was NOT excruciating pain at all but it was most painful near my ribs and upper abdomen and it was very uncomfortable everywhere else, but with the laughing gas, it was totally bearable. The laughing took a lot of the pain away, it made me feel good and super drunk but without dizziness or nausea. They numbed all the areas which took way longer than I was expecting, then shortly after numbing, Dr Perkins started sculpting. He did my abdomen, then my left side and left arm. Then he left to take a break I think, but I was worried he left because something was wrong- I think my blood pressure was high and they wanted to give me a break. But then he came back and did my right side and right arm. Then he went back to my abdomen again at the end to suck more fat out of it. It was super satisfying to see all my fat being sucked out. I think they said they removed 2500 to 3000 ccs which is a lot because I’m pretty small framed but I knew that I carried most of my body fat in my arms and mid section. Then it was over before I knew it. It all was a blur and it totally didn’t feel like an hour and a half. The air sculpting itself basically didn’t hurt at all. It was ticklish in some areas and it felt like a vibrating massage in other areas. It actually felt good in some areas like a nice massage. It sorta burned and stung in some parts and that did hurt but the pain was super quick. Then my nurse put my pads and compression garment onto me while I was still laying down. I felt super stuffed up like a sausage. They took me to the post op room where they took my vitals and I drank water, gatorade, and had a cliff bar. They told me I had to stay there for 15 more minutes because my blood pressure was a little too high. I felt okay sitting there but my incisions on my stomach were starting to hurt/burn. I eventually got to leave and my brother was waiting for me in the waiting room. Dr Perkins had talked to him as well which was nice of him! Then we ubered back to the apartment. We went for a short walk around the block which felt okay. Back at the apartment is when my abdomen area and incisions really started to hurt. I was in agony whenever I was standing up or walking around so I laid down on my back and all the pain subsided. Pretty much, there was no pain when laying on my back but when I am upright it’s VERY painful. I drank my protein shake and had a macaron that my brother bought me. I am planning on eating dinner soon. Dr Perkins just texted me and checked in and answered more of my questions which I really appreciate. He’s just a really amazing person and surgeon. I will post another update tomorrow with photos once I take off the garment to shower!

soreness is completely gone!! i’m able to easily sit up and walk around without any discomfort and laughing/coughing also doesn’t hurt at all anymore. my skin is still numb around my upper arms and my abdomen but MY ARMS AND WAIST ARE TINY. my stomach is finally flat and waist looks snatched. my bruising isn’t even that bad 4 days post op- i’ve been taking lymphatonic, arnica 3x day, and bromeliad with quercetin so i think that combo has really helped control the swelling and bruising. i’m so impressed by the results so far. i have written not sure because i don’t want to say it was worth it until at least 2 weeks post op but so far it is SO WORTH IT. my body looks so much better than i was expecting. i am still very swollen and i feel more swollen if i haven’t taken tylenol and get super swollen. if i’m walking around outside in the heat for a while. i have been walking twice a day and trying to walk for at least 45 minutes to an hour per day. i am only 22 so i think my body is recovering quite quickly since i’m younger. i showered 48 hours after the procedure and i am going to try to wash my garment today or tomorrow!

just posting these pics from 4 days post op- the last pics i included in my 4 days post op update were actually pics from my 48 hours post op shower so here are actual 4 days post op pics. i have some bruising that spread down to my vagina area and labia which is sorta alarming to look at by doesn’t hurt or anything. incisions are closing up really well! the only ones that still look like holes are my love handle incisions. going to try to put my belly button piercing in during my shower!