ABOUT TO HIT THE 2-MONTH POST-OP MILESTONE

Hello Sistahs, I've been laying low, watching my volume fluctuate. They didn't tell me that my 44 inch hips in week one were the result of swelling. Not all of us will lose volume, but I think perhaps those of us who have "dense" tissue and get less than 800-900cc may experience that. I now fluctuate between 42.5 and 43 inches. When it got down near 42 inches, I called the office! Dr J says to expect fluctuations or actual loss for several weeks. Clearly many patients lose nothing,but I want all of u 2 be prepared.

Since my surgery, I have been forced to sit directly on my butt 3x. When driving, I use the rolled up yoga mat, with a small pillow behind my upper back for support.

I was told that since I had no lipo to my thighs, I could come out of the garment at 6 weeks. Supposedly, it's not for the butt, but for lipo compression and holding the foam triangle in place.

Coming out of the garment resulted in swelling of my abdominal region, so sad. Although 90% improved, it ain't flat as a board, so no need to show y'all that cuz y'all looking for totally flat. I'm super happy with it, so I'll enjoy it myself :-).

Wanted to upload pix. Despite the loss of 1-1.5 inches, I have a COMPLETE transformation. I will say, if u c a volume loss, be patient and do all that u can to stay off of your butt and keep your diet one that counters weight loss. Hold off on lower body exercising and such. Let the fat take over the 3 months. U will have PLENTY of time later to exercise.

I wish every single one of u the bod of your dreams, and if not the bod of your dreams, let's b thankful to God that we survived our elective surgeries without complications and that we have an improvement over our pre-op figure.

Take care, and much luv!!!

BEST LYMPHATIC MASSAGE THERAPIST - ATL

I had two huge lumps forming on my lower back near the foam insert. Renee, the head nurse, agreed the swelling "didn't look right". I saw two diff lymph massage therapists before leaving the A. The first? No change in my bod. The second was JULIE MILLS of Body of Health in Snellville. She holds several certifications in massage therapy and is very highly skilled in lymph. She explains how your lymph capillaries have been damaged by the lipo, how the lymph should flow, what is causing your swelling, and has been trained at the Chickly Institute to actually feel the lymph as she presses, redirecting the flow, and opening the drainage areas. The morning after my massage, those hardened, raised, abnormally shaped lumps were G..O..N..E! Plus, my ab region was smoother. If u r going to spend the time and money for your post-surg rehabilitative massages, give her a call. She is exceptional at what she does. Very highly skilled, informative, and produces amazing results. Google her name or body of health and life. Tell her u heard about her on RealSelf from one of her VERY happy, out-of-town clients. Invest in your healing and give her a call. Arguably the best in the biz in the ATL. Happy healing and hugs!!

I won't detail my pre-op visit or surgery day because it's basically the same as what many others have written. I'll try to focus on my experiences and things that I think might b helpful. As always, these are MY experiences. Results may vary :-)

GARMENT: the crotch is open w/ two flaps that sort of overlap. They will bunch and cause discomfort from your kitty all of the way back. The best way to urinate, no matter what device u use, I think, squat as much as your body will allow (each day u should become more flexible), then pull the garment flaps as far apart as u can, then place your cup directly against your skin. If the fabric overlaps the rim of the cup is on top of the cup, or u just spread your legs without moving moving the fabric back, u will very, very likely wet yourself.

DRAIN: get used to dragging it around. If u don't keep it clipped to some part of your clothing, or when naked, secured down, u will forget that it's there and yank on it. I yanked a lot and hard, resulting in a few trickles of blood. B careful. When they remove it, they should ask u to take in a deep breath, then blow out slowly. It is while u r blowing out that they will remove the drain. Wasn't painful for me, just the weird sensation of it being pulled across and through my lower back and then out.

MASSAGES: Kimberly was my post-op nurse. She advised massages to break up and prevent build up of scar tissue and to speed the decrease of swelling. She advised lymphatic drainage massages, 1x per day for 3-4 days, then Swedish massages w/ lymphatic perhaps 1x per week, then, when u can tolerate it, add deep tissue. Of course the frequency depends on your budget and schedule, but they will help your healing tremendously.

I added a pic of a foam mattress pad that I bought for my massages. I do NOT remove them from their packaging, but keep them tightly inside so that they stay tight and firm I bought two: one I placed vertically under my torso, to support me from from neck to low back. The second I placed horizontally under my thighs. This way, my butt stayed in the air, touching nothing at all. I lay on them on top of the massage table with no problems. We took them off the table when I flipped onto my stomach for my lower back massage. Worked perfectly. Kimberly stressed that we not allow the masseuse to touch our butt/hips and to stay elevated.

Keeping them in plastic also keeps them sanitary so u can return them to WalMart to get your $ back once u can have massages w/ your butt on the table.

NECK PILLOW: lying on the stomach, every source I searched indicated is the WORST sleep position. Turning your head from right to left while sleeping can cause killer pain. Once I bought the Tempur-Pedic neck pillow.....ZERO neck discomfort. Bought at Bed, Bath & Beyond using my 20% coupon. Pricey, but I'm worth it.

PREPARING FOR THIS: I worked out hard and built great arm and upper body strength. You will need it. Your thighs, arms, and upper body are going to b tested after surgery. Make/keep them strong. If they r weak, your recovery is going to b even more difficult.

Sooooo, I don't regret a thing. The recovery ain't no joke, but the results r worth it if we take care of ourselves through it.

I plan to keep updating in the coming weeks w/ pics. If u have a question, plz ask. TEAM J, ALL THE DAMN DAY!!!!!