BodyJet Review

I had the Body Jet procedure done this past Monday, March 9th, 2009. I had 4 areas done- lower abs,upper abs, love handles (flanks), and outer hips/thighs. Chose to do this because I have always had a nice flat stomach, been active, etc. I am 28 years old, and I am tall (5'9, 165lbs) and have always had a wide waist, as I carry my weight on my sides, but things were getting a bit flabby and loose, no matter how much I exercised. I have never been rail thin, as I have shape to my hips and large breasts, muscular arms, etc and I have always had an athletic body type (think female basketball player) and carried my weight proportionately. Often, ppl do not believe my actual weight.  I do interval cardio and strength training 4 days a week but saw no improvement in my stomach/love handles or hips. So I turned to this. The procedure was not as pain free as they said it would be but I have always had a high tolerance for pain meds/drugs so I think it just didn't numb me or make me as loopy as some people. I could feel what the doc was doing and it hurt quite a lot at one point but once the doc became aware of the pain I was feling, he had the nurse/asst give me a shot of something (?) in the arm during the procedure and it got better after that.

As with SmartLipo, the immediate recovery isn't quite as smooth and quick as they market it. There is no POSSIBLE way I could have returned to work the next day. I actually took off Tues and Wed but ended up not going in on Thursday either. I went on Friday but went home early and wouldn't have made it that long without my pain pill. I will now attempt to document my journey thus far for those considering this procedure.

Choice of doctor:  I am very happy with my choice of doctor. I researched every possible thing I could about him before deciding- board certifications, reviews, etc. I believe he was as honest and upfront as he could be with me in the consult, barring not knowing how my body would individually react. I felt very comfortable with him immediately. Intuition is also key after fact gathering, and I felt good about him. His surgical nurse/assistant, Kelly, is a Godsend. She gave the original consult and  was very knowledgeable and kind.  She has been great through the whole ordeal, always patient and available for any questions. I will admit that their front desk staff leaves something to be desired. Those ladies were not the friendliest or most efficient but I suppose the competency of the doctor and his surgery assistant are most important. Kelly and Dr explained in detail everything for the pre-op and prescribed pain meds, antibiotic, and Ambien for post treatment, as well as providing me with free sample and starting me on Arnica tablets before the surgery, with the gel for bruising after.

Surgery Day:  I was extremely nervous. My Best Friend went with me and sat in the room with me before the surgery. The doc comes in and makes you put on a little "trash bag" bikini looking thing and draws on you (so much fun!). They give you a sedative and let you get all looped up before coming to get you for surgery. Kelly had told me to bring my Ipod so I could listen to my music during, which I wouldn't have thought to do on my own. I asked not to be able to see what was going on, so they setup a drape. As stated before, in the beginning, I felt everything and it was quite painful. I think I started crying at one point but as soon as the doc realized how much pain I was in, he had Kelly give me a shot. I was kinda out of it, so I'm not sure what they gave me but I don't remember much after that so it must have been something good (wish they would have done that in the first place!). The next thing I remember is Kelly and another asst squeezing me into the compression garment. Time had gotten blurry but the procedure took nearly 3 hours.

My BF drove me home and I was pretty out of it (don't remember the drive) but do remember throwing up the dinner my friend brought me that night. I was VERY nauseous that entire night. I don't remember much pain from that night but I was on a lot of meds then. 

Day 1-Tuesday (post surgery): Def. need the pain meds!! This day comes in bits and pieces. I slept a lot but was def in pain. I think I was still pretty numb so I didn't notice the extent of swelling. I only had bruising on my outer thighs, hardly any on my stomach. My lower back was extremely tender/sore. My abdomen was also sore but the back was worse. I was nauseous off and on this entire day. Sprite, crackers, pretzels were my best friend this day, as I was afraid to try consuming anything else and had zero appetite. Slept A LOT this day.

Day 2 Wednesday: This day is when the cloudiness begins to lift and you really start feeling it. Not only sore, but there were a few "hot spots" of pain when moving (sitting/standing) that "pulled" and created a burning sensation of pain. This is also the first day I showered and thus removed the surgical tape. Oh MY. Pls mentally prepare yourself for this. Whereas the hot water of the shower does make the removal of the tape easier, it does not just come right off and in some places didn't want to budge. Your body is extremely sore so having something yanking at your skin in these tender areas is just awful. I also suggest getting the water as scalding hot as you can stand it and letting it soak as much as possible the tape in the hard places. One word: OUCH. I should also mention that I only had 1 drainage incision in my abdomen, as the doc put a stitch in the other incisions ( I think I had 4-5 incisions total) but virtually had no draining after Day 1.

Day 3 Thursday: Thought I would return to work this day but no WAY. I woke up feeling awful. Everything was so sore and that "pulling pain" was getting worse in my lower right back and  side. The bruising was this really nice black color and had spread from my outer thighs to just underneath my butt. At this point you find creative ways to get in/out of bed and go to the bathroom. The compression garment has a fun hole in it for this purpose but on this day bending down and sitting on the toilet seemed like torture so I created my own bedpan of sorts (this is gross and might be TMI for some, but I am just trying to be as helpful and detailed as possible). Essentially, I peed in a container while standing. Say "eww" if you want but when sitting on black thighs and having a pulling pain in your abs/back when you bend will make you not give a crap how gross you are. Less nauseous this day. I also went back for my post op this day. Kelly seemed to think I was coming along pretty well and whereas I was really swollen, my stomach did look flatter but I  still couldn't tell much difference in my love handles or hips/thighs. Kelly said I could have my stitches out on the following Tuesday. Word of preparation- first time getting in/out of your car is horrific experience. When you get in, make sure you have a good hold on something and don't open the door too wide or you might not be able to reach far enough to close it without causing yourself extreme pain.

This was the worst night for sleeping. I hadn't had much trouble getting to sleep prior to this night but I had throbbing pain in various areas and my lower back was excruciating, even after I took the pain pills. I had been using ice packs for swelling and I really tried to pack myself in this night to numb the pain but nothing was working this night so I gave up, got up and walked around a bit. I got maybe 2 hours of sleep.

Day 4 Friday: I had some important meetings at work this morning, so after my 2 hours of sleep, I sucked it up and went in to work. FYI- if you are trying to keep it private that you had this done, come up with a cover story because people will notice that you are walking in pain and that you have to struggle to sit down or get up.

I took a shower this morning and it felt really good to be out of my garment for a bit. I should mention that I had been constipated since the surgery so what little I had eaten was starting to bloat my stomach. The garment was pressing so tight against my tummy that now I not only had the pain/soreness/swelling  from the surgery but a compression/bloated feeling in my actual stomach from the constipation that was making it even more uncomfortable to wear the garment. I ended up taking a oral laxative, which helped me.

Another FYI- I realize that a compression garment is supposed to be tight and "compressing" but my it seems mine is too small, as my boobs do not even fit properly and I end up looking like victorian style woman, with boobs squished and spilling out over top. Pls prepare yourself for the huge headache it is to put your garment back on after removing for showering. The first time you attempt to put it back on you think there is no way it fits and how the heck did you get in it the first time- but it will fit and it might hurt, especially when pulling over tender areas.

I somehow made it through this day but did leave work early and was home by 2pm. I had another bit of a rough night for sleeping. The pain seems to be getting worse in some aspects. I started using a heating pad for my back, as opposed to the ice packs, as this seems to help me sleep better but I still use the ice packs as well, especially for the bruising on legs(sitting on the ice packs right now!). I keep waiting for that day when I start feeling  better. It does help to walk around and try to stretch a little but I look forward to feeling somewhat normal again.

Day 5 Saturday: Woke up today extremely sore and stiff with horrible pulling pains but got better  after walking around/stretching a bit. I will update this site next week, after I get my stitches out and hopefully start seeing improvements in swelling and pain.

Also, wanted to point out that the reason I chose BodyJet over SmartLipo is because the doc told me that BodyJet is better for removing fat cells, whereas SmartLipo is better for skin tightening (think ladies who have had babies and have loose skin hanging, not necessarily fat). Also, BodyJet uses water, not laser/heat so less damage to tissue.

Thanks everyone and good luck if you have had or are considering cosmetic surgery! These reviews are helpful but keep in mind that everyone's body is different and reacts a bit differently. For now, I will say it was worth it, but I guess I won't know for sure for a few more weeks when the swelling is gone how well it worked.