55 Years Old and Hopeful to Reduce Pear Shape. Carlsbad, CA

Well, Happy New Year to all! Had my follow up with Dr. Seares today.
My face is healing well, still have swelling and bruising but I think I will be looking great by the time I go back to work next week. I am so happy with the work he did on my face. It is extremely natural looking but a huge improvement to me. I'm not posting face pics for privacy reasons, but I am thrilled with the fat transfer results.
My breasts looks super, I have no idea what cup size I am now, maybe C+ and I they are perfect, natural and look good with my frame. I wasn't going for large, and unfortunately Dr. said I will definitely lose some fat in them over time. Best case, only 30%, but to not be disappointed if it's more…boo hoo….. I am sending the "girls" positive vibes in hopes to keep the fat as happy as possible so it wants to stick around for a while….. ;-)
My thighs are swollen and still quite painful. I am mostly taking Tylenol, but I had to take 1/2 a Percocet after all the activity today. There was so much fluid collecting around my knees that Dr. placed a drain in each knee and pulled 30cc of fluid from one and 50cc from the other, it was clear and amber colored, and a relief to have it removed. The drains are on the outer knees at the bottom of that hard ligament like band that runs up the outside of the thighs. Dr. handled this expertly, and the removal of the fluid will permit the skin to reattach properly in this area also. I will keep them in for a few days, and I am now back on antibiotics jic.
It feels like the skin is reattaching well in all other areas. There are hard spots and I definitely feel some lumpiness but I cannot tell if it is due to swelling or other irregularities. I definitely see loose skin around my knees, but I had it prior to the lipo. (Riding a bike hundreds of miles in the baking sun of California, my knees always got burned.) So I am just hoping for the best with them. I am also hoping for the best regarding irregularities in other areas. Trying to eat very well and help my body heal as well as possible.
Full thigh lipo was not an easy procedure, it has definitely taken a lot out of me. I would say I have pretty much been down for two weeks. I expect another week for sure before I can squat down to pick something up. I totally recommend taking a good block of time to recover, especially if you work on your feet. I still cannot stand for extended periods without my ankles swelling.
At this time, I can say that this was totally worth it. But I will be very glad when I am pain free. Recovery was surprisingly more difficult than I expected.
Okay so I'm finally energetic enough to post some pics. I will try to point out areas other women my age may worry about if they are considering the same type of procedure.
Please feel free to contact me if you have any questions. Hope everyone out there is having a super start of 2015!!!!

I guess from the stress to my body and the fat transfer injections on my mouth, I ended up with a full blown cold sore attack that has me very miserable. Nauseous, flu-like symptoms for the last 4 days. I'm still knocked out with it. The Dr. called in some oral Valtrex it has helped. I am just doing my best to stay comfortable and allow my body to heal. Thighs are very swollen so they don't look much smaller to me right now. They also feel hard and tight, with a constant tingling-burning sensation that feels like the skin is mending and re-attaching. I think that is a great sign. Breast still bruised but much better. Eyes are much less black and blue, but still fluid bags under lower lids.

Wow, this is a journey for sure. I still am quite bruised and swollen in areas. Too afraid to take photo's as I wouldn't want to scare anyone, lol.

With a truly supportive boyfriend caring for me, I have been able to spend long quiet days working at all levels, to heal my physical body and to analyse the lifelong psychological struggle with my body image. I look in the mirror, past the bruising and swelling and see a different me. Slender thighs, beautiful full breasts, a more balanced physique. It is hard to wrap my head around it.

So much to think about and this is the time of year that we look forward to renewal, of our commitments to be our best selves. I may actually be able to look at 2015 as the year I stop obsessing about my body, and lead a relatively normal life, that a reasonable diet and exercise regimen will be able to maintain. Not the extreme diet and exercise I have used in the past to try to achieve something that was genetically impossible for me.
It may be that 2015 is the year I take stop concentrating on my body and take this extra time to develop a deeper connection with my partner, my daughter, my family and myself. I may be rationalizing, but I think I will contribute much more to the people and world around me in this new body. Free to focus my energy on the more important things in life. More confident, more powerful in my work, less self absorbed. That is my wish for the new year. I feel that I have taken an important step to heal myself, no regrets.

A time to be grateful for sure. Wishing all of you a beautiful Holiday, and sending many good wishes out to this supportive community.