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I'm 32, 5'8", no kids, and 140-145 lbs. (Before...
I'm 32, 5'8', no kids, and 140-145 lbs. (Before pics are in the blue swimsuit.) Ever since I was a kid, 3rd or 4th grade, I've had a 'double stomach', and nothing would get rid of it. I also have a very hard time losing weight. For example, before I had SmartLipo, I went on a 'clean eating' diet, for 6 weeks, and didn't lose a single pound. Everyone always said how thin I was, but none of them ever saw me naked!
I don't remember much of the actual procedure, because I have a very deep reaction to meds. I do remember taking the Ativan and being left for some time to let it work, and someone coming in and injecting me with the numbing meds. After that, I only remember a few times where the doctor was working at the top of my stomach that hurt pretty bad.
I took a cab home (they won't let you drive yourself), and immediately went to sleep. I was very tired, and took lots of naps over the next few days. I wore the compression garment every minute until the morning of Day 4, other than when I tried to change the pads underneath on Day 2 and almost passed out on the floor! I did take one of the Vicodin at that time, because I wasn't sure if it was going to start getting painful, and I was getting ready to go to bed anyway, and thought it would help me sleep. I didn't have much leakage at all. They tell you that your vaginal area could swell due to fluid (and I'd had my face swell before from surgery on my head, so I wasn't looking forward to that!), but it didn't happen for me. I did, however, have a feeling of having to pee all the time, but when I tried, not much came out. This lasted for about 2 or 3 days.
On the morning of Day 4, I took off the garment to wash it and take pictures (in the red underwear). I've been taking the Arnica pills to reduce the bruising, and it really works, because I bruise VERY easy, and don't really have much for such a rough procedure. As far as the pain goes, I'm surprised I've had so little. I have fibromyalgia, so I'm very sensitive to pain, but it feels mainly like a hard workout. The most painful part for me was how bad my back hurt from not being able to move much due to the compression garment, especially in the mornings after not moving much at night.
I had the procedure on Friday morning, and didn't have to go back to work until Tuesday morning, which I think was appropriate for me.
The second pic in the red is 7 days out.
The last pic in the orange and black is of 4 weeks out, and I still pretty much look the same. I'm happy with my lower stomach, but disappointed with the upper stomach. It sticks out in a roll over the lower stomach, just like it did before. Not as much, obviously, but I'm still not comfortable showing my stomach in a bikini. I go back for my next checkup on April 20, so I'm going to bring it up then.