Lipo to Upper and Lower Abdomen and Flanks. - Dallas, TX

3 days prior-

Be prepared for a novel, folks. I am a writer and I will use these posts as my personal journal. I found RealSelf and literally have read every vaser/laser/smart lipo entry possible. I want to return the favor for someone who is also researching the procedure and could benefit from my experience. Here's how things started.

After being overweight most of my life and trying various diets, one thing always remained constant- my big inflated belly. As I've gotten older the fat around my stomach has become more of a tire and I often would push it down, push it in, and say to myself..."if I didn't have this stomach, I'd be so hot". I realize I haven't worked out hard in a long time, I haven't followed through with a diet longer than 1 month, but I needed a kick start. Cosmetic surgery always interested me but watching people have lipo done on tv made me squirm. One day I passed by a billboard advertising laser lipo and found it intriguing. I didn't have the money until recently when my father gave me a cash wedding present. My husband and I discussed me using the money towards this procedure and we decided to go for it. I have the normal hesitations...will it look lumpy? Will it make a difference and be worth my money? Will this be the change I need to finally take control of how my body looks and feel better about myself? Can I finally stop wearing shape wear??

At this time I don't want to name the place I'm using, although I've only seen a few reviews for them here on Real Self. If everything goes fantastic then I'll give them credit. If not, well...I don't want to put that out in the universe. Positive thoughts at this time.

My surgery is in 3 days. I've had my consultation, pre-op, blood work, and feel like a pro on what to expect. Tomorrow is the day I pick up my medications (never taken Xanax before, that in itself is anxiety inducing!). I've already cleaned up my apartment and will be stocking the fridge for my Vitamin Zero waters and other handy low-sodium snacks I'll need. Given my weight and the size of my stomach, I'm expecting a lot of leakage after the procedure. Leakage, pushing the numbing fluid out in my shower, and swelling is a high concern for me. I already wear Piko tops (look them up to see what I'm talking about) so I feel hiding swelling under clothes will not be an issue. I am also concerned about using the bathroom. Sorry for the TMI, but I have my period impending soon and also have IBS/acid reflux symptoms everyday. Given I'll be in a garment, I am wondering how I'll manage. Luckily my husband has taken a few days off of work and I won't be returning to the office till Day 5. Even on Day 5, my boss has approved me staying indoors for a few days (my job requires walking around at random in hilly areas). Again, I'm concerned I won't be well enough on Day 5 because my stomach is weak from lack of any strength, but we'll see. I do know I'll be in a garment with suspenders and my bra peaking though, with legs that stop at mid-thigh. The nurse said these are better than the swimsuit types because the legs won't dig in.

I'll mention the following concerns because it's on my mind. I did shop around for prices, experience prior to choosing this surgeon. I'm getting this done at a med spa and not a plastic surgeon's office. I voiced this concern to the nurse and was assured there is a difference between cosmetic surgerons and plastic surgeons. Cosmetic surgery is to enhance your appearance, plastic surgery is to repair and reconstruct. I could have chosen a plastic surgeon to do this surgery but I felt a connection to this palce somehow and feel comfortable with my choice. Both surgeons at this office have 20+ years of experience in cosmetic surgery and never had a malpractice suit. So God willing, my surgery will go well and I'll get the results I'm looking for.

In case you were wondering, my hope is to have a more defined waist, have my upper belly pushed back and up, and my lower belly tire flattened out and not protruding. It wasn't until this surgery that I realized how much having a big belly affects my life and clothing style. I've always been a modest gal but I wear a tank top to keep my stomach from not jiggling, a long flowy top to camoflauge my stomach, higher waisted jeans to go over the lower stomach, and seamless panties that smooth out everything underneath. This is everyday. The effect is great but sometimes I wish I could wear jeans with a tucked in shirt and not worry about the side profile of my tummy pooch.

This is probably enough rambling for now. I know having a pic on your post makes a tremendous difference and I'll be brave and show it. This sounds ill-conceived but I swear my stomach is one of the bigger ones on Real Self. There are people with similar shapes to their stomachs but mine is so full and rotund in the mid section, it is seriously jarring to the eye (or at least to mine). I am curvy everywhere and I actually enjoy it but I would be elated if my stomach saw results that most of you experienced.

I may ask my husband to take better pics of me but for now here is what I took last night in angst of sharing my story and pics with you. Please pray that everything goes well for me. Thank you so much.

Day of Treatment
So, the deed is done. I don't know if I could go through the abdomen portion again, but the sides were fine. The abdomen took about 1.5 hours and the sides took 20 minutes each. 2400 ccs were removed from my upper and lower abdomen, and 1400 ccs were removed from my sides. My right side had 500 removed, and I guess my left side had 900?? This is without counting the numbing fluid people. I knew I had this done for a reason. I had a ridiculous amount of fat concentrated in my mid-section. Even the doctor seemed surprised I had that much fat to remove from my stomach. The day of treatment went fine. I took a valium when I arrived. I was told some people take a hydrocodone before the procedure and some wait till halfway to gage how they feel. I decided I wanted to be a solider for some reason so I opted for the 2nd choice. Just like everyone says, the numbing fluid was the worst part. The initial prick is fine, then there is a sharp stabbing sensation while your skin becomes bloated with fluid. It makes you feel like your abdomen will burst because it's so heavy. Having the fluid on my sides wasn't as bad as the stomach, simply because having what feels like 10 bricks on your stomach is more uncomfortable than on your side. Once your numbed, the procedure is fine. It is uncomfortable at times, especially when the doctor gets near the perimeter between where you are numbed and not numbed. I did yell out once around the belly button. God, did I hate that belly button area. It's still the sorest now. I think this is because I had some scar tissue from my gall bladder surgery some years ago, so the numbing fluid cannot infiltrate that area. I picked a med spa and was confident it was the right choice, but of course it was nerve wracking meeting the doctor the day of the procedure. He asked about my expectations and any questions I had. He was very professional, informative, and full of metaphors, LOL. The nurse stayed with me the whole time, she was great. They gave me a snack after the abdomen was done, and I'm glad we did that part first since it was the worst. My poor husband waited all day for me and in total with the waiting periods, the procedure took 6 hours. The kind nurse helped push out extra liquid after the procedure so my leakage wouldn't be so bad at home. Once at home, my husband and I went in the shower and he helped push out liquid. My poor baby. He's already squeamish and it looked like he was going to heave when lots of liquid and bits of fat came from my belly button area. He did a wonderful job of bandaging me with maxi pads. Showing your husband how to open maxi pads from the package was funny, but I am so thankful I've had him to help me. I had my greasy meal as the staff requested on my way home, no argument there, LOL. I will say after having the procedure even though the urge to eat bad is still there, I think about the procedure I went through and how eating bad doesn't seem worth it. I've been eating clean since the surgery and it feels really good. My husband fixed me a bowl of fruit and that was so delicious it was sinful. By the way, pain management was wishy washy. I'm a weirdo who likes to know what the pain level is without meds. I did take a hyrdocodone here and there, but I started to feel a bit nauseated so at the end of Day 1, I was taking extra strength tylenol instead.

Day 1
Woke up in the middle of the night just like everyone else. I took some pain meds, had a granola bar. I seem to only tolerate being up for no longer than an hour then I go back to sleep. Not necessarily because I'm sleepy, but because I'm tired and tv/phone surfing doesn't interest me. I ate small meals every few hours, all healthy. Didn't drink as much liquid as I should. Husband helped me change my bandages, he's been doing pretty much everything for me and I'm glad. In the shower I caught a glimpse of my stomach. I have a flat stomach, I HAVE A WAIST!, and my lower stomach is what I expected. Half flat, and the lowest part has some extra skin. Now I hope this extra skin tightens up and doesn't hang there after I start healing, but for now, this is everything I wanted. Only part I leaked from heavily was lower stomach. We had plastic liners, towels, puppy pads and I kept everything dry. I have a pic to show but sorry it's not of my unclothed torso. I didn't have the stamina or audacity to ask my husband for my phone just to take a pic while he was bandaging me, so I did these pics after the fact. Hopefully you can tell the difference with the garment on, because I sure can. Might I say even as a married woman, I always made efforts to hide my stomach around my husband. After the surgery I had to swallow my pride and ask for help. He saw me at my worst and I was ok with this. He saw me lay in the tub with liquids dripping, bent over "ugly naked" as he tries to get my garment on, and cut a hole in the Depends I was wearing so I could pee. May I note, I haven't gone number 2 yet. I do have stool softener on hand if I need to. These are important things for you to know if you have this surgery! It matters!

Day 2
Feeling alot better. My incisions have closed. We double checked with the nurse this was ok. So I only leaked for 24 hours and I feel lucky. I was prepared for 72 hours worth. We put anti-biotics on the wounds, light bandages, and no more maxi pads. Getting in my garment is a bit easier. I tried to pick up my lower stomach while I put on my garment again, but it's sore and tender so that was hard. I do hope when the soreness goes away I can lift this area when I put on my garment. The garment naturally lifts this area, but I really want to make sure I do not let my skin just compress all hanging low. Not a good look for a young lady. Pain is similar to being sore after a work out. A little itchy-ness is setting in but it's fine. I'm feeling a lot better and really jonesing to go out. Again, more pics for you but not of my actual stomach. I will work on getting one for you soon. My husband was curious why I want to share this with people. Because you guys helped me so much and I hope I help at least one person! Also, I don't know how some of you guys posted on your treatment day and right after. More power to you. I'm a little late to the party but it's all still relevant. Now my concerns are future ultrasounds and lymphatic massages, swelling, and being able to do my job duties without having dizzy spells or other complications. Also swelling. And PS...I kind of like wearing the garment because it feels good but I can see how it would get annoying. Summer is coming and I'll be in this thing in the Texas heat, blah. All is fair in flat tummies and war.

Welp, I made it a week. Kind of flew by, kind of didn’t. Everyone is right, each day can be down or up. For now I’m mostly moving in the upward direction. Swelling seems to be less in the mornings and increases as the day goes on. This might be because I have to sit a lot at work, so my stomach is in one position and liquids are pooling towards the lower pooch (everything I don’t want). I do sit with a lumbar pillow I adjust and move around in my chair. Each hour I got up, used the restroom, looked out the window. Lately I push myself farther than I think I should and I’m grateful for it. People, this isn’t a lunch time surgery. It is a surgery. At least if you have a lot of fat taken out like I did. Which by the way, Ive been researching. Apparently 463 something cc’s is equivalent to 1 lb? If so, then the doctor removed FIVE pounds from my stomach and THREE pounds from my side. Yikes! I think about giant meat packets and how much 5 lbs looks like. I’m glad it’s gone. Let’s discuss swelling, shall we?

Ugh, swelling. At the same time I’m happy I had this done, I look way better, I’m still pretty swollen. My sides especially protrude a lot against my garment zipper. When I lay down at night, that’s when I feel it the most. Finding pants to wear at work that don’t dig in and fit with the garment/swelling on has been a bit difficult but manageable. I need to give some other pants a try this weekend so I don’t keep wearing these sweatshirt material ones, LOL. I take ibuprofen at times and half a hydrocodone at night to decrease swelling, help with the discomfort, and make me sleep better. That’s another thing, sleep.

My sleep has been disrupted every few hours for a pee and position change. It has been annoying. Last night may be the first night I only had to pee once and I didn’t need to change positions much. Getting in and out of bed is a chore sometimes, perhaps because our bed is lifted so I have a small step ladder nearby to assist me. I don’t know about you ladies/gents, but I didn’t really tell anyone I got this done except for my husband and secretary. My boss knows I was out for a few days for a “medical procedure” (which it is!), but nobody else. Some people are curious what is going on with my slowed walk and pained face at times when I get up. Only one person dared to ask what I had done and I won’t tell. I don’t want the judgement/it’s not anyone’s business. It sounds vain but really, I think it’s made me more healthy. Having 8 lbs of abdominal fat can’t be good for someone who’s 5’2”. By the way, I don’t think I ever gave you my stats. I’m 5’2” and my starting weight before surgery was 210. This morning one week after surgery, I was 207. So obviously, I still have plenty of fluid and am swollen because I should be 202. I’m not too concerned with weight, though I don’t like being over 200. I am writing this from work and will attach pics once I get home. Aunt flow has made an announcement she’s coming soon, so I’m still swollen but let me know what you guys think. I’m still hoping my lower belly tightens up and I’m not left with the droop, although in comparison to what I had, this could do.

Hope everyone is healing well, and help me find more ways to find new experiences by people, please? I’ve tried “laser lipo”, “vaser lipo”, “slim lipo”, and today “tumescent lipo” with loads of entries I haven’t read yet. I can’t get enough.

I think I’ll have my first lymphatic massage this weekend if I can swing one. I’ll definitely be massaging in the shower tonight. I want to see if it helps with swelling.

Update: Rolling pin used gently does wonders. I was getting indentations from my garment and it was due for a wash so I am currently wearing a flexee (I don't think it works well but it will do) while the Veronique is drying.