Liposuction on Upper and Lower Abs, Waist and Outer Thighs - Ghent, Belguim

I am getting married next June and wanted to have some liposuction to help me look better in my dress.......I am thinking of having a fitted fishtail gown. The rest of the wedding is booked I just couldn't do the dress until I feel right, I contacted Linda Briggs and she put me in touch with Dr Bruno De Meyere in Belguim, Ghent. I uploaded the photos of myself which I took using my phone in my bathroom which would be passed on to the doctor to see what needed doing.

The doctor contacted me the next day and we discussed what I needed doing. He suggested that I have my upper and lower stomach, waist and outer thighs done. It would be carried out as a day procedure and I would stay one night overnight and then travel back to London via Eurostar the next day which I hoped would be okay as the journey takes about 3 hours each way. The procedure for lower and upper abdominals, waist and outer thighs would cost £2,300 for the surgery.

I arrived at the clinic on Monday around 3.45pm as my procedure was booked for 4pm. I was greeted by the nurse who showed me into the waiting room, I had only been there for a few minutes when the doctor arrived. I was shown into a nice modern office with a beautiful sculpture on the table. The doctor asked me to take a seat. He explained the procedure and the anaesthetic to be used and that I would awake from the procedure feeling well and in good spirits, and that the pain would be manageable. I filled in the questionnaire and consent form. I then had an interview with the anaesthetist....she was very thorough.

I was shown to a nice clean hospital room and noticed that the operating theatre was nearby. I changed into the fluffy dressing gown on the bed and went back to the doctor to have the areas marked and photographed. I explained to him that I wanted my bra fat taken away, but he showed me that the area was just skin not fat and it was the same with my knee. My upper and lower stomach was marked and my flanks or waist area as well as my outer thighs. I has an antiseptic all over wash before getting on the operating table. The clinic is very clean and the anaesthetist and the nurse made light conversation with me.......in fact I felt absolutely at ease and excited. I was given my anaesthetic which worked really quickly.

I awoke to the see the doctor who asked me how I felt, I was surprised that as I came round I felt okay. I felt sore and stiff. The doctor explained that I had a compression garment fitted and that I needed to wear it for two weeks night and day, and in the daytime for the following two weeks. I was given a pretty gold bag with my painkillers and after resting for 30 minutes, felt okay to get up and get dressed. The doctor drove me to the hotel which was about 10minutes drive away. I was surprised I felt really okay, more sore than pain and a bit stiff. The incision on my stomach was bleeding a bit, so I added some gauze from my back which the doc had provided me with. I ordered dinner and quickly went to sleep. I awoke the next day feeling very stiff, and sore but again, not real painful....very, very manageable. I got up ordered breakfast in my room and then got cleaned up and dressed. I looked at myself in the mirror, but I noticed that I am very swollen and will need to wait for at least two months for the results to show.

The doctor collected me from the hotel and dropped me off to the station, I had a pull suitcase which I made sure was not heavy so that I could manage it without pulling too much to put stress on my newly operated on areas. Once at the station I connected with my trains and was back in London and making my way home.

Today is day three and I am still using my painkillers only once a day......unbelievable. I am also really swollen now and very stiff. I have decided to take the week off work so that I can recover and give the areas a chance to heal. I am also ensuring to wear my garment at all times.....I am having showers and not baths as advised which is hell as I love my baths. I will need to remove the stitches in 10 days. Cant wait to see the results.

Well it's been ten days since my surgery and I can definitely see the contours appearing. The stitches were removed today. I was a bit nervous about ringing my surgery and asking them to remove stitches from surgery that I had had done abroad, but I bit the bullet and called the surgery to make an appointment for this morning to see the nurse. The receptionist made me a 10.26am appointment and I quickly gave my compression garment a quick wash in the bath and squeezed the water out and dried it on the radiator which makes it lovely and tight again. ( I only have one, so I keep washing it every other day). I arrived at the surgery and did not have to wait long before being called in to see the nurse. I explained that I had the surgery for my wedding, and that the surgery had been done in Belguim and I now need the stitches removed......Please. She was very nice and commented on how neat and small the incisions were and that I was almost all healed. I have been so itchy from the stitches and it stopped as soon as the stitches were removed. She has advised me to keep the new dressing which she applied on for a further two days, and to continue with my showers until Sunday when I may have a bath. I left with a spring in my step.I have been waking up a few times at night lately, but that's because I am swollen and a bit bruised and laying on it is proving a bit of a tender point. I am healing well I think and seeing good results because I have taken two week off to take it easy and let the skin heal in place and not put stress on my body. Looking forward to only wearing the compression garment in the daytime and sleeping without it which starts on day 14.....feel like a mummy trussed up 24/7 in this binding.