The Beginning - Lilburn, GA

I am currently prepping for surgery with Dr. Windell Boutte'. She came highly recommended and there are many photos to prove her work is great. I've been to a few other plastic surgeons and all stated I needed to have a tummy tuck. While I agree with these consultation recommendations, I believe I'll be more than satisfied with the results from Smart Lipo. I am 5'9" and 195 lbs. Most of my weight sits in my abdomen. I'm healthy, work out regularly and eat well. My second child did a number on my abdomen so here I am looking for an update to my body.
My pre-opp appointment took 3 hours. Yes, 3 hours. I waited for 1.5 hours to be seen and then proceeded to sign a litany of paperwork. I will admit once your back there, the staff attempts to move quickly and are very thorough. I was pleased with the level of care they took to ensure I understood the documents as well as the care they took to protect the scripts for Percocet. Very important!
I was told the balance of my scripts would be sent to Walgreens. That didn't happen. I followed up with 2 e-mails to the surgical coordinator without response. I finally called in and received a very quick response. My scripts were at Walgreens within the hour as promised. At this time I feel confident that all will go well. I am taking the pre-op vitamin regimen which has made me feel very good. I wish they were available after the surgery. I've also been provided supplements to aid in healing, decrease bruising and deter infection. I'll come back and post pre-op pics as well as post op experience. If you're looking to meet your doctor in advance of your procedure this is not the place for you. She did not perform the consult nor did I see her during my Pre-Op appointment. Dr. Boutte's staff moves through very quickly but I do believe they are working at warp speed to keep up with demand.

I went in for SmartLipo yesterday. My appointment was for 3. I was called around noon stating it was postponed to 4. I arrived at 4 and was taken up for surgery at 6. I was prepped and given 8 pills. 1 Percocet 2 Valium and something for itchiness and something for nausea. They gave me an IV drip. I laid in the room for a little while and I don't remember anything else. I saw the 4 bags of litocane they were going to use but I never experienced them actually injecting the litocane. I just remember waking up in my bed at home seriously. So in effect I never met the doctor. I'm actually happy I didn't experience anything but I wish I would have met the doctor. Below I'm posting my before picture. I'll post post op later this week. My hubby stated he can already see my flap appears to be gone. The surgery ended at midnight. I'm not giving an opinion. I'm doing best to state the facts as they occur to allow you to make the best decision.

I'm surprising mobile. I'm able to move around my home. Pain comes and goes but nothing extra strength Tylenol cannot handle. I do not have a high pain tolerance so hopefully that gives you and indication of the pain level. I'm actively drinking water (at least 1 liter per hour). Nurse Lee called and sent me a txt msg yesterday. I appreciated that. I only take my Percacet at night. I've posted the first post op pic below. I'm very excited about the results. More to come.

Feeling a lot better today. Swelling is already staring to subside. No bleeding and bruising is starting to decrease. Although I still have my drains I've tried on a few outfits and I'm very pleased with the results. I anticipated having a fair amount of skin left but I'm okay with that. I was never in search of washboard abs. I know the pain of getting drains out - not fun but it's the last step towards becoming normal again. Right now I feel like Frakenstein.

Well friends - I'm starting to feel like a normal human being. I go for my first check up tomorrow and I'll probably get by drains removed...sigh. I know that is not going to be fun. But it's the step needed to move out of Frankenstein mode. I saw some folks posting about the pain they are in and the swelling. I'd like to share two things I've noticed. What you're eating or not eating will directly affect your healing process. Bananas and pineapples and of course lots of water are key. The days I felt the worst, I ate the least and moved the least. So wake up off the Percocet and walk around the neighborhood. We went shopping for Fathers Day and it was very helpful. I moved slow, but I moved. Also, make sure you're taking your meds on time - same time everyday. I have a Lauryn Hill reminder. Everyone in the house knows it's time :-) Also I have the luxury of having teenagers. They don't want to have anything to do with me. If you have little munchkins, this is the time to ask for a huge favor. Someone else needs to watch them. I also noticed that the energy levels come and go - leave space for when it goes. I had my surgery last Tuesday. I am physically returning to work an entire 7 days later. This whole go back to work in 2 days thing doesn't sound reasonable. Let the body heal. Last but not least, wear your garments and let the body breathe. I have been consistent in wearing my garment. Around 2 pm today my body just felt ugh. So I got naked, laid on a towel with my tubes in between my legs and rubbed by abdomen while watching a good movie. I took a 20 min nap and wow! that made a difference. My skin felt so much better after getting some air and circulation. Please folks, listen to your body. You've spent a lot of money on this...make sure it turns out right. More post op pics in a week or so...be well.

WellI I'm not happy or sad about my tubes having to stay in one more week. But as you guys know being functional is a challenge so I came up with a contraption I thought I'd share. Using stretch gauze you can wrap the tubes around your legs and walk without issue all day. I did it yesterday and it worked very well. Be careful to leave enough slack for bending and sitting. Also when Banding the bubbles at the end you must secure them in the negative suction position so your not defeating the purpose of having them in to begin with. I've included a pic

Yeah!!!!!! It's the two week mark. My tubes are out which was painless - thank goodness. I walked on the treadmill for an hr last night- slow but I walked. I'm feeling full mobility return. My lower abdomen is sensitive. It's like it's numb and not at the same time. I am rocking this black summer maxi. I could have never worn this before.
My overall experience at Boutte Cosmetic Surgery was good. I never met the doctor. That's my only complaint. So far the results are great and beyond my expectAtions. Provided my results remain satisfactory then I'm good. I'll come back in a month to show better progress. For now I'm just happy I am no longer Frankenstein.

I'm truly starting to regain my mobility. Whoever said you can return to work in 48 hrs lied big time. This is a one week recovery min. I've been drinking water and walking for 45 min every day for the past three days. I'm down about 4 lbs this week, a total of 8 lbs since the surgery. Recovery appears to be going well. Keeping my garment on. Today will be my first real excercise day. I cannot stress enough how much walking helps. I don't care how slow- just go. I've never seen my belly button before....crazy!

Swelling has decreased but still evident. What I eat matters. Sodium and sugar- no Bueno. Compression has helped substantially. I purchased a faja compression garment 2 weeks ago. The swelling since then has decreased. The left side of my abdomen is healing faster than the right.It's bittersweet because I can see what I'll look like when everything is healed. I still have lumps where my tubes hung out and my right side and around my belly button. A lot of itching , but I think that's related to healing. If I can recommend anything I recommend exercising as much as you're able. I've been back at the gym at roughly 70% of my normal workout. I workout with the compression garments on. I don't know how to edit photos so sorry it's a bit graphic. I'm down a total of 10 lbs since the day of surgery.

If you're reading this as a person on the fence about lymphatic massage let me tell you right now to go. Run don't walk to Body of Health in Snellville. Julie was kind enough to explain the hardness and swelling we experience- why we experience it, how to combat it and how our bodies are healing after we've damaged them from surgery. When I arrived my right side was pliable but my left side was rock hard. Over the course of the 90 min massage I could feel drainage in my nostrils and back of throat. I had the immediate urge to urinate which she said was very normal. She also found a know in my back which she massaged right out. 90 minutes later and I am fully pliable. I can bend without winching. I cannot vouch for any massage therapist but her. This lady knows what she's talking about. And overall she's an awesome human. I highly recommend getting lymphatic massage. You've invested this much money in altering your body, make sure you heal well.