Totally WORTH It! 33, 5 kids, just wanted to remove stubborn belly fat

I am so happy I finally decided to go through with this procedure. I was somewhat against a tummy tuck because I didn't want the scaring and I was afraid of having a weird belly button. lol Also, I have had 5 c-sections and didn't want to go through that pain of being cut open again. I wasn't looking for perfection like I'd get with a tummy tuck , I wanted a more natural looking approach. I loved my view from the front and back but as soon as I turned to the side I felt like I was pregnant. I hated my side view. My stomach area was definitely my problem area. I had gone down to a size 0 and still had stubborn belly fat! Nothing could get it down. I even had cool sculpting done and nothing! Although I had my views on tummy tuck, I knew that there was a possibility of having too much extra skin and lipo might leave me with wrinkly belly. I had to weigh out my choices and that's why I wanted to find a Dr who could determine that for me. So, I researched the best Lipo Doctors in my area.

I went to three different consultations and third time was definitely the lucky charm. **First Dr tried to up-sell me. He wanted me to get lipo, tummy tuck, and a butt lift. I was quoted over 15k by him!! **Second Dr seemed very inexperienced to the point it scared me. The price was also REALLY low and it definitely had me second guessing things. **Third Dr was Dr. Hall! He was very honest about possible result expectations. He said that I will not have a flat tummy like a "tummy tuck result," but he gave an idea of how much fat they'd take out. At the consultation I sucked in my stomach as much as I could and said "If I can look like this, I'd be a happy camper!" LOL. I felt like Dr Hall really listened to my concerns and gave his best recommendations. My husband actually went with me to the consultation and we were both really impressed with office, staff, consultation, and Dr himself. From the moment we walked in, we had good impressions. His price came in the middle of both previous consultations. He was priced just right. I knew he was the Dr who would do my procedure.

I didn't book right away and I liked how I didn't receive annoying "Check in" calls like the other places did. The other places called to see if I wanted to book my appt. I felt like that was very pushy. Dr Halls office didn't try to push or call me to book an appt. I called in and booked my procedure about two months after the initial consultation.

I wanted to do a full review that was almost like a journal. Before going through with the procedure I had researched EVERYTHING! I wanted the full details and I know there are others out there just like me. I noticed a lot of reviews on here didn't show the full recovery. (They say full results can take 6-12 months.) I only seen people post photos immediately after and that's it. So, I wanted to do a FULL review with pics months or years to follow.

Booking my appt was a breeze. The staff was amazing and answered all of my questions. I had to call a few times to clarify procedure questions and other recover questions. They didn't make me feel like I was bugging them. They actually took the time to talk to me over the phone and make me feel comfortable and let me know everything on what to expect about the procedure and after. I was very excited but still had some nerves. It's something I had wanted for years so I couldn't believe it was actually happening. Blood work was required weeks before, and they wanted a list of meds I took to see if I needed to stop taking any weeks prior to the procedure. I was able to fill my prescription prior to have everything ready to go.

Day of the procedure went so fast and smooth. I was supposed to eat something a few hours before but forgot to eat so they provided a snack. I signed some papers and they brought me back right away. They gave me some pills (an anxiety, pain, & nausea pill) and I changed into my gown. Throughout this time the lady was very talkative and answered any questions I had. I felt the pills working right away and my mood instantly became relaxed and happy. They took me into another room to take pics and then when I returned to surgery room the Dr was in shortly after. He marked me up and told me step by step what he was going to do and what to expect. I was up and coherent the entire time. I didn't feel when they did the puncture marks for inserts but I did feel when they put in the liquid medicine (I forget what it's called. Tumescent?) They inserted a lot of fluid inside. (Will provide pics) I was pretty swollen. I want to say they put in a couple liters. This was pretty painful. On a scale of 1-10, I'd say 6-7ish. They said it was about the same pain as a tattoo. I have a lot of tattoos and agree that it is similar but some areas were worse than others. The area near ribs seemed to hurt more for me. It was like a sharp pain. Everything else was fine but it's more annoying than anything else. Just imagine the repetition of going back and forth for a couple hours. During this part, I was still talking to Dr's and not all out of it. I was able to roll over to my sides on my own.

That was the worst part of the procedure. The rest was so easy and happened so fast. I couple places I felt pain or irritation when they were removing fat but it wasn't long. A quick sharp pain. Like I said, it was more annoying than anything. lol. The Dr was really nice and asked often how I was doing and to let him know if anything was uncomfortable. At one point he had to insert more of the anesthetic onto my left side. I want to say the whole procedure from start to finish lasted around 3 hours. My appt was at 8am and I was out of there by 11. They provided me with a garment and pads before sending me home. She gave me more snacks to give to my kids. LOL. They were so sweet. They were even going to put a pad in my vehicle but I was already prepared and had one on the seat. I passed out on the car ride home and fell asleep at home for a few hours. I didn't feel any pain whatsoever. I only had to take Vicodin for one day which was the day following procedure. (They warned me that the following day was going to be the worst day) I barely needed Ibuprofen for the other days. The next day I took a shower and I tried pushing fluid out of incisions but the holes already seemed like they were closing and healing up. ( I posted a pic) I was expecting the fluid to be leaking everywhere but I honestly didn't think it was that bad. I'm guessing they sucked it all out when they took the fat out. I had around 9 tiny incisions and only two of the incisions sites soaked a pad. The other incisions barely had stuff coming out. They told me I may or may not see results right away but when I took off the garment, I seen results and was in such disbelief. I was so happy and excited even with my recovering, swollen body. It's been around 3 weeks since procedure and I already can't wait to share the updated pics. THIS WAS TOTALLY WORTH IT and I AM SO HAPPY!!

They say results may not be seen right away but I was so happy with my swollen self after procedure! I only needed vicodin the day following surgery. They warned me it would be the worst day. It wasn't too bad but definitely felt like you had a procedure done. Just tight and moving slow. My oldest son said I was walking like an old person. lol. After that I just needed ibuprofen. I didn't need it around the clock though. It was just here and there. Hard to explain but the pain or uncomfortableness came and went in spurts. It wasn't a persistent pain. I felt bruised and skin felt tingly. They encourage you to walk to prevent clots. I tried walking around the neighborhood on the second day and didn't get too far. I felt pain starting to creep up. Still important to walk around the house and not be bed ridden.

They advised me to change out of the garment they provided and put on the second stage garment once I stopped leaking. I had one stubborn incision that kept slowly leaking. That one didn't stop leaking until the 5th day. All of the others stopped leaking around day 3. My second stage garment was supposed to be a medium compression. No zippers or clamps of any sort because it can cause indentation. It took me a while to find a good one that was comfortable but I decided on a spanx shorts bodysuit. I have been in that one since day 5. I switch it out with a panty/abdominal spanx depending on what I wear. I haven't tried any jeans or shorts yet. It's been mainly dresses but that is perfectly fine because it's summer!

On day 3 I started getting visibly swollen but still noticed a drastic change from my before. On day 5 I started getting lumps but I knew to expect them and didn't worry too much. I knew that it was just pockets of fluid that would eventually shrink.