Lipo and Mini Tuck. So Far No Surprises. Lots of Advice - Virginia Beach

I had lipo to my upper and lower abdomen, hip rolls and inner thighs as well as a mini tuck with no muscle tightening 2 days ago. I am giving a positive review now based on my experience and not really results since it is too soon to tell. If I can offer any advice to anyone considering this surgery it is to research your doc very carefully. I know for some of us, when we start going in for the consults and see the before and after pics of previous patients we start to get excited and just want to make the appointment. It is crucial that you kick that impulsive and impatient girl to the curb and find that pragmatic and logical girl that we can be. I am somewhat new to Virginia and did not have a large pool of people from whom I could get references. I ended up getting several from a specialty bra store that sees a lot of women with breast augmentation. They told me who to avoid and who seemed to have consistent results. Even though I was not having breast augmentation, I thought these were good places to start.

My final choice was made with my doctor based on several observations.

1. The facility is state of the art, spotless and very inviting. I think how a place makes you feel emotionally is important since you are going to be so nervous anyway.

2. The doctor was punctual and took his time to figure out what was best for me. We first met in his own office and discussed what my concerns were and what I thought I would like to have done. He asked me several questions about my lifestyle, my plans for the future, i.e. children, activity levels, clothing concerns, etc. He let me decide when that meeting was complete and I never felt rushed. I was then taken to the exam room where he always had a female nurse present. He looked at me body from several different angles, having me sit, stand, bend over, etc. He was very honest, meaning that he did not try and over sell me on procedures. He thought that I looked pretty good for my age and having had a child 18 months prior. He suggested that I would see improvement in the way my clothes fit with just lipo and I would see the most improved contouring with a tummy tuck. Because I was not overweight really and did not have lots of loose skin, he did tell me that I would most likely have a visible scar from moving the belly button if I had a tuck. He also told me that there would be a chance of some mild dimpling in the upper abdomen if I just had lipo alone. Even though I am pretty sure I won't have more children, my husband and I have not completely ruled it out. The doctor told me I should wait on the TT and maybe just do a mini tuck that would take care of some of the loose skin below my navel. I had a lot of stuff to think about so I left and talked it over with my hubby. I went back for another consult which the doctor was more than happy to do and this time I brought my husband with me. We spent probably close to 45 minutes asking more questions and going over my options. I had wanted to have the mini tuck with muscle tightening but the doctor was against it because he said it might look odd if my muscle above the navel were not tightened while the muscle below the navel was. In the end I decided to go with lipo to the inner thighs, abdomen and hip rolls with a mini tuck removing skin and correcting a pretty ugly c-section scar.

3. He was very honest about what to expect right after surgery and results down the line. I am always surprised when I read reviews of people who did not know they would have stitches or drains or be in so much pain. My doc told me where he would be putting stitches, where my scars would be and where I may have dimpling. He told me I would be very swollen and sore, and gave me about 5 pages of information that discussed time lines of recovery, lumps in certain areas and issues that might come up with the garment. I know this is kind of long winded but it is day 3 and I feel like I was totally prepared for where I am at now in my recovery. I don't know exactly how I will look but I know that I was fully informed and I don't foresee being blindsided.

Everything about the surgery went very well. I had a good consult with the anesthesia doc about how I get nausea and panic attacks when waking up from surgery and he made sure to adjust my meds so I woke up smoothly and comfortably, no nausea or anxiety at all. I tend to have an overactive bladder and I know from previous surgeries that I got anxious in recovery because I felt like I had to pee every 10 minutes from all the fluid they give you and you are so out of it that you don't want to have to keep getting up and haul your IV into the bathroom so I asked the doc to put in a catheter. It was the best decision. We hit traffic on the way home and I know it would have been a disaster had I not had one in. They showed my husband how to remove it so later when we got home and I felt comfortable enough, we just took it out. Really no biggie. I will post pics as soon as I can shower and get the garment off. Sorry if I have major typos...still on pain meds

Moved around quite a bit today and noticed more fluid draining than yesterday. Maybe I did too much???? Took a shower which was nice and got to see myself without the garment on. I was surprised as to how little bruising I have, I thought it would be worse. My stomach looks flat but I can tell I am still really swollen. Was going to have husband take pic but he was watching the baby. Will try tomorrow. Hate taking the pain meds because they make you constipated but they really do help keep the pain to a minimum.

I added some before and after photos. Although I am still very swollen, I can tell my stomach is flatter already. It is nice and taught but I am sure that is due to swelling. I get my drain and stitches out tomorrow and I can't wait. The drain is revolting. My bruising is starting to turn a little yellowish in some areas so I guess that is a good sign. I can move around fairly well but the garment is somewhat uncomfortable. Off pain meds completely as the amount of pain I am experiencing is not enough to feel loopy.