I should have done this years ago!

I'm 8 days post-op for liposuction on my stomach and high hip/love handles. I'm 37 years old, no kids, 5'4", 140 lbs with a curvy and muscular build. I gained about 10 pounds after a car accident 4 years ago, but even when I was extremely fit I still had a big, wobbly belly and a high hip bone that made it difficult to find clothing that fit well. After gaining weight, I was extremely self-conscious, and couldn't stand to see pictures of myself or let intimate partners see me naked.
I had always promised myself that when I could afford it, I would get liposuction. Years of watching my diet and living an extremely active lifestyle failed to give me the shape I wanted, so I finally decided to take the plunge. I researched a number of surgeons, and found that there are hundreds of specialists out there who do boobs, but not many who will do lipo. I was impressed with my surgeon's staff when I called, as his assistant had a number of questions for me, and also warned me that he might not be able to do it because of my age - apparently some people's skin loses enough elasticity after age 35 that it's better to do a tummy tuck to prevent sagging skin.
When I met with the surgeon and showed him what I wanted done, I had expressed an interest in fat transfer to my lips, forehead, and/or hips. I was hoping that fat transfer to my hips would round them out a bit more to reduce the "boxy" effect caused by my high hip bone. He felt that it wasn't necessary with proper contouring over the bone itself, and thought I might come out looking bottom-heavy; he also declined to use the fat in my forehead and lips, as the final result often isn't that great. I appreciated that he was honest and declined to do the extra procedures, even though he could have gotten more money by doing them.
I had some concerns about pain management as opiates have almost no effect on me, and my surgeon was really great about giving me an extra prescription for something else in case the first drug he prescribed didn't work.
When I woke up after the procedure the pain was awful, but I still had the IV in so a strong dose of fentanyl managed to bring me down from a 10/10 pain to a 6. I had expected to feel severely bruised, but it was actually more of a burning feeling and was really, really awful. Once the pain was under control, 2 nurses helped me get into a compression garment and took me down to where my parents were waiting. I was a bit nauseous that night, but I had medications that helped a lot with that. I felt like I got hit by a truck and the Demerol helped a little, but for what it's worth I found it less painful than when I broke my ribs the year before. Standing up/sitting down was horrible, but once I was comfortably situated in bed it wasn't that bad. Using the toilet was pretty painful because of the standing/sitting, and fumbling with the compression garment - and also, apparently the fluid they use makes your pee stink for a couple of days!
I had quite a lot of seepage from one of my incisions, and actually soaked through 2 sets of clothing the first night. By the next afternoon it was more blood than fluid, so I called the nurse on duty at the surgical centre and she advised me to go to the ER since it was a Saturday and it was better not to wait in case the incision needed extra stitching. The ER doctor put a thick pad over the incision but thought everything looked fine otherwise and didn't think the bleeding was excessive. I had to take the compression garment off long enough to wash it (I had a backup that I put on instead), and I couldn't believe how flat my stomach looked! My lower abdomen still had visible pockets of fluid, but my the shape of my hips was just what I wanted and my old spare tire was gone! By morning the bleeding/leaking had completely stopped and the pain was a bit more manageable.
My surgery was on a Friday, and by Tuesday I was off all painkillers except a nighttime Tylenol before bed; I went back to work on the Thursday, although one more day off might have been a good idea. By about the 4th day the expected swelling was at its maximum and I was actually a little bigger than before, but my shape was still very much improved. The bruising wasn't nearly as bad I expected - some of the bruises were really dark, but they were all much smaller than I thought they would be. I had expected my entire torso to be one massive bruise, but I actually just had a collection of relatively small ones.
I'm now 8 days post-op, and still loving the result. The worst of the swelling seems to have dissipated, although my skin is still totally numb. The incision sites are a bit painful, and it hurts quite a bit if someone bumps into me, but not enough to need any painkillers - I'm not even using Tylenol anymore. I'm already noticing how much more confident I feel - my posture has changed because I'm not always trying to hide a belly roll, my clothes are more comfortable because the bulge over my hip bone is gone, and I can't wait to wear a bathing suit! I'm also so much more motivated to heal my car accident injuries and get back into shape so I can maintain it and have my old fit body back, but now even better! I'll post another update once I start to see the final result.

Pics from the first week.

Still thrilled with the results! It feels a bit strange if I push on the abdomen or lie on my front - I think there's still some swelling in there. When I look down at myself I'm slightly asymmetrical, but overall my stomach is so much flatter that I don't really care about small imperfections.